.- During a Mass offered for the beginning of the pontificate of Benedict XVI at the Basilica of Guadalupe, Archbishop Alberto Suarez Inda of Morelia and vice president of the Mexican Bishops Conference said the quick election of the Holy Father was a clear manifestation “of the will of God for His Church.”
During the Mass, which was concelebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, and 16 other Mexican bishops, Archbishop Suarez said the election of the Pontiff is a gift from God and he acknowledged that “the swiftness of the election surprised us. We thank God for what this consensus has meant, this clear and sharp manifestation of the will of God for His Church.”
The archbishop told the faithful gathered in the Basilica that “the electors are men of faith and they were accompanied in their decision by the prayer of the whole Church. The Conclave, then, was not a matter of just a few.”
Archbishop Suarez noted that the cardinals gathered in the Conclave were of the same mind as the Apostles in their search for men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and wisdom in order to entrust to one of them the ministry of the Church.
Referring to the qualities of the Holy Father, the archbishop emphasized his humility, simplicity, austerity, kindness and wisdom. “Very soon the prejudices and clichés that have been pinned on him will fade away.”
Likewise Archbishop Suarez recalled the commitment of the bishops to maintain and strengthen their communion with the Pontiff, and they exhorted the faithful “to lift up with Peter the Church of Christ, to live as community opening our spirit to the truth and cooperating in fraternal love.”
