An "apostolic journey full of so many spiritual gifts": with these words, this morning, Benedict XVI defined the pastoral visit that he paid to France a few days ago. Recalling its different moments during the catechesis for the general audience, the Pope spoke of his first day in Paris where he met "ideally the whole population of France, thus paying tribute to a beloved nation, in which the Church has played a fundamental evangelising role since as early as the II century". "Interestingly commented the Pontiff , that is just the scenario in which the need has been felt for a healthy distinction between the political and the religious spheres". "True laicism he explained does not mean doing without the spiritual dimension, but acknowledging that the latter is radically the guarantor of our freedom and of the independence of earthly reality". Recalling his meting with the world of culture and his reflection, the Pope emphasised the bond between "the search for God" and the "culture of the word" that has existed since the dawn of Benedictine monasticism. Hence the importance of the "profane sciences" and the development, "in the monasteries, of that eruditio which would have enabled culture to form". That’s why quaerere Deum searching for God remains, as much today as in the past, the main road and the foundation of any true culture". (continued)” ” ” “
