Sunday, June 03, 2012

"A Gift to Philadelphia and the Whole Nation"


Fresh off the wire from Milan (via 222), Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap. released the following statement on Pope Benedict's selection of Philadelphia this morning to host the Eighth World Meeting of Families in 2015:
"I am so grateful to the Holy Father that he has chosen Philadelphia and excited that we will host the 2015 World Meeting of Families. It's fitting that this gathering, which celebrates the cornerstone of society, will take place in America's cradle of freedom. The Holy Father's choice is a gift to the local Church in Philadelphia and to the whole nation.

"The family is founded on a deep and loving union between one man and one woman for mutual support and the nurturing of children. This meeting in Philadelphia will be a wonderful opportunity to highlight the family as the basic evangelizing unit of the Church. Every effort to promote marriage and the family serves not only the Church, but also the common good."
According to a Chancery release, at this morning's closing liturgy of the Milan Meeting, the Capuchin prelate was entrusted with an icon of the Holy Family, which serves as the traveling symbol of the triennial event.