ST. MARY MAJOR TO CELEBRATE THE MIRACLE OF THE SNOWFALL

VATICAN CITY, JUL 22, 2005 (VIS) - The Basilica of St. Mary Major will hold its traditional triduum from August 1 to 3 and two days of celebration on August 4 and 5, in commemoration of the miracle of the snowfall that occurred during the night of August 4-5 in the year 358 on the site where the basilica now stands.

  According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to two faithful Roman Christians, the patrician John and his wife, as well as to Pope Liberius (352-366), asking that a church be built in her honor on the site where snow would fall on the night of August 4-5. Pope Liberius traced the outlines of the church in the snow and the first basilica was built on that site. It was completed about a century later by Pope Sixtus III (432-440), after the Council of Ephesus in 431 during which Mary was declared to be the Mother of God.

  During the triduum, or three days of preparation for the feast, there will be a daily recitation of the Rosary and meditation on its mysteries. The author of the meditations is Fr. Gabriele Caranta, rector of the Shrine of St. Mary of the Gold in Terni, Italy. The Masses, one on each day of the triduum, will be celebrated by: Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani, president of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See, Archbishop Paolo Romeo, apostolic nuncio to Italy, and Cardinal Agostino Cacciavillan, president emeritus of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

  The feast of August 4 will begin with the recitation of the Rosary, followed by vespers presided by Cardinal Bernard Law, archpriest of the basilica, and Mass celebrated by Bishop Domenico Sigalini of Palestrina, Italy.

  The morning of August 5 will open with the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, after which Cardinal Law will preside at the pontifical Mass. The afternoon's celebrations include the recitation of the Rosary, second vespers presided by Cardinal Law, and Mass celebrated by Bishop Lorenzo Chiarinelli of Viterbo, Italy.

  During the pontifical Mass and the second vespers, the traditional shower of flower petals will descend from the ceiling of the basilica to commemorate the August snowfall in 358.
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IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 2005 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

 - Bishop Mansuet Dela Biyase of Eshowe, South Africa, on June 26, at the age of 72.

 - Bishop Joseph P. Delaney of Fort Worth, U.S.A., on July 12, at the age of 70.

 - Bishop Jose Vicente Henriquez Andueza S.D.B., emeritus of Maracay, Venezuela, on July 14, at the age of 77.

 - Bishop Mario Jose Serra, former auxiliary of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 9, at the age of 79.
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MAY PEACE PREVAIL AGAINST TERRORISM

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 2005 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, Benedict XVI made a trip to Val Grisanche in the alpine region of Valle d'Aosta in northwest Italy where he is spending his vacation. On his return to the chalet in which he is staying, he paused to greet a group of young people and to answer questions from journalists.

  As his car arrived at the chalet, the Pope requested the driver to stop, and he got out and spent ten minutes greeting people and answering reporters' questions. Asked about the July 7 attacks in London, the Holy Father said that if it is true that "terrorism is irrational" and therefore impervious to signs, then dialogue can at least "be one element, a cry of alarm, an invitation to abandon terrorism."

  Benedict XVI also pointed out that, even following the London attacks, there is no clash of civilizations in the world, only "small fanatical groups." In this context, he stressed the importance of "dialogue between the three religions that recognize Abraham as father."

  The Pope also underlined the need "to pray that the desire, which exists throughout the world and is clearly against all violence, may prevail and grow stronger."

  On the subject of his vacation in the Valle d'Aosta, the Holy Father said: "It is a marvelous holiday, everything here is beautiful, it is a paradise."

  Benedict XVI arrived in his chalet at the locality of Les Combes on July 11 and will remain until July 28 when he will travel to the pontifical residence of Castelgandolfo south of Rome.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 20, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Erected the diocese of Jaipur (area 129,060, population 25,828,271, Catholics 4,096, priests 32, religious 117), India, with territory taken from the diocese of Ajmer and Jaipur, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Agra. He appointed Bishop Oswald Lewis, coadjutor of Meerut, India, as the first bishop of the new diocese. The Holy Father also changed the name of the diocese of Ajmer and Jaipur to Ajmer.

 - Appointed Bishop Kiro Stojanov, apostolic administrator "sede vacante" of Skopje, ex-Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and of the apostolic exarchate for the faithful of Byzantine rite in Macedonia, as bishop of Skopje (area 21,000, population 2,350,000, Catholics 3,572, priests 6, religious 17), and exarch for the faithful of Byzantine rite in Macedonia.
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LIKE JULES VERNE, OVERCOME LIMITS OF THE DOMINANT CULTURE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 20, 2005 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano sent a letter, in the Holy Father's name, to Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Immigrant Peoples, for the occasion of the World Day of Tourism, which is due to be held on September 27, 2005 and which is dedicated this year to the theme: "Travel and Transport, from the imaginary world of Jules Verne to the reality of the 21st Century."

  The cardinal recalls how the "real or imaginary" journeys of the French author "in fact represented an invitation to consult the new geographical atlas and a challenge to human responsibility in facing limits that could no longer be concealed. At the end of the 19th century, in his own incredible voyage, Verne overcame these limits which were imposed by the dominant culture and by a vision exclusively centered on Western Europe."

  The Cardinal continues: "Today too there are obstacles to overcome if we wish tourism, the fruit of travel and transport, to be open to everyone. New and unexplored opportunities for travel with ever more modern and faster means can make tourism a providential occasion to share the goods of the earth and of culture."

  "However, it is necessary to bear in mind the ethical needs associated with tourism," writes the secretary of State. And he calls upon leaders in this field "to favor the peaceful encounter of peoples, guaranteeing security and ease of communication," always bearing in mind the fact that "in all activities, and hence also in tourism, the primary goal must always remain respect for the human being."

  In closing, Cardinal Sodano stresses that tourists, for their part, must respect the "individual, cultural and religious" diversity of the peoples they visit. He also invites Christian communities to welcome tourists and offer them "the chance to discover the richness of Christ incarnate, not only in monuments and religious works of art, but also in the daily life of a living Church."
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