PAPAL AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR MAY – JULY 2014

Vatican City, 31 July 2014 (VIS) – The following are highlights of the activities of Pope Francis and the Holy See during the months of May to July 2014.

MAY

2: Audience with the president of the Republic of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

2: Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, is nominated as the Pope's special envoy to the consecration of the recently restored shrine to St. Augustine d'Ippona at Annaba, Algeria, to take place on 2 May 2014, the centenary of its elevation to a Basilica.

2: First meeting of the Council for the Economy, instituted by the Holy Father by the Motu proprio “Fidelis dispensator et prudens” on 24 February.

3: Audience with the bishops of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka, at the end of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

5: Audience with the bishops of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Burundi, at the end of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

7-12: The Holy See is guest of honour at the 27th Turin International Book Fair.

8: His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, meets the Holy Father.

9: Audience with the prelates of the Bishops' Conference of Ethiopia and Eritrea, at the end of their “ad limina” visit.

10: During his audience with Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Holy Father authorised the dicastery to communicate that the rite of beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Paul VI will take place in the Vatican on 19 October 2014.

11: Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, takes possession of the diaconate of Sant’Anselmo all’Aventino, Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, 5.

12: Death of Cardinal Marco Ce, Patriarch emeritus of Venice, Italy, at the age of 88.

13: Pope Francis presides at the 13th Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops.

15: Pope Francis receives the credential letters of seven new ambassadors to the Holy See: Pierre Yves Fux, Switzerland; Rudolf P. von Balimoos, Liberia; Nega Tsegaye Tessema, Ethiopia; Nasreldin Ahmed Wali Abdeltif, Sudan; Margaret Ann Louise Jobson, Jamaica; Claudinah Ntini Ramosepele, South Africa; and Mysore Kapanalah Lokesh, India.

15: The Holy Father receives in audience the Governor General of New Zealand, Sir Jerry Mateparae.

19: Audience with the bishops of the Mexican Episcopal Conference, on their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

19: The Holy Father Francis receives in audience His Majesty Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain.

19: The Holy Father Francis receives in audience the prime minister of Poland, Donald Tusk.

19: The Financial Information Authority (AIF) of the Holy See and the Vatican City State presents its Annual Report for 2013.

19: For the first time, Pope Francis opens the 66th General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI).

21: Audience with Gjorge Ivanov, president of the Republic of Macedonia, with his wife and entourage.

24-26: Pilgrimage in the Holy Land to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the encounter in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch Athenagoras.

25: Cardinal Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, takes possession of the diaconate of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Via dei Fori Imperiali, 1.

31: Cardinal Kelvin Edward Felix, archbishop emeritus of Castries, Antilles, takes possession of the title of Santa Maria della Salute a Primavalle, Via Tommaso De Vio, 5.

JUNE

2: Audience with the prelates of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference, at the end of their “ad limina” visit.

2: Death of Cardinal Simon Duraisamy Lourdusamy, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and archbishop emeritus of Bangalore, India, at the age of 90.

5: The Holy Father meets with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Cilicia.

6: Audience with the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe.

7: Cardinal Chibly Langlois, bishop of Les Cayes, Haiti, takes possession of the title of San Giacomo in Augusta, Via del Corso, 499.

7: Audience with the president of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto.

7: The Financial Information Authority (AIF) of the Holy See and Vatican City State, formalises its bilateral cooperation with the U.K., France, Malta, Romania, Poland and Peru.

7: Cardinal Ferdinand Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, is appointed as the Pope's special envoy to the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the diocese of Funchal, in Madeira, Portugal, from 13 to 16 June 2014.

8: Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti takes possession of the title of St. Cecilia, Piazza di St. Cecilia, 22.

8: Invocation for Peace in the Vatican Gardens, an initiative Pope Francis proposed to presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to pray for the gift of peace for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

9: Death of Cardinal Bernard Agre, archbishop emeritus of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, at the age of 88.

12: Ordinary Public Consistory for the canonisation, on 23 November 2014, of Blesseds Giovanni Antonio Farina, bishop of Vicenza, Italy, and founder of the Institute of the Sisters of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts; Kuriakose Elias Chavara of the Holy Family, Indian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate; Ludovico de Casoria, Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Elizabeth (“Bigie”); Nicola da Longobardi, Italian professed oblate of the Order of Minims; Eufrasia Eluvathingal of the Sacred Heart, Indian professed religious of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel, and Amato Ronconi, Italian layperson of the Third Order of St. Francis, founder of the founder of the Hospital-Hospice for Poor Pilgrims of Saludecio, now the Beato Amato Ronconi Nursing Home.

13: Pope Francis receives in audience Danilo Medina Sanchez, president of the Dominican Republic.

14: Publication of the Holy Father's message for the 88th World Mission Day, to be held on 19 October 2014.

15: Visit to the Sant'Egidio Community.

16: Pope Francis receives in audience the Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace Justin Welby.

17: The 2014 Ratzinger Prize will be awarded to Professor Anne-Marie Pelletier and Professor Msgr. Waldemar Chrostowski on 22 November.

21: Pastoral visit to the diocese of Cassano all'Jonio, Calabria.

21: Pope Francis appoints Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as his special envoy to the 25th anniversary of the liberation of the Greek Catholic eparchy of Mukachevo, to take place in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, on 28 June 2014.

22: Presentation of the Instrumentum laboris of the 3 rd Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (5-19 October 2014), on the theme “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelisation”.

28: The Pope receives in audience the president of the Republic of Madagascar, Hery Martial Rajaonarimampianina.

30: The Holy Father receives in audience Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.

JULY

1.4: Fifth meeting between the Pope and the Council of Cardinals, instituted by Pope Francis to assist in the governance of the universal Church and to draw up a plan for the review of the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor bonus” on the Roman Curia.

5: Pastoral visit to the dioceses of Campobasso-Boiano and Isernia-Venafro in the region of Molise, Italy.

5: Pope Francis proclaims the Celestine Jubilee Year in the Cathedral Square, Isernia, the birthplace of the hermit Pietro da Morrone, the future Pope Celestine V (1209-1296) who was elected in the Conclave of 1292-1294 and after just five months abdicated from the papacy to resume his life as a hermit.

5: Message from the Holy Father to the Archbishop of Agrigento, Francesco Montenegro, on the first anniversary of the papal visit to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, where he prayed for African migrants who have lost their lives in the Mediterranean.

7: Seven victims of abuse by members of the clergy attend Mass celebrated by the Holy Father in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

8: Motu proprio of the Holy Father Francis on the transfer of the Ordinary Section of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See to the Secretariat of the Economy.

8: The Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See reports a positive balance for the 2013 Budgets of the Holy See and the Governorate of Vatican City State.

26: Pastoral visit to Caserta.

27: Death of Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, archpriest emeritus of St. Peter's Basilica, at the age of 85.

28: Private visit with the evangelical pastor Giovanni Traettino, Caserta.

29: Announcement of the Holy Father's Apostolic trip to Sri Lanka from 12 to 15 January, and the Philippines from 15 to 19 January 2015.

31: Publication of the programme for Pope Francis' forthcoming Apostolic trip to Tirana, Albania, on 21 September 2014.

PAPAL AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR JANUARY – APRIL 2014

Vatican City, 30 July 2014 (VIS) – The following are highlights of the activities of Pope Francis and the Holy See during the months of January to April 2014.

JANUARY

6: Private visit to the Roman parish of Sant'Alfonso Maria de' Liguori alla Giustiniana, Rome.

9: The Holy Father receives in audience Severin Mathias Akeo, the new ambassador of Cote d'Ivoire to the Holy See, presenting his credential letters.

16: Publication of the Holy Father's message for the 51st World Day of Prayer for Vocations (11 May) on the theme “Vocations: Witness to the Truth”.

18: The Holy Father nominates Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, as his special envoy to Panama for the closing ceremony of the jubilee year convoked for the fifth centenary of the erection of the first diocese (Santa Maria la Antigua) on the American continent (14-15 February 2014).

19: Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of “Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Castro Pretorio”.

22: Pope's message to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

23: Presentation of the Holy Father's message for the 48th World Day of Social Communication, entitled, “Communication at the service of an authentic culture of encounter”.

24: The Holy Father receives in audience the president of the French Republic, Francois Hollande.

25: Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”, visits the areas struck by the typhoon Haiyan-Yolanda in the Philippines on 8 November 2013.

27 and 30: Audience with prelates of the Austrian Bishops' Conference, on their “ad limina” visit.

31: Presentation of the Year for Consecrated Life, convoked by Pope Francis in 2015.

FEBRUARY

3: The Holy Father received in audience His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, head of State of the Independent State of Samoa.

4: Presentation of the Holy Father's Lenten message for 2014, entitled “He became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (cf. 2 Cor 8,9).

6: Publication of the Holy Father's message, dated 21 January 2014, to the young people preparing for the 29th World Youth Day 2014, on the theme: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.

6: The Holy Father receives in audience Wafaa Ashraf Moharram Bassim, ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Holy See, presenting her credential letters.

7: Audience with the bishops of the Polish Episcopal Conference, at the end of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

13: Audience with the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Bulgaria, at the end of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

14: The Holy Father meets with ten thousand engaged couples from all over the world on the feast of St. Valentine. The encounter, organised by the Pontifical Council for the Family, takes as its theme “The joy of 'Yes' for ever”.

14: The Pope receives in audience prelates of the Czech Bishops' Conference at the end of their “ad limina” visit.

15: Audience with the president of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades.

16: Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of “San Tommaso Apostolo” in the Infernetto quarter.

17-19: The Pope meets with the Council of Cardinals, created on 13 April 2013 and confirmed by the chirograph of 28 September, to assist in the governance of the Universal Church and to draw up a plan for the revision of the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor bonus” on the Roman Curia.

20-21: Extraordinary Consistory on the family.

21: The Holy Father receives in audience Dilma Rousseff, president of Brazil, on the occasion of the Consistory in which Archbishop Orani Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro is created a cardinal.

22: Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of 19 new cardinals.

24: Motu proprio, “Fidelis et dispensator prudens”, (Lk 12,42), by which the Holy Father constitutes a new framework for the coordination of economic and administrative matters of the Holy See and Vatican City State.

24: The president of the Republic of Haiti, Michael Joseph Martelly, is received in audience by Pope Francis.

25: Publication of a letter addressed by Pope Francis to families in view of the upcoming Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled for October 2014, on the theme “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelisation”.

27: Presentation of the protocol for the Holy See's participation in Expo Milan 2015, on the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”.

MARCH

1: The Holy Father receives in audience Victor Ponta, prime minister of Romania.

3: Audience with the prelates of the Spanish Episcopal Conference at the end of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

3: The Pope appoints Msgr. Alfred Xuereb, official of the Secretariat of State, as prelate secretary general of the Secretariat for the Economy.

4: The Pope opens the gardens of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo.

10: It is made public that from 13 to 18 August, the Holy Father will make an apostolic trip to the Republic of Korea, on the occasion of the 6th Asian Youth Day, to be held in the diocese of Daejeon.

12: Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo, patriarch emeritus of Lisbon, Portugal, dies at the age of 78.

16: Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of “Santa Maria dell'Orazione” at Setteville di Guidonia, in the north sector of the diocese of Rome.

17: Audience with the three prelates of the Episcopal Conference of East Timor on their “ad limina” visit.

17: Christina Kirchner, president of the Argentine Republic, pays a private visit to the Holy Father.

17: Presentation of the “Global Freedom Network”, an agreement between representatives of the great world religions to combat modern forms of slavery and human trafficking, in collaboration with the “Walk Free Foundation”.

20: The Pope receives in audience Filip Vujanovic, president of the Republic of Montenegro.

20: Agreement signed by the NTT Data Corporation and the Vatican Apostolic Library to digitally archive 82,000 manuscripts.

21: Pope Francis nominates Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Family, as his special envoy to the celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the destruction and reconstruction of the Abbey of Montecassino, Italy.

21: The Holy Father receives in audience the President of the Republic of Malta, George Abela.

21: Death of His Holiness Mar Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, at the age of 80.

22: Pope Francis receives in audience Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

22: The Holy Father Francis institutes the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

22: Msgr. Brian Ferme is appointed as prelate secretary of the Council for the Economy.

22: The Holy Father appoints Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, as his special envoy to the celebration commemorating the 650th anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral of Krakow, Poland on 28 March.

24: Audience with the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Guinea at the end of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

25: The Holy Father appoints Bishop Nunzio Galantino of Cassano all'Jonio, Italy, as secretary general of the Italian Episcopal Conference for a five-year term.

26: Pope Francis receives in audience Barack H. Obama, president of the United States of America.

27: Pope Francis receives in audience Karolos Papoulias, president of the Hellenic Republic.

28: The Holy Father receives the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar at the end of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

APRIL

3: The Holy Father receives in audience Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

3: Pope Francis receives in audience the bishops of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Rwanda at the end of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

5: The Holy Father Francis receives in audience Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, president of the Republic of Liberia.

6: Visit to the Roman parish of St. Gregory the Great, in the west of the diocese of Rome.

7: Pope Francis receives in audience the bishops of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, at the end of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit.

7: His Majesty Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, King of Jordan, is received in audience by the Holy Father.

8: Death of His Beatitude Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch emeritus of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq, at the age of 87.

10: The Pope receives in audience Zvonimir Jankuloski, ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia at the Holy See, presenting his credential letters.

12: Cardinal Orani Joao Tempesta, archbishop of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, takes possession of the title of St. Mary Mother of Providence in Monte Verde, Via di Donna Olimpia, 35.

17: Holy Mass “in cena Domini” at the St. Mary of Providence Centre of the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, Rome.

24: Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I., archbishop of Cotabato, Philippines, takes of the title of St. Mary “Regina Mundi” in Torre Spaccata, Via Alessandro Barbosi, 6.

25: Audience with the bishops of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, from South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland, at the end of their “ad limina” visit.

26: The Holy Father receives in audience the prime minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

26: The Holy Father receives in audience Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado, president of the Republic of Honduras, with his wife and entourage.

26: Pope Francis receives in audience Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium.

26: Pope Francis receives in audience Bronislaw Komorowski, president of the Republic of Poland, with his wife and entourage.

27: Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday), canonisation of Blesseds Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II.

27: Cardinal Philippe Nakellentuba Ouedraogo, archbishop of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, takes possession of the title of St. Mary the Consoler at Tiburtino, Via de Casal Bertone, 80.

28: Pope Francis receives Their Majesties King Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain.

28-30: Pope Francis' fourth meeting with the “Council of Cardinals”, created by the Holy Father to help with the governance of the universal Church and to draw up a plan for the revision of the Apostolic Constitution “Pasto bonus” on the Roman Curia.

PAPAL AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR MAY-JULY 2013

Vatican City, 31 July 2013 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of May to July 2013.

MAY

2: Pope emeritus Benedict XVI returns to the Vatican after a two month stay in the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo, and takes up permanent residence in the recently restored “Mater Ecclesiae” convent.

2: The Holy Father receives in audience Aleksander Avdeev, the new ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Holy See, presenting his credential letters.

3: The Holy Father receives in audience Michel Sleiman, president of the Republic of Lebanon.

3-5: Pilgrimage of Confraternities to Rome, for the “Days of the Confraternities and Popular Piety”, an initiative promoted as part of the Year of Faith.

6: The Holy Father receives in audience Ueli Maurer. president of the Swiss Confederation.

8: Pope Francis receives the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the International Union of Superior Generals.

10: Meeting between Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt.

12: Seventh Sunday of Easter. Canonisation of the Blesseds Antonio Primaldo and companions; Laura di Santa Caterina da Siena Montoya y Upegui and Maria Guadalupe García Zavala.

13: The Holy Father receives in audience the president of the Republic of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos Calderon.

14: This year, for the first time, the Holy See will participate in the Venice Bienniale (1 June – 24 November) with a pavilion inspired by the Biblical story of Genesis, entitled “In the Beginning”.

15: The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) declares its intention to open, before the end of the year, a website where it will make public, among other information, the “Yearly Report” of its activities.

16: The Holy Father receives the credential letters of four new ambassadors to the Holy See: Bolot Iskovich Otunbaev from Kyrgyzstan, David Shoul from Antigua and Barbuda, Jean-Paul Senninger from Luxembourg and Lameck Nthekela from Botswana.

18: The Holy Father receives in audience Angela Merkel, chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, and entourage.

18-19: "Day of Ecclesial Movements, New Communities and Lay Associations” on the Solemnity of Pentecost and the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of the Ecumenical Council.

19: Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, India, takes possession of the title of St. Gregory VII al Gelsomino on Via del Cottolegno, 4.

22: Pope Francis visits the “Gift of Mary” House of Hospitality located within Vatican City, just outside St. Peter's Square, near the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio.

22: The Holy Father receives in audience Thomas Boni Yayi, president of the Republic of Benin.

23: The Holy Father receives in audience Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena, president of the Republic of El Salvador.

23: The Pontifical Lateran University dedicates a chair in “Political Socialization in Africa” to Cardinal Bernardin Gantin.

26: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, pastoral visit to the Roman parish of “Sts. Elizabeth and Zechariah” in Valle Muricana, Prima Porta.

26: Cardinal James Michael Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, takes possession of the diaconate of St. Pius V at Villa Carpegna in Largo San Pio V, 3.

31: The Holy Father receives in audience the president for the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Vuk Jeremic.

JUNE

1: The Holy Father receives in audience Jose Mujica Cordano, president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.

2: On the Solemnity of Corpus Domini and as part of the Year of Faith, the Holy Father presides as a solemn Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration in St. Peter's Basilica, in communion with cathedrals and parishes all over the world.

3: The Holy Father receives in audience Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca, president of the Republic of Cape Verde, and entourage.

5: Death of Cardinal Stanislaw Nagy, S.C.I., cardinal-deacon of Santa Maria della Scala, at the age of 91.

6: The Holy Father receives in audience Mohamed Taher Rabbani, ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, presenting his credential letters.

7: The Holy Father receives in audience Mikayel Minasyan, ambassador of Armenia, presenting his credential letters.

8: The Holy Father receives in an official visit the president of the Republic of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano.

10: The Holy Father receives in audience Mariano Palacios Alcocer, new ambassador of Mexico, presenting his credential letters

13: The Holy Father receives in audience Alenka Bratusek, prime minister of the Republic of Slovenia.

14: Visit of the archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace Justin Welby.

15: Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, archbishop of Manila, Philippines, takes possession of the title of San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle in Piazza San Felice da Cantalice, 20, Rome.

15: The Holy Father receives in audience José Manuel Durão Barroso, president of the European Commission.

17: The Holy Father receives in audience Nicolas Maduro Moro, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

24: The Holy Father receives in audience Joseph Muscat, prime minister of the Republic of Malta.

24: The Holy Father establishes a Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) by chirograph dated 24 June 2013.

JULY

4: The Holy Father receives in a private visit Enrico Letta, prime minister of the Republic of Italy.

4: The Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State (AIF) is admitted to the Egmont Group, a global network of Financial Intelligence Units.

4-7: “Day for seminarians, novices, and all those who have taken the path of vocation”, with the theme “I trust in you”, as part of the Year of Faith.

5: Publication of Pope Francis' first encyclical, entitled "Lumen fidei".

6: The Holy Father receives in audience Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona, president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, with his wife and entourage.

8: The Holy Father visits the island of Lampedusa.

22-29: Apostolic trip to Brazil for the 28th World Youth Day.

26: The Financial Intelligence Authority (AIF) of the Holy See and Vatican City State signs a Memorandum of Understanding with its Italian counterpart, the Unità di Informazione Finanziaria (UIF) of the Bank of Italy.

28: Death of Cardinal Ersilio Tonini, archbishop emeritus of Ravenna-Cervia, Italy, at the age of 99.

PAPAL AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR JANUARY-APRIL 2013

Vatican City, 30 July 2013 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of January to April 2013.

JANUARY

7: Video-message from the Holy Father Benedict XVI on the occasion of the National Congress of the Church in Cambodia on the theme of "Vatican Council II and the Church".

8: "Go and do likewise" is the theme for the Holy Father's message on the 21st World Day of the Sick to be celebrated 11 February, the liturgical feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes, which will take place this year at the Marian Shrine of Altotting, Germany.

10: The Holy Father receives in audience Mrs. Slavica Karacic, the new ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Holy See, presenting her credential letters.

12: The Holy Father receives in audience His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife, Princess Charlene.

13: Celebration of World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on the theme: "What does God require of us?", inspired by a passage in the book of the prophet Micah.

18: The French and German Bishops' Conferences publish a joint declaration marking the 50th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty, signed on 22 January 1963 by General Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to seal the reconciliation between the two opposing nations after the Second World War.

19: Benedict XVI receives in audience participants in the plenary session of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum on the theme: “Charity, Christian Anthropology, and Global Ethics".

22: The Holy Father Benedict XVI receives in audience for the first time the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, His Excellency Nguyen Phu Trong.

24: Death of Cardinal Jozef Glemp, archbishop emeritus of Gniezno and Warsaw and primate of Poland, at the age of 83.

24: Presentation of Benedict XVI's message for the 47th World Communications Day (12 May) on the theme: "Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelisation".

25: Study Day on “The Code: A Reform Desired and Requested by the Council” marking the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law.

25: With the Motu Proprio “Fides per doctrinam”, signed 16 January, the Holy Father modifies the apostolic constitution "Pastor bonus", transferring responsibility for catechesis from the Congregation for the Clergy to the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation.

FEBRUARY

1: Presentation of the Holy Father's Lenten Message, dated 15 February 2013 and entitled "Believing in Charity Calls Forth Charity: 'We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us'".

6-9: Annual Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture, dedicated to the theme "Emerging Youth Cultures".

8: Death of Cardinal Giovanni Cheli, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care, at the age of 94.

11: In the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father presides over an ordinary public consistory for the canonization of the blesseds: Antonio Primaldo and Companions, martyrs, (1480); Laura de Santa Catalina de Siena Montoya y Upegui (1874 -1949), virgin, foundress of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and St Catherine of Siena; and Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, co-foundress of the Congregation of the Handmaids of St Margaret Mary (Alacoque) and the Poor. During the course of the consistory, the Pope decrees that blesseds Antonio Primaldo and his companions, Laura di Santa Caterina da Siena Montoya y Upegui and Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala be inscribed in the book of saints on Sunday, 12 May 2013.

11: At the end of the consistory for causes for canonization Benedict XVI announces to the College of Cardinals, in a declaration read in Latin, his resignation from his ministry as Bishop of Rome, from 8 p.m. on 28 February 2013.

14: “I will always be near to all of you in prayer” says the Holy Father to the priests and clergy of the Diocese of Rome, accompanied by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general, and auxiliary bishops.

14: Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the Papal Household and secretary to Benedict XVI, continues to carry out both roles and thus accompanies the Pope during his stay at Castel Gandolfo and at the monastery that he will retire to after his resignation from the papacy.

15: The Holy Father Benedetto XVI receives in audience Traian Basescu, president of the Republic of Romania.

15: The Commission of Cardinals for the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) appoints, in accordance with the Institute’s statutes, a new president of the Supervisory Board, Ernst von Freyberg.

16: The Pope receives Senator Mario Monti, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, in a private audience.

16: The Pope receives in audience Otto Perez Molina, president of the Republic of Guatemala.

22: The Holy See and the Republic of South Sudan establish diplomatic relations at the level of Apostolic Nunciature on the part of the Holy See and the Embassy on the part of the Republic of South Sudan.

23: The Holy Father receives in a farewell audience the president of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, accompanied by his wife.

24: Final Angelus of Benedict XVI's pontificate, attended by over 200,000 people.

25: Publication of an Apostolic Letter in the form of a Motu Proprio by Holy Father Benedict XVI on amendments concerning the election of the Roman Pontiff, in which the College of Cardinals is granted the faculty to bring forward the start of the Conclave.

25: Death of Belgian Cardinal Julien Ries at the age of 92.

26: After the end of his Pontificate Benedict XVI will be “Pontiff emeritus” or “Pope emeritus”, and will keep the name of “His Holiness, Benedict XVI”. He will dress in a simple white cassock without the mozzetta.

27: Benedict XVI celebrates his final general audience, attended by thousands of people.

27: The Holy Father receives in audience Ivan Gasparovic, President of Slovakia.

28: The Holy Father Benedict XVI greets the College of Cardinals on the last day of his pontificate.

28: Death of Cardinal Jean Honoré, archbishop emeritus of Tours, France, at the age of 92.

28: Shortly after 5:00pm, Benedict XVI leaves the Vatican for the last time as Supreme Pontiff, destined for Castel Gandolfo where he will reside temporarily before transferring to the Monastery on the Vatican Hill, which has previously housed four cloistered orders.

MARCH

1: On the first day of the Sede Vacante, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, summons the cardinals to the first of the General Congregations, in accordance with the Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis”.

8: The eighth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals decides that the Conclave will begin on Tuesday, 12 March 2013.

12: “Pro eligendo Romano Pontifice” Mass, presided by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, and concelebrated by over one hundred cardinals, electors and non-electors.

12: The 115 Cardinal electors enter into the Conclave.

13: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., is elected Supreme Pontiff, the 265th successor of Peter, and chooses the name Francis, the first Pope to do so.

14: The Holy Father's first liturgical celebration with the 114 cardinals who participated in the Conclave. They concelebrate the “Pro Ecclesia” Mass in Latin, with readings in Italian.

15: The new Roman Pontiff receives all the Cardinals, electors and non-electors in the Clementine Hall.

16: The Holy Father greets over 6,000 journalists and media workers accredited in Rome, permanently or temporarily, in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall.

17: Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Vatican parish of St. Anna.

17: First Angelus of the pontificate of Pope Francis.

18: Audience and lunch with Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina.

19: Solemnity of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, in St. Peter's Square. Celebration of the Mass inaugurating Pope Francis' Petrine Ministry.

20: Audience with the Fraternal Delegates.

20: The Pope receives in audience Dilma Vana Rousseff, president of Brazil, and entourage.

22: The Pope receives in audience members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See in the Sala Regia.

23: Meeting with the Pope emeritus Benedict XVI and lunch in the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo.

25: The Square Garden (“Giardino Quadrato”), created in the 1500s at the behest of Pope Paul III Farnese, who commissioned Michelangelo's “The Last Judgment” in 1534, will be open to visitors of the Vatican Museums.

27: Pope Francis' first General Audience, reflecting on Holy Week.

28: Pope Francis celebrates the “in Coena Domine”—the Lord's Supper—Mass at the Casal del Marmo Penitential Institute for Minors and not in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, as is usual on this day.

APRIL

5: Presentation of the new print and digital versions of the Jesuit journal “La Civilta Cattolica” (Catholic Civilization).

7: In the Basilica of St. John Lateran on Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis celebrates Mass, during which he officially takes possession of the Cathedra of the Bishop of Rome.

7: Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, takes possession pf the title of San Saturnino, Via Avigliana, 3, Roma.

9: The Holy Father receives in audience Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the United Nations, with his wife and entourage.

10: Death of Cardinal Lorenzo Antonetti, president emeritus of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, former pontifical delegate to the Patriarchal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, at the age of 90.

11: The Holy Father receives in audience Alberto Clementino Vaquina, prime minister of Mozambique.

13: The Holy Father establishes a group of cardinals to advise him in the government of the Universal Church and to draw up a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, 'Pastor Bonus'.

14: Pope Francis presides over Mass at Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls on his first visit there as Bishop of Rome.

15: The Holy Father receives in audience Mariano Rajoy Brey, prime minister of Spain, with his wife and entourage.

16: Presentation of the Vatican Foundation “International Family Centre in Nazareth”, to be erected on the outskirts of Nazareth above the hill dominating the city centre and the Basilica of the Annunciation.

17: The Holy Father receives Saleh Mohammad Al Ghamdi, ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Italy, bearer of a message from King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

- 19: The Holy Father receives in audience Rafael Correa Delgado, president of the Republic of Ecuador, and entourage.

- 22: Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez takes possession of the title of St. Gerardo Maiella, Via Romolo Balzani, 74, Roma.

- 26: The Holy Father receives in audience Andry Nirina Rajoelina, president of the High Transitional Authority of Madagascar.

- 30: The Holy Father receives in audience Shimon Peres, president of the State of Israel.

PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2011

VATICAN CITY, 30 DEC 2011 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and the Holy See for the months of September to December 2011.

SEPTEMBER

3: Msgr. Ettore Balestrero, under secretary for Relations with States, meets Helena Keleher, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Ireland to the Holy See, and gives her the "Holy See's Response to the Irish Government concerning the Cloyne Report".

3: Cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, dies at the age of 87.

7: The Holy Father receives in audience Michael Spindelegger, vice chancellor and foreign minister of Austria, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

8: The Holy Father receives a group of twenty-three prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India at the end of their five-yearly "ad limina" visit.

9: The Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of Nigel Marcus Baker, the new British ambassador to the Holy See.

11: The Holy Father makes a pastoral visit to the Italian city of Ancona to preside at the closure of the twenty-fifth Italian National Eucharistic Congress.

12: Publication of a message from Benedict XVI to Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, Germany, for a congress on the theme: "Bound to live together. The dialogue of religions and cultures", sponsored by the archdiocese and the Sant'Egidio Community.

13: The Pope receives a group of prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India - including bishops from the provinces of Agra, New Delhi and Bhopal, as well as from the apostolic vicariate of Nepal - at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

21: Benedict XVI imposes the pallium on Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, Italy.

22-25: Benedict XVI makes an apostolic trip to Germany.

29: Promulgation of "Quaerit Semper", an Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" which modifies the Apostolic Constitution "Pastor Bonus", transferring certain functions of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to a new office established in the Tribunal of the Roman Rota. The office will deal with the procedures for dispensation from unconsummated marriage and causes for the nullity of priestly ordination.

29: Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. presides at Mass at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens for the feast of the patron of Vatican Radio. The Mass was concelebrated by, among others, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. and Fr. Andrzej Koprowski S.J., respectively director general and director of programmes of Vatican Radio which is celebrating eighty years of activity.

OCTOBER

2: Beatification in the Italian town of Ivrea of Sr. Antonia Maria Verna (1773-1838), foundress of the Institute of the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception.

7: The Pope meets with prelates from the Indonesian Episcopal Conference at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

9: The Holy Father makes a pastoral visit to the Italian towns of Lamezia Terme and Serra San Bruno.

13: Benedict XVI receives in audience Porfirio Lobo Sosa, president of the Republic of Honduras.

14: The Holy Father meets with Italian provincial prefects, in an audience arranged as part of the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of Italian unification.

17: Publication of "Porta fidei", an Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" with which Benedict XVI proclaims a "Year of Faith", to begin on 11 October 2012, fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II, and due to end on 24 November 2013, Feast of Christ the King.

17: Benedict XVI receives in audience Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, president of Mongolia.

19: The Pope inaugurates the "Domus Australia", a welcome centre for Australian pilgrims in Rome.

20: Benedict XVI meets with prelates of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

21: The Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of Joseph Weterings, the new ambassador of the Netherlands to the Holy See.

23: Canonisation of blesseds: Guido Maria Conforti, Italian archbishop-bishop and founder of the Pious Society of St. Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions (1865-1931); Luigi Guanella, Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Charity and of the Institute of the Daughters of Our Lady of Providence (1842-1915), and Bonifacia Rodriguez de Castro, Spanish foundress of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters, Servants of St. Joseph (1837-1905).

24: Presentation of a note from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace entitled: "Towards reforming the international financial and monetary systems in the context of a global public authority".

25: Presentation of Benedict XVI's Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2012. The Day is due to be celebrated on 15 January 2012 under the theme of "Migrations and New Evangelisation".

27: The Pope travels to Assisi, Italy, for a Day of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world under the theme: "Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace".

29: The Holy Father receives a group of prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tome at the conclusion of their "ad limina" visit.

31: The Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of Almir Franco de Sa Barbuda, the new ambassador of Brazil to the Holy See.

NOVEMBER

4: The Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of Joseph Tebah-Klah, the new ambassador of Cote d'Ivoire to the Holy See.

7: The Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of Reinhard Schweppe, the new German ambassador to the Holy See.

12: Benedict XVI receives in audience Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council.

18-20: Benedict XVI makes an apostolic trip to Benin for the signing of the Apostolic Exhortation "Africa munus".

21-26: A series of meetings takes place between members of the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) and the Vatican authorities responsible for the prevention and countering of money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

26: Benedict XVI receives a group of prelates from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

26: The Holy Father receives in audience Najib Mikati, prime minister of Lebanon.

DECEMBER

7: Events involving the Pope and the Holy See become available in French at: www.youtube.co/vaticanfr in addition to the service already available in Italian, English, Spanish and German.

11: The Holy Father makes a pastoral visit to the Roman parish of "Santa Maria delle Grazie" at Casal Boccone.

11: Cardinal John Patrick Foley, grand master emeritus of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, dies at the age of 76.

12: Benedict XVI receives in audience Serzh Sargsyan, president of the Republic of Armenia.

12: Benedict XVI presides at Mass in the Vatican Basilica for the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron of Latin America, to mark the two hundredth anniversary of the independence of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

15: The Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of eleven new non-resident ambassadors to the Holy See: Margaret Allison King-Rousseau of Trinidad and Tobago, Hilia Garez Gomes Lima Barber of Guinea Bissau, Paul Widmer of Switzerland, Anatole Bacanamwo of Burundi, Arbhorn Manasvanich of Thailand, Muhammad Saleem of Pakistan, Amadeu Paulo Samuel da Conceicao of Mozambique, Tolendy Makeyev of Kyrgyzstan, Jaume Serra Serra of Andorra, Tamara Kunanayakam of Sri Lanka and Joseph Pare of Burkina Faso.

15: The Holy Father presides at Vespers in the Vatican Basilica with students of Roman universities.

16: Presentation of Benedict XVI's Message for the World Day of Peace 2012, on the theme: "Educating Young People in Justice and Peace".

17: Benedict XVI receives prelates from the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and the Conferentia Episcopalis Pacifici, at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

18: Benedict XVI makes a pastoral visit to Rebibbia Prison in Rome.

19: The Holy Father signs a decree acknowledging the miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), who will become the first native North American to be raised to the glory of the altars.
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ACTIVITIES OF POPE BENEDICT XVI IN AUGUST

VATICAN CITY, 2 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Following is a list of Pope Benedict's activities during the month of August. It includes the Angelus, general and private audiences, other pontifical acts, letters, messages, telegrams and other news. The activities are presented in chronological order under their respective headings.

ANGELUS

- 31 July: Commenting on the Gospel narrative of the feeding of the multitude, the Holy Father highlights how Christ "reminds us that we cannot remain indifferent in the face of those who suffer hunger and thirst, and calls on us to share our bread with those in need".

- 7 August: The Pope expresses his concern at violence in Syria. He invited Catholics to pray for peace and calls for peaceful coexistence and respect for the legitimate aspirations of citizens. He also mentions the conflict in Libya, exhorting international organisations and people in positions of political and military authority to relaunch a peace plan for the country.

- 14: Benedict XVI focuses on St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was martyred in the concentration camp of Auschwitz seventy years ago today. The saint's heroic love is a sign of the victorious presence of God in the human drama of hatred, suffering and death.

- 15: The Holy Father explains that today's Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin represents a mystery of hope and joy for us all, because Mary is the goal for everyone who follows Jesus.

- 21: At the closing Mass for World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid, the Pope prays the Angelus with young people and announces that the next WYD will be held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2013.

- 28: At the final Angelus of August, Benedict XVI recalls the importance of taking up our cross to follow Christ, humbly accepting the Word and allowing ourselves to be transformed internally in order to discern the will of God.

WEDNESDAY GENERAL AUDIENCES

- 3: The Pope invites faithful gathered at the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo to read the Bible during this holiday period, focusing both on the Gospel narratives and on less familiar passages.

- 10: Continuing a series of catecheses on the subject of prayer, Benedict XVI turns his attention to the monasteries, "oases of the spirit" where mediation is facilitated by silence and by the beauty of creation.

- 17: The Holy Father focuses his catechesis on prayer and on dedicating time to God, as fundamental elements for spiritual growth.

- 24: Benedict XVI recalls the recent World Youth Day in Madrid, describing it as a magnificent expression of faith, both for Spain and for the whole world. He also announces the themes of forthcoming World Youth Days. Next year, when WYD will be celebrated at the diocesan level, the theme will be "Joy always in the Lord", while WYD 2013 in Rio de Janeiro will have as its theme: "Go and make disciples of all nations".

WORLD YOUTH DAY

Between 18 and 21 August the Holy Father made an apostolic trip to Madrid, Spain, where he presided at the twenty-sixth World Youth Day. Arriving at the airport of Barajas, he was greeted by the king and queen of Spain as well as by Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid, by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and by other ecclesiastical and civil authorities.

In his remarks during the welcome ceremony, Benedict XVI said that he had come to Madrid "to motivate the commitment to build up the Kingdom of God in the world among us. ... The discovery of the living God inspires young people and opens their eyes to the challenges of the world in which they live. ... They know that, without God, it would be hard to confront these challenges and to be truly happy. ... World Youth Day brings us a message of hope like a pure and youthful breeze, with rejuvenating scents which fill us with confidence before the future of the Church and the world".

At 7.30 p.m. he went to Plaza de Cibeles where youth from all over the world were gathered. He greeted them in a number of languages, inviting them above all "to seek the Truth, which is not an idea or an ideology or a slogan, but a person: Christ".

On Friday 19 August, after celebrating Mass privately in the chapel of the apostolic nunciature, Benedict XVI paid a courtesy visit to the monarchs in the Palacio de la Zarzuela. He then went on to the basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial where he met with thousands of religious from various congregations, including contemplative orders. "Your lives", he told them, "must testify to the personal encounter with Christ which has nourished your consecration, and to all the transforming power of that encounter. This is all the more important today when we see a certain 'eclipse of God' taking place, a kind of amnesia which, albeit not an outright rejection of Christianity, is nonetheless a denial of the treasure of our faith".

At the basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial the Pope also had occasion to meet young academics who were participating in WYD. "The university has always been, and is always called to be, the 'house' where one seeks the truth proper to the human person", he told them. "Consequently it was not by accident that the Church promoted the universities. ... The university thus embodies an ideal which must not be attenuated or compromised, whether by ideologies closed to reasoned dialogue or by truckling to a purely utilitarian and economic conception". Catholic university professors must be "committed to teaching the faith and making it credible to human reason. And we do this not simply by our teaching, but by the way we live our faith and embody it. ... Young people need authentic teachers: persons open to the fullness of truth".

That evening, having met with Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Pope returned to Plaza de Cibeles where he presided at the Way of the Cross. After the ceremony he addressed the young people present, encouraging them to help the less fortunate. "You are open to the idea of sharing your lives with others, so be sure not to pass by on the other side in the face of human suffering, for it is here that God expects you to give of your very best: your capacity for love and compassion".

Benedict XVI began Saturday 20 August by hearing confession from a number of pilgrims in Madrid's Jardines del Buen Retiro. The Jardines were hosting the Festival of Forgiveness with more than 200 mobile confessionals in which priests from all over the world were hearing confession from young people.

At 10 a.m. that day the Holy Father presided at a Mass for seminarians in the cathedral of Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena. The years of prreparation for the priesthood, said the Pope in his homily, "should be years of interior silence, of unceasing prayer, of constant study and of gradual insertion into the pastoral activity and structures of the Church. A Church which is community and institution, family and mission, the creation of Christ, ... as well as the result of those of us who shape it through our holiness and our sins. God, Who does not hesitate to make of the poor and of sinners His friends and instruments for the redemption of the human race, willed it so. ... We have to be saints so as not to create a contradiction between the sign that we are and the reality that we wish to signify".

That afternoon the Pope met with the WYD organising committees at the apostolic nunciature before going on to visit the Fundacion Instituto San Jose which serves people with physical and mental disabilities. "These witnesses", he said in his remarks, "speak to us, first and foremost, of the dignity of all human life, created in the image of God. No suffering can efface this divine image imprinted in the depths of our humanity".

At 8.30 p.m. Benedict XVI presided at a prayer vigil with young people at the airport of Cuatro Vientos. "Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness", he told them. "The Lord has allowed you to live in this moment of history so that, by your faith, His name will continue to resound throughout the world".

On Sunday 21 August, the Holy Father presided at the closing Mass for World Youth Day. He invited young people to consolidate their faith and to place Christ at the centre of their lives, bearing witness to Him in all times and places.

Following an afternoon meeting with WYD volunteers, whom he thanked for their services, the Pope left Spain calling on young people to spread throughout the world the profound and joyful experience of faith they had had in Madrid.

LETTERS, MESSAGES AND TELEGRAMS

- 22: Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. sends a telegram, in the name of the Holy Father, to participants in the thirty-second "Meeting for Friendship among Peoples" which is being held in Rimini, Italy, from 22 to 28 August.

- 23: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sends a message, in the name of the Holy Father, to participants in the forty-second Italian National Liturgical Week, being held in Trieste from 22 to 26 August.

- 24: Benedict XVI sends a letter to Cardinal Jan Chryzostom Korec S.J., bishop emeritus of Nita, Slovakia, for the sixtieth anniversary of his consecration as bishop.

- 27: Telegrams of condolence to Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United Nations and to Goodluck Jonathan, president of Nigeria, for an attack against a United Nations facility in Abuja which caused scores of deaths and injuries.

- 27: Publication of three Letters, all dated 2 July, in which the Holy Father appoints: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops, as his special envoy to the twenty-fifth Italian National Eucharistic Congress, due to take place in the city of Ancona from 3 to 11 September; Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the millennium of the abbey of Santissima Trinita di Cava, Italy, due to take place on 4 September, and Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as his special envoy to the closing celebrations of the Jubilee year marking the 600th anniversary of the "Eucharistic miracle of Ludbreg", due to take place at the shrine of Ludbreg in the diocese of Varazdin, Croatia, on 4 September.

- 27: Telegram of condolence for the death of Cardinal Aloysius Matthew Ambrozic, archbishop emeritus of Toronto, Canada.

OTHER NEWS

- 9: Concert at the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo in honour of the Holy Father and his brother Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, to mark the sixtieth anniversary of their ordination to the priesthood.

- 15: For the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin, the Pope celebrates Mass and pronounces a homily in the parish church of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castelgandolfo.

- 28: The Holy Father presides at Mass in the Mariapoli centre of Castelgandolfo, to mark the close of the traditional summer seminar of his ex students (the "Ratzinger Schulerkreis"), which this year focused on the theme of new evangelisation.

- 31: Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci, former director of the Choir of the Sistine Chapel, offers a concert in honour of the Holy Father at the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo.

AUDIENCES

- 30 July: The Holy Father receives in audience a delegation from the municipal council of Traunstein, Germany.

- 13 August: The Holy Father receives in audience Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, president of the German Episcopal Conference, accompanied by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, Bishop Franz-Josef Hermann Bode of Osnabruck, and Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

- 4: Appointment of Bishop Stefan Secka, auxiliary of Spis, Slovakia, as bishop of the same diocese. He succeeds Bishop Frantisek Tondra, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- 6: Appointment of Archbishop Bruno Musaro, apostolic nuncio to Peru, as apostolic nuncio to Cuba. Appointment of Bishop Salvador Pineiro Garcia-Calderon, military ordinary for Peru, as archbishop of Ayacucho, Peru. He succeeds Archbishop Luis Abilio Sebastiani Aguirre S.M., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- 8: Resignation of Bishop Alberto Campos Hernandez O.F.M. from the pastoral care of the apostolic vicariate of San Jose de Amazonas, Peru, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. Appointment of Bishop Miguel Olaortua Laspra O.S.A., apostolic vicar of Iquitos, Peru, as apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the same apostolic vicariate.

- 11: Resignation of Archbishop Karl Hesse M.S.C. from the pastoral care of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Francesco Panfilo S.D.B.

- 13: The Holy Father gives his assent to the canonical election carried out by the Synod of Bishops of the Maronite Church of Msgr. Hanna Alwan M.L., prelate auditor of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, and of Fr. Camille Zaidan, "protosincellus" (vicar general) of the archieparchy of Antelias of the Maronites, Lebanon, as curial bishops.

- 15: Appointment of Archbishop Joseph Chennoth, apostolic nuncio to Tanzania, as apostolic nuncio to Japan. Appointment of Bishop Chibly Langlois of Fort-Liberte, Haiti, as bishop of Les Cayes, Haiti.

- 20: Resignation of Bishop Michael Gower Coleman from the pastoral care of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. Appointment of Fr. James Brendan Deenihan as apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the same diocese.

- 27: Appointment of Bishop Ulises Antonio Gutierrez Reyes of Carora, Venezuela, as metropolitan archbishop of Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela. He succeeds Archbishop Medardo Luis Luzardo Romero, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit. Appointment of Bishop Thierry Brac de la Perriere, auxiliary of Lyon, France, as bishop of Nevers, France. He succeeds Bishop Francis Deniau, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- 29: Resignation of Cardinal John Patrick Foley from the office of grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Appointment of Archbishop Edwin Frederick O'Brien of Baltimore, U.S.A. as pro-grand master of the same Order.

- 30: Appointment of Bishop Rafael Zornoza Boy, auxiliary of Getafe, Spain, as bishop of Cadiz y Ceuta, Spain. He succeeds Bishop Antonio Ceballos Atienza, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
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HOLY SEE-RELATED ACTIVITY IN AUGUST

VATICAN CITY, 2 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Following is a chronological presentation of Holy See-related activities for the month of August:

- 2: The Holy See Press Office releases a communique on the controversy between the Croatian diocese of Porec i Pula, and the Benedictine monastery of Praglia in Italy. The communique, explaining that the issue is purely ecclesiastical, refers back to the decision approved by the Pope in December 2010.
.../ VIS 20110902 (80)

PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2011: JANUARY - MARCH

VATICAN CITY, 28 JUL 2011 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of January to March 2011. Another summary, covering the period from April to July, will be published tomorrow.

JANUARY

14: Benedict XVI authorises the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree of the miracle attributed to the intercession of Venerable Servant of God John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla).

15: In accordance with the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution "Anglicanorum coetibus" of Pope Benedict XVI (4 November 2009), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith erects a Personal Ordinariate within the territory of England and Wales for those groups of Anglican clergy and faithful who have expressed their desire to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church. The Decree of Erection specifies that the Ordinariate will be known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and will be placed under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman..

24: Presentation of the Holy Father's Message for the forty-fifth World Day of Social Communications, on the theme: "Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age". The Day is celebrated on 5 June.

24: Benedict XVI receives a group from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany, visiting Rome for the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

25: Publication of the Pope's Message for the eighty-fifth World Mission Day, which falls on Sunday 23 October. The theme of the document is: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you".

FEBRUARY

1: Publication of a Message from Benedict XVI to the second Latin-American Continental Congress for Vocations, being held in Cartago, Costa Rica, from 31 January to 5 February.

3: Presentation of Benedict XVI's Message for the nineteenth World Day of the Sick, to be held on 11 February

3: Benedict XVI receives the Letters of Credence of Alfons M. Kloss, the new ambassador of Austria to the Holy See.

10: Publication of the Pope's Message for the forth-eighth World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be celebrated on 15 May on the theme: "Proposing Vocations in the Local Church".

17: The Holy Father receives in audience Dimitry Medvedev, president of the Russian Federation.

18: Benedict XVI receives a group of prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

22: Presentation of the 2011 Lenten Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI, entitled: "You were buried with Him in Baptism, in which you were also raised with Him".

24: The Holy Father receives in audience Michel Sleiman, president of the Republic of Lebanon.

28: The Holy Father receives in audience Jerzey Buzek, president of the European Parliament.

MARCH

1: A new "Law concerning citizenship, residency and access" to Vatican City, promulgated by Benedict XVI on 22 February, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, comes into effect today.

2: The Holy Father receives in private audience Josette Sheeran, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

3: The Holy Father receives in audience Sebastian Pinera Echenique, president of the Republic of Chile.

3: Benedict XVI receives a group of prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

4: The Holy Father receives in audience Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, president of the Republic of Iceland.

10: Presentation of the second volume of Benedict XVI's book on Jesus of Nazareth: "From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection".

15: Activation of a new Facebook page concerning John Paul II in view of his beatification, at the address: www.facebook.com/vatican.johnpaul2.

16: Publication of a Message from the Holy Father addressed to Giorgio Napolitano, president of the Italian Republic, for the 150th anniversary of the political unity of Italy, on 17 March.

18: Presentation of the "Courtyard of the Gentiles", an initiative by the Pontifical Council for Culture involving two days of meeting and dialogue between believers and non-believers in Paris, France, on 24 and 25 March.

20: Benedict XVI makes a pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Corbinian, where he celebrates Mass and consecrates the new church.

25: Benedict XVI receives prelates of the Syro-Malankar Church, who have just completed their five-yearly "ad limina" visit.

25: The Pope grants the "Ecclesiastica Communio" requested of him in accordance with canon 76 para. 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches by His Beatitude Bechara Rai, canonically elected as Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites by the Synod of Bishops of the Maronite Church meeting in Bkerke, Lebanon, on 15 March.

27: Benedict XVI visits Rome's "Fosse Ardeatine" to commemorate the 335 victims executed there in 1944 by German occupying forces in Rome, in reprisal for a bomb attack which had left thirty-three Germans dead.

28: The Holy Father receives in audience His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus, primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, accompanied by Fr. Demosthenis Demosthenous and by Ioannis Charilaou.
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