This coming Sunday, 22 February, coincides with the liturgical feast of the Chair of Peter. In it we remember the particular mission entrusted by Christ to the first Bishop of Rome. The international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is calling on all Catholics to make this day a day of fervent prayer for the Holy Father.
Pope Benedict XVI has been unjustly attacked. There has been a resurgence of the unsavoury and aggressive attitudes that many thought belonged to the past. There have been serious errors on the part of certain bodies within the Holy See, as was recognized by its press spokesman, Father Lombardi, S.J. These acknowledged mistakes have been seized upon to launch an astonishing avalanche of attacks. The dignity of the papacy and the person of Benedict XVI himself have been crudely insulted. Many people have manipulated the facts, while others have frivolously abandoned the important fundamentals of our humanist tradition. This unworthy dealing with the truth does grave damage to the dialogue between civil society and the great religions. It is a sign of cultural degeneration. Thus we are seeing old sectarian emotions being revived. There has been an attempt to undermine an irreproachable moral figure, one of the great beacons of hope for coming generations.
In the midst of these strident attacks, the historical personality of Benedict XVI emerges untouched, as a figure who incarnates rationality, lucid wisdom and courteous kindness. That is why many young people find in him a living image of the Good Shepherd.
For next Sunday we are inviting all those who believe in a God of truth and love to join us in a day of special prayer. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may enlighten and strengthen Pope Benedict XVI as a prophetic witness of the Gospel of Jesus and a guide for a humanity that longs for peace.
Fr. Joaquín Alliende, International President
Aid to the Church in Need
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