La fedeltà al Vangelo non è un limite ma un servizio alla libertà
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In un'epoca caratterizzata dalle pressioni del secolarismo, si notano i segni di una fede viva tra i cattolici d'Inghilterra e del Galles. Segni dei quali il Papa spera di poter essere egli stesso testimone durante la sua prossima visita in Gran Bretagna. Un auspicio che Benedetto XVI ha espresso rivolgendosi ai presuli della Conferenza episcopale di Inghilterra e Galles, ricevuti in udienza lunedì mattina, 1 febbraio, in visita ad limina.
Dear Brother Bishops,
I welcome all of you on your ad Limina visit to Rome, where you have come to venerate the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul. I thank you for the kind words that Archbishop Vincent Nichols has addressed to me on your behalf, and I offer you my warmest good wishes and prayers for yourselves and all the faithful of England and Wales entrusted to your pastoral care. Your visit to Rome strengthens the bonds of communion between the Catholic community in your country and the Apostolic See, a communion that sustained your people's faith for centuries, and today provides fresh energies for renewal and evangelization. Even amid the pressures of a secular age, there are many signs of living faith and devotion among the Catholics of England and Wales. I am thinking, for example, of the enthusiasm generated by the visit of the relics of Saint Thérèse, the interest aroused by the prospect of Cardinal Newman's beatification, and the eagerness of young people to take part in pilgrimages and World Youth Days. On the occasion of my forthcoming Apostolic Visit to Great Britain, I shall be able to witness that faith for myself and, as Successor of Peter, to strengthen and confirm it. During the months of preparation that lie ahead, be sure to encourage the Catholics of England and Wales in their devotion, and assure them that the Pope constantly remembers them in his prayers and holds them in his heart.
Read more: La fedeltà al Vangelo non è un limite ma un servizio alla libertà
