Pope urges missionary zeal during service
‘Pope Benedict XVI ordained 21 new priests for Rome on Sunday, but with the number of recruits for the clergy falling in western Europe, many of the men he ordained in St. Peter’s Basilica came from Latin America and Africa. Before the 21 men came forward individually to kneel before Benedict and put their hands into his as they pledged loyalty to him, the pontiff delivered a homily that sounded like a pep talk.
“All of us are part of the network of obedience to the word of Christ,” Benedict said. The church’s mission “must continuously put us into motion, make us restless, to bring to those who suffer, to those who are in doubt, and even to those who are reluctant, the joy of Christ.”
Like his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, Benedict - also rigorously conservative - has dedicated his new papacy to spreading the Gospel worldwide and shoring up flagging faith among Roman Catholics.’
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