Pope encourages old Advent traditions, making 'islands of faith' amid commercial excess

December 05, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI attended a concert of Bavarian music, followed by a film about Advent and Christmas in Bavaria, at the Vatican on December 2.

After the program—which was sponsored by the Bayerischer Rundfunk broadcasting network—the Holy Father thanked the performers for bringing “a taste of typically Bavarian customs and life into the Pope's home.”

Noting that Advent in Bavaria is known as “the time of silence,” the Pope contrasted that attitude with the frenetic commercialism of the season in many places. “Yet, as you have seen, the popular traditions of the faith have not disappeared,” he said. By holding fast to those traditions, the Pontiff said, small communities can provide “islands for the soul, islands of silence, islands of faith, islands for the Lord in our time.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope Attends an Event Organised by Bayerischer Rundfunk (VIS)