The cloistered Augustine nun who
has written the meditations for Pope Benedict XVI's Way of the Cross
service said she strived for simplicity to give a voice to children who
have been abused in the church and beyond.
Mother Maria Rita Piccione, president of the Italian Federation of
Augustinian Nuns, told Vatican Radio that she wanted "to give space in
this prayer of the church to the voice of children and teens, who
sometimes are offended, injured and exploited. Here I am referring not
just to the cases of abuse that have been talked about so much, because
the problem is much vaster and regards all humanity."
Pope Benedict chose the Augustinian to write the meditations that will
be read Good Friday, April 22, as he leads the Stations of the Cross at
Rome's Colosseum.
Mother Piccione told Vatican Radio April 5 that she tried to reflect on
each station of Jesus' passion from the point of view "not only of
believers, but of every person. My gaze, my listening stopped at this
level: the level of the human heart ... because it is like a laboratory
where the fate of what happens on a global scale is decided."
She said she hoped that through her meditations, the hearts of all who
listen will be touched and they will recognize not only their
responsibility for their sins, but how much God offers each person
through Jesus.
In a separate interview with L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican
newspaper, she said that while she was writing the meditations, she kept
looking at a wooden owl she keeps on her desk.
"Looking at that owl, thinking about its ability to see in the dark, I
found what I hope is the right key for the meditations I am proposing.
If it represents the night, then it is necessary to seek the face of God
who enlightens even the thickest darkness," she said.