 |
Benedict XVI addresses the Curia in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican (Photo: CNS)
|
Dear Cardinals, Brother Bishops and Priests, Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It
is with great joy that I meet you today, dear Members of the College of
Cardinals, Representatives of the Roman Curia and the Governorate, for
this traditional event in the days leading up to the feast of Christmas.
I greet each one of you cordially, beginning with Cardinal Angelo
Sodano, whom I thank for his kind words and for the warm good wishes
that he extended to me on behalf of all present. The Dean of the College
of Cardinals reminded us of an expression that appears frequently
during these days in the Latin liturgy: Prope est iam Dominus, venite,
adoremus! The Lord is already near, come, let us adore him! We too, as
one family, prepare ourselves to adore the Child in the stable at
Bethlehem who is God himself and has come so close as to become a man
like us. I willingly reciprocate your good wishes and I thank all of you
from my heart, including the Papal Representatives all over the world,
for the generous and competent assistance that each of you offers me in
my ministry.
