Benedict: “I Go Forward with Great Courage and Joy”

The news that five suspected terrorists have just been arrested over an alleged plot to kill the Pope during his visit to Britain reminds us once again that prayers are called for on every step of his journey. Scotland Yard now believes they have the situation under control, and the pope, having been informed of the arrests, remains unbowed, determined to make his journey a success. In connection with that, Benedict gave a remarkable interview to journalists on his plane trip to Britain, and his words are a striking contrast to those who wish to bring hatred and violence into this world: “I go forward with great courage and joy . . . The Church is at the service of Another, she doesn’t serve herself. She doesn’t exist to be a strong body, but rather serves to render accessible the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the great truths, the great forces of love, of reconciliation, which appeared in this Figure and which always come from the presence of Jesus Christ.”