Paris, France, Sep 11, 2008 / 20:42 pm
Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris, has spoken about Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to France, saying the visit will be an opportunity for French citizens to “get acquainted” with the Pope.
“Many French people, even Catholics, have never had a chance to see Benedict XVI live,” Cardinal Vingt-Trois said, speaking in a Wednesday interview with Le Croix.
The cardinal noted that some French citizens had met the Pope when as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger he delivered lectures at the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences or the Sorbonne. However, these lectures involved “a rather restricted and quite specialized audience,” according to SIR.
The Pope’s arrival in Paris and Lourdes is a chance for French citizens to know “his personality,” not only his texts or speeches.