(Vatican Radio) Pope Benedict XVI held his weekly General Audience on Wednesday. Marian
devotion was the theme of his remarks, on the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed
Virgin. Listen to our report:
“Dear friends,”
said Pope Benedict in Italian-language remarks to pilgrims and tourists gathered in
the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo, “Devotion to Our Lady is
an important part of spiritual life,” adding an appeal to the faithful, that they
not fail to turn confidently to Mary in prayer, saying, “She will not fail to intercede
for us with her Son.”
The Pope went on to recommend that all the faithful
imitate Mary’s faith and her openness to the fullness of God’s loving design. “Mary,”
said Pope Benedict, “is the Queen of Heaven - close to God – and also close to each
of us, a mother who loves us and listens to our voice.”
It was a theme to which
the Holy Father returned during his English-language remarks:
I welcome all
the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, especially the groups from
the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Japan and the United States of America.
I also greet the young altar servers from Malta and their families. Today the Church
celebrates the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. May the prayers of Our Lady
guide us along our pilgrimage of faith, that we may share in her Son’s victory and
reign with him in his eternal Kingdom. Upon all of you I invoke the Lord’s abundant
blessings!
The Holy Father also had especial greetings for the visiting Chaldean
Sisters of Mary Immaculate, whose work on behalf of people in their native Iraq he
praised. The Pope is in Castel Gandolfo for the Summer months, and is keeping a reduced
schedule of appointments – though he is scheduled to travel to Lebanon from September
14th to September 16th.