According to the Vatican Information Service blog Pope Benedict XVI highlighted Christianity's contribution to building Italian identity in his letter to President Napolitano. The Holy Father also pointed in his message to the contribution that saints, such as Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Siena, have made to Italian society. According to the Pope, the Church also helped form modern Italy "through...her educational and care institutions, which established rules of behaviour, institutional structures and social relationships" as well as "through her vast artistic activity."
Pope Benedict also mentioned in his letter the contribution to the formation of the unified State made by Catholic figures such as Gioberti, Rosmini and Manzoni. He also recognised the "complex historical, cultural and political reasons" that lead many to believe that the Italian Risorgimento was "a movement against the Church, against Catholicism and sometimes even against religion in general."
The Holy Father also raised the matter of the "Roman Question" in his message to the Italian president. Whilst acknowledging the fact that this issue had caused great conflicts of conscience for many Italian Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI emphasised that "no conflict took place in society, which was marked by a profound friendship between the civil and ecclesial communities." In fact, the Pope highlighted the fact that even when popes where effectively being imprisoned in the Vatican, "the national identity of the Italians, so strongly rooted in Catholic traditions, constituted, in effect, the most solid foundation for the political unity that had been achieved."
The Holy Father's message for the 150th anniversary of Italian unification also pointed to the "fundamental contribution of Italian Catholics to the republican Constitution of 1947." It also mentioned the gratitude felt by the Church "for... the broad-ranging freedom she was guaranteed by the Lateran Pacts of 1929," which helped her make a "continued...contribution to the common good through her institutions and activities."
Pope Benedict XVI ended his letter to Giorgio Napolitano by highlighting the duty and "unique privilege" that has been granted by God to the Italian people - a privilege that arises "from the fact that the See of Peter's Successor, and therefore the centre of Catholicism, is in Italy, in Rome." This means, according to Pope Benedict XVI, that "the national community has always responded to this awareness by expressing is affectionate closeness, solidarity and assistance towards the Apostolic See, so as to foster its freedom and help create the conditions favourable for the exercise of spiritual ministry in the world by Peter's Successor, who is Bishop of Rome and Primate of Italy."
Buon compleanno, Italia!
1 comments:
Another stunning message from Our Beloved Holy Father.
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