Pope's Luncheon speech with the Cardinals, 21 May 2012

WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI
AT THE END OF THE TABLE WITH THE CARDINALS
(Sacred College of Cardinals)

Ducal Hall
Monday, May 21, 2012

Your Eminence,
Dear Brother,

In this moment my words can only be words of thanks. First, I thank the Lord for giving me so many years; years with many days of joy, wonderful time, but also with dark nights. But in retrospect we realize that the nights were necessary and good, reason for thanksgiving.

Today the word ecclesia Militans is a bit 'out of fashion, but in reality we can better understand which is true, possesses truth. We see how evil wants to rule the world and that it is necessary to enter the struggle against evil. We see how it manifests itself in so many ways, with different forms of bloody violence, but also masked by good, and thus destroying the moral foundations of society.

St. Augustine said that all history is a struggle between two loves: love of oneself even to contempt of God, or love of God to the contempt of self in martyrdom. We are in this fight and in this fight it is very important to have friends. And as for me, I'm surrounded by friends of the College of Cardinals, they are my friends and I feel at home, I feel confident in this company of great friends who are with me and together with the Lord. Unanimous and constant prayer is a precious instrument in overcoming all of the trials that may arise in the path of life, because it is our being deeply united with God that allows us to also be deeply united to others.

Thanks for this friendship. Thank you, Your Eminence, for all you have done to right up to this point today, and everything you have done. Thank you for the fellowship of joys and sorrows. Let us go forward, the Lord said: Courage, I have overcome the world. We are the team of the Lord, then the winning team. Thanks to you all. The Lord bless you all. And toast.