FRANCIS CONVENES EXTRAORDINARY SYNOD ON THE FAMILY FOR OCTOBER 2014

Vatican City, 8 October 2013 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today announced that Holy Father Francis has convened the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in the Vatican from 5 to 19 October 2014, on the theme “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelisation”.

In the Chapter of the Code of Canon Law relating to synodal assemblies, the Synod of Bishops meets in an extraordinary general assembly when the matter under consideration, while related to the good of the universal Church, requires rapid definition.

“It is very important that an extraordinary Synod has been convoked on the theme of the pastoral of the family”, said the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. “This is the way in which the Pope intends to promote reflection and to guide the path of the community of the Church, with the responsible participation of the episcopate from different parts of the world”.

“It is right”, he added, “that the Church should move as a community in reflection and prayer, and that she takes common pastoral directions in relation to the most important points – such as the pastoral of the family – under the guidance of the Pope and the bishops. The convocation of the extraordinary Synod clearly indicates this path. In this context, the proposal of particular pastoral solutions by local persons or offices carries the risk of engendering confusion. It is opportune to emphasise the importance of following a path in full communion with the ecclesial community”.

Fr. Lombardi mentioned that yesterday Pope Francis attended the meeting of the Secretariat of the Synod, taking place during these days in Via della Conciliazione.

POPE FRANCIS TO WELCOME THE ORIGINAL STATUE OF THE VIRGIN OF FATIMA

Vatican City, 8 October 2013 (VIS) – On Saturday, 12 October, at 5 p.m. in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis will preside over a prayer on the occasion of the Marian Day convoked in the context of the Year of Faith and will receive the original statute of the Virgin of Fatima, which normally resides in the Portuguese sanctuary of the same name. The bullet which struck Blessed John Paul II in the assassination attempt of13 May 1981, is set into the crown of the statue.

On Sunday, 13 October, at 10.30 a.m., again in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father will celebrate Holy Mass on the Marian Day.

HOLY FATHER'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR OCTOBER

Vatican City, 8 October 2013 (VIS) - The Holy Father's general prayer intention for October is: "That those feeling so crushed by life that they wish to end it may sense the nearness of God's love."

His mission intention is: "That the celebration of World Mission Day may help all Christians realise that we are not only receivers but proclaimers of God's word."

THIRTY YEARS OF THE VATICAN MUSEUMS' “PATRONS OF THE ARTS”

Vatican City, 8 October 2013 (VIS) – The Vatican Museums will hold a series of initiatives and events from 15 to 20 October 2013 to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Patrons of the Arts, an international community of benefactors who for three decades have “adopted” and provided valuable economic support for the conservation, restoration and appreciation of the treasures conserved in the Vatican Museums.

The history of the Patrons began in 1982, when the Holy See promoted, throughout the United States, the itinerant exhibition, “The Vatican Collections: the Papacy and Art”. This great overseas event led first to the creation of “The Friends of the Vatican Museums” and then the institution of the Patrons of the Arts at the behest of Cardinal Rosalio José Castillo Lara, now co-ordinated by Fr. Mark Haydu.

The Patrons of the Arts finance, above all, the “extraordinary” maintenance of the papal collections, and over the years, they have made possible the restoration of the “Stories of the Life of Christ and Moses” in the Sistine Chapel, the Pauline and Nicolene Chapels, the fifteenth-century Papal Apartments of Pope Alexander IV Borgia, the Scala Sancta, the and the “Galera” Fountain in the Vatican Gardens. They have also financed the restoration of the Santa Rosa Necropolis and the Matisse Room within the Vatican Museums.

The Patrons do not limit their attention only to famous works of art; they also finance “minor” projects, which allow restorers the opportunity to carefully examine works and to accompany their restoration with detailed research, leading at times to important historical and scientific discoveries that may be shared with the international art world at large. Indeed, the occupational implications of the “adoptive” conservational projects assume particular importance in periods of economic crisis. The numerous restoration workshops established with the support of the Patrons have ensured work for many young experts in the restoration and conservation of artistic heritage.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 8 October 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father appointed Professor Paolo Cherubini as vice prefect of the Vatican Secret Archive. Professor Cherubini is currently lecturer in Latin paleography at the University of Palermo and at the Vatican School of Paleography, Diplomatics and Archivists.