Pope meets Greek ambassador, expresses hope for Pauline year

Published: 2008-03-17

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI said he hoped the upcoming jubilee year for St. Paul would help remind Europeans of the continent's deep Christian roots. In an address March 15 to the new ambassador from Greece, the pope recalled St. Paul's evangelization work in Greece, in particular his "powerful preaching of the mystery of Christ to the Corinthians." He said, "His words still resound in the hearts of men and women today. They can help our contemporaries to appreciate more deeply their human dignity, and thus promote the good of the entire human family." The pope has proclaimed a year dedicated to St. Paul as a model of Christian evangelization, to run from June 2008 to June 2009. He told the Greek ambassador that St. Paul's efforts reflected "the vibrant exchange between Hellenistic culture and Christianity" that allowed Christians to communicate the Gospel more coherently and persuasively.

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