Before praying the Angelus with the faithful at the conclusion of the beatification Mass of his predecessor, Pope Francis recalled the life and ministry of ‘Papa Montini’.
The Pope called on those present to follow the teachings and example of Blessed Paul VI. “He was a staunch supporter of the mission ad gentes; a testimony of this is the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi with which he intended to awaken the enthusiasm and commitment to the mission of the Church,” he said.
Published in 1975, the Apostolic Exhortation written by the newly Blessed Pontiff affirmed the important role that all Christians, ordained and lay alike, have in the Church’s mission of evangelization. Pope St. John Paul II, who also contributed to the drafting of the exhortation, was inspired by it during his pontificate in his teachings on the New Evangelization.
Pope Francis noted the timeliness of this aspect of Paul VI’s love for the evangelization, given that the Church celebrated World Mission Sunday as well that day. World Mission Sunday was established by Pope Pius XI as a day of prayer and renewed commitment to spread the message of the Gospel.
The Holy Father also highlighted Paul VI’s devotion to the Virgin Mary. “To this Pontiff,” he said, “the Christian people will always be grateful for the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis cultus and for having proclaimed Mary as ‘The Mother of the Church’, on the occasion of the closing of the third session of the Second Vatican Council.”
Concluding his address, Pope Francis invoked the Blessed Mother, asking her to “help us to carry out faithfully in our lives the will of the Lord, as the newly Blessed had done.”
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On ZENIT’s webpage:
For the full text of the Holy Father’s Angelus address, go to: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/on-the-pontificate-of-blessed-paul-vi