” “In this celebration, "we wish to give praise to the Lord for the divine motherhood of Mary, a mystery that here in Ephesus, in the Ecumenical Council of 431, was solemnly confessed and proclaimed”. This is the opening of the homily uttered by Benedict XVI this morning, during Mass from the Sanctuary of "Meryem Ana Evi". In greeting mgr. Ruggero Franceschini, archbishop of Izmir, mgr. Giuseppe Bernardini, emeritus archbishop of Izmir, mgr. Luigi Padovese, the priests and nuns convened in the sanctuary, the Pope thanked them for being there and for testifying and serving "the Church, in this blessed land, where originally the Christian community experienced great developments”. Then, the Pontiff encouraged the "small flock of Christ that lives amidst" "this nation", showing "the affection of the whole Church" to the "devotees that have come from Izmir, Mersin, Iskenderun and Antakia, and from several parts of the world". With reference to the First lecture, Benedict XVI commented: "the text contains the phrase I chose as the motto of my apostolic journey: ‘He, Christ, is our peace'”. According to Paul, everyone "is called in Christ to fully partake of the mystery of salvation", and, highlighted the Pope, the Church is not just an instrument of unity, it is also its effective sign”.” “
