Michael August - September 2013

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many people suffer is the lack of the sacraments. The
sacrament is the divine within the reach of man: and
without this nourishment we cannot live. I see grace
at work, and that people change.”
Days are given in their entirety, on the streets or
in the confessional, until nighttime. Where does he
get the energy? He – almost shyly, as one speaks
of a love – talks of a deep relationship with Mary, of
an absolute confidence with her: “Mary is the act of
total faith, in the abandonment beneath the Cross.
Mary is absolute compassion. She is pure beauty of-
fered to man.” And he loves the rosary, the humility
of the rosary, the priest of Canabière: “When I hear
confessions, I often say the rosary, which does not
prevent me from listening; when I give communion, I
pray.” You listen to him, intimidated. But then, should
all priests have an absolute dedication, almost like
saints? “I am not a saint, and I do not believe that all
priests must be saints. But they can be good men.
The people will be attracted by their good face.”
Are there any problems, in streets with such
a strong presence of Muslim immigrants ? No, he
says simply: “They respect me and this garment.”
In church, he welcomes everyone with joy: “Christ
came for sinners, and I have the anxiety, in withhold-
ing a sacrament, that he could bring me to account
for it one day. But do we still know the power of the
sacraments? I have the misgiving that we have ex-
cessively bureaucratized the admission to baptism. I
think of the baptism of my Jewish mother, which in
terms of the request of my grandfather was merely
a formal act: and yet, even from this baptism there
came a priest.”
And the new evangelization? “Look,” he says as
we say goodbye in his rectory, “the older I get, the
more I understand what Benedict XVI says: every-
thing truly starts afresh from Christ. We can only re-
turn to the source.”
Later, I glimpse him at a distance, on the street,
with that black garment ruffled by his rapid stride. “I
wear it,” he said, “so that I may be recognized by
someone I might never meet otherwise. That stran-
ger, who is very dear to me.”
Sandro Magister’s website:
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On July 5, 2013, a new 5-meter (16-foot) statue
dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel was unveiled
at the Vatican Gardens and blessed by Pope Fran-
cis. Notably present was Pope Emeritus Benedict
XVI who, according to communique released by the
Holy See, “was specially invited by Pope Francis.”
For this occasion, Pope Francis also consecrated
Vatican City State to St. Joseph and St. Michael.
“Benedict XVI was greeted with great affection
by the assistants and staff of the Governorate,” the
communique stated. “The two pontiffs remained
united throughout the ceremony and sat together in
front of the monument.”
This statue was commissionned by the former
president of the Governate of Vatican City State,
Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, to celebrate the Archangel
Michael, defender of the Faith and protector of the
Catholic Church. This bronze statue was created by
Italian artist Giuseppe Lomuscio.
Around the globe that supports the statue, one
can read in Latin: “That thou art Peter; and upon this
rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18.) The hand bears
the mark of the nail of the Crucifixion, and also has
the ring of St. Peter, worn by the popes.
Pope Francis recited two prayers of consecra-
tion to both Saints (one can read the prayer of con-
secration to St. Michael on the next page) and he
explained his gesture with the following address:
“We have gathered here in the Vatican Gardens
to inaugurate a monument to Saint Michael the
Archangel, patron of Vatican City State. It is an initia-
tive planned some time ago, with the approval of
Pope Benedict XVI, to whom always go our affec-
tion and gratitude and to whom we wish to express
our great joy to have him present here in our midst
today. My heartfelt thank you !
“There are several artistic works in the Vatican
Gardens; however, this one, which is added today,
assumes a place of particular importance, be it for
its location, be it for the meaning it expresses. In
fact, it’s not only a celebratory work, but an invita-
tion to reflection and prayer, which is well inserted
in the Year of Faith. Michael – which means: ‘Who
is like unto God? ’ – is the champion of God’s pri-
The Vatican consecrated to St. Michael the Archangel
by Pope Francis, in the presence of Benedict XVI
u
“Break the cycle of poverty”
His Eminence Óscar Andrés Cardinal Rodríguez Mara-
diaga, SDB, President of Caritas Internationalis, wrote in
July 2013 in the 2012 annual report of this organization:
“This is a world where about 300 children die every hour
frommalnutrition and where nearly a billion people have no
access to clean water. At the same time, there are over 1200
billionaires in the world, the highest number ever recorded.
“We are scandalised that millions of our brothers and
sisters live in extreme poverty in a world of riches. But we
are filled with hope because we are the first generation
with the tools to change the system that keeps them poor...
Providing aid is not enough. We must break the cycle of
poverty.
“Our greatest challenge is not poverty or the economic
crisis. It’s the growth of secularism in many parts of the
world, especially in the richest. When people do not believe in God, individualism triumphs over
community and we lose sight of our ethical principles.
Only through living the truth of the word of God can we overcome the spiritual poverty of
our age and build a fraternal world in which we live united as brothers and sisters in peace.”
Cardinal Maradiaga with our
pilgrim Maria Fretres of Paraguay
at Rio’s WYD in July 2013
30 MICHAEL August/September 2013