Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Pope condemns violence in Cotabato. God responds to violence with the blood of his Son

» 07/05/2009 13:40
VATICAN

Benedict XVI deplores the attack near the cathedral in the Filipino city and stresses that the use of violence will never bring about a solution to problems. Reflection before the Angelus dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, source of hope in a world torn apart by violence and hatred.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - At the end of the Angelus prayer, Benedict XVI today condemned this morning’s attack in front of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Cotabato in the Philippines. The Pope assured his prayers for the victims, among which there are "women and children" and raised his voice to “condemn the use of violence, which is never a way of solving problems.”

And violence and Christ’s non-violent response to it was in fact at the heart of his reflection before the Marian prayer: "Christ - he said - did not respond to evil with evil but with good, with his infinite love”. The blood of Jesus, indeed, is a source of hope for all mankind, marked by violence and hatred.

The pope recalled that the first Sunday of July in the past was dedicated to the devotion of the Most Precious Blood of Christ. Blood was important in the Old Testament: "the sprinkling with the blood of sacrificed animals - said the pope - in the Old Testament, represented and established the covenant between God and his people”. Jesus shed his blood as the sacrificial lamb of the Old Covenant: "from his scourging, to the piercing of his side after his death of the cross, Christ poured out all of his blood, as the true Lamb slain for universal redemption”.
more...

See also from CNA, "Christ answers world's bloodshed with sacrifice of his life, Pope teaches" and "Pope Benedict decries bombing at Philippines cathedral."

And from YouTube-Vatican's Channel:

Pope Benedict Condemns Bomb Attack in Philippines
July 5, 2009

posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 12:36 PM