{"id":242,"date":"2012-06-06T17:38:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-06T17:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/pope-recalls-the-inspiring-witness-of-milan-family-gathering\/"},"modified":"2012-06-06T17:38:00","modified_gmt":"2012-06-06T17:38:00","slug":"pope-recalls-the-inspiring-witness-of-milan-family-gathering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/06\/pope-recalls-the-inspiring-witness-of-milan-family-gathering\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope recalls the ‘inspiring witness’ of Milan family gathering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Vatican City, Jun 6, 2012 \/ 11:38 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Pope Benedict XVI says he saw an \u201cinspiring witness\u201d during his three-day apostolic visit to the June 1-3 World Meeting of Families in Milan.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThis joyful international gathering was an inspiring witness to the rich and varied identity of the family as a communion of love based on marriage, a sanctuary of life, a domestic church and the primary cell of society,\u201d he told pilgrims at his weekly general audience in St. Peter\u2019s Square on June 6.<\/p>\n

\tThe international gathering in Milan brought together families from over 150 countries to the northern Italian city to pray, celebrate and study marriage and family life. The theme for this year\u2019s event was \u201cThe Family: Work and Celebration.\u201d
\n\t\u00a0
\n\t\u201cIt is in the family that we discover our God-given vocation to love, to enter into relationship with others and to live together in harmony,\u201d Pope Benedict reminded those at today\u2019s audience.<\/p>\n

\tIt is customary for the Pope to use his first general audience following an apostolic journey to reflect on his visit.<\/p>\n

\tHe recalled how on his first evening in Milan\u2019s historic cathedral square he challenged the people of the city \u201cto live the faith as part of their individual and community experience,\u201d and in doing so, \u201ccreate a stable and authentic \u2018well-being\u2019 on the basis of the family, which must be rediscovered as mankind's most important heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tLater that evening the Pope attended a concert in his honor at the famous Scala Theater, where \u201cthe notes of Beethoven\u2019s ninth symphony expressed that aspiration to universality and fraternity which the Church tirelessly seeks by announcing the Gospel.\u201d
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tThe choral symphony, which concludes with the famous \u201cOde to Joy,\u201d was performed by the theater\u2019s orchestra and chorus under the baton of Daniel Barenboim.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tAt the end of the concert, the Pope said he told theatergoers that the family is where \u201cwe first experience how human beings are not created to live closed in themselves, but in relation with others.\u201d
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tThe following day Pope Benedict met with priests, religious and seminarians at Milan\u2019s cathedral and reaffirmed\u201cthe importance of celibacy and consecrated virginity, which was to dear to the great St. Ambrose,\u201d the 4th-century bishop of the city.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThese are a luminous sign of love for God and for our brothers and sisters, founded on an increasingly intimate relationship with Christ in prayer and expressed in the total gift of self,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tMeanwhile, at Milan\u2019s San Siro soccer stadium, the Pope challenged thousands of young people \u201cto say their free and responsible \u2018yes\u2019 to the Gospel of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe youthful group consisted of those from the archdiocese who had just received the sacrament of Confirmation as well as those about to receive it.<\/p>\n

\tPope Benedict urged them to \u201cwelcome the gifts of the Holy Spirit which mold them as Christians and enable them to live the gospel and to be active members of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAt a subsequent meeting with representatives of civil society, the Pope explained that he called on lawmakers to ensure that \u201cthe legislation and activities of state institutions\u201d are always at the service of individuals.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tThis begins, he said, with the right to life, but should also include upholding the \u201cspecific identity of the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tLater on Saturday evening Pope Benedict led a \u201cCelebration to Witness\u201d at Milan\u2019s Bresso Park, where he responded to various questions put to him by families.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI wanted to provide a sign of the open dialogue that exists between families and the Church, between the world and the Church,\u201d he said as he reviewed the event.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tThe Pope said he was \u201cgreatly struck by the moving testimonies of couples and children from different continents on the important issues of our day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe following morning he returned to Bresso Park to preside over Sunday Mass with 1 million pilgrims, thus transforming the area \u201cinto a kind of open-air cathedral\u201d for the day.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tAt the Mass, he called on those present \u201cto build ecclesial communities increasingly similar to families\u201d and so capable of \u201creflecting the beauty of the Blessed Trinity,\u201d since \u201clove is the only power that can transform the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBefore imparting his apostolic blessing upon the crowds in St. Peter\u2019s Square, Pope Benedict prayed that \u201cthe experience of Milan (will) bring abundant fruits to the Church and favor increased attention to the cause of the family, which is the cause of man and of civilization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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Vatican City, Jun 6, 2012 \/ 11:38 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI says he saw an “inspiring witness” during his three-day apostolic visit to the June 1-3 World Meeting of Families in Milan.<\/p>\n

\t“This joyful international gatherin…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nPope recalls the 'inspiring witness' of Milan family gathering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Jun 6, 2012 \/ 11:38 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI says he saw an “inspiring witness” during his three-day apostolic visit to the June 1-3 World Meeting of Families in Milan. “This joyful international gatherin...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/06\/pope-recalls-the-inspiring-witness-of-milan-family-gathering\/\" 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