Pope entrusts to Mary world “marked by shadows”

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - At the start of the month of May, dedicated to Mary, Benedict XVI entrusted to her "the needs of the Church and the whole world, especially at this time, when it is marked by not inconsiderable shadows". He was addressing more than 30,000 people who turned up in St Peter’s Square for the recital of the Regina Caeli that, he recalled, will be prayed instead of the Angelus until Pentecost.

The pope reiterated the "truth" of the Resurrection to counter those who, in the past as well as the present, would deny it. "The resurrection of Christ is the central fact of Christianity. It is a fundamental truth to be upheld vigorously at all times, since denying it in various ways, as some have tried to do, and continue to do, or seeking to transform it into a purely spiritual event, is to negate our very faith. ‘If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.’ (I Cor. 14:15)"

Some saw his words as an indirect reference to the "Da Vinci Code".