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    Benedict XVI explains the Assumption of Mary into heaven

    Dear Brothers and Sisters, On 1 November 1950, Venerable Pope Pius XII proclaimed as Dogma that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”. This truth of faith was known by Tradition, was affirmed by the Fathers of the Church, and was a particularly […] More

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    Lent and almsgiving (Benedict XVI)

    Christ made Himself poor for you” (2 Cor 8,9) Dear Brothers and Sisters! 1. Each year, Lent offers us a providential opportunity to deepen the meaning and value of our Christian lives, and it stimulates us to rediscover the mercy of God so that we, in turn, become more merciful toward our brothers and sisters. […] More

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    The apostles, witnesses of Christ (Benedict XVI)

    Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Letter to the Ephesians presents the Church to us as a structure built “upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph 2: 20). In the Book of Revelation the role of the Apostles, and more specifically, of the Twelve, is explained in the eschatological […] More

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    A new text from Benedict XVI (Easter 2017)

    Ever since I first read the Letters of Saint Ignatius of Antioch in the 1950s, one passage from his Letter to the Ephesians has particularly affected me: “It is better to keep silence and be [a Christian] than to talk and not to be. Teaching is an excellent thing, provided the speaker practices what he […] More

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    Letter for the 100 years of the birth of Saint John Paul II (Benedict XVI)

    100 years ago, on May 18 th, Pope John Paul II was born in the small Polish town of Wadowice. After having been divided for over 100 years by three neighboring major powers of Prussia, Russia, and Austria, Poland regained Her independence at the end of the First World War. It was a historic event […] More

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    Advent is the season of the presence and expectation of the eternal (Benedict XVI)

    Dear Brothers and Sisters, With this celebration we are entering the liturgical season of Advent. In the biblical Reading we have just heard, taken from the First Letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul invites us to prepare for “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (5: 23), with God’s grace keeping ourselves blameless. The […] More