John Paul II has called for the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin for the “dear people of Iraq”. In the Marian prayer of the Angelus, he expressed his “spiritual closeness” to the Christian faithful when he spoke about yesterday’s attacks against an Armenian Catholic church and the Chaldean Bishop’s Palace in Mosul.

Before the Angelus, the Pope referred to the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, a Marian feast day celebrated today. On December 8, 1854, Blessed Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. “The privilege of being preserved from original sin” means that She was the first one to be redeemed by her Son. Her sublime beauty, a reflection of that of Christ, is a sign for all believers that Divine Grace shall win over sin and death. The Immaculate Conception is like a beacon of light that has guided humanity in every age. At the beginning of the third millennium, this beacon will guide us to believe and hope in God, in His salvation and in eternal life. It lights the way of a Church committed to a new evangelisation”

After the Angelus Giovanni Paolo II said: “Yesterday evening an Armenian Catholic church and the Chaldean Bishop’s Palace were destroyed in Mosul, Iraq. I feel ‘spiritually close’ to the faithful distressed by such attacks and beg the Lord through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin to finally bring reconciliation and peace to the dear people of Iraq.”

This morning as in others, the Pope commended the fate of the world to the protection of the Virgin Mary: “To You, the Immaculate Virgin,” John Paul II said, “predestined by God above all other beings to be the advocate and model of Grace for His people, today I commend the whole Church.

May You guide His children on the pilgrimage of faith and make them more obedient and faithful to the Word of God! May You accompany every Christian on the journey towards conversion and holiness, in the struggle against sin and in the search for true beauty, which is a reflection of Divine Beauty! May You also achieve peace and salvation for all peoples! May the Eternal Father, who wanted You to be the Immaculate Mother source.

Fonte: Asianews