An invitation "to pray for reconciliation and peace in some situations that cause concern and great sufferings": it was made yesterday by the Pope before the Angelus that followed the ceremony for the sanctification of four new saints, in Saint Peter’s Square. "I am thinking of the populations of North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo went on Benedict XVI and I am thinking of the violence against Christians in Iraq and in India, of which I remind the Lord every day". Giving "a warm welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims, especially to the spiritual children of Saint Gaetano Errico and the devotees coming from Naples and Campania", the Holy Father pointed out that, "in the life of the saints and in their achievements, one can always see the powerful spiritual presence of the Virgin". Benedict XVI ended the traditional Sunday meeting with the devotees by invoking "the protection of Mary, the Queen of Saints, on the Episcopal Synod that is meeting in the Vatican over these days".
