AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2005 (VIS) - Following this morning's general audience, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

 - Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, apostolic nuncio to Korea and Mongolia.

 - Archbishop Mario Zenari, apostolic nuncio to Sri Lanka.

 - Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi, apostolic nuncio to Cuba.

 - Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, apostolic Nuncio to Angola and to Sao Tome and Principe.

 - Archbishop Anselmo Guido Pecorari, apostolic nuncio to Rwanda.
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POPE BLESSES STATUE OF ST. JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2005 (VIS) - Following today's general audience, Benedict XVI blessed a statue of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, which has recently been placed in a niche on the outside of St. Peter's Basilica.

  The marble statue, some five meters high, is located in a niche on the external wall of the left transept of the basilica, also known as the arm of St. Joseph, very near the entrance to the sacristy. The niches in this area of the basilica were allocated by John Paul II for sculptures of saints and of founders of religious orders.

  The statue of St. Josemaria, work of the Italian sculptor Romano Cosci, has been placed alongside other statues of similar dimensions, among them those of St. Gregory the Illuminator, apostle of Armenia, of the Carmelite St. Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, and of St. Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers.

  Prior to the arrival of the Holy Father, Bishop Javier Echevarria, prelate of Opus Dei, Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, archpriest of the Vatican Basilica, and Romano Cosci, the sculptor, each made speeches which were interspersed with hymns sung by the "Cappella Giulia" Choir led by Msgr. Pablo Colino.
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THE TEMPLE: VISIBLE SIGN OF COMMUNION BETWEEN GOD AND MAN

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2005 (VIS) - In today's general audience, held in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI's catechesis was dedicated to Psalm 131, "divine promises made to King David." The Pope pointed out how, in the view of many scholars, this psalm was sung "during the transportation of the Ark of the Covenant, the sign of the divine presence among the people of Israel."

  This hymn, he went on, "seems to imply a liturgical dimension. It was probably used during processions, in the presence of priests and faithful, and with the participation of a chorus."

  In the psalm, King David solemnly vows "not to set foot in the royal palace of Jerusalem, nor to sleep peacefully, if he has not first found a resting place for the Ark of the Covenant." The Holy Father continued: "At the very center of social life there must, then, be a presence that evokes the mystery of the transcendent God. God and man walk together in history, and the role of the temple is to provide a visible sign of this communion."

  The psalm proceeds "with a joyful celebration which includes, on the one hand, the adoring people, in other words the liturgical assembly, and on the other, the Lord Who returns and is again present and active in the symbol of the ark located in Sion. The heart of the liturgy is in this intersection between priests and faithful on one side, and the Lord and His might on the other."

  Finally, the Pope referred to the psalm's appeal for help on behalf of the sovereign in the trials of life, in which "it is easy to perceive a messianic dimension. ... In fact, the term 'anointed one' translates the Hebrew word 'Messiah'. The gaze of the worshipper thus extends beyond the affairs of the kingdom of Judea and projects itself towards the expectation of the perfect 'Anointed One,' the Messiah."
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