Pope says church must take Gospel into public sphere

Published: 2005-05-23

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The church must take the Gospel message into the public sphere in order to "attain the common good" and bring about "a civilization of love," Pope Benedict XVI said in a letter to Spanish bishops. "The true nature and mission" of the church involves "promoting the common good for all people," and, as such, "spreading the faith and religious practice cannot be confined to the purely private sphere," he said in a written message released by the Vatican May 23. Christ came not "to judge the world," but that the world would be saved by him, the pope said in the letter, read May 21 to thousands of pilgrims at the start of a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Pilar in Zaragoza. Fifty-one Spanish bishops and the apostolic nuncio to Spain, Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, were to take part in the pilgrimage as part of the Year of the Eucharist and Spain's Year of Immaculate Mary.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .