SEMINAR ON THE BOLOGNA PROCESS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 28, 2006 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, March 30, a press conference will be held to present a forthcoming seminar on the Bologna Process. The seminar has been organized by the Congregation for Catholic Education in collaboration with UNESCO-CEPES, and will be held in the Vatican's New Synod Hall from March 30 to April 1.

  The Bologna Process began in 1998 when, on the 700th anniversary of the foundation of the University of the Sorbonne in Paris, ministers of education from Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy prepared a joint document calling on the entire European Union to create "a European space for higher education." The following year, 1999, ministers from 29 countries meeting in the Italian city of Bologna, also home to one of the earliest European universities, signed a political declaration of intent.

  Thursday's press conference will be attended by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, Archbishop Michael J. Miller C.S.B. and Msgr. Angelo Vincenzo Zani, respectively secretary and under-secretary of the same congregation, and Jan Sadlak, director of UNESCO-CEPES.
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MASS ON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF JOHN PAUL II

VATICAN CITY, MAR 28, 2006 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square at 5.30 p.m. on Monday, April 3, Benedict XVI will preside at a Mass marking the first anniversary of the death of John Paul II.

  At 9 p.m. on Sunday, April 2, a year to the day after the late pontiff's demise, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's vicar general for the diocese of Rome, will preside at the recitation of the Rosary in St. Peter's Square. Following the recitation, the Holy Father will greet those present from the window of his private study.
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CARDINALS AND POPE CONTINUE TO MEET IN SERVICE OF CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, MAR 27, 2006 (VIS) - This morning in the Paul VI Hall, Benedict XVI received the 15 new cardinals created in the consistory of March 24, accompanied by members of their families and pilgrims.

  The Pope greeted those presented in the languages of the newly-created cardinals: Italian, English, French, Spanish, Slovene and Polish.

  Addressing Cardinal Albert Vanhoye S.J., the Holy Father thanked him for his "fruitful exegetic labors in studying the Word of God, and the patient transmission of this knowledge to numerous generations of young people, providing them with the means to live by and be witnesses to the Gospel. May everyone regularly dedicate time to nourish themselves from Holy Scripture."

  To the newly-elected Spanish Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, archbishop of Toledo, Spain, Benedict XVI said "your people distinguish themselves for their faithfulness to Peter's Successor and their devotion to the Virgin Mary. May she always be the star that guides your particular Churches in the work of evangelization."

  In greeting Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, Poland, the Pope thanked him "for all the years spent alongside John Paul II and for everything this service brought to the Universal Church. I pray that your own future ministry will prove equally fruitful."

  The Pope spoke to the newly-elected cardinals of the need he felt for their collaboration, adding that "the meetings of the entire College of Cardinals with Peter's Successor, such as that of last Thursday, will continue as privileged moments to seek together how best to serve the Church, entrusted by Christ to our care."
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POPE ENCOURAGES CHRISTIANS IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2006 (VIS) - At midday today, following his morning visit to the Roman parish of God the Merciful Father, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, among them many who came to Rome in the company of their bishops who were elevated to the rank of cardinal in Friday's consistory.

  Before the Marian prayer, the Pope recalled how the recent consistory, in which he created 15 new cardinals, "was an intense ecclesial experience that enabled us to taste the spiritual wealth of collegiality, finding ourselves together among brothers from different backgrounds, all united in a single love for Christ and His Church."

  The Holy Father continued: "In some way, we relived the situation of the first Christian community, united around Peter and Mary Mother of Jesus to welcome the gift of the Spirit and undertake to spread the Gospel throughout world. Faithfulness to this mission even unto the sacrifice of their lives is a distinctive characteristic of cardinals, as their oath testifies and as symbolized by the red they wear, the color of blood."

  By a "providential coincidence," said the Pope, the day of the consistory, March 24, coincided with "the commemoration of missionaries who, over the past year, have died on the frontiers of evangelization and service to man in various parts of the earth. Thus, the consistory provided an opportunity for us to feel closer than ever to those Christians who suffer persecution because of their faith. Their witness, of which news reaches us every day, and especially the sacrifice of those killed, edifies and encourages us to an ever more sincere and generous evangelical commitment.

  "I am thinking particularly," he added, "of those communities living in countries where religious freedom is lacking or where, despite its affirmation in theory, in practice it suffers many restrictions. To all those communities I send warm encouragement to carry on in the patience and charity of Christ, seed of the Kingdom of God to come." Benedict XVI also expressed "solidarity in the name of the entire Church" and "daily recollection in my prayers" to those who work in the service of the Gospel under such difficult conditions.

  "The Church marches forwards in history and spreads over the earth accompanied by Mary, Queen of the Apostles," the Pope concluded. "We ask her to guide us on our daily journey and to protect with special concern those Christian communities undergoing the greatest difficulty and suffering."
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CHRISTIAN FAITH IS A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2006 (VIS) - At 9 a.m. today, the Holy Father visited the parish of God the Merciful Father in the eastern area of the diocese of Rome, where he celebrated the Eucharist.

  At the beginning of his homily the Pope recalled that today, the fourth Sunday of Lent, "traditionally known as 'Laetare,' is permeated with a joy that to some extent attenuates the penitential climate of this holy time." One reason for this, he said, "is the closeness of Easter," but the "deeper reason," as today's readings show, is "that despite our unworthiness we are the recipients of God's infinite mercy."

  "It is the Cross, then, that must always, but especially in this time of Lent, be at the center of our meditations. ... It is the glory of Christ crucified that all Christians are called to contemplate, experience and bear witness to with their lives. The Cross is the definitive 'sign,' ... given us that we might understand the truth of man and the truth of God: we were all created and redeemed by a God Who, out of love, sacrificed His only Son."

  "Jesus died and rose again," the Pope exclaimed. "In Him we are able to understand the truth of life and obtain salvation. This is the Church's central message, unchanged over the centuries. Thus, Christian faith is not an ideology but a personal encounter with the crucified and risen Christ. From this, which is at once an individual and a community experience, arises a new way of thinking and acting, it is the beginning, as the saints show, of a life marked by love."

  Referring to the parish in which he was speaking, Benedict XVI recalled how its creation was due to "my beloved predecessor John Paul II in memory of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 and in order to effectively condense the significance of that extraordinary spiritual event."

  The Pope then went on to read out part of a text due to have been pronounced by John Paul II on April 3 last year, Divine Mercy Sunday and the second Sunday of Easter: "To humanity, which at times seems to be lost and dominated by the power of evil, selfishness and fear, the risen Lord offers the gift of His love that pardons, reconciles and opens the soul to hope. It is love that converts hearts and brings peace. ... How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy!" These handwritten words, said Benedict XVI "are like a last will and testament."

  "Understanding and welcoming the merciful love of God: let this be your task, above all within your families and in all areas of the neighborhood."

  The Holy Father concluded by calling on the faithful to continue to strive to ensure the parish becomes "a true family where day after day faithfulness to the word of God and to the Tradition of the Church become a rule for life." Referring then to the "original architectural structure" of the church building which attracts many sightseers, the Pope asked the faithful to ensure that visitors "appreciate not only the beauty of the sacred building, but above all the richness of a living community, that bears witness to the love of God the Merciful Father."
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