Tuesday, Nov. 10
Raphael's 'Leo the Great Meets Attila the Hun', 1541, Vatican fresco. The Apostles Peter and Paul are shown above the figure of the Pope, left.
ST. LEO THE GREAT (b. ca 400, Pope 440-461), Doctor of the Church (Doctor of Doctrine)
Born to a noble Tuscan family, he came to a position of importance in the imperial court. When he was 40, he was
sent by the emperor to settle a dispute between the two highest officials in Gaul. During the mission, Pope Sixtus II
died and he was unanimously elected by the people to succeed him. As Pope, he was responsible for the first
administrative consolidation of the Church, distinguishing himself in four other critical areas: He controlled a number
of prevalent heresies in his time; at the Council of Chalcedon, he definitively declared the dual nature of Christ;
he defended Rome from barbarian attacks and is remembered for meeting Attila the Hun and keeping him from
invading Rome; and the spiritual depth of his pastoral care, with a call to holiness embodied in his great sermons.
OF for 11/9-11/10/09:
The double issue has the complete coverage of the Pope's visit to Brescia and Concesio, with a Page 1 editorial 'In the sign of Montini'. But the leading Page 1 news is the Apostolic Constitution for returning Anglicans under the title 'A new road for Christian unity'. Other Page 1 stories, the Pope's address yesterday on migrants as a resource not a problem; remembering the Berlin Wall 20 years after it fell; and China reinforces its African presence by allotting 10 billion dollars for assistance in the next three years.
THE POPE'S DAY
The Holy Father met at noon today with
- Participants in the VI World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees, sponsored by
the Pontifical Council for this sector. The theme is "A pastoral response to the migration phenomenon
in the era of globalization. Address in Italian.
A news conference was held by Fr. Jose Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, and colleagues,
on the Nov 6-10 conference at the Vatican on Astrobiology, in the context of the International
Year of Astronomy. The Study Week was co-sponsored by the Observatory and the Pontifical Academy o
f Sciences.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 12/11/2009 01:57]