Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Welcomes Election of Pope Benedict XVI
Tuesday, April 19 2005(CCCB – Ottawa) Most Reverend Brendan M. O’Brien, Archbishop of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), has sent a letter of congratulations to Pope Benedict XVI on his election earlier today.
“The ministry that you are beginning holds greater interest than ever to a world which has truly become a ‘global village’ through the instant communications of Internet and the mass media,” stated Archbishop O’Brien. “Aware of the global dimensions of its challenges and problems, contemporary society is searching for a universal pastor and teacher to proclaim the news of salvation, who articulates the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of this age”, he added.
The CCCB President said at the end of his message to the new Pope that “my brothers and sisters in faith join me in earnest prayer to Our Father on your behalf, that the God of hope fill you with joy and peace.”
Over 4,000 Canadian youth hope to see Pope Benedict XVI at World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, 16 to 21 August 2005. Even though he has not yet confirmed his presence, the new Pope is expected to announce that he will participate in this event, which was initiated by Pope John Paul II in the early 1980s.
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