The Pope said this today at the end of the general audience in St. Peter’s Square. Upon greeting the youth, the ill and the newlyweds present, he said: «The Church invites us to pray in these days for our dearly departed and this reminder invites us to meditate on the mystery of death and eternal life.»
The Church celebrates All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2, a day to remember those who have died.
Speaking the youth, Benedict XVI said death should not be a «reason to be sad, but a impulse to fully appreciate your youth, always directing yourself toward those spiritual values that never die.»
He then greeted the ill, encouraging them to renew «your confidence in the Lord, knowing that in every situation we are always in his hands: He is for us a good and merciful Father.»
The Pontiff encouraged the newlyweds present to find «the perspective of eternal life» a guide in family life.
