VATICAN CITY, OCT. 21, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus towards the conclusion of the Mass where seven new saints of the Catholic Church were canonized in St. Peter’s Square.
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Dear brothers and sisters!
Before concluding this celebration, let us turn to her who is the Queen of all the Saints, the Virgin Mary, thinking of Lourdes, stricken by a grave overflowing of the Gave, which has also flooded the grotto of the apparitions of Our Lady. Today we would especially like to entrust missionaries to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary – priests and laity, who sow the good seed of the Gospel in every part of the world. We also pray for the Synod of Bishops, which, over the course of these weeks, is confronting the challenge of the new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith.
[Prior to the recitation of the Angelus the Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In English he said:]On the happy occasion of the canonizations today, I greet the official delegations and all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors, especially those from the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. May the holiness and witness of these saints inspire us to draw closer to the Son of God who, for such great love, came to serve and offer his life for our salvation. God bless you all!
[Concluding his pre-Angelus greetings in Italian he said:]I offer my cordial greeting to the official Italian delegation and all the pilgrims who came to celebrate the canonization of Giovanni Battista Piamarta, especially the members of the institutes that he founded. May you, like him, join intense prayer to the generous service of your neighbor.
[Translation by Joseph Trabbic]
