Vatican City, Jul 3, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI spoke with pilgrims from the archdiocese of Madrid, Spain, accompanied by their archbishop, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, and his auxiliaries, telling them that the Church in Madrid must spread the message of the Gospel to all areas of society.
The group had been in Rome for the third diocesan synod, the theme of which was: "The transmission of faith, lived and practiced in communion with the Church."
Pope Benedict noted that during the synod assembly "the ecclesial community became conscious of being a 'family in faith'," and a "symbol of unity for all society. It is a Catholic community, and Catholic means precisely that it is an open gathering, repository of a universal message destined for all human beings.”
“This Catholic community today”, he said, “makes its pilgrimage to Rome as a sign of communion with Peter's Successor and, consequently, with the Universal Church."