“God has given us the perfect Pope,” says Spanish archbishop

Madrid, Spain, Aug 23, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Commenting on his experience at World Youth Day in Cologne, Archbishop Francisco Gil Hellin of Burgos, Spain, revealed his “personal impression” that “God has given us the perfect Pope who will lead us on the paths of truth and authenticity.”

“I was impressed by his sharp condemnation of Nazism, which he called ‘an insane racist ideology,’ his strong call for unity among all Christians and with Judaism and Islam, the importance he gave to Sunday Mass, to Sacred Scripture, to the Catechism and the Compendium of the Catechism, and in a special way, by the climate of hope, expectation, and sense of apostolic urgency to increase the number and quality of young people who confess to be Christians,” the archbishop wrote in a blog set up by the Spanish bishops who attended WYD.

Known for his own special concern for priestly vocations, Archbishop Hellin noted his enthusiasm at Benedict XVI’s comments on seminaries and seminary formation.  “I found his comments on the nature of the seminary to be very intuitive: it’s no so much a place as a time of discernment—an intimate and constant dialogue and experience with Christ—a place of formation and preparation for the mission, of discovery of the Church as one’s own, and of constant filial contact with Mary, as the Mother of priests,” the archbishop wrote.

Lastly, Archbishop Hellin called it “very enlightening and stimulating that he reminded us that ‘the quality of the presbyterate in a particular Church depends greatly on that of the seminary, and consequently on the quality of those responsible for formation’.”