(Vatican Radio) Bavaria was transported to the centre of Lazio yesterday evening as
over 1,000 pilgrims from the German “Land” descended on the Papal Summer Residence
in Castel Gandolfo, to bring a little bit of home to Pope Benedict XVI. Emer McCarthy
reports Listen:
They came
from Bavaria’s valleys and its mountain passes from its hamlets and industrious cities
led by their Archbishop Cardinal Reinhard Marx, to visit a fellow Bavarian who is
a long way from home.
On Friday evening Bavaria’s iconic horn blowers, famed
Alpine choirs, dancers, artists and poets staged a special Bavarian Hour in honour
of Pope Benedict XVI’s 85th birthday April last. The Pope in accepting
this very personal gift had asked it take place in the Summer – at another of his
favourite places, Castel Gandolfo.
In thanking the men and women and their
children who had trooped into the Lazio hill town in their colourful “lederhosen”
and summer dresses, Pope Benedict told them their folksong and the sound of the Bavarian
language had taken him back to his homeland again.
The Bavarian culture he
said is neither “rude” nor “rowdy”, but imbued with a innate joy born of the Bavarian
people’s inner yes to God and his creation.
Some might question our happiness
– he continued –while the world is so full of suffering. But the Pope added - saying
'no' to joy benefits no-one, it only makes the world darker. Those who do not love
cannot give love to their fellow man, can not help them, can not be a messenger of
peace.
Pope Benedict asked the people of his homeland to try to bring this
joy to others, to reject evil and to be servants of peace and reconciliation.
On
a more personal note the Holy Father also revealed that he was an honorary “Schütze”
or rifleman – though he also confessed to having been a “pretty mediocre” one.
Then
with a special thanks to Cardinal Wetter Pope Benedicts’ first successor to the Archdiocese
of Munich and Freising, he reluctantly took his leave of the assembly joining in the
traditional farewell folksong from the land of his youth.
Below a Vatican
Radio Translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s words to pilgrims from Bavaria:
Cardinals, dear
brothers, dear friends!
At the end of this "Bavarian hour" I can only
say "May God reward you" (Vergelt Gott's) from my heart. It has been nice to be here
at the center of Lazio, in Castel Gandolfo, and at the same time in Bavaria. I have
just been "Dahoam" (at home), and I have to congratulate Cardinal Marx, for being
able to pronounce that word so well!
We have been able to perceive that the
Bavarian culture is a cheerful one: it is not a rude demonstration, it is not ''Raudi”
[Bayrisch for rowdy – ed], but cheerful, imbued with joy, born from an inner acceptance
of the world, from an inner yes to life that is a yes to joy. It is based on the fact
that we are in harmony with the Creation, in harmony with the Creator himself and
this is why we know it is good to be Man. It is true, we have to admit that God has
made this easy for us in Bavaria: he has given us a world, a land so beautiful, that
it is easy to recognize that God is good and be happy. At the same time, however,
He has also enabled the men who live in this land – through their "yes" - to give
it its full beauty, through the culture of the people, through their faith, their
joy , songs, music and art it has become as beautiful as the Creator wanted, but could
not have realized alone, only with the help of men. Now, some might say, is it right
to be so happy, while the world is so full of suffering, when there is so much darkness
and so much pain? Is it legitimate to be so defiantly joyful? The answer can only
be a yes! Because saying 'no' to this joy benefits no-one, it only makes the world
darker. And those who do not love themselves cannot give to love their fellow man,
can not help them, can not be a messenger of peace. We know this from our faith, and
we see it every day: the world is beautiful and God is good and He became man and
entered into us, suffers and lives with us, we know this definitely and concretely
: yes, God is good and it is good to be Man. We live in this joy, and try to bring
this joy to others, to reject evil and to be servants of peace and reconciliation.
Now,
of course, I should like to thank everyone, one by one, but the memory of an old man
is not reliable. So, I prefer to avoid this. However, I would nevertheless like to
thank the dear Cardinal Marx for having organized this "hour", of having transported
Bavaria to Rome and for having made tangible the inner unity of Christian culture,
I would like to thank him for having gathered all of Bavaria in our archdiocese, from
Lower Bavaria to Upper Bavaria .... I thank all the groups….I was deeply touched by
everything and I am very happy and grateful. I could hear the marksmen from a distance,
they deserve my special thanks, because I'm an honorary Schütze, although at the time
I was a pretty mediocre Schütze. Then, I thank you especially, dear Cardinal Wetter:
you were my first successor in the see of St. Corbinian; you led the archdiocese as
a good shepherd for a quarter of a century, thank you for this!