Pope Benedict XVI
Full text of Pope Benedict's Apostolic Exhoration Verbum Domini (The Word of God).
Pope Benedict has recently promulgated the post synodal document on The Word of God. This document reflects the fruit of the Synod of Bishops. In 2008, which was centered on the role of scripture in the life of the Church.
If You Are Visiting Rome
If you are planning to visit Rome the place to start is at the Bishop’s Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican! Thousands of people come to Rome each year, hoping to see Pope Benedict XVI and participate in his liturgical celebrations. It is their desire to help you or your group of pilgrims enjoy a spiritually enriching visit to Rome, and we believe your participation in the Holy Father’s celebrations will make your pilgrimage more spiritually meaningful....click here to read more.
How to Request a Papal Blessing
Requests for Papal blessings are handled by the Apostolic Nunciature (the embassy of the Holy See to the United States). The request for a Papal Blessing, in the form of a printed certificate, should be placed in a letter ... read more...
Pope Benedict XVI
ENCYCLICAL LETTER - SPE SALVI. OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI
TO THE BISHOPS PRIESTS AND DEACONS MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL ON CHRISTIAN HOPE
Introduction
1. “SPE SALVI facti sumus”—in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24). According to the Christian faith, “redemption”—salvation—is not simply a given. Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey. Now the question immediately arises: what sort of hope could ever justify the statement that, on the basis of that hope and simply because it exists, we are redeemed? And what sort of certainty is involved here?
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Adapted from the text of Pope Benedict XVI's first General Audience in St. Peter's Square, April 27, 2005.
The choice of the name Benedict (Latin "the blessed") is significant. Benedict XVI used his first General Audience in St. Peter's Square, on April 27, 2005, to explain to the world on why he chose the name:
"Filled with sentiments of awe and thanksgiving, I wish to speak of why I chose the name Benedict. Firstly, I remember Pope Benedict XV, that courageous prophet of peace, who guided the Church through turbulent times of war. In his footsteps I place my ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples. Additionally, I recall Saint Benedict of Norcia, co-patron of Europe, whose life evokes the Christian roots of Europe. I ask him to help us all to hold firm to the centrality of Christ in our Christian life: May Christ always take first place in our thoughts and actions!"
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Deus Caritas Est Benedict XVI
ENCYCLICAL LETTER
DEUS CARITAS EST
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI
TO THE BISHOPS PRIESTS AND DEACONS MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL ON CHRISTIAN LOVE
INTRODUCTION
1. “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16). These words from the First Letter of John express with remarkable clarity the heart of the Christian faith: the Christian image of God and the resulting image of mankind and its destiny. In the same verse, Saint John also offers a kind of summary of the Christian life: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us”.
