A brief letter and a book, Salt of the Earth, both written by Joseph Ratzinger, the newly elected Pontiff, are two treasures which a priest in Kerala holds close to his heart.
A copy of the book was gifted to Father Antony Thampy Thaikootathil, presently vice-chancellor of the Cochin Diocese and director of the diocese-run Human Resource Development Centre, by Ratzinger in 1998 when Father Antony took the 'Dicaconate', a ceremony to become a priest at the Collegium of Carnisianum, in Austria.
The book was accompanied by a hand-written letter in German saying, "All the best. Be a good Catholic."
"The book and the letter are my treasures," Father Antony told PTI.
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