Rick Perry Signed Hate Crimes Bill in Texas

"Thus, if Perry were to become the Republican nominee for president, both major presidential candidates would be on record as having signed into law what is arguably the most dangerous element of homosexual activists’ political agenda, which we routinely characterize — when criticizing Obama and other Democrats who advocate it — as threatening to result in the criminalization of Christianity"

From The New American

By Kelly Holt

Not long after Rick Perry became Governor of Texas, according to an Associated Press release on May 12, 2001 he signed the James Byrd Hate Crimes Act (HB 587) named for a black man in Jasper, Texas, who was dragged to death behind a pickup in 1998.

In a bill-signing ceremony on May 11, 2001 Perry said:

As the Governor of our diverse state, in all matters it is my desire to seek common ground for the common good. In the end, we are all Texans and we must be united as we walk together into the future. That’s why today I have signed House Bill 587 into law. Texas has always been a tough-on-crime state. With my signature today, Texas now has stronger criminal penalties against crime motivated by hate.

President Obama signed a similar law, and the Texas statute signed by Perry does effectively establish a special “protected class” status including enhanced sentencing for crimes allegedly motivated by bias against it.

Pope Concludes Seminar with Former Students; What Does 'New Evangelisation' Mean?

From Vatican Radio

What does New Evangelisation actually mean? How does the Church – universally and locally – envision its concrete application? Is there any ‘master plan’? And what did they really talk about at the Ratzinger Summer School? These are some of the questions that Emer McCarthy put to Fr. Vincent Twomey SVD., Professor emeritus of Moral Theology at Maynooth seminary in Ireland, and one of the founding members of the Ratzinger Schuelerkreis.

Recently convened for their annual meeting in Castel Gandolfo (Aug. 25-28), the group of 40 former theology and philosophy students of then Professor Joseph Ratzinger were given the task of discussing this sometimes ‘nebulous’ term. Added to their ranks were academics who have chosen to study the thought and writings of Joseph Ratzinger – a suggestion first put forward by Fr. Twomey himself - creating a veritable ‘think-tank’, with some surprising results.

In the first part of this two part interview, Fr. Twomey speaks of how the concept of New Evangelisation is a thread that runs throughout the teaching and writing of Pope Benedict XVI, then Professor Ratzinger. He brings us back to their first meeting over 40 years ago, when as a young Irish missionary priest, he sought out the ‘promising and brilliant theologian’ in his ‘simple’ Bavarian home to ask to study under him. Fr. Twomey takes us on a journey from the Münster and Tübingen years, through the establishment of Ratzinger’s first ‘Doctoral colloquium’, to the Regensburg years and finally, Rome. He speaks about why the New Evangelisation calls for ‘God’s humility’ and why – contrary to popular belief – secularisation is not wholly negative. 

Listen: 

China Seeks to Legalise 'Disappearances'

China is making plans to legalise state-backed "disappearances" of the kind endured by the maverick artist Ai Weiwei earlier this year, in a move which lawyers and human rights advocates have described as "terrifying".

Ai WeiWei, the artist and Chinese dissident. Photo: REUTERS

From The Telegraph

By Peter Foster

Amendments to China's house arrest laws would allow prisoners to be detained in secret locations and without their families being informed, according to proposals published this week on the website of China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress.

Turkey Pledges to Return Some Religious Properties

Fearing mounting losses at the European Court of Human Rights and recent adoption of Congressional legislation calling attention to its repression of Christian communities, the Turkish Government issued a decree this weekend which would return Christian and Jewish religious properties confiscated after 1936, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“Erdogan’s decree, clearly prompted by increased Congressional scrutiny of Turkey’s repression of its Christian minority and successive losses at the European Court of Human Rights, would return less than one percent of the churches and church properties confiscated during the Armenian Genocide and the decades that followed it,” said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. “Ninety six years after the genocide perpetrated against the Armenians, Greeks, and Syriacs, this decree is a smokescreen to evade the much broader consequences of those brutal acts. The ANCA will expand its outreach to Congress and the Administration to ensure that the Turkish Government comes to terms with its brutal past, respects the religious freedom of surviving Christian communities and returns the fruits of its crime.”

Living the Spirit of Chivalry at the TFP Camp

From TFP Student Action

By John Ritchie

"Youth was made not for pleasure, but for heroism", a phrase coined by Paul Claudel, captures the spirit of every TFP Call to Chivalry camp.

On July 27, dozens of teenage boys gathered at the St. Louis de Montfort Academy to begin a challenging 10-day camp packed with activities, including talks, skits, rosary processions, field sports, outings, hikes, camping, swimming, sword play, archery, skeet shooting, spear toss, shield ball, capture the flag, and even a treasure hunt and medieval banquet, featuring a visit from King Henry V of Agincourt fame who held his young audience spellbound with a stirring rendition of Shakespeare's St. Crispin's Day Speech.

Respect, discipline, manners, noble conversation and manly piety are virtues fostered during the event, and many of the talks this year focused on the heroes and saints of the British Isles.

The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima visited the Academy during the camp, giving those present the signal honor of holding an all night vigil in her presence. A solemn procession initiated the vigil and the statueof Our Lady was escorted by TFP members dressed in ceremonial habit.  This famous statue wept miraculously in New Orleans in 1972, shortly before the legalization of abortion in America.  Each camp participant willingly filled a time slot dedicated to prayer and silent reflection.

Jack Vermett

"It was impossible to get bored because there was too much to do," said 13-year-old camp participant Jack Vermett from Illinois. "My favorite part was the visit to the Arlington National Cemetery. I learned manners and I liked the talks and the games too."

Zechariah Long

"I really enjoyed the talk by the decorated U.S. Army Ranger," remarked Zechariah Long, 18, from upstate New York.  "The Ranger saw real combat in Afghanistan, but he told us that moral courage is much greater than physical courage.  He challenged all of us to join the spiritual war and defend the faith."

The timeless virtues of Catholic Chivalry continue to attract young souls and offer an antidote to the moral crisis shaking contemporary society.  At a time when real moral courage is required to remain faithful, TFP camps will continue providing young men with saintly role models to look up to and follow, and with the grace of God, help form a new generation of brave leaders ready to champion the rights of God and defend His law.

For more information on these camps,  contact TFP here.

Rick Perry Run Carefully Orchestrated by Global Elites?

From NewsWithViews.com

By Paul Walter

The pool of presidential candidates for the Republican nomination has been considered less than exciting for many party faithful. Mitt Romney, a rerun from 2008, appears to be popular with the more moneyed crowd than average Americans who rejected his bid the first time around. Rep. Michelle Bachmann jumped out in front with her fiery rhetoric and appealing smile. Rep. Ron Paul, also jumped to the top three while candidates like former Speaker of the House, Newton Gingrich, Jon Huntsman and Herman Cain continue to struggle in single digit numbers in the polls.

A Perfect Storm of Hype and Big Government Nannyism

Irene, the category 1 hurricane downgraded to a tropical storm, provided the country with a good glimpse of liberal, big government politicians who have long since forgotten that they live in a free country, if they ever knew it.  

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been known to hold news conferences to tell New York parents how to dress their children on cold mornings, has every right to advise New Yorkers about safety threats, and even to warn that public services may not be available in the event of a serious crisis.  However, ordering people out of their homes and fining those who disregard his Stalinist dictates have no place in America.  This is a Mayor who believes it is his business to control the trans-fats you consume and the amount of salt in your food, while being photographed munching on trans-fat laden Doritos and employing 3 chefs at Gracie Mansion who cost the taxpayers $245,000.

The bombastic Chris Christie looks equally foolish ordering citizens of New Jersey to "get the hell off the beaches."  Who the hell are these people, anyway?  They are public servants, not our Masters.  Their responsibility extends to making sure public services function, the people are warned, and to coordinate the response.  It was leaders like these who failed to ensure a safe infrastructure in New Orleans and then threatened to shoot those attempting to escape their government holding pens.  

Let the Tea Party Movement and all of America draw a lesson from these despots.  It is not the bombastic strongman who will solve America's moral and economic crisis, not the politician who thinks he, not you, knows what is best for your family, but rather those increasingly rare leaders who respect the Constitution, know the proper limits of their office, trust the good sense of the people, and above all, protect American freedom.

Pope Benedict's Sunday Angelus Message: 'Follow the Lord on the Road to the Cross'

Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge - "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross"

A Reagan Forum with Marco Rubio

A Reagan Forum with Florida Senator Marco Rubio on August 23, 2011.

Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa

With love and best wishes to my Polish friends on this holy day. Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus!

Beloved Mother, guardian of our nation.
O hearken to our supplication.
Your loyal children kneeling we beseech you.
Grant us the graces to be loyal to you.

Where shall we seek our solace in distress?
Where shall we turn, whom guilt and sin oppress?
Thine open heart, our refuge e'er shall be.
When trials assail us on life's stormy sea.

A Look at the Real Brazil - Through Communist Eyes

Pope Benedict has chosen Rio de Janeiro as the site of the next World Youth Day in 2013.  He well knows how millions of the world's most zealous youths have edified and rekindled faith in places like Denver, Sydney and Madrid. How the salvific mission of the universal Church would be advanced were faith renewed in the world's largest Catholic country.  Come, Holy Spirit!

From Tradition, Family and Property

By Luis Dufaur

The establishment media seek to convey a discouraging impression of Brazil as a country where the majority of the population prefers immorality and egalitarian decadence. However, this is a very partial view of reality that does not consider the deepest aspects of the Brazilian soul.

Texas RLC Sends Out Warning on Rick Perry

Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas Sends Warning to Republicans Nationwide About Perry’s Tax and Spend Record

Texas Governor Rick Perry may be the flavor of the day for a lot of Republicans, but Texas Republicans who are familiar with his record are a lot less enthusiastic about his presidential run. “Perry has a unique talent for finding new ways to raise taxes and loves to use taxpayer money to subsidize his business cronies,” says Secretary Dave Nalle of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas. “His supposed belief in limited government and states rights conveniently disappears whenever it conflicts with the demands of the special interests and corporate cronies who he serves.”

An Interview with Marco Rubio

Florida Senator Marco Rubio was the featured speaker at a Reagan Forum on August 23rd, attended by Mrs. Reagan.  It is an extraordinarily eloquent and moving address and we will be posting video of the entire speech tomorrow.  Please stop back to see why Senator Rubio is on every presidential candidate's "short list" for Vice President and why so much national attention is focused on this new "great communicator."  

The following is an interview conducted during the Senator's visit to the Reagan Library.

Pope Earns Rare Praise from Leading German Leftist

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives to lead the weekly general audience at his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo in southern Rome August 24 2011 REUTERS Alessandro Bianchi

Gregor Gysi, a prominent Left-wing German politician, has praised Benedict XVI for insisting that society needs  strong moral foundations in order to function properly.

Donald Trump Explains ObamaCare

Let me get this straight . . . ... We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?'

 

Loyal To The End: Heart-Breaking Photo Shows Navy SEAL's Devoted Dog Guarding His Coffin

Sadness: Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson's Labrador retriever Hawkeye was loyal to the end, as he refused to leave his master's side during an emotional funeral

From the Daily Mail

By Mark Duell

This heart-wrenching photo shows how a Navy SEAL’s dog refused to leave his master’s side during an emotional funeral.

Petty Officer Jon Tumilson, 35, killed in the major U.S. helicopter crash in Afghanistan this month, was remembered by around 1,500 mourners.

But it was his Labrador retriever Hawkeye that really captured the public’s emotions in the photo taken by Mr Tumilson’s cousin, Lisa Pembleton.

Man's best friend: Mr Tumilson's family members followed Hawkeye into the service before he lay down

Mr Tumilson, of San Diego, California, was one of 38 killed on August 6 when a rocket-propelled grenade took out a U.S. Chinook helicopter.

His funeral was held on Friday in his hometown of Rockford, Iowa, at the Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Community School.

Ms Pembleton said: ‘I felt compelled to take one photo to share with family members that couldn't make it or couldn't see what I could from the aisle.

'To say that he was an amazing man doesn't do him justice. The loss of Jon to his family, military family and friends is immeasurable.'

Big funeral: Petty Officer Jon Tumilson, 35, killed in the Afghanistan helicopter crash this month, was remembered by around 1,500 mourners

During the service, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Robert Bradshaw told Mr Tumilson's parents that they helped raise an ‘outstanding man - a hero’.

Packed: His funeral was held in his hometown of Rockford, Iowa, at the Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Community School

Karl Rove Backs Away from His Creation, Rick Perry

In Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein, scientist  Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster more powerful and dangerous than himself, and the creator becomes horrified by his creation.

Here's a modern Dr. Frankenstein explaining that he, more than anyone, is responsible for the political career of Rick Perry. Indeed, he went to Perry and persuaded the former Texas State Chairman for Al Gore to become a Republican. But it appears the modern Dr. Frankenstein, that is Karl Rove, is just a tad apologetic for the monster he created.

7 Reasons for Good Cheer After Madrid

 Who cares if the media ignored World Youth Day?

From Mercator

By Michael Cook

Last year at this time the Catholic Church was licking its wounds after its biggest public relations shellacking in many years. Newspaper columnists sneered that the scandal caused by a few priest paedophiles was the beginning of the end. Its followers were so disgusted that they were said to be turning in their membership cards. 

But if that pessimistic reading of the tea leaves was true, how do you explain the presence of two million young people in Madrid over the weekend to listen to an 83-year-old German Pope? They were all aware of the vile actions of a handful of rogue priests but these had not shaken their confidence in the Church or its leader. 

So, if you are a Catholic sympathiser, World Youth Day 2011 gave abundant reasons for hope. Here are 7 of them.

Europe’s Islamophobes

From Steve Deace

By Rebekah Maxwell

Culture Crisis: Norway Tackles Muslim Immigration

“The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.”

“Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen; all know how to die; but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.”

“Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.”

Winston Churchill wrote these words in 1899 in his book “The River War,” his first-hand account of fighting Islamic militants in the Mahdist War in Sudan. His words resonate over a century later when the European continent, now wracked by financial and cultural instability, is plagued with a question  no one wants to ask: has Europe’s multicultural experiment failed?

For the fear of being called a racist, intolerant or an Islamophobe,  Europeans will not explore the question.  They refuse to look at the potential side-effects of the growing culture clash for fear that a  post-Enlightenment chapter in the 1000-year history of violence between Christendom and Islam will erupt, disturbing the peace and civility they have long hailed.

The popular social discourse against Western dominance of historically Western territory has silenced a good many critics. But that silence is hard enough to preserve and uneasy at best; wholly ignoring a millennium of attempted mutual destruction is quite a feat of self-deception.

But a question beyond the failure of European multiculturalism might be whether a civilization that will not protect its own citizens from systematic racially-motivated violence deserves to be salvaged.

The essence of “multiculturalism” demands that one cannot criticize any culture, cannot use one’s own standard to judge another culture…even when that culture allows women to be controlled like property, married at gunpoint, or young girls mutilated. There is no objective truth, only the promise of mutual tolerance. Now, it appears the ideological necessity of maintaining silence for multiculturalism’s sake has aided and abetted Europe’s own destruction.

That silence has bought Europe a few decades of good PR and a population that cannot defend itself from a strong, exclusive ideology, like Islam.  Because Churchill was wrong. It was not “science” or technological progress that protected Christianity; Europe’s greatest progress was achieved (in spite of the epic failures of some of her leaders) when her churches were thriving.

When the churches stopped teaching Christ, they ceased reaching out to the people, stopped calling for higher standards of living. They just tried to survive, to fit in, marginalizing themselves. Their response to continental secularization was silence. That silence has now been filed with a growing challenge from Islam, a religion that is actively striving for dominance.

I don’t blame Muslims for the decline of Europe/Western culture. I blame the combination of cowardice, ignorance, and self-loathing that has characterized Western Christians for decades.  There is no better time now for the church to become relevant…the fate of their nations depend on it.

The secular governments of nations like Norway have tolerated violence against their own citizens in the name of Islam and have done little to stop it, having already sacrificed individual God-given rights for the illusion of peace. And nations that will not stand up to protect their vulnerable and their victims deserve to be called far worse than racists

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll: Highest Negative Ever

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 19% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-five percent (45%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -26 (see trends).

This is the lowest Approval Index rating yet measured for President Obama. The previous low was -24 reached yesterday and also in September 2010. Additionally, the level of Strong Approval matches the lowest yet recorded. By way of comparison, President Bush had ratings near the end of his second term in the minus 30s.

Read the rest of this entry >>

Perry Can't Defend Abstinence Education

Perhaps the reason abstinence education may not be working in Texas is because the state doesn't have a political leader who can articulate why it is important and respond to questions like the following.  Abstinence education is working in much of America.  As the following makes painfully obvious, America doesn't need a national leader who will make George W. Bush look like the smart President from Texas!

"Quintessentially Unfashionable" Young Catholics - Two Million of Them

"After the storm ceased, the Pope thanked the two million for their ‘joy and resistance’. Then they knelt in the mud before the Blessed Sacrament. That’s the meaning of the Catholic faith"

 

From The Catholic Herald (UK)

By William Oddie

I begin with an email I received this morning from a priest who has just returned from the World Youth Day:

Just back from WYD – amazing joy and colour swamped Madrid. Yet the Pope’s Saturday night attack on Spanish hedonism was stopped by a freak and frightening gale, sand storm, thunder and dramatic lightning.

Why Are We Baiting the Bear?

By Patrick J. Buchanan

Is the Senate trying to reignite the Cold War?

If so, it is going about it the right way.

Before departing for a five-week vacation, the Senate voted to declare Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be provinces of Georgia illegally occupied by Russian troops who must get out and return to Russia.

World Leaders Address Developments in Libya

Following is British Prime Minister David Cameron's statement this morning in which he hailed the Arab Spring, promised to support the new Libyan government and praised the bravery of the Royal Air Force.

Meanwhile, President Barack Hussein Obama ordered at the takeout window of Nancy's Restaurant on Martha's Vineyard ...

and prepared to putt.

Pope Benedict's Comments at the WYD Departure Ceremony

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

DEPARTURE CEREMONY 

 

International Airport of Madrid Barajas
Sunday, 21 August 2011

Your Majesties,
Distinguished National, Autonomous Regional and Local Authorities,
Your Eminence the Archbishop of Madrid and President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference,
Your Eminences and Dear Brother Bishops,
Dear Friends,

The time has come for us to say good-bye. These days spent in Madrid, in the company of so many young people from Spain and from throughout the world, will remain deeply etched in my mind and heart.

Your Majesty, the Pope felt at home in Spain! And the young people who were the heart of this World Youth Day found a warm welcome here and in the many cities and towns of the country, which they were able to visit in the days before these celebrations.

I thank Your Majesty for your gracious words and for your presence at my arrival in Spain and now at my departure. I thank the national, autonomous regional and local authorities for the helpfulness and understanding which they showed before this international event. I also thank the thousands of volunteers who ensured the orderly unfolding of the many activities of this meeting: the various literary, musical, cultural and religious events of the Festival joven, the catecheses given by the Bishops and the main events in the presence of the Successor of Peter. I thank the police and security forces, and all those who helped by providing a wide variety of services: from the music and the liturgy to the details of transportation, health care and meals.

Spain is a great nation whose soundly open, pluralistic and respectful society is capable of moving forward without surrendering its profoundly religious and Catholic soul. In these days, it once more made this clear, revealing its technical and human resources in the service of an undertaking of immense consequence and promise: that of helping young people to become more deeply rooted in Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

A particular word of gratitude is due to the organizers of World Youth Day: to the Cardinal President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and all the personnel of that Office, to the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela, his Auxiliary Bishops and the whole Archdiocese, and in particular to the General Coordinator, Monsignor César Augusto Franco Martinez, and the many generous members of his staff. The Bishops worked generously and diligently in their Dioceses to prepare for the celebrations, together with their priests, consecrated persons and the lay faithful. To all I express my gratitude and I pray that the Lord will bless your apostolic labors.

Nor can I fail to offer heartfelt thanks to the young people for having come to the World Youth Day and for their joyful, enthusiastic and intense presence. To them I say thank you, and I congratulate you for the witness which you gave in Madrid and in the other cities of Spain in which you stayed. Now I ask you to spread throughout the world the profound and joyful experience of faith which you had here in this noble country. Share your joy especially with those who would have liked to come but were unable to do so for various reasons, with all those who were praying for you and with all those whose hearts were touched by these celebrations. By your closeness and your witness, help your friends to discover that loving Christ means living life to the full.

I leave Spain very happy and grateful to everyone. But above all I am grateful to God, our Lord, who allowed me to celebrate these days so filled with enthusiasm and grace, so charged with dynamism and hope. The feast of faith which we have shared enables us to look forward with great confidence in Providence, which guides the Church across the seas of history. That is why she continues to be young and full of life, even as she confronts challenging situations. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, who makes Jesus Christ present in the hearts of young people in every age and shows them the grandeur of the divine vocation given to every man and woman. We were also able to see how the grace of Christ tears down the walls and overcomes the barriers which sin erects between peoples and generations, in order to make all mankind a single family which acknowledges its one Father and which cultivates, by work and respect, all that he has given us in creation.

Young people readily respond when one proposes to them, in sincerity and truth, an encounter with Jesus Christ, the one Redeemer of humanity.  Now those young people are returning home as missionaries of the Gospel, “rooted and built up in Christ, and firm in the faith”, and they will need to be helped on their way.  So I urge Bishops, priests, Religious and Christian educators in particular, to care for those young people who want to respond enthusiastically to the Lord’s call.  There is no reason to lose heart in the face of the various obstacles we encounter in some countries.  The yearning for God which the Creator has placed in the hearts of young people is more powerful than all of these, as is the power from on high which gives divine strength to those who follow the Master and who seek in him nourishment for life.  Do not be afraid to present to young people the message of Jesus Christ in all its integrity, and to invite them to celebrate the sacraments by which he gives us a share in his own life.

Your Majesty, before returning to Rome, I would like to assure the people of Spain of my constant prayers, especially for married couples and families who are facing various kinds of difficulties, the needy and the infirm, the elderly and children, as well as those who have no work. I pray in particular of the young people of Spain. I am sure that they will contribute the best they have to offer through their faith in Christ, so that this great country can face the challenges of the present hour and can continue along the paths of peace, solidarity, justice and freedom. Along with these intentions, I entrust the sons and daughters of this noble land to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, our heavenly Mother, and to them all I willingly impart my blessing. May the joy of the Lord always fill your hearts. Thank you.

World Youth Day Angelus

BENEDICT XVI

ANGELUS

 

Cuatro Vientos Air Base, Madrid
Sunday, 21 August 2011

Dear Friends,

You are now about to go back home.  Your friends will want to know how you have changed after being in this lovely city with the Pope and with hundreds of thousands of other young people from around the world.  What are you going to tell them?  I invite you to give a bold witness of Christian living to them.  In this way you will give birth to new Christians and will help the Church grow strongly in the hearts of many others.  

During these days, how often I have thought of the young people at home who are waiting for your return!  Take my affectionate greetings to them, to those less fortunate, to your families and to the Christian communities that you come from.  

Let me also express my gratitude to the Bishops and priests who are present in such great numbers at this Day.  To them all I extend my deepest thanks, encouraging them to continue to work pastorally among young people with enthusiasm and dedication.

[Spanish] I greet the Archbishop of the Forces affectionately and I warmly thank the Spanish Air Force, which very generously permitted Cuatro Vientos Air Base on this, the centenary of the foundation of the Spanish Air Force.  I place all Spanish Air Force personnel and their families under the maternal protection of Our Lady of Loreto. 

In this context, I recall that yesterday marked the third anniversary of the grave accident at Barajas Airport which caused many deaths and injuries, and I express my spiritual closeness and my deep affection for all those touched by that unfortunate event, and well as for the families of the victims, whose souls we commend to the mercy of God.

I am pleased now to announce that the next World Youth Day will be held in 2013, in Rio de Janeiro.  Even now, let us ask the Lord to assist all those who will organize it, and to ease the journey there of young people from all over the world, so that they will be able to join me in that beautiful city of Brazil.  

Dear friends, before we say good-bye, and while the young people of Spain pass on the World Youth Day cross to the young people of Brazil, as Successor of Peter I entrust all of you present with this task: make the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ known to the whole world!  He wants you to be the apostles of the twenty-first century and the messengers of his joy.  Do not let him down!  Thank you very much.

[French] My dear young people of the French-speaking world, today Christ asks you to be rooted in him and with him, to build your lives upon him who is our rock.  He sends you out to be his witnesses, courageous and without anxiety, authentic and credible!  Do not be afraid to be Catholic, and to be witnesses to those around you in simplicity and sincerity!  Let the Church find in you and in your youthfulness joyful missionaries of the Good News of salvation!  

[English] I greet all the English-speaking young people present here today!  As you return home, take back with you the good news of Christ’s love which we have experienced in these unforgettable days.  Fix your eyes upon him, deepen your knowledge of the Gospel and bring forth abundant fruit!  God bless all of you until we meet again!

[German] My dear friends!  Faith is not a theory.  To believe is to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus and to live in friendship with him in fellowship with others, in the communion of the Church.  Entrust the whole of your lives to Christ and bring your friends to find their way to the source of life, to God.  May the Lord make you happy and joy-filled witnesses of his love.  

[Italian] My dear young Italians!  Greetings to all of you.  The Eucharist that we have celebrated is the risen Christ present and living in our midst: through him, your lives are rooted and built upon Christ, strong in faith.  With this confidence, depart from Madrid and tell everyone what you have seen and heard.  Respond with joy to the Lord’s call, follow him and remain always united to him:  you will bear much fruit! 

[Portuguese] Dear Portuguese-speaking young people and friends, you have met Jesus Christ! You will be swimming against the tide in a society with a relativistic culture which wishes neither to seek nor hold on to the truth.  But it was for this moment in history, with its great challenges and opportunities, that the Lord sent you, so that, through your faith, the Good News of Jesus might continue to resound throughout the earth.  I hope to see you again in two years’ time at the nest World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Till then, let us pray for each other, witnessing to the joy that brings forth life, rooted in and built upon Christ.  Until we meet again, my dear young people!  God bless you all!  

[Polish] Dear young Poles, strong in the faith, rooted in Christ!  May the gifts you have received from God during these days bear in you abundant fruit.  Be his witnesses.  Take to others the message of the Gospel.  With your prayers and example of life, help Europe to rediscover its Christian roots.  

Pope Benedict's Final Mass with WYD Pilgrims

WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION 

 

Cuatro Vientos Air Base, Madrid
Sunday, 21 August 2011

Dear Young Friends:

I have been thinking a lot about you during this time in which we have been separated.  I hope you have been able to get some sleep in spite of the weather.  I am sure that since dawn you have raised up your eyes more than once, and not only your eyes but above all your hearts, turning this occasion into prayer.  God turns all things into good.  With this confidence and trusting in the Lord who never abandons us, let us begin our Eucharistic celebration, full of enthusiasm and strong in our faith.

HOMILY

Dear Young People,

In this celebration of the Eucharist we have reached the high point of this World Youth Day.  Seeing you here, gathered in such great numbers from all parts of the world, fills my heart with joy.  I think of the special love with which Jesus is looking upon you.  Yes, the Lord loves you and calls you his friends (cf. Jn 15:15).  He goes out to meet you and he wants to accompany you on your journey, to open the door to a life of fulfilment and to give you a share in his own closeness to the Father.  For our part, we have come to know the immensity of his love and we want to respond generously to his love by sharing with others the joy we have received.  Certainly, there are many people today who feel attracted by the figure of Christ and want to know him better.  They realize that he is the answer to so many of our deepest concerns.  But who is he really?  How can someone who lived on this earth so long ago have anything in common with me today?

The Gospel we have just heard (cf. Mt 16:13-20) suggests two different ways of knowing Christ.  The first is an impersonal knowledge, one based on current opinion.  When Jesus asks: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”, the disciples answer: “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”.  In other words, Christ is seen as yet another religious figure, like those who came before him.  Then Jesus turns to the disciples and asks them: “But who do you say that I am?”  Peter responds with what is the first confession of faith: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”.  Faith is more than just empirical or historical facts; it is an ability to grasp the mystery of Christ’s person in all its depth.    

Yet faith is not the result of human effort, of human reasoning, but rather a gift of God: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven”.  Faith starts with God, who opens his heart to us and invites us to share in his own divine life.  Faith does not simply provide information about who Christ is; rather, it entails a personal relationship with Christ, a surrender of our whole person, with all our understanding, will and feelings, to God’s self-revelation.  So Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?”, is ultimately a challenge to the disciples to make a personal decision in his regard.  Faith in Christ and discipleship are strictly interconnected.  

And, since faith involves following the Master, it must become constantly stronger, deeper and more mature, to the extent that it leads to a closer and more intense relationship with Jesus.   Peter and the other disciples also had to grow in this way, until their encounter with the Risen Lord opened their eyes to the fullness of faith.

Dear young people, today Christ is asking you the same question which he asked the Apostles: “Who do you say that I am?”  Respond to him with generosity and courage, as befits young hearts like your own.  Say to him: “Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God, who have given your life for me.  I want to follow you faithfully and to be led by your word.  You know me and you love me.  I place my trust in you and I put my whole life into your hands.  I want you to be the power that strengthens me and the joy which never leaves me”.

Jesus’ responds to Peter’s confession by speaking of the Church: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church”.  What do these words mean?  Jesus builds the Church on the rock of the faith of Peter, who confesses that Christ is God.    

The Church, then, is not simply a human institution, like any other.  Rather, she is closely joined to God.  Christ himself speaks of her as “his” Church.  Christ cannot be separated from the Church any more than the head can be separated from the body (cf. 1 Cor 12:12).  The Church does not draw her life from herself, but from the Lord.  

Dear young friends, as the Successor of Peter, let me urge you to strengthen this faith which has been handed down to us from the time of the Apostles.  Make Christ, the Son of God, the centre of your life.  But let me also remind you that following Jesus in faith means walking at his side in the communion of the Church.  We cannot follow Jesus on our own.  Anyone who would be tempted to do so “on his own”, or to approach the life of faith with that kind of individualism so prevalent today, will risk never truly encountering Jesus, or will end up following a counterfeit Jesus.

Having faith means drawing support from the faith of your brothers and sisters, even as your own faith serves as a support for the faith of others.  I ask you, dear friends, to love the Church which brought you to birth in the faith, which helped you to grow in the knowledge of Christ and which led you to discover the beauty of his love.  Growing in friendship with Christ necessarily means recognizing the importance of joyful participation in the life of your parishes, communities and movements, as well as the celebration of Sunday Mass, frequent reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation, and the cultivation of personal prayer and meditation on God’s word.

Friendship with Jesus will also lead you to bear witness to the faith wherever you are, even when it meets with rejection or indifference.  We cannot encounter Christ and not want to make him known to others.  So do not keep Christ to yourselves!  Share with others the joy of your faith.  The world needs the witness of your faith, it surely needs God.  I think that the presence here of so many young people, coming from all over the world, is a wonderful proof of the fruitfulness of Christ’s command to the Church: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15).  You too have been given the extraordinary task of being disciples and missionaries of Christ in other lands and countries filled with young people who are looking for something greater and, because their heart tells them that more authentic values do exist, they do not let themselves be seduced by the empty promises of a lifestyle which has no room for God.

Dear young people, I pray for you with heartfelt affection.  I commend all of you to the Virgin Mary and I ask her to accompany you always by her maternal intercession and to teach you how to remain faithful to God’s word.  I ask you to pray for the Pope, so that, as the Successor of Peter, he may always confirm his brothers and sisters in the faith.  May all of us in the Church, pastors and faithful alike, draw closer to the Lord each day.  May we grow in holiness of life and be effective witnesses to the truth that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, the Saviour of all mankind and the living source of our hope.  Amen.