Tuesday, July 31, 2007

PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2007: APRIL - JULY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 31, 2007 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of April through July 2007.

APRIL

 - 2: In the basilica of St. John Lateran, two years after the death of Servant of God John Paul II, the closing session was held of the diocesan investigation into his life, virtues and fame of sanctity.

 - 13: Presentation in the Vatican's Synod Hall of "Jesus of Nazareth," a book written by Benedict XVI.

 - 14: Beatification of Servant of God Luigi Boccardo at the church of the Holy Countenace in Turin, Italy.

 - 15: The Pope presides at a Eucharistic concelebration in St. Peter's Square to mark his own 80th birthday which falls on April 16.

 - 15: Beatification of Servant of God Maria Maddalena della Passione (nee Costanza Starace) in the cathedral of Castellammare di Stabia, Italy.

 - 16: The Holy Father receives in audience Edmund Stoiber, minister-president of Bavaria, Germany.

 - 16: The Holy Father receives in audience Peter Harry Carstensen, minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

 - 18: The Holy Father receives in audience Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United Nations Organization, who invites him to visit the UN Headquarters in New York.

 - 20: The Holy Father receives in audience Mahinda Rajapaksa, president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

 - 21-22: Benedict XVI makes a pastoral visit to the Italian dioceses of Vigevano and Pavia for the 750th anniversary of the Bull "Licet Ecclesiae Catholicae" with which Pope Alexander IV unified the various groups following the Augustinian rule into one great Order.

 - 24: The Holy Father receives in audience Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), president of the Palestinian Authority.

 - 27: Presentation of the "Lineamenta" for the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, due to be held from October 5 to 26, 2008 on the theme: "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church."

 - 28: The Holy Father receives in audience Valdas Adamkus, president of the Republic of Lithuania.

 - 29: Beatification of Servant of God Maria Rosa Pellesi in the cathedral of Rimini, Italy.

MAY

 - 4: The Holy Father receives in audience Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, former president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

 - 6: Beatification of Servant of God Maria del Monte Carmelo of the Baby Jesus Gonzalez Ramos Garcia Prieto in the "Recinto Ferial" of Antequera-Malaga, Spain.

 - 9-14: Benedict XVI makes a pastoral visit to Brazil for the Fifth General Assembly of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean.

 - 11: The Pope presides at Mass in Sao Paulo's "Campo de Marte." During the ceremony he canonizes Blessed Antonio de Santa Ana (ne Antonio Galvao de Franca, 1739-1822), the first native-born Brazilian saint.

 - 13: The Holy Father presides at the inaugural session of the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean. The theme of the conference, held from May 13 to 31 is: "Disciples and missionaries in Jesus Christ, that in Him our peoples may have life ('I am the Way and the Truth and the Life')."

 - 21: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Justino Maria Aparicio Guterres, the first ambassador from the Democratic Republic of East Timor to the Holy See. The Holy See established diplomatic relations with East Timor on the same day the country declared its national independence, May 20, 2002.

 - 27: Beatification of Servant of God Carlo Liviero in the cathedral of Citta di Castello, Italy.

 - 31: The Holy See and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), by mutual agreement, establish diplomatic relations at the level of apostolic nunciature on the part of the Holy See and at the ambassadorial level on the part of the United Arab Emirates, conforming to the rules fixed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961.

JUNE

 - 1: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of five new ambassadors to the Holy See: Ayesha Riyaz of Pakistan, Larus Stefansson of Iceland, Juri Seilenthal of Estonia, Domitille Barancira of Burundi and Ahmed Hamid Elfaki Hamid of Sudan.

 - 3: Canonization of Blesseds George Preca (1880-1962), Szymon of Lipnica (1435-1482), Karel van Sint Andries Houben (1821-1893) and Marie-Eugenie de Jesus Milleret (1817-1898).

 - 4: The Holy Father receives in audience Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, president of the Philippines.

 - 4: The Holy Father receives in audience Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, president of Mexico.

 - 9: The Holy Father receives in audience President George W. Bush of the United States of America.

 - 16: The Holy Father receives in the Vatican His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus. The two leaders sign a Joint Declaration in the presence of the Catholic and Cypriot Orthodox delegations.

 - 17: Benedict XVI makes a pastoral visit to the Italian town of Assisi commemorating the eighth centenary of the conversion of St. Francis.

 - 21: The Holy Father receives in audience His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.

 - 23: The Holy Father receives in audience Tony Blair, prime minister of the United Kingdom.

 - 26: Publication of a "Motu Proprio," written in Latin, with which the Holy Father Benedict XVI restores the traditional norm concerning the majority required for the election of the Supreme Pontiff.

 - 28: Benedict XVI calls the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. The event, which is due to be held in the Vatican from October 4 to 25, 2009, has as its theme: "The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. 'You are the salt of the earth. ... You are the light of the world'."

 - 28: Benedict XVI celebrates the first Vespers of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles at the basilica of St. Paul Outside-the Walls in Rome, and announces a special jubilee year to the Apostle Paul to be held from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009.

 - 30: Publication of a Letter of Benedict XVI to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China. The Letter, dated May 27 Feast of Pentecost, is divided into two parts - "the situation of the Church, theological aspects" and "guidelines for pastoral life" - and a conclusion. It is published in Chinese, French, English and Italian.

JULY

 - 3: Announcement that Benedict XVI is due to make an apostolic trip to Austria from September 7 to 9, for the 850th anniversary of the foundation of the Shrine of Mariazell.

 - 6: Presentation of the Holy See consolidated financial statements for 2006. The year closed with a surplus of 2.4 million euro.

 - 7: Publication of the Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" of Pope Benedict XVI, "Summorum Pontificum," concerning the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, accompanied by an explanatory Letter of the Holy Father.

 - 10: Publication of a document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: "Responses to some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church." It is dated June 29, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, and bears the signatures of Cardinal William Joseph Levada and Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., respectively prefect and secretary of the congregation.

 - 14: The Vatican Apostolic Library closes to the public for a period of three years in order to facilitate renovation work in some parts of the Renaissance building in which it is housed.

 - 19: Governorate of Vatican City State opens a new Internet portal (www.vaticanstate.va) in order to meet the needs of the ever increasing numbers of pilgrims and tourists in the Vatican, and to respond to the continuous requests for information reaching the various offices of Vatican State though the traditional channels. The new website runs alongside the official Holy See website (www.vatican.va).

 - 25: Publication of Benedict XVI's Message for 23rd World Youth Day, due to be held in Sydney, Australia from July 15 to 20, 2008, on the theme: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts of the Apostles 1, 8).
.../ACTIVITIES 2007/...                        VIS 20070731 (1390)


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