Holy Father Pope Francis visited the tomb of Blessed Paul VI on his 39th death anniversary and spent about half an hour in a moment of recollection and prayer before the tomb, on August 6, 2017. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Bl. Paul VI’s encyclicals Populoram Progressio, on the development of people and Sacerdotalis caelibatus, on the celibacy of the priest.
As reported by Catholic News Agency, His Holiness Pope Francis remarked that “In this humility, the grandeur of Bl.Paul shines forth: before the advent of a secularized and hostile society, he could hold fast, with farsightedness and wisdom-and at times alone-to the helm of the barque of Peter, while never losing his joy and his trust in the Lord.”
In his homily for the beatification on October 19, 2014, His Holiness Pope Francis hailed Paul VI as the great helmsman of the Second Vatican Council.
Source: www.catholicnewsagency.com
