At his weekly meeting with the faithful in Castel Gandolfo the Pope talks about the queenship of Mary

A Queen at the service of humanity who walks beside us every day, who loves us, listens to us and intercedes for us. In this way Benedict XVI explained the meaning of the queenship of the Virgin Mary, reminding the faithful present at Castel Gandolfo for the General Audience this morning, Wednesday, 22 August, of her liturgical Memorial. The Pope reaffirmed what he said last 15 August, on the day of the Assumption, when in his Homily at the Mass he celebrated in the Pontifical Parish of San Tommaso da Villanovo at Castel Gandolfo, he reflected on the meaning of the Virgin Mary's closeness to people in our day. It was not by chance that this morning he mentioned the post-conciliar reform of the liturgical calendar, which set the Memorial of the queenship of Mary eight days after the Solemnity of the Assumption. This stresses, the Pope pointed out,

“the close link between Mary’s  royal nature and her glorification in body and soul beside her Son”; and also her closeness to God, her participation  “in God’s responsibility for the world and in God’s love for the world”.  The queenship of Mary, like the kingship of Jesus, Benedict XVI explained, “has nothing to do with that of the powerful of this earth”; it is a royalty that  “serves his servants”. In this sense Mary “ is Queen”, the Pope explained further, “in her service to God and to humanity, she is a Queen of love who lives the gift of herself to God so as to enter into the plan of man’s salvation”.