Pope Benedict XVI saved boy from cancer, says family

News excerpt from ksdk.com 

By Dave Delozier  

DENVER (KUSA) - The world viewed Pope Benedict XVI as the leader of more than a billion Catholics world-wide. He was regularly seen speaking to thousands in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

But Peter Srsich saw a different side of the pope.

When Peter was just 17-years-old he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

"He had a chest x-ray and it revealed a softball sized tumor in his chest," Laura Srsich, Peter's mother said. "It was determined that it was stage four non-Hodgkin's lymphoma."

While doctors at Children's Hospital Colorado worked to save Peter's life, the Make-a-Wish Foundation granted him his wish.

"First thing Peter said, 'I'd love to go meet the Pope in Rome,'" Laura said.

On a sunny day in May Peter got his chance to meet Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square.

 "When I got up to actually talk to him I was struck by how human he was," Peter said. "It was a humbling experience for me to see how humble he was."

Pope Benedict XVI listened as Peter told him about his journey with cancer. Peter presented the pope with a lime green wristband that had printed on it, "Praying for Peter." In return the pope offered a blessing for Peter.

 "Then he blessed me. He put his hand right on my chest where the tumor had been. He didn't know where the tumor was, but he put his hand right there," Peter said.

Nearly a year later, Peter is now cancer free and a sophomore at Regis University.

He is hoping one day to become an ordained priest.

Read More: Peter Srsich

Emotion fills St. Peter's Square: Benedict XVI flies overhead as he leaves Vatican

News from RomeReports.com

March 1, 2013. (Romereports.com) Hundreds of emotional people filled St. Peter's Square to watch the Pope emeritus' departure from the Vatican. It was their last chance to see Benedict XVI as he boarded the white helicopter that took him through across the skyes of Rome, and to Castel Gandolfo.

Read More: Benedict XVI

Pope's last Angelus: I will not abandon the Church. I will serve in a different way

News from RomeReports.com

It was the last time that Benedict XVI appeared before his studio window to lead the Angelus as Pope. It's estimated that about 200,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to thank the Pope for his eight year Pontificate.

Some came with banners to thank the Pope and be part of history. With only days left as Pope, Benedict XVI clearly spoke about his retirement. In Italian he said, God is asking me to serve the Church in a way that's more appropriate for my age and strength.

BENEDICT XVI
“The Lord is calling me 'out to the mountain' to devote more time to prayer and meditation, but this does not mean I'm abandoning the Church. In fact, if God is asking this of me, it's precisely to continue serving the Church with the same dedication and love with which I have served so far, but in a way that's more suited for my age and strength.”

The Pope's Angelus was repeatedly interrupted by applause and cheers. Before completing the last Angelus of his Pontificate, the Pope said he will always be close to the Church and its people.

BENEDICT XVI
“Thank you, I will always be near you.”

This Angelus was the Pope's first public appearance, following a spiritual retreat which ended on Saturday. On Monday he will meet with Cardinals of the Roman Curia and on Wednesday, he will celebrate his last General Audience in St. Peter's Square.

Pope announces he will be stepping down as of February 28

News Bulletin from RomeReports.com

The Pope is unable to continue. He made the announcement today to the cardinals gathered in Rome. On February 28 at 8 p.m. Benedict XVI will no longer be Pope. That date will kick off the sede vacante, or vacant seat. According to canon law, within 20 days the cardinals must meet in conclave to elect the new Pope.

In the Vatican statement the Pope read in Latin to his cardinals, he explained that, “In order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”

His resignation is a rare occasion for the Catholic Church, as only three other Popes have resigned in their time, Celestine V, Clement I and Gregory XII.

Starting at 8 p.m. on the last day of February, all posts within the Vatican will remain vacant until a new Pope is elected, with exception of the Camerlengo, the Major Penitentiary and the Vicar of Rome. The new Pontiff will be the one to canonize new saints on May 12, attend the World Youth Day in Brazil, and guide the Church through the remaining Year of Faith.

Pope calls for peace, asking leaders to show the courage to negotiate

The following news story and video is from RomeReports.com:

In light of the ongoing conflict in Mali, Syria and Algeria, during Sunday's Angelus, Benedict XVI made a new call for peace. More specifically he asked for a new round of negotiations, that can pave the way to a peaceful accord.

BENEDICT XVI
“Once again, I ask that you pray for peace, so that all the open conflicts, may cease, including the violence and death of inocent civilans. May leaders find the courage to speak and negotiate peace.”

With the week of Prayer for Christian Unity taking place from the 18th to the 25th of January, the Pope talked about the need to pray for this very intention. He also talked about the Community of Taizé, an ecumenical youth group, which recently came to Rome.

BENEDICT XVI
“It was very significant for me, to have celebrated this vigil nearly a month ago in this very square with thousands of youths from all over Europe, including the ecumencial youth group of Taizé. It was a moment of grace in which we experienced the beauty of building one force, under Christ.”

Reflecting on Sunday's Gospel, in which the Virgin Mary asks Jesus to do something when the wine begins to run out at a wedding, the Pope asked pilgrims to pray to Mary for Christian Unity.

Pope 'deeply saddened' by Connecticut school shooting, asks for prayers and consolation

The video and following news story is from RomeReports.com:

December 17, 2012. (Romereports.com) Benedict XVI expressed his sorrow for the victims and survivors of Friday's mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that left 27 dead, including 20 children and the alleged gunman.

The Pope addressed the tragedy publicly for the first time, during the Angelus on Sunday.

BENEDICT XVI
“I was deeply saddened by Friday’s senseless violence in Newtown, Connecticut. I assure the families of the victims, especially those who lost a child, of my closeness in prayer. May the God of consolation touch their hearts and ease their pain.”

The Pope first offered his condolences on Friday, soon after shooting took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

On Saturday, the Vatican Secretary of State issued a press release on behalf of Benedict XVI saying he was praying for God to console all those affected by the shooting.

That message was reinforced during Sunday's Angelus.

BENEDICT XVI
“During this Advent Season, let us dedicate ourselves more fervently to prayer and to acts of peace. Upon those affected by this tragedy, and upon each of you, I invoke God’s abundant blessings!”.

The community of Newtown has a population of about 2500, and is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Its Catholic Church, St. Rose of Lima, has become a gathering point in the aftermath of the shooting, for mourners to honor the victims and survivors of the shooting.

Pope in Beirut: Those who wish to build peace must cease to see in the other an evil to be eliminated

The video and following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

Continuing his call for peace, the Pope led Sunday's Angelus by calling for the violence to stop in the Middle East, especially in Syria where thousands have been killed.  

“Why so much horror? Why so many dead? I appeal to the international community!," said the Pope in Beirut.   

Benedict XVI

“Why so much horror? Why so many dead? I appeal to the international community! I appeal to the Arab countries that, as brothers, they might propose workable solutions respecting the dignity, the rights and the religion of every human person!”

Benedict XVI called on Our Lady of Lebanon, to intercede and bring peace, but part of that process, said the Pope, includes eliminating hatred and enemies. 

Benedict XVI

“Those who wish to build peace must cease to see in the other an evil to be eliminated. It is not easy to see in the other a person to be respected and loved, and yet this is necessary if peace is to be built, if fraternity is desired.”

With roughly 300,000 people from across the Middle East, the Pope also mourned for the thousands of civilians who have lost their lives in violent conflicts in the region. 

Benedict XVI

“Sadly, the din of weapons continues to make itself heard, along with the cry of the widow and the orphan. Violence and hatred invade people’s lives, and the first victims are women and children.”

Toward the end of the Angelus, the Pope also called on local Patriarchs and bishops to do their part in the peace building process, so that all people of all origins and religious convictions are respected. 

Pope calls for end to sending arms to Syria

The video and following excerpt is from RomeReports.com

In a meeting with journalists during the flight to Lebanon, Benedict XVI called for “an end to the importation of arms to Syria” to help stop the conflict. He suggested that “ideas of peace” be imported rather than weapons and begin an acceptance of differences.

In light of the recent tensions from religious conflict in the Middle East, the Pope explained that religions must display mutual respect for each other and for mankind.

Pope urges laity to share Gospel with a world in darkness

The following excerpt is from the Catholic News Agency (CNA):

Pope Benedict XVI told a group of lay people this week that the world needs their courageous and credible testimony to bring the hope of the Gospel to all areas of society.

In a message sent to the International Forum of Catholic Action in Iasi, Romania, the Pope reflected on the laity's responsibility to the Church and society, reported Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano.

“Co-responsibility demands a change in mentality, in particularly, about the role of the laity in the Church, who are considered not as ‘collaborators’ with the clergy, but as persons truly ‘co-responsible’ for being and acting of the Church,” he said.

The world needs a “a mature and committed laity,” which “can make its own specific contribution to the ecclesial mission with respect for the ministries and tasks that each one has in the life of the Church and always in cordial communion with the bishops.”

The laity's role is of fundamental importance, especially “in this phase of history,” the Pope stressed, to be interpreted “in the light of the Church’s social Magisterium.”

Lay men and women should also aim to “grow, with the whole Church,” he noted, “in the co-responsibility of offering humanity a future of hope and with the courage to formulate demanding proposals.”

Read more: Share Gospels

Pope explains the significance of Lent and Ash Wednesday

Pope explains the significance of Lent and Ash Wednesday

The following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

During the Pope's general audience, Benedict XVI talked about the meaning of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. The Pope explained the significance of having 40 days of Lent. He also described it as a time for “spiritual renovation.”

FULL TEXT OF CATECHESIS:  

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today the Church celebrates Ash Wednesday, the beginning of her Lenten journey towards Easter. The entire Christian community is invited to live this period of forty days as a pilgrimage of repentance, conversion and renewal.

In the Bible, the number forty is rich in symbolism. It recalls Israel’s journey in the desert, a time of expectation, purification and closeness to the Lord, but also a time of temptation and testing. It also evokes Jesus’ own sojourn in the desert at the beginning of his public ministry, a time of profound closeness to the Father in prayer, but also of confrontation with the mystery of evil.

The Church’s Lenten discipline is meant to help deepen our life of faith and our imitation of Christ in his paschal mystery.

In these forty days may we draw nearer to the Lord by meditating on his word and example, and conquer the desert of our spiritual aridity, selfishness and materialism. For the whole Church may this Lent be a time of grace in which God leads us, in union with the crucified and risen Lord, through the experience of the desert to the joy and hope brought by Easter.

Read more: Pope explains the significance of Lent and Ash Wednesday

Do not forget your guardian angel, says Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI - CNA Photograph

Do not forget your guardian angel, Pope says : Catholic News Agency (CNA)

The following excerpt is from CNA:

Vatican City - (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Benedict XVI used his Sunday Angelus address to remind Christians to call upon their guardian angel for help throughout life.

“Dear friends, the Lord is always near and active in human history, and follows us with the unique presence of His angels, that today the Church venerates as 'Guardian,' in other words those who minister God's care for every man,” the Pope told pilgrims gathered in Rome's St. Peter's Square, October 2.

“From the beginning until death,” he said, “human life is surrounded by their constant protection.”

The Pope's comments come on the Feast of the Guardian Angels, a day celebrating the Catholic Church's teaching that each person is assigned an angel to help protect and guide them through life. It was Pope Clement X who first extended the feast day to the entire Church in the early 17th century.

Read more: Feast of the Guardian Angels

Muslim Student Group Invites Pope to Speak at Conference in Bali

CNS NEWS BRIEFS Sep-12-2011

The following excerpt is from Catholic News Service:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Leaders of Indonesia's largest Muslim student group came to the Vatican to extend an invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to speak at a conference in Bali in 2012. The leaders of the Indonesian Islamic Student Association, or Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam, met Sept. 10 with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, reported Fides, the Vatican's missionary news agency. The student association, which counts about 1 million members, was founded in 1947 and is "the oldest, largest and most influential" student group in Indonesia, Fides said. In addition to inviting the pope to address their conference on dialogue and peace, Fides said, the students spoke to Cardinal Tauran about ways to promote dialogue and religious pluralism and to begin forms of collaboration with Catholics.


Read more: Muslim Student Group Invites Pope to Bali

Pope says God can be seen through art

Pope says God can be seen through art

The following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

August 31, 2011- During the general audience, Benedict XVI explained that through artwork mankind seeks to find a relationship with God. “Today we reflect on the need to draw near to God through the experience and appreciation of artistic beauty. Art is capable of making visible our need to go beyond what we see and it reveals our thirst for infinite beauty, for God,” said Benedict XVI.

The pope also made note that artwork not only adds to the culture of society but also serves as a means of communication with the heavens.

Read more: Art

Cradle Catholics haven't done enough to evangelize, pope says

CNS NEWS BRIEFS Aug-29-2011

The following excerpt is from Catholic News Service:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Cradle Catholics haven't done enough to show people that God exists and can bring true fulfillment to everyone, Pope Benedict XVI told a group of his former students. "We, who have been able to know (Christ) since our youth, may we ask forgiveness because we bring so little of the light of his face to people; so little certainty comes from us that he exists, he's present and he is the greatness that everyone is waiting for," the pope said. The pope presided at a Mass Aug. 28 in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, during his annual meeting with students who did their doctorates with him when he was a professor in Germany. Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, a regular participant in the Ratzinger Schulerkreis (Ratzinger student circle), gave the homily at the Mass, but the pope made remarks at the beginning of the liturgy. The Vatican released the text of the pope's remarks August 29.

Read more: CNS

Pope to Pilgrims as World Youth Fest Ends: Spread the faith!

Pope to pilgrims as youth fest ends: Spread the faith - USATODAY.com

The following excerpt is from USATODAY.com:

MADRID (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI urged more than a million young people to become missionaries for the faith Sunday, giving them words of encouragement as he concluded the church's youth festival and announced that the next edition will be in Rio de Janeiro in 2013.

Benedict told the crowd at a Madrid airfield hosting World Youth Day that they should not keep their faith private but participate fully in the life of their parishes and remain in communion with the church.

"So do not keep Christ to yourselves! Share with others the joy of your faith," he said.

This is Benedict's third World Youth Day, the gathering of young Catholics from around the world once every three years that was launched a quarter-century ago by Pope John Paul II in a bid to reinvigorate and spread the faith among the young. It has the feel of a weeklong rock concert and camping trip, with bands of flag-toting pilgrims roaming through Madrid's otherwise empty streets to take part in prayer and education sessions, Masses, cultural outings and papal events.

Read more: World Youth Day

World Youth Day Madrid: Pope arrives to “Cuatro Vientos” aerodrome to start vigil

WYD Madrid: Pope arrives to “Cuatro Vientos” aerodrome to start vigil

From RomeReports.com (Video Only):

August 20, 2011 - With almost 2 million people expecting his arrival, the pope made it to Madrid's Cuatro Vientos aerodrome to take part in Saturday's World Youth Day vigil. Young adults from more than 190 countries will take part in the celebration.

Pope asks Christians to pray for AIDS patients

Pope asks Christians to pray for AIDS patients

The following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

(Romereports.com) - The Pope has asked all faithful to pray for AIDS patients, especially those in developing countries. He's also asking Christians to help ease their physical and spiritual suffering.

This is his intention for the month of July, according to the pope's Apostolic Letter, an initiative followed by roughly 50 million people worldwide.

In its hospitals, the Catholic Church cares for one of every four patients with AIDS. In some areas, especially in Africa, Catholic hospitals are the main source of care for these patients.

Pope Benedict XVI proposes leap of faith to overcome all difficulties

Benedict XVI proposes leap of faith to overcome all difficulties

The video and following excerpt is posted on RomeReports.com:

RomeReports.com - While praying the Regina Coeli, Benedict XVI highlighted the presence of God in the world and asked for others not feel like “Orphans of God” and to overcome the difficulties by renewing their faith every day.

Benedict XVI
“I invite everyone to joyfully renew the Christian hope which is born from the mystery of Easter, to face difficulties, ward off discouragement and efforts to build a world worthy of man , following God's wishes.”

The pope stressed that everyone is responsible for helping others come closer to God. He said this could be done by introducing the Gospel to others and to help rejuvenate the “ancient Christian roots.”

Benedict XVI
“Today the vocation of the Church is the evangelization of the people who are not familiar with the Gospel, as those with ancient Christian roots that need new blood to rediscover the beauty and joy of faith.”

Read more: A Leap of Faith

Science and Faith Merge in Pope's Space Station Talk

Science and Faith Merge in Pope's Space Station Talk | Space.com

The following excerpt is from Space.com:

In a first for The Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI called to the heavens on Saturday, but instead of reaching God, he spoke to two Italian astronauts and their 10 colleagues working on board the International Space Station (ISS).

"Dear astronauts, I am very happy to have this extraordinary opportunity to converse with you during your mission and especially grateful to be able to speak to so many of you as both crews are present on the space station at this time," the Pope said.

Pope Benedict XVI in Fatima: "The Virgin's prophecy still hasn't been fully realized"

Benedict XVI in Fatima: "The Virgin's prophecy still hasn't been fully realized"

(If enough people pray, the course of history will change into an era of peace and bring forth Our Lady of Fatima's message of 1917 to a complete triumph.  -Loci B. Lenar)

The following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

May 13, 2010. Close to half a million people attended mass with Benedict XVI in the esplanade of Fatima’s shrine and they prayed together with him in silence.

The celebration began with a procession with the Virgin of Fatima. Members of various army corps carried her on their shoulders from the Chapel of the Apparitions to the altar while some people threw flower petals.

Benedict XVI accompanied part of the procession in his pope mobile. Before starting the celebration he received a chalice as a memento from a trip of Father Antonio Marti, his former student.

The pope said that “whomever thinks the prophecy of Fatima is fulfilled is mistaken”, because the Virgin is the one who can change a person’s heart, when facing death and fear.

Benedict XVI
“At a time when the human family was ready to sacrifice all that was most sacred on the altar of the petty and selfish interests of nations, races, ideologies, groups and individuals, our Blessed Mother came from heaven.”

The pope said that he went to Fatima to confess to the Virgin that he “loves her”, to pray for mankind “afflicted by so much misery and suffering” and to pray for priests.

Before ending mass the pope visited the sick and blessed them with the Eucharist.

Read more: Benedict XVI in Fatima