POPE TO VISIT A ROMAN HOSPITAL OF THE ORDER OF MALTA

VATICAN CITY, NOV 27, 2007 (VIS) - On Sunday, December 2, Benedict XVI is due to visit the Roman hospital of St. John the Baptist, which belongs to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of people suffering from neurological disorders.

  The Pope will celebrate Mass for the patients and their families before going on to visit the reanimation unit, one of the few Italian healthcare structures specifically dedicated to providing specialized therapy for patients recovering from comas.

  According to a note published by the communications office of the Order of Malta, this event has a twofold historical significance: firstly because it is "the first visit by a Pope to this hospital," and secondly because the hospital itself has a long-standing link to the See of Peter, "being built on the site of the ancient 'Castello della Magliana,' used by Pontiffs for centuries as their summer residence."
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HOLY SEE DELEGATION AT ANNAPOLIS CONFERENCE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 27, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy See delegation to the International Middle East Conference which begins today in Annapolis, U.S.A., will be made up of Msgr. Pietro Parolin, under-secretary for Relations with States, and Msgr. Francesco Coppola, nunciature counsellor, according to a statement by Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J.

  Last Sunday, after praying the Angelus, the Pope had encouraged faithful to join the Day of Prayer called by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to ask for peace in the Holy Land and for "the gifts of wisdom and courage for all participants in this important meeting."

  In Annapolis, the Holy Father said on Sunday, "Israelis and Palestinians, with the help of the international community, aim to relaunch the negotiating process in order to find a just and definitive solution to the conflict which, for the last 60 years, has bloodied the Holy Land and brought so many tears and so much suffering to the two peoples."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 27, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of N'Zerekore, Guinea, presented by Bishop Philippe Kourouma, upon having reached the age limit.
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