Nov. 9, Tuesday, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time
The facade; the baldachin over the main altar; and the Cathedra.
FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN CATHEDRAL
'Sacrosancta Lateranensis ecclesia omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput'
[Most Holy Lateran Church, of all the churches in the city and the world, the mother and head.]
Dedicated to John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano is the Cathedral church of Rome,
the seat of the Bishop of Rome. Its official name is Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris(Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour).
The present building was built in 1646 on the site of a 4th-century church built by Constantine. It is the oldest among the four
major basilicas of Rome, and as the seat of the Bishop of Rome, it may be considered the parish church of all the world's Catholics.*
OR for 11/8-11/9/10:
The Pope consecrates the Basilica of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
and meditates on Christ as
'The stone that sustains the weight of the world'
In this issue, the OR completes its coverage of the Holy Father's weekend visit to Spain, with an editorial on 'The forest of God', and texts and reportage on the Mass to commemorate the Holy Year of St James in Compostela; the Mass, dedication rite and Angelus at Sagrada Familia in Barcelona; his visit to the Nen Deu Institute; and his departure from Spain, where he had a brief meetign at the airport with Prime Minister Zapatero, and was seen off by the King and Queen, as well as the transcript of the news conference he gave on the flight to Compostela on Saturday morning. Page 1 international news: Obama in India seeks a partnership for the 21st century; international observers do not believe Myanmar's recent election was valid; and Haiti continues to battle a cholera epidemic that has now claimed more than 500 lives. In the inside pages, the opening address by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco to the autumn General Assembly of teh Italian bishops; adn two articles on the Vatican Library and Archive which recently re-opened to the public after three years of restoration, with a special exhibit on the Library at the Charlemagne Arm of the Bernini Colonnade on St. Peter's Square.
No events scheduled for the Holy Father today.
The Vatican has posted the text of the Holy Father's message to the current General Assembly of the Italian bishops in Assisi.
And an important announcement from the Council for Promoting Christian Unity:
To commemorate the 50th anniversary
of the Council for Christian Unity
At 5 p.m. on Wednesday 17 November, at the Sala San Pio X, at Via della Conciliazione 5, Rome, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity will hold a public commemoration to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity.
The event will be presided by Archbishop Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and will be attended by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president emeritus, His Grace Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury, and His Eminence Metropolitan Pergamo Ioannis (Zizioulas) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
On 5 June 1960, the day of Pentecost, with his Motu Proprio «Superno Dei Nutu», Blessed John XXIII established, along with the eleven preparatory commissions for Vatican Council II, a Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity.
The first president to whom Pope John XXIII entrusted responsibility for the Secretariat was Cardinal Agostino Bea, succeeded by Cardinal Johann Willebrands, Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, Cardinal Walter Kasper and, as of 1 July 2010, Archbishop Kurt Koch.
In 1988 Pope John Paul II, with his Apostolic Constitution «Pastor Bonus», changed the name of the Secretariat to that of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Over the course of the years, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has administered relations with the vast world of ecumenism, both at a multilateral level and through bilateral contacts and dialogue with many Churches and Christian communities.
The date for the commemorative celebrations was deliberately chosen to coincide with the plenary session of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, which will be held from 15 to 19 November and will focus on the theme: «Towards a new stage of ecumenical dialogue».
This review of the past, focusing on the moment of foundation and on the road travelled thus far, will provide an occasion to give thanks to God for those people who have helped to advance the cause of ecumenism, and for the abundant fruits that have been produced.
It will likewise help to arouse renewed interest in the cause of unity and underline the firm resolve to continue the journey towards the full communion of all Christians, confidently facing the new challenges that arise.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 09/11/2010 14:20]