Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Benedict XVI praised his predecessor Pope John Paul II, who he described as a model for Polish people everywhere, to mark the the first anniversary of his Beatification.

The Holy Father made these comments in Polish during his weekly general audience this morning.

“May the witness of his life, his teachings and his love for the homeland remain your particular heritage,” he said.

There were a vast amount of Polish pilgrims who had travelled to the Vatican to mark the occasion. The Beatification of Pope John Paul II was the quickest in history on May 1 2011, coming a mere six years after his funeral, where there were shouts of ‘Santo Subito!’ which translates as ‘Sainthood Immediately!’ The Vatican must approve a second miracle attributed to John Paul II before he can be declared a saint.

This was not the only message that the Holy Father gave during the general audience this morning. He also reminded Catholics that prayer and meditation of Sacred Scripture, in communion with Jesus and His Church, can help us face all of the difficulties in life. Pope Benedict did this by continuing his series of lessons on prayer in the Acts of the Apostles. This week he focused on Acts Chapter 6, where he uses the example of Saint Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr.

He began by looking at when St Stephen was delivered before his death.

“Stephen’s words are clearly grounded in a prayerful re-reading of the Christ event in the light of God’s word,” he said.

Speaking in Italian, Pope Benedict highlighted that St Stephen was ‘one of the seven chosen for the service of charity.’ St Stephen died for his belief in the scriptures and his duty in being a disciple of Jesus, meant that it was acceptable for him to follow him to martyrdom.

Pic: Pope Benedict XVI kisses a child as he leaves his general audience in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican today.