August 16, 2010. The parish church of Castel Gandolfo, the Italian town where the Pope spends his vacation, was the location for the celebration the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
The Pope celebrated Mass in the parish of Santo Tomás de Villanueva attended by nearly 400 people including his brother, Georg.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the declaration of the dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven, made by Pius XII in 1950.
Benedict XVI
"Mary, as Christ, her son, has conquered death and triumphs in the glory of heaven in all her being, 'in soul and body'."
Pope said that the existence of Heaven means that God never abandons human beings, nor do we die.
According to Benedict XVI, when we die, not only do we live in the memory and hearts of others. There is also, in the power of God's love, a life that never ends.
Benedict XVI
"It is his love which conquers death and gives us eternity, and it is this love that we call heaven. God is so big that it has a place for us."
The pope said the hope and peace of Christians came from knowing that a person to “enters” into eternity “with all his being.” Therefore, in eternal life, all that is "dear" does not disappear, but finds fulfilment in God.
The Pope also greeted all the citizens of the town and those who came there to celebrate this celebration of the Virgin.
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