"The family is the true asset of humanity"

June 1, 2012.
Dozens of people with white scarves gathered for the World Meeting of Families in Milan. They waited for the Pope's arrival in the city's main plaza of the Duomo, with them was Milan's archbishop and mayor.

The archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Scola, thanked the Pope for his visit and remembered those who were effected by the recent earthquake in northern Italy.

CARD. ANGELO SCOLA
Archbishop of Milan
“We want to show through various gestures of solidarity that are already underway, during the pain and destruction that caused the recent earthquake. This benevolence is not the last of the factors that make a city like Milan attractive.”

This is the Pope's first trip to Milan, the financial capital of Italy. Benedict XVI spoke about the city's cultural and religious importance. He asked them to preserve this heritage and transmit it to future generations.

BENEDICT XVI
“Faith in Jesus Christ, he died and was resurected for us, he who lives among us, should encourage the whole fabric of personal and community life, private and public, to allow a stable and true 'welfare' of the family, which was rediscovered as the main asset of humanity and a sign and indication of a genuine and stable culture in favor of man.”

These were the pope's first words for the seventh World Meeting of Families. According to the events organizers, the closing ceremony will include more than one million people from 170 different nations.