Pope summarizes lessons from visit to Spain

November 10, 2010

At his regular weekly public audience on November 10, Pope Benedict XVI summed up his impressions after a weekend visit to Spain, concentrating on the meaning of pilgrimage, the need to preserve Europe’s Christian heritage, and the vital importance of family life.

“I came as a pilgrim among pilgrims,” the Pope told his Wednesday audience, recalling the first stop of his trip: at Santiago de Compostela, Europe’s most renowned pilgrimage site. The faith that has sustained so many pilgrims over the centuries, he said, "will allow for the construction of a Europe which, true to its indispensable Christian roots, is able to respond fully to its vocation and mission in the world." He added that all believers share the duty to pass along the content of the faith, “without succumbing to the temptation to alter it, diminish it or distort it to other interests.” The other major event of the papal trip was the dedication of the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona. Pope Benedict voiced his esteem for the building’s architect, Antoni Gaudi, for whom the project was not only an artistic statement but also a testimony to his deep faith. The Pope also said that it was fitting to have a basilica dedicated to the Holy Family, at a time when family life needs spiritual support. He said:

Everything done to support marriage and the family, to help people in need, everything that serves to enhance man's greatness and his inviolable dignity, also helps to perfect society.

 

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Further information:

• No effort to support marriage, family and those in need is in vain, says Pope (Vatican Radio)
• Pope Recollects His Apostolic Trip to Spain (VIS)