(CNS) Vatican II's call for renewal did not break with tradition, pope says

“Christianity must never be seen as something from the past, nor lived with one’s gaze always looking back, because Jesus is yesterday, today and for all eternity,” Pope Benedict said.

“This ‘renewal’ does not mean a break with tradition, rather it expresses a lasting vitality,” he said.

Renewal doesn’t mean watering down the faith, lowering it to fit modern fads or trends, or fashioning it to fit public opinion or one’s own desires, “rather it’s the contrary,” he said.

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