[ELS]

Another excellent, brilliant message from a "simple, humble worker in God's vineyard." We are truly blessed to have Pope Benedict XVI.

[ELS]

For your information

[wideawake]

'The priestly life must have in a special way a 'Eucharistic form', he wrote in his last Letter for Holy Thursday. The devout daily celebration of Holy Mass, the center of the life and mission of every priest, contributes to this end.

Thank you, Holy Father!

Give us the universal indult.

[conservonator]

"I too, as I start in the service that is proper to the Successor of Peter, wish to affirm with force my decided will to pursue the commitment to enact Vatican Council II, in the wake of my predecessors and in faithful continuity with the millennia-old tradition of the Church. Precisely this year is the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of this conciliar assembly (December 8, 1965). With the passing of time, the conciliar documents have not lost their timeliness; their teachings have shown themselves to be especially pertinent to the new exigencies of the Church and the present globalized society.

I look forward to furthering the intended implementation of Vatican II.

[NYer]

"You are Christ! You are Peter! It seems I am reliving this very Gospel scene; I, the Successor of Peter, repeat with trepidation the anxious words of the fisherman from Galilee and I listen again with intimate emotion to the reassuring promise of the divine Master.

We have been given a truly special grace in this new pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI! Thank you, Lord!

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[Romulus]

The homily was in Latin? Could the signal be any more clear? This guy's not wasting any time.

[ELS]

"I undertake this special ministry, the 'Petrine' ministry at the service of the Universal Church, with humble abandon to the hands of the Providence of God. And it is to Christ in the first place that I renew my total and trustworthy adhesion: 'In Te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum!'

"The Church today must revive within herself an awareness of the task to present the world again with the voice of the One Who said: 'I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.' In undertaking his ministry, the new Pope knows that his task is to bring the light of Christ to shine before the men and women of today: not his own light but that of Christ.

"'Mane nobiscum, Domine!' Stay with us Lord! This invocation, which forms the dominant theme of John Paul II's Apostolic Letter for the Year of the Eucharist, is the prayer that comes spontaneously from my heart as I turn to begin the ministry to which Christ has called me. Like Peter, I too renew to Him my unconditional promise of faithfulness. He alone I intend to serve as I dedicate myself totally to the service of His Church.

Thank you, God, for giving us such a faithful and courageous Holy Father.

[lightman]

Pope John Paul II justly indicated the Council as a 'compass' with which to orient ourselves in the vast ocean of the third millennium

A beautiful allusion also to the metaphor used by St. Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz and first missionary to the Germanic people:

In her voyage across the ocean of the world the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life's different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.

[eastsider]

I consider this a grace obtained for me by my venerated predecessor, John Paul II.

With your election, he blesses us all, Holy Father.

[DBeers]

The Church today must revive within herself an awareness of the task to present the world again with the voice of the One Who said: 'I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.' In undertaking his ministry, the new Pope knows that his task is to bring the light of Christ to shine before the men and women of today: not his own light but that of Christ.

Yes!

[jrny]

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but I skimmed the Latin version, and the Holy Father has reemployed the "royal we" which is incorrectly translated in the English.

He says at the end, "WE impart OUR blessing...."


This was the common practice until JP1 switched to the first person singular.

Hmmmmmm.....

[Salvation]

Habemus Papam! -- We Have a Pope! -- Pope Benedicit XVI [Photos, Writings, Links]

[AlbionGirl]

I really like his clear-headed prose. I understand him perfectly, easily.

"You are Christ! You are Peter! It seems I am reliving this very Gospel scene; I, the Successor of Peter, repeat with trepidation the anxious words of the fisherman from Galilee and I listen again with intimate emotion to the reassuring promise of the divine Master. If the weight of the responsibility that now lies on my poor shoulders is enormous, the divine power on which I can count is surely immeasurable: 'You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church'. Electing me as the Bishop of Rome, the Lord wanted me as his Vicar, he wished me to be the 'rock' upon which everyone may rest with confidence. I ask him to make up for the poverty of my strength, that I may be a courageous and faithful pastor of His flock, always docile to the inspirations of His Spirit.

Sent chills down my spine.

[Old Sarge]

(raises a canteen)

"Here's to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI: May his reign be long, and his legacy be longer!"

[Salvation]

I noticed that the Pope spoke in Latin.

Now for my silly question....


Does he speak English?

The linguistics of John Paul II still have me astounded.