Pope Benedict XVI sought to give a message of hope on Easter Sunday to victims of wars, poverty and financial turmoil, saying it was urgently needed to overcome the miseries that are plaguing Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the globe.
Benedict delivered his "Urbi et Orbi" message — Latin for "to the city and the world" — after celebrating Easter Mass before tens of thousands of people who packed St. Peter's Square and the boulevard leading up to it.
I am reminded of my favorite Catholic speech of all time, that of Pope Kiril Lakota in Shoes of the Fisherman:
"I am the custodian of the wealth of the Church. I pledge it now — all our money, all our holdings in land, buildings, and great works of art — for the relief of our hungry brothers. And if, to honor this pledge, the Church must strip itself down to poverty, so be it. I will not alter this pledge; I will not reduce it. And now, I beg the great of the world and the small of the world to share out of their abundance with those who have nothing."
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