Pope's arrival in U.S. will be 'a moment of grace,' archbishop says

Published: 2008-03-05

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has shared his two encyclicals on hope and love with the world so the faithful will "grow in their experience of God," said a former Vatican diplomat who now heads the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. "His arrival among us is indeed a moment of grace, for which we must prepare, enjoy and then savor in the consideration of his message," said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio. His Feb. 28 talk was the first of two in a series sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington to help local Catholics prepare spiritually for the upcoming papal visit. "His visit in April to this noble nation is a manifestation of his desire to confirm our faith in the Christ, the savior of the world," the archbishop told more than 400 people gathered at the Cathedral of St. Matthew. Archbishop Broglio's talk on "Hope and Love Through the Eyes of Benedict XVI" examined love and the Catholic community's living out of that theological virtue, as well as hope and "what does the human person hope in?"

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