Vatican City, Oct 30, 2008 / 08:40 am
Anne Leahy, Canada’s new ambassador to the Holy See, was received by Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday morning at an audience where she presented her credentials. Speaking to the new diplomat, the Pope recalled that Catholicism is the “cornerstone” of Canadian society and encouraged Canadians to rediscover the meaning of individual freedom.
Pope Benedict began his words to Ms. Leahy by quoting John Paul II from his visit to Canada in 2002. Canadians, said the late Pope, are "heirs to an extraordinarily rich humanism, enriched even more by the blend of many different cultural elements. But the core of your heritage is the spiritual and transcendent vision of life based on Christian revelation which gave vital impetus to your development as a free, democratic, and caring society, recognized throughout the world as a champion of human rights and human dignity."