Letters From a Young Catholic

My reflections as a Catholic young adult passionate about the Faith, seeking to grow in knowledge and understanding of God and discerning the will of the Lord in my life.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Hope Pope

Benedict XVI Hopes to Lift Youths' Hopes
Sends Letter to Newspaper on Upcoming Visit

VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 8, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI hopes that his trip to Bavaria will awaken the joy of Christianity and help young people to regain their confidence in the Church.

The German Pope said this in a letter sent to the Münchener Kirchenzeitung Catholic weekly of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, in advance of his visit to Bavaria, which starts Saturday.

On his pilgrimage, the Holy Father will visit some of the decisive places of his life, including Munich, the city of which he was archbishop from 1977 to 1982; Marktl am Inn, his birthplace; and Regensburg, a city where he was a professor, and where his brother lives.

In his letter signed Aug. 15, Benedict XVI wrote: "I would like to express the hope, from the bottom of my heart, that my visit to my homeland will awaken joy in Christianity and, above all, reinforce confidence in the responsibility that the ecclesial community has assumed to build a human future for all.

"To this, I add the hope that there be more young people who can overcome their doubts in the future capacity of the Church and follow the vocation of service as priests or religious."
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