Sep
10
Monasteries: Places of Spiritual Power
September 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Shortly after 4.30 p.m. yesterday, the Holy Father arrived by car at the abbey of Heiligenkreuz, 30 kilometers from Vienna. It is the largest Cistercian monastery in Europe and the oldest in the world to have remained open uninterruptedly since its foundation, in 1135.
The name Heiligenkreuz (Holy Cross) is due to a relic of [...]
Sep
10
Without The Lord’s Day, Sunday, Life Does Not Flourish
September 10, 2007 | 1 Comment
Yesterday morning the Pope celebrated Mass in Vienna’s cathedral of St. Stephen, a Gothic structure with a campanile 136 meters high and a frontage incorporating two Roman towers more than 60 meters high.
A procession prior to the ceremony led the Pope 100 meters to the cathedral entrance.
In his homily, Benedict XVI reflected upon the [...]
Sep
10
Benedict XVI: Have Confidence in the Truth
September 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Says Proclaiming Faith Isn’t Arrogance
The origin of the current crisis of the West is a loss of confidence in the truth, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope said this Saturday during the open-air Mass he presided over at the Marian shrine of Mariazell in Austria, which commemorated the 850th anniversary of the founding of the pilgrimage site.
In [...]
Sep
10
U.S. Senate Urged to Boost Aid for World’s Poor
September 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment
But Not for Abortions, Clarify Catholic Leaders
Catholic leaders are urging the U.S. Senate to support funding for urgent humanitarian and development activities for the world’s poorest countries, but not for abortion services.
The request was made in a letter signed by Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ conference international policy committee, and [...]
Sep
10
Papal Homily in Cathedral of Vienna
September 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Here is a Vatican translation of the homily Benedict XVI delivered today during the Mass he presided over in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“Sine dominico non possumus!” Without the gift of the Lord, without the Lord’s day, we cannot live: That was the answer given in the year 304 by [...]



