PAPAL MESSAGE TO ITALIAN EXPERT ON ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA

VATICAN CITY, APR 26, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul sent a Message to Giuliana Cavallini who, on the occasion of the European symposium on St. Catherine of Siena, was accorded a Plaque of Honor by the Academic Senate of the St. Thomas Pontifical University for "the merits you have acquired during your long life, spent for the most part in studying and spreading the thought of the saint from Siena, a patroness of Europe."

The award, noted the Pope, was conferred upon the request of the Council of the Theological Faculty of the university, also known as the Angelicum.

"As a devoted spiritual daughter of St. Catherine," the Holy Father wrote, "you have illustrated her doctrinal richness, thanks also to the support of the Congregation of the School Missionaries ... of which you are an active member. ... Your untiring cultural and scientific activity has gone beyond the confines of Italy and has aroused a wide echo and growing appreciation in the various countries where you are recognized as an internationally famous expert on St. Catherine."

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