Vatican City, Dec 4, 2005 / 22:00 pm
On Sunday, before his weekly Angelus prayer, delivered from the window of his private study, Pope Benedict stressed the need for religious freedom, noting the long road a head toward this right being universally recognized.
As he marked the second week of Advent, the Pope said that "the ecclesial community, as it prepares to celebrate the great mystery of the Incarnation, is called to rediscover and deepen its relationship with God. ... God awaits a response of love.”
“…over these days,” he continued, “the liturgy presents us with the perfect model of such a response in the Virgin Mary, whom we will contemplate next Thursday, December 8, in the mystery of the Immaculate Conception."
Highlighting the fact that Mary "is an example for believers who's lives are spent searching for God," the Pope observed that, "to this theme, as well as to that of the relationship between truth and freedom, Vatican Council II dedicated careful attention."