ST. MARY MAJOR TO CELEBRATE FEAST DAY ON AUGUST 5

VATICAN CITY, JUL 28, 2004 (VIS) - On August 5 the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major will mark the feast of Our Lady of the Snows as well as the anniversary of the  dedication of the basilica which was founded on that date in 358 by Pope Liberius.

  Liberius was inspired to build the basilica when the Virgin Mary appeared to him, and to his friends, the Roman patrician John and his wife, in a dream and asked that a church be built in her honor on the site on the Esquiline hill where snow would fall on August 5, a hot midsummer night. In the presence of many Romans, the Pope traced the outline of the church in the snow, and the first basilica built on that spot was called Our Lady of the Snows. The current basilica, better known today as St. Mary Major, is the result of centuries of rebuilding on the original site.

  The celebrations this year take place in the presence of the new archpriest of St. Mary Major, Cardinal Bernard Law. They commence on Sunday, August 1 with a triduum of Masses, the first of which will be presided over by Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry. Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, apostolic nuncio, will celebrate Mass on Monday, August 2, and Cardinal Virgilio Noe, archpriest emeritus of St. Peter's Basilica, will preside at the final mass of the triduum on Tuesday, August 3.

  The feast itself will start on Wednesday, August 4 with first Vespers. On Thursday, August 5, there will be a solemn pontifical Mass of the morning and second Vespers, presided over by Cardinal Law. Bishops and priests are invited to concelebrate at this Mass. During Mass and vespers, there is the traditional "rain of flowers," symbolizing the miraculous August snowfall of 358, when thousands of flower petals are released both within the basilica and outside, from its rooftop, for the faithful who have gathered to commemorate this event.
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SEARCH FOR THE PATH THAT LEADS TO INTIMACY WITH GOD

VATICAN CITY, JUL 28, 2004 (VIS) - Psalm 15, "The Lord is my heritage," was the theme of the Pope's catechesis during the general audience celebrated today in the Paul VI Hall. As he did last week, John Paul II travelled to Rome by car from Castelgandolfo for the audience.

  The Holy Father said that this psalm is a "mystical hymn" that presents God "as the only good and therefore, the supplicant chooses to be part of the community of those who are faithful to the Lord."

  This psalm, he continued, develops two themes. The first is heritage "which was used to describe the gift of the promised land to the people of Israel. … The house of Levi was the only tribe that did not receive a portion of the land, because the Lord was their heritage."

  John Paul II indicated that the second theme is "perfect and continuous communion with the Lord. The psalmist expresses the firm hope of being preserved from death in order to be able to remain in intimacy with God."

  The psalmist asks the Lord to show him "the path of life. It is the way which leads to 'fullness of joy in the divine presence', to 'sweetness without end alongside' the Lord.  These words correspond to an interpretation that opens up to the prospective of hope in communion with God, beyond death, in eternal life."

  The Holy Father concluded by emphasizing that this psalm "was assumed in the New Testament in the perspective of the resurrection of Christ," as in St. Peter's sermon on Pentecost and St. Paul's words in the synagogue of Antioch of Pisidia.
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A VATICAN TRAVEL OFFICE: "PILGRIMAGE TO THE SEE OF PETER"

VATICAN CITY, JUL 27, 2004 (VIS) - Archbishop Francesco Gioia, president of "Peregrinatio ad Petri Sedem," an organization created 70 years ago by the Holy See to assist pilgrims coming to the See of Peter, has just published a book entitled "Mendicanti del Cielo nel turismo, nei pellegrinaggi, nei santuari" (Mendicants from Heaven, in Tourism, Pilgrimages and Shrines).

   The archbishop studies the complex phenomenon of human mobility from a religious and sociological point of view. He looks at man as "a pilgrim in time and space," tourism as "a vehicle of evangelization," and a pilgrimage as "an itinerary of hope." In conclusion, he writes of shrines, terming man "the shrine of God," and saying that shrines are a "stage on the path of salvation" and "places of interior miracles."

  A press release from Peregrinatio ad Petri Sedem (Pilgrimage to the See of Peter) announcing the archbishop's book, also announced the publication by this office of a small volume in French and Italian entitled "The Four Basilicas: Obligatory Stages for the Pilgrims." These booklets, which will soon be published in English and German, look at Rome's patriarchal basilicas of St. Peter, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls and present a historical perspective, a spiritual message and a practical guide on opening hours, telephone numbers, etc.

  The precursor of the peregrinatio was an office founded by Pope Pius IX at the end of the Extraordinary Holy Year of the Redemption 1933-1934 when he changed the  Central Committee into a permanent organization to assist pilgrims coming to Rome, to the See of Peter. Pope Paul VI gave this office juridical status in 1972, and reorganized it two years after the 1975 Holy Year. The Statutes which now govern the peregrinatio came into force on January 16, 2002.

  Directly answerable to the Secretariat of State, this office assists pilgrims - individuals, families or large groups - who come to Rome by coordinating travel and lodging plans, assisting in organizing liturgical celebrations, planning congresses and meetings and, in particular, planning and promoting all ecclesial activities. It does this by maintaining contacts with episcopal conferences, dioceses and national and diocesan groups or committees.

  The peregrinatio, with the Secretariat of State, organizes the travel of the apostolic trips made by the Holy Father and his entourage. It is governed by a Board of Directors, Pastoral Council and College of Auditors, and the president is directly appointed by the Holy Father.
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STATISTICS ON THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN FRANCE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 27, 2004 (VIS) - On the occasion of the Holy Father's pilgrimage to Lourdes on August 14 and 15 for the 150th anniversary of the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, we offer some statistics on the Catholic Church in France, updated through December 31, 2002.

  France has a population of 59,470,000, of which 46,110,000 are Catholic, or 77.5% of the total population. There are 181 bishops, 23,532 priests, 47,987 religious and 1,497 seminarians.

  The Catholic Church runs 7,337 primary schools, 2,691 middle and secondary schools and 215 high schools and universities attended by 2,143,995 students. In terms of social care centers owned or run by the Church or religious, there are 97 hospitals, 85 clinics, 505 rest homes for the elderly, invalid and handicapped, 107 orphanages, 26 centers for the family and the protection of life and 57 educational and social rehabilitation centers.
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POPE ASKS REBEL ARMY TO RELEASE KIDNAPPED BISHOP

VATICAN CITY, JUL 27, 2004 (VIS) - On Saturday night July 24, members of the Jose David Suarez Front of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia kidnapped Bishop Misael Vacca Ramirez from Yopal in East Colombia, while he was visiting the Christian community of Morcote.

  One month ago, Alvaro Uribe, president of Colombia, began a dialogue with the ELN through the Mexican government. The kidnappers have made it known that they wanted to give a message to the prelate. The local Church has started contacts to free the bishop.

  In light of this event, Fr. Ciro Benedettini, C.P., vice director of the Holy See Press  Office, made the following declaration this morning:

  "The Holy Father received the news of this criminal act, in no way justifiable, with sorrow and concern, and he asks with paternal firmness for the immediate release of this prelate. It is regrettable and reproachable that a bishop, dedicated to announcing the Gospel of peace and hope to the faithful entrusted to his care, especially the poorest of the poor, is prevented in such a contemptible way from freely exercising his pastoral care."
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