Pope encourages Austrian priests, religious to help the hopeless

Published: 2007-09-10

MARIAZELL, Austria (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI gave a spiritual pep talk to Austrian priests and religious, telling them that a fundamental part of their ministry is to offer hope to people crushed by misfortune, injustice and despair. The heart of their mission, and that of every Christian, he said, is to testify to God's "creative love" and against the hopelessness that can result from suffering in this world. The pope spoke during an evening prayer service Sept. 8 at the Austrian Marian sanctuary at Mariazell, where he had celebrated Mass earlier in the day. His visit, on the feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, marked the 850th anniversary of the founding of the shrine. The pope looked animated and in high spirits as he processed into the Mariazell basilica. He smiled and chatted briefly with the Benedictine prior of the sanctuary, who handed the pope a lit candle as a choir sang, "Let our hearts be filled with Christ our light."

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