Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Pope implores Catholics to cling to their faith

International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Published: September 9, 2007

VIENNA: Pope Benedict XVI, reaching out to disillusioned Roman Catholics across Europe, ended a three-day pilgrimage to Austria on Sunday with a Mass in Vienna and a stop at a medieval abbey that drew tens of thousands of cheering faithful.

Driving rain that had drenched pilgrims and Benedict's entourage since his arrival on Friday fell intermittently, forcing about 20,000 believers in throwaway plastic raincoats to huddle beneath umbrellas as they packed the square outside central Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Benedict pressed believers to cling to their faith.

"We need a relationship that sustains us, that gives direction and content to our lives," he said.

In his homily, the pope also urged the faithful to set aside Sundays to devote themselves to Christ's teachings and "create oases of selfless love in a world where so often only power and wealth seem to count for anything."
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 4:03 PM