Pope Benedict lamented the widespread abandonment of religion in Western countries at a Holy Thursday ceremony, saying the heartlands of Christianity were turning away from their faith. The German-born pontiff said during the service at St. Peter's Basilica it sometimes seemed as if the West had become bored by its own history and culture.
"Have not we - the people of God - become to a large extent a people of unbelief and distance from God?" he said during the service in which he blessed oils to be used in Catholic rites. "Is it perhaps the case that the West, the heartlands of Christianity, are tired of their faith?" Celebrating the sixth Easter season of his pontificate, the pope said the beatification of his Polish predecessor, John Paul II, on May 1 would be a chance to remember a man of great faith. "For all the shame we feel over our failings, we must not forget that today too there are radiant examples of faith, people who give hope to the world," Pope Benedict said.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.