Laity must bear witness to Christ, says Cardinal Bertone

Assisi, Italy, Nov 26, 2009 / (CNA).-

During a Mass this week in Assisi celebrating the 10th anniversary of the reopening of the Basilica of St. Francis, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, reminded the Catholic laity that they must bear “concrete witness that Christ the King, the liberator and savior of every man and all mankind.”

During the Mass celebrated on Sunday, Cardinal Bertone said the laity, in light of their baptism, are called to bear witness to Christ and help the poor and marginalized feel closeness to Him.

The cardinal added that the royalty of Christ, “passed on to you through the Cross, continues to be made manifest to the world today through the community of the redeemed,” that is, through Christians.

For this reason, the laity have the task of “working for the promotion of the human person, animating the temporal realities with the gospel spirit and thus bearing concrete witness that Christ the King is the liberator and savior of every man and all mankind.”

“To serve and to reign, says an ancient formula used for catechetical teaching. Christ the King has reigned on the wood of the cross, after giving an example to the disciples with the washing of the feet. St. Francis reigned loving 'sister poverty,' dressing only in a habit and animated by a sincere love for his Lord and for the poor,” the cardinal said.

“We, dear brothers and sisters, should follow our path of faith to share, on the day of our death, the same crown of glory,” he added.