Cardinal Bertone stresses role of laity in keynote speech to Knights

Published: 2007-08-10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- Catholic laypeople must put their faith into action by saying "yes" to Christ, said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, during an Aug. 8 keynote address to the Knights of Columbus. "This 'yes' is quite simply the 'yes' of faith," he said, stressing that it is a "full, unmitigated acceptance of Jesus as Lord and our commitment to follow him as master and teacher." The cardinal addressed the Knights during their 125th annual national convention at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, which drew more than 2,600 Knights and their families. The previous evening, Cardinal Bertone received the Knights' "Gaudium et Spes" Award, the organization's highest honor. In his keynote address, he urged the Knights to follow the example of their founder, Father Michael J. McGivney, saying the priest understood that all believers, not just priests or religious, were called to put their faith into action. Father McGivney "had a deep appreciation for the special characteristics of the lay vocation as being thoroughly immersed in the spheres of the family, civil society and public life," the cardinal said.

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