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POPE-MANOPPELLO Sep-1-2006 (620 words) With photos. xxxi
Christ can be seen in faces of all people, pope says at sanctuary
By Catholic News Service
MANOPPELLO, Italy (CNS) -- All Christians should be on a never-ending search for Christ, who can be seen in the faces of all people, especially the poor and needy, Pope Benedict XVI said.
To be drawn and transformed by the splendor of Jesus' face is to live in God's presence on earth, the pope said during a brief visit Sept. 1 to the Sanctuary of the Holy Face in this small city some 120 miles east of Rome.
Some scholars believe the sanctuary houses "Veronica's Veil," the cloth used by Veronica to wipe Christ's face prior to his crucifixion and which, according to tradition, now contains the image of Christ's face.
"We will be filled with the presence of God" by imitating the lives of the saints who lovingly recognized the face of Jesus in their brothers and sisters, "especially the poorest and those most in need," Pope Benedict said.
The pope flew by helicopter early in the morning from his summer home at the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo to visit the church that houses the 7-inch-by-9.5-inch transparent veil that portrays the image of a male face with long hair and a beard. Studies have found no pigments or paints were used to create the image.
The two-hour stopover marked the first time a pope visited this small city of 6,000 people and its sanctuary.
In a speech to priests, religious and pilgrims who packed the long, narrow church, the pope quoted Jesus, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."
In order to recognize Christ, especially in other people or in one's daily life, people must have "innocent hands and pure hearts," Pope Benedict said.
Having innocent hands means living one's existence "enlightened by the truth of love that conquers indifference, doubt, lies and selfishness," he said. A pure heart, he added, is a heart that has been "captured by divine beauty" and houses Christ's very image.
It was only after Jesus' passion and resurrection that the disciples recognized him as the true Son of God, "the Messiah promised for the redemption of the world," said the pope.
"Looking for Jesus' face must be the yearning of all of us Christians," the pope said. For those who persevere in that search, he said, Jesus "will be there at the end of our earthly pilgrimage."
The pope also made an urgent appeal for greater respect for the environment. The church in Italy marked its first day of reflection and prayer for the protection of the environment Sept. 1.
The pope said nature was in great danger as it is "always ever more exposed to serious risks of environmental degradation" and must be "defended and safeguarded."
After arriving in this small city nestled in the mountains not far from the Adriatic Sea, the pope walked to the Sanctuary of the Holy Face and was met by local city and church officials. He greeted thousands of exuberant pilgrims who lined the streets as they cheered and waved small yellow and white Vatican flags.
Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto told Vatican Radio Aug. 31 that, before his election to the pontificate, Pope Benedict, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, had hoped to visit and pray at the shrine.
The visit was "a personal pilgrimage," the archbishop told Vatican Radio, "to highlight the importance of faith in looking toward the face of Jesus in life."
The archbishop, a close collaborator of the pope's through their work on the International Theological Commission, led the pope to the sanctuary.
A Capuchin friar unlocked and opened the protective glass case housing the icon above the church's altar. The pope spent several minutes venerating the relic.
END
Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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