From his position in the Charlemagne Wing in the Vatican, Father Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni, a friar in the service of the Custody of the Holy Land in Rome, took part with the multitude of faithful in the Beatification of John Paul II. Here is the account and the photos he sent us from Rome.
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VATICAN CITY - "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed" says Jesus to the incredulous Thomas in the Gospel on this second Sunday dedicated to Divine Mercy. "You are blessed, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you have believed, continue – we beseech you, to support the faith of the people of God from heaven and to bless us as you always did from this square."
These were the last words of the homily pronounced by Benedict XVI in the Mass of Beatification of Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, the Pope who “came from afar”.
The beatitude of the faith characterized the papacy of John Paul II, who was at the head of the Church for almost 27 years, one of the longest papacies in the history of the Church.
The Pope, in his homily, added in Polish: "With his testimony of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great humanity, this exemplary figure of the Polish nation helped Christians all over the world not to be afraid of saying they are Christian, belonging to the Church and speaking about the Gospel. In a word: he helps us not to be afraid of the truth, because the truth is a guarantee of freedom. He continued : "He gave us back the strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the Redeemer of Man".
An immense crowd followed the celebration which ended at 12.47 p.m. Immediately after thge recital of the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father, the Cardinals, the authorities present and all the faithful began the veneration of the mortal remains of Blessed John Paul II which are now relics.
The procession of the faithful will continue all night until the celebration of thanksgiving on 2nd May.
Father Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni, ofm
VATICAN CITY - "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed" says Jesus to the incredulous Thomas in the Gospel on this second Sunday dedicated to Divine Mercy. "You are blessed, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you have believed, continue – we beseech you, to support the faith of the people of God from heaven and to bless us as you always did from this square."
These were the last words of the homily pronounced by Benedict XVI in the Mass of Beatification of Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, the Pope who “came from afar”.
The beatitude of the faith characterized the papacy of John Paul II, who was at the head of the Church for almost 27 years, one of the longest papacies in the history of the Church.
The Pope, in his homily, added in Polish: "With his testimony of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great humanity, this exemplary figure of the Polish nation helped Christians all over the world not to be afraid of saying they are Christian, belonging to the Church and speaking about the Gospel. In a word: he helps us not to be afraid of the truth, because the truth is a guarantee of freedom. He continued : "He gave us back the strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the Redeemer of Man".
An immense crowd followed the celebration which ended at 12.47 p.m. Immediately after thge recital of the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father, the Cardinals, the authorities present and all the faithful began the veneration of the mortal remains of Blessed John Paul II which are now relics.
The procession of the faithful will continue all night until the celebration of thanksgiving on 2nd May.
Father Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni, ofm