The Pope did so after praying the midday Angelus today with 6,000 residents, vacationers and pilgrims who came to the Alpine chalet where he is on holiday.
“I assure the whole community of Val d’Aosta of my remembrance in the Lord, especially the sick and all those suffering,” he said.
With obvious compassion and affection, Benedict XVI then personally greeted the sick and the handicapped who were seated in the first rows in the garden.
He also greeted the young people “who have come for my first Angelus in the mountains.”
“Spiritually, we are already on the way to Cologne,” he added. “We will see one another in Cologne!”
Next month Benedict XVI plans to travel to the German city for World Youth Day.
