September 6, 2010. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of this Pope, Benedict
XVI travelled to Carpineto Romano, the hometown of the former Pontiff,
on the outskirts of Rome.
The mayor received the Pope and stressed the importance of the Encyclical Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII and its relation to Benedict XVI's Caritas in Veritate.
Quirino Briganti
Alcalde de Carpineto Romano (Italy)
“In this particular period, the contemporary publication of the encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, commemorates and updates the encyclical Rerum Novarum. This encyclical helps to illuminate the path of humanity towards unification and renders the Holy Fathers visit particularily significant.”
The Bishop of the area was also in Carpineto, and he highlighted that Leo XIII was also always open to change but always faithful to the Magisterium of the Church.
Mons. Lorenzo Loppa
Obispo Anagni-Alatri (Italy)
“The study of meeting the new that was advancing to the modernity that was knocking on the door, without being blasphemous, but with the firmness of principle, with the clarity of thought.”
In his homily during the Mass and before hundreds of people, Benedict XVI recalled that Leo XIII always had a deep spiritual life, something necessary for all Christians, even for the Pope.
Benedicto XVI
“I would like to underline that he was a man of great faith and profound devotion. This will remain the base for everything and for every Christian, including the Pope. Without prayer, and also without a personal relationship with God, we cannot do anything.”
This is the third visit by a Pope to Carpineto Romano, a town of 5,000 inhabitants. Paul VI celebrated the 75th anniversary of the encyclical "Rerum Novarum" in 1966 and John Paul II visited in 1991 for the centenary of the encyclical.
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