Pope: Beauty is One of Mankind's Greatest Needs.
"Beauty is a great necessity for man" and is the root of our peace and our hope. It also reveals God because, like him, the work of beauty is pure gratuity, it calls us to freedom and draws us away from selfishness." These were the Pope's words at a Mass to consecrate the basilica of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on Sunday. The Pope called the church a "marvelous synthesis of technical art and faith," and said its architect, Antonio Gaudi, was a "brilliant architect and committed Christian."After meeting King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain in the basilica's museum hall, Benedict XVI presided over the rite of consecration in front of 6,900 faithful, and another 100,000 who had gathered in a nearby ...