Vatican City, May 9, 2004 / 22:00 pm
If people were aware of the spiritual maternity of Mary, they would be much more fraternal toward each other, said Pope John Paul II in his midday address yesterday. They would also reject hatred and violence, forgive and respect each other, and be mindful of the dignity of every person, he added.
The 82-year-old pontiff gave his address before praying the Regina Caeli with pilgrims in St. Peter's Square.
The Pope said during the month of May, which the Church has dedicated to Mary, “the people of God feel the need to intensify their devotion toward Mary, whose maternal presence is a support to Christians and to the whole world.
“On the cross, Jesus wished to offer, in a manner accessible to all, the spiritual maternity of Mary, giving her to his beloved disciple as son. Since then, generations upon generations of believers have invoked her and taken recourse to her with love and hope,” he said.
Quoting from the encyclical “Redemptor Hominis” he added: “If God's mercy is inextinguishable, the immaculate heart of his mother is also ‘maternally inextinguishable’.”
The Pope reminded the pilgrims of the upcoming feast of Our Lady of Fatima, May 13, and Our Lady’s call to conversion.
“Let us pray, dear brothers and sisters, so that human beings of our time will also accept the urgent invitation of Mary, who, with love, watches over the Church and the world,” he said.