Pope encourages Knights to echo the “yes” of their founder

Nashville, Tenn., Aug 8, 2007 / 09:04 am

The Knights of Columbus received a greeting from Pope Benedict at their annual report on the state of the order yesterday afternoon. The Holy Father told them to continue the "yes" of that their founder gave when he founded their order.

As per their tradition, the assembled Knights stood to hear Holy Father’s message, which was read in Italian by Cardinal Bertone and then translated by the apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Pietro Sambi.

In his letter, which he wrote during his vacation, the Pope recalled that Father McGivney gave a courageous “yes” when he answered the call to found the Knights of Columbus and that the Knights should continue to live that “yes”.

He praised the Knights saying that, “they will be the first front of the new humanity redeemed and saved by Jesus Christ.”  

The Knights also received messages of congratulations and encouragement from President Bush, the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, the president of the Philippines, the president of Poland, and, for the first time ever, from the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon.