VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Yesterday evening in the internal courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father attended a concert in his honour organised by Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci, former director of the Choir of the Sistine Chapel.
The programme included four pieces composed by Cardinal Bartolucci himself: the poem "Benedictus", specially written for this occasion, for soprano, choir and three equal voices; the "Ave Maria" from the opera "Il Brunellesco" for soprano, choir and three equal voices; the sacred poem "Baptisma" for soprano, baritone, female choir and small orchestra, and the motet "Christus circumdedit me" for soprano, choir and orchestra.
The soloists, sopranos Enrica Fabbri and Lykke Anholm and baritone Michele Govi, as well as the Rossini Chamber Choir of Pesaro and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Marches "FORM" were conducted by Simone Baiocchi.
At the end of the performance the Pope made some brief remarks. "For you", he said in his thanks to Cardinal Bartolucci, "music is a special language with which to communicate the faith of the Church and to help those who hear your works along their own journey of faith".
"This evening" Benedict XVI concluded, "you caused us to turn our hearts to Mary in prayer, the most beloved prayer of Christian tradition. Yet you also led us back to the beginning of our journey of faith, to the liturgy of Baptism, the moment in which we became Christian: an invitation always to drink from the only water that can quench our thirst - the living God - and to commit ourselves day after to day to rejecting evil and to renewing our faith with the affirmation 'I believe!'"
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Thursday, September 1, 2011
BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER
VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for September is: "That all teachers may know how to communicate love of the truth and instil authentic moral and spiritual values".
His mission intention is: "That the Christian communities of Asia may proclaim the Gospel with fervour, witnessing to its beauty with the joy of faith".
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/ VIS 20110901 (70)
His mission intention is: "That the Christian communities of Asia may proclaim the Gospel with fervour, witnessing to its beauty with the joy of faith".
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AUDIENCES
VATICAN CITY, 1 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Archbishop Ivo Scapolo, apostolic nuncio to Chile.
- Seven prelates of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias.
- Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara of Nagpur.
- Archbishop Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao do Rosario Ferrao of Goa and Damao, patriarch of the East Indies, accompanied by Archbishop and Patriarch emeritus Nicolau Gonsalves.
- Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes S.J. of Gandhinagar.
- Archbishop Bernard Blasius Moras of Bangalore.
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- Archbishop Ivo Scapolo, apostolic nuncio to Chile.
- Seven prelates of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias.
- Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara of Nagpur.
- Archbishop Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao do Rosario Ferrao of Goa and Damao, patriarch of the East Indies, accompanied by Archbishop and Patriarch emeritus Nicolau Gonsalves.
- Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes S.J. of Gandhinagar.
- Archbishop Bernard Blasius Moras of Bangalore.
AP:AL/ VIS 20110901 (100)