FAITH INVITES US TO LOOK BEYOND APPEARANCES

Vatican City, 1 June 2012 (VIS) - "We must always learn from our heavenly Mother; her faith invites us to look beyond appearances and firmly to believe that our daily difficulties are, in fact, part of a springtime which has already begun with the risen Christ". Benedict XVI yesterday addressed these words to faithful gathered at the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens for the conclusion of the month of May, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

At 8 p.m. the traditional procession wound its way from the Church of St. Stephen of the Abyssinians to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, presided by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the papal basilica of St. Peter's in the Vatican and vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City. The Pope arrived at the Grotto at 9 p.m. where, before imparting his apostolic blessing, he made a brief address.

"This evening we wish to draw from Mary's Immaculate Heart with renewed trust, allowing ourselves to be imbued with her joy which had its most profound source in the Lord. Joy, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, is a fundamental distinguishing characteristic of Christians. It is founded on hope in God, it draws strength from incessant prayer and it enables us to face trials and suffering with serenity. As St. Paul reminds us: 'Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer'. These words of the Apostle are like an echo of Mary's 'Magnificat' and exhort us to reproduce, in our own selves and in our everyday lives, the sentiments of joy in the faith expressed in that Marian canticle".

In conclusion the Pope expressed his hope that, "at the end of this month of May, the spiritual joy which overflows from the grateful heart of Christ's Mother and ours, may become consolidated in our hearts, in our personal and family lives, in all places and especially in the life the family which, here in the Vatican, serves the universal Church".

FOUR CARDINALS TO TAKE POSSESSION OF TITLES, DIACONATES

Vatican City, 1 June 2012 (VIS) - A note released today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff provides details concerning the taking of possession of the following titles and diaconates:

- At 6 p.m. on Saturday 9 June Giuseppe Betori, archbishop of Florence, Italy, will take possession of the title of San Marcello al Corso, Piazza San Marcello 5, Rome.

- At 11.30 a.m. on Sunday 10 June Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, will take possession of the diaconate of San Cesareo in Palatio, Via di Porta San Sebastiano, Rome.

- At 5.30 p.m. on Friday 15 June Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, will take possession of the diaconate of Sacro Cuore di Gesu a Castro Pretorio, Via Marsala 42, Rome.

- At 10.30 a.m. on Sunday 17 June Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and of the Governorate of Vatican City State, will take possession of the diaconate of Santi Vito, Modesto e Crescenzia, Via Carlo Alberto 47, Rome.

NOTICE

Vatican City, 1 June 2012 (VIS) - The Vatican Information Service will issue special bulletins tomorrow Saturday 2 June, and on Sunday 3 June, for the Holy Father's visit to Milan, Italy, for the seventh World Meeting of Families.

HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE DIRECTOR: THIS IS THE MOMENT FOR FULL SOLIDARITY WITH THE POPE

Vatican City, 31 May 2012 (VIS) - Yesterday, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, held a meeting with journalist to answer questions on the publication of reserved Vatican documents, an act for which the Pope's personal assistant has been arrested.

Regarding the questions on the pope's possible resignation, a hypothesis maintained by various media outlets, Fr. Lombardi affirmed that those were baseless creations of some journalists, which have no foundation in reality. The Curia has expressed its solidarity with the pontiff and continues to work in full communion with the Successor of Peter: "This is precisely the moment in which to demonstrate esteem and appreciation for the Holy Father and the service he carries out; to show full solidarity with him and thus, to demonstrate communion, unity, and coherence with how this situation is dealt with".

Fr. Lombardi emphasized that it is important that communication regarding this sorrowful event for the Pope and the Church be inspired by rigorous criteria for the truth: "It seems to me", he said, "that there is a line of desire for truth and clarity, a desire for transparency that, although it will take time, continues forward. I thus honestly believe that we are trying to handle this new situation: We are seeking the truth, and trying to objectively understand what may have happened. First, however, it is necessary to be sure to have understood it, in respect for persons and the truth".

Fr. Lombardi explained to the journalists that it will be necessary to wait for a complete picture of the situation, since the investigations and formal questioning are still at a preliminary stage. The agencies involved at this stage are the Vatican magistrate and a Commission of Cardinals.

The director of the Holy See Press Office also explained that yesterday morning the single defendant, Paolo Gabriele, met with his lawyers who will probably request monitored surveillance or house arrest for their client. At the same time, Fr. Lombardi denied details published in the media such as that packets of documents prepared to be sent to specific recipients were found in Gabriele's house. The material found in the personal assistant's possession is already being studied and catalogued, Fr. Lombardi said.

CELEBRATIONS FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI

Vatican City, 31 May 2012 (VIS) - On the solemnity of Corpus Christi next Thursday, 7 June at 7:00pm, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass in the basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome, of which the pope is bishop. The Pope will then preside over the Eucharistic procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major that will travel along Via Merulana. Those taking part in the procession will include the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, confraternities and sodalities, Eucharistic associations, religious, children receiving First Communion, seminarians, priests, representatives of various parishes, chaplains and prelates of His Holiness, bishops and archbishops, cardinals, and faithful belonging to ecclesial movements and associations.