A Pope, who, during "a long papacy, marked by troublesome events", tried to "powerfully reassert the truths of Christian faith before a society exposed to progressive secularisation". This is the portrait of Pius IX, as drawn today by the Pope at the end of the audience in Aula Paolo VI. As he greeted the members of the Pius IX Committee of Senigallia, just before the 130th anniversary of the death of the Blessed Pius IX, which will be celebrated tomorrow, Benedict XVI thanked them for their "generous commitment to draw attention to the figure and exemplariness of the virtues of this great Pontiff, who performed with heroic love his mission as the universal pastor of the Church, always aiming at the salvation of the souls". According to the Pope, "his testimony as an indomitable and brave servant of Christ and the Church is even today a shining example for everyone": hence the Pope’s wish that "this significant celebration may help people understand the spirit and the ‘face’ of this blessed predecessor of mine and appreciate even more his evangelical wisdom and inner strength".
