Vatican spokesman looks ahead to pontificate’s 8th year

April 23, 2012

In the wake of recent celebrations of Pope Benedict’s 85th birthday and the seventh anniversary of his election to the pontificate, the director of the Holy See Press Office has devoted his weekly editorial to the year ahead.

“We share [the Pope’s] hope that the dialogue with the Saint Pius X Fraternity will come to a resolution that bridges the gap without creating any new ones,” said Father Federico Lombardi, SJ. “We wish him well as he delivers a message of love and hope for families around the world during his visit to Milan. It is our hope that dissenting groups will hear his invitation to be in communion with the Church and receive this invitation with respect and attention, and with an understanding of its significance.”

“We hope also that the journey towards renewal of the Church in Ireland, following an apostolic visitation to that country, will continue and intensify after the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin; and that, following the sexual abuse crisis, the Church may offer a genuine service for all society in the protection of children, with the commitment of the various episcopal conferences, through healing, purification, and prevention,” he continued. “We also hope that Pope Benedict’s journey to Lebanon may give him a chance to spread a message of peace amid the tragic conflicts in that region, and offer encouragement to the ecclesial communities who are being tried there.”

Father Lombardi also expressed hope for “the proper and objective understanding of the [Second Vatican] Council” and looked forward to the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization, the Year of Faith, and “the final installment of Pope Benedict’s work about Jesus.”

 

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Further information:

• Lombardi: The Pope's Eighth Year (Vatican Radio)