IN BRIEF

THE POPE SENT A LETTER TO CARDINAL Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, for the Solemnity of Christ the King. On Saturday, November 25, the eve of the Solemnity, the great door of the basilica was opened "in the course of a special procession," the Pope writes, "during which the faithful were given the opportunity to meditate upon sacred music and the art of the basilica, evoking the 'Basilica domus,' the house of the King. ... Christ, Who declared His kingship, but not of this world, ... overcomes evil with good, hatred and violence with forgiveness and love. The throne of this King, Whom we adore today, is the Cross, and His victory is Love, an omnipotent love that from the Cross scatters is gifts upon humanity of all times and places."

MADE PUBLIC TODAY, NOVEMBER 27, WAS A LETTER from Benedict XVI to Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture and of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, for a pan-Asian meeting of members and consultors of the Pontifical Council for Culture with presidents of the national episcopal commissions for culture. The meeting is being held in Denpasar, Bali, from November 26 to 30. "It was in Asia that God revealed and fulfilled His saving purpose from the beginning," writes the Pope in his English-language Letter, "and it was there too, in the fullness of time, that He sent His only-begotten Son to be our Savior. I pray, therefore, that this continent, in which the great events of the history of salvation took place, may encounter anew the living Lord, the Word made flesh, in the context of its rich variety of cultures."

CARDINAL GIOVANNI BATTISTA RE, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, is to be the Holy Father's special envoy to the solemn closing ceremony of celebrations marking the ninth centenary of the dedication of the cathedral of Parma, Italy. The event is due to take place on December 3. The Holy Father's Letter appointing Cardinal Re to this mission, written in Latin and dated October 6, was made public on November 25.

ARCHBISHOP SILVANO M. TOMASI C.S., permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and International Institutions in Geneva, delivered a talk on November 20 before the 6th review conference of States-parties to the "Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction" (BWC). In his talk, the archbishop affirmed that "the universal application of this convention must be a priority. No State must remain outside, under whatever pretext. ... This must translate into complete cooperation, over and above the economic and commercial interests of each."
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