LOURDES: 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE APPARITIONS OF THE VIRGIN

VATICAN CITY, NOV 13, 2007 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, the presentation took place of the program of celebrations organized to mark the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Immaculate Conception to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France.

  Participating in the press conference were Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes, Fr. Vincenzo Battaglia O.F.M., president of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, and Alessandro Pinna of UNITALSI (Italian National Union for Transport of the Sick to Lourdes and International Shrines).

  Bishop Perrier indicated that for the 150th anniversary a Jubilee Year will be held, due to run from December 8, 2007, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, to December 8, 2008, and "to take place within the context of the new evangelization."

  Concerning the possibility of a pilgrimage by the Pope to Lourdes for the 150th anniversary, Bishop Perrier confirmed that Benedict XVI would visit "though we still do not know the exact date."

  "Shrines and pilgrimages," the prelate went on, "today occupy an important place in religious life, especially among people who do not habitually follow religious practices. Shrine are places of silent evangelization." In this context he indicated that a Mariological-Marian congress due to be held in Lourdes from September 4 to 8, 2008, on the theme of "the apparitions of the Virgin Mary: history faith and theology" will consider "the inducement to convert exercised by shrines in general and by Marian shrines in particular."

  The bishop of Lourdes highlighted how, "in the vast mission of the Church, there are 12 fields in which Lourdes possesses special competency, thanks to its original message and to its 150 years of history.

  "The mission of the Church in each of these fields," he added, "will become apparent during the Jubilee Year with pilgrimages, meetings and initiatives." For example "the mission of the Church to the sick will be made manifest thanks to the UNITALSI pilgrimages," and missions are also envisaged with volunteers, with young people, with the disabled, to appeal for unity among Christians, to call for conversion, for peace, etc.

  Bishop Perrier then indicated how on February 11, 2008, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick, the first of the 18 apparitions of the Virgin to Bernadette will be commemorated (the last apparition took place on July 16, 1858, Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel). A week later, on February 18, 2008, Feast of St. Bernadette, the first of the 15 consecutive apparitions will be remembered. "Our Lady asked Bernadette to come to the Grotto every day, and she kept her promise despite the difficulties."

  March 25, will mark the anniversary of the 16th apparition of the Virgin. "On that day, Feast of the Annunciation," said Bishop Perrier, "the Lady finally pronounced her name: I am the Immaculate Conception."

  The bishop then indicated how from July 15 to 20, 2008, to coincide with World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, various groups of young Christian artists will perform in Lourdes.

  The "path of the Jubilee" which the pilgrims will be invited to follow, symbolically leads from Baptism to the Eucharist and includes four stages: the parish baptistery where Bernadette was baptized; the hut where her family lived which, "with its poverty and darkness, is a cause for reflection on the paradoxical nature of divine preferences;" the road to the grotto; and the chapel of the hospice where Bernadette received First Communion on June 3, 1858.

  Numerous publications are appearing to coincide with the Jubilee, intended for people of all ages and from all Christian backgrounds. The event will also be celebrated with a Jubilee Mass composed by Br. Jean Paul Lecot, musical director of the Shrine of Lourdes. On December 8, in homage to John Paul II, the inauguration will take place of mosaics representing the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary on the facade of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the work of Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik.

  It is expected that some eight million pilgrims will visit Lourdes for the Jubilee Year.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 13, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia, presented by Bishop Hilton Deakin, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Herve Giraud, auxiliary of Lyon, France, as coadjutor of Soissons (area 7,378, population 535,489, Catholics 390,000, priests 113, permanent deacons 15, religious 169), France.
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ST. MARTIN OF TOURS: A MODEL OF SOLIDARITY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 11, 2007 (VIS) - Benedict XVI dedicated his remarks before today's Angelus to the figure of St. Martin, bishop of Tours and "one of Europe's most famous and venerated saints," whose feast falls today.

  The Pope reminded the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square of some of the main episodes in the life of the saint: his Baptism at the age of 20, his military career, his subsequent entry into the priesthood and monastic life and his famous act of charity when, still a soldier, he came across a beggar trembling with cold and, removing his own cape, he cut it in two giving half to the poor man.

  "St. Martin's charitable gesture," the Pope explained, "is part of the same logic that brought Jesus to multiply the loaves for the hungry crowds, but above all to leave Himself as food for humanity in the Eucharist. ... This is the logic of sharing through which real love towards others is expressed."

  "Only through joint commitment to sharing is it possible to respond to the great challenge of our time: that of building a world of peace and justice in which all men and women can live with dignity. This can come about if a model of real solidarity prevails in the world, one capable of ensuring that all the inhabitants of the planet have the necessary food, water, and medical care, but also work and energy resources as well as cultural wealth and scientific and technical knowledge."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 10, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the eparchy of Hajdudorog and of the apostolic exarchate of Miskolc, Hungary, presented by Bishop Szilard Keresztes, in accordance with canon 201, para. 1 and 2, of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

 - Appointed Fr. Michael George Mabuga Msonganzila, national director of the Pontifical Missionary Works in Tanzania, as bishop of Musoma (area 29,549, population 1,390,000, Catholics 250,000, priests 114, religious 47), Tanzania. The bishop-elect was born in Bukumbi, Tanzania, in 1956 and ordained a priest in 1984.

 - Appointed Bishop Jean-Louis Brugues O.P. of Angers, France, as secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Bagneres de Bigorre, France in 1943, he was ordained a priest in 1975 and consecrated a bishop in 2000.

 - Appointed Msgr. Grzegorz Kaszak of the clergy of the archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamien, Poland, rector of the Pontifical Polish Ecclesiastical Institute in Rome, as secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

 - Appointed Frs. Waldemar Barszcz T.O.R., and Leonello Leidi C.O., officials of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, as bureau chiefs in the same congregation.

 - Appointed Fr. Gianfranco Grieco O.F.M. Conv., editor at "L'Osservatore Romano," as bureau chief in the Pontifical Council for the Family.
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CONFRATERNITIES: POPULAR SCHOOLS OF LIVING FAITH

VATICAN CITY, NOV 10, 2007 (VIS) - This morning confraternities from dioceses in Italy gathered in St. Peter's Square for an audience with the Pope. Forty thousand members of various confraternities participated in Mass, at the end of which the Holy Father arrived to extend his greetings to them.

  In his remarks the Pope recalled "the importance and influence confraternities have had in the Christian communities of Italy since the early centuries of last millennium," and how they soon became "groups of lay faithful dedicated to accentuating certain features of popular religiosity associated with the life of Jesus Christ ... and with devotion to the Virgin Mary and the saints," often combining this with "works of mercy and solidarity."

  "This spirit of fraternal charity is better understood if we consider how [confraternities] began to be formed in the Middle Ages, when structured forms of public assistance ensuring social and sanitary care for the weakest groups of society still did not exist," he said.

  However, Benedict XVI went on, confraternities "are not mere mutual-assistance societies or philanthropic associations, but groups of brothers who, wishing to live the Gospel in the awareness of being a living part of the Church, aim to put into practice the commandment of love, which encourages people to open their hearts to others, especially to those in difficulty."

  "In the period of great change we are currently traversing, the Church ... also needs you, dear friends, to ensure that the announcement of the Gospel of charity reaches everyone, along old paths and new. Rooted in the solid foundation of faith in Christ, may your worthy confraternities, with their unique charisms and the ecclesial vitality that distinguishes them, continue to spread the message of salvation to people, working on the many frontiers of new evangelization.

  "You will be able to carry out this important mission if you always cultivate profound love for the Lord and meek obedience to your pastors," added the Pope in conclusion. "With these conditions, and firmly maintaining the necessary evangelical and ecclesial requisites, your confraternities will continue to be popular schools of faith lived in the forge of sanctity, ... ferment and leaven in society, contributing to the creation of that spiritual rebirth in which we all hope."
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