Confirm your brethren

Benedict XVI during the Prayer Vigil with young people at the Freiburg im Breisgau Fair on 24 September 2011 [© Associated Press/LaPresse]

It is with great gratitude that we think back on the Holy Father’s visit to our homeland. He came as universal pastor of the Church to confirm us in the faith and bring us the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. They were days of joy and solemn meetings, in the great communion of those who are led by the hope in Jesus Christ. With his words and his gestures, he invited everyone to ensure that the search for God becomes the pivotal thinking in our personal lives, but also for the whole of society and its institutions.

The enthusiasm aroused by his visit was manifested in the extraordinary participation of the faithful in Berlin, Erfurt and Freiburg. The different aspects of the visit, such as that of ecumenism in Luther’s town of Erfurt, like that of the speech to the German Bundestag, have given decisive stimulus for the future of the Church in Germany.

We shall continue to carry the Holy Father’s thoughts with great joy in our hearts. What we heard will make us reflect at length, and will lead us to a deeper understanding of the faith in today’s world.

Thank you, Holy Father, for your visit to Germany!