Vatican City, Jan 17, 2008 / 16:47 pm
The convocation of Catholic Romans to attend next Sunday's Angelus at St. Peter's square in support of Pope Benedict will be a moment of prayer, not a demonstration, Cardinal Camillo Ruini said on Thursday.
Cardinal Ruini, the Pope's Vicar to the City of Rome, called on all Catholics in
Rome to join Pope Benedict at the Angelus prayers this Sunday to show their support in the wake of his suspended speech at the La Sapienza University, following threats of violent demonstrations.
"Next Sunday's event will be a moment of prayer, any other motivation in the people joining us at St. Peter's Square would be unwelcome and out of place," Cardinal Ruini told the Vatican daily L'Osservatore Romano.
The Cardinal explained that "because of its prayerful nature, the Angelus cannot be turned into a political demonstration."