Pope warns against denying, downplaying Christ's resurrection

Published: 2006-05-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI warned against trying to negate or minimize Christ's resurrection, saying it was the central event of Christianity. The pope made the comments at his weekly blessing April 30, speaking to several thousand people from his apartment window above St. Peter's Square. The pope said the Gospel recounts how Christ appeared repeatedly to his disciples after his death, inviting them to "overcome their amazement" and believe in his resurrection. "The resurrection of Christ is the central fact of Christianity, the fundamental truth that should be reaffirmed with vigor in every age, because to deny it -- as has been attempted in various ways and is still being attempted -- or to transform it into a purely spiritual event, is to negate our very faith," he said. He quoted St. Paul, who wrote that "if Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; (and) empty, too, your faith."

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