BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

All the important posts earlier today (9/2) on the preceding page!





TV miniseries on St. Augustine
previewed for Benedict XVI


Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sep 2, 2009 (CNA) - Pope Benedict XVI was to attend a special screening this afternoon of the new television miniseries, “Augustine, The Decline of the Roman Empire,” based on the life of the doctor of the Church and Bishop of Hippo, in the Swiss Hall at Castel Gandolfo.

Christian Duguay, who directed the series, also directed the films “Joan of Arc” and “The Art of War.”

Franco Nero plays the older St. Augustine, while Alessandro Preziosi plays the saint as a youth. Augustine’s mother, St. Monica, is played by Monica Guerritore.

The miniseries is part of the “Imperium” project by the Italian production company Lux Vide, which is also planning a remake of “Ben Hur.” Duguay, together with other American filmmakers, will produce the new version.




One of the projects of Lux Vide which should also interest Benedict XVI is their film on St. Bakhita. The videocaps from the brief trailer available online show Preziosi and Nero playing the young and the older Augustine. P.S. Half of the very brief trailer showed scenes from Augustine's life of dissolution!



The Vatican says that the Holy Father was shown an edited summary of all five episodes in the mini-series. Here is a translation of the Holy Father's brief remarks after the film was screened:

---

Dear friends:


At the end of this great spiritual voyage that is portrayed in the film that we just saw, I feel I must say Thank you to all those who have offered us this vision.

Thanks to Bavarian TV for its generous commitment - it is a great joy that a casual observation I made three years ago* started off a journey that has brought us this great representation of the life of St. Augustine. Thank you to Lux Vide and to RAI for this realization.

In fact, the film seems to be a spiritual voyage to a spiritual continent that is very remote from us but also very near, because the human drama remains the same.

We have seen how, in a context that is very distant for us. all the reality of human life is portrayed, with all its problems, its sorrows, its failures, as well as the fact that, in the end, Truth is stronger than any obstacle and finds man.

Externally, the life of St. Augustine may be seem to end tragically: the world in which he lived and for which he lived, is ruined. But as the film affirms, his message has lived on, and even through the continuing changes in the world, that message endures, because it comes from the Truth and leads to Love, which is our common destination.

Thank you to everyone. Let us hope that many, upon seeing this human drama, may be found by the Truth and may, in turn, find Love.

---

*The Italian service of Vatican Radio has unearthed the occasion which the Pope made the remark - August 5, 2006, when he gave a multimedia interview that would serve to 'prime' his apostolic trip to Bavaria that year. This is what he said, according to RV:

"Make a film on Augustine, for example," the Pope had remarked, "to show that film subjects need not be about terrible situations. There are marvelous figures in history who are far from boring and whose lives are still very relevant."

Thanks to Scenron on Lella's blog

for alerting us to this update from Brescia.


Bishop of Brescia announces
the program for Pope's visit
Translated from

Sept. 2, 2009


The bishop of Brescia, Mons. Luciano Monare, with the approval of the prefecture of the Pontifical Household, yesterday released the program for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Brescia on Sunday, November 8.

Papa Ratzinger will be paying homage to Paul VI, a native of Brescia, who named him Archbishop of Munich-Freising and made him a cardinal.

The Pope will arrive in the morning at Ghedi military airbase on a special flight from Rome.

Enroute to Brescia from the airport, he will stop at the suburban parish church of Botticino Sera, to venerate the remains of St. Arcangelo Tadini, the sainted parish priest and champion of workers whom Benedict XVI canonized among five new saints last April 26.

In Brescia, the Pope will celebrate Mass and lead noontime Angelus prayers at the Piazza Paolo VI, after which he will lunch and have a brief rest at the Paul VI Center.

In the afternoon, he will go to Concesio, the suburb where Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Paul VI, was born. There, Benedict will inaugurate the new headquarters of the Istituto Paolo VI, a center for documentation, study and dissemination of his predecessor's life work.

Here is the program:

---

09.30 Ghedi - Arrival at the military airport of Ghedi

Enroute to Brescia, the Pope will make a brief stopover at
the parish church of Botticino Sera to venerate the remains
of St. Arcangelo Tadini.

10.30 Brescia - Eucharistic Concelebration at the Piazza Paolo VI
- Angelus

13.00 Lunch and then a brief rest at the Paul VI Pastoral Center

16.45 Concesio
- Visit to the birthplace of Papa Montini
- Inauguration of the new headquarters of the Istituto Paolo VI

18.15 Visit to the parish church of Sant'Antonino
where Giovanni Battista Montini was baptized

19.00 Ghedi – Departure for Rome.

---

Ratzinger's debt:
Benedict XVI comes to Bagnoregio
to honor one of his mentors in thought
by Saverio Gaeta
Translated from

Issue of 9/6/2009


The pastoral visit to Viterbo and Bagnoregio on Sunday, September 6, represents for Benedict XVI above all 'settling' a debt of gratitude with one of his intellectual mentors: St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

He also thereby confirms the importance to the Church of the 'City of Popes' and its involvement in the history of the Papacy.

Benedict XVI first gave his informal consent to the this visit in January 2008 to Mons. Lorenzo Chiarinelli.



On that occasion, a delegation from the Diocese of Viterbo, along with local civilian authorities and officials of the Centro Studi Bonaventuriani had presented to the Pope the papers from a conference entitled "Faith in history: St. Bonaventure and Joseph Ratzinger".

They used the opportunity to invite the Pope to come to Viterbo and Bagnoregio. His response was immediate, "Of course. I have already been to Pavia" [where St. Augustine is buried].

The reference was explicit for anyone who knows the scholastic 'itinerary' of the budding theologian Joseph Ratzinger.

His doctoral thesis in 1953 was dedicated to The people and the house of God in St. Augustine's doctrine of the Church. Subsequently, one of his professors suggested that he study a medieval Catholic author for his thesis of Habilitation to qualify as a professor in German universities. Ratzinger chose St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio.

"The resulting text was published in 1959, under the title The theology of history in St. Bonaventure'", continues Mons, Chiarinelli, "and it represented a new interpretation of the Doctor Seraphicus, especially his concept of revelation, understood as the way in which God communicates himself to man, and what his vision of history owe to Joachim of Fiore.

Prof. Ratzinger overturned the prevailing hypothesis that Bonaventure had completely condemned Joachim's thought, and showed instead how much he tried to accommodate what could be integrated into the tradition of the Church.


Monsignor Chiarinelli, how would you describe the relations of the Popes with this diocese?
I think some figures will tell the story: Fifty Popes have visited the city, 18 have lived here for more then 6 months, five were elected here, and four are buried here.

And of course, one cannot forget that the first true 'conclave' in history took place in Viterbo, after the infamous story of 33 months of 'sede vacante' [without a Pope] in 1268-1271, after which Gregory X was finally elected.

Research has now shown that it was St. Bonaventure who suggested to the 'people's captain' Raniero Gatti the closure under lock and key [cum clave'] of the 17 cardinals who could not come to an agreement.


What is the 'snapshot' of the diocese that Benedict XVI will see?
He will see a composite ecclesial entity, in which the various components are gradually settling into effective interaction. With the reform decided by John Paul II in March 1986, Viterbo absorbed four ancient dioceses and an abbey.




Top photo, Viterbo panorama. Center panel, from left, clockwise: Acquapendente, Bagnoregio, Tuscania and Montefiascone. Bottom photo, the Cistercian Abbey of San Nichele in Cimino.

Each of these components has a specific cultural and religious background: Viterbo has a natural tendency towards Rome; Acquapendente has a Tuscan sensibility; Bagnoregio is very much linked to Umbria; Tuscania has a Maremman context [the Maremma is the area of west central Italy adjoining the Tyrrhenian Sea]; Montefiascone is some sort of island in High Tuscia [Tuscia is the historical-geographical area in the region of Lazio that was the ancient homeland of Italy's pre-Roman Etruscan culture]; and then, there is the Abbey of San Martino in Cimino with its own rich history.


Viterbo also has a rich spiritual tradition that is dense with exceptional saints and highly popular devotions...
The principal spiritual reference is the Madonna della Quercia (Our Lady of the Oak), who is venerated as the patron of the diocese in her own shrine, where Papa Ratzinger will meet privately with the cloistered nuns from 12 monasteries.

Then we have the emblematic figure of Santa Rosa, a model of charity and firmness in the faith, to whom is dedicated the famous annual procession with the so-called 'Macchina di Santa Rosa' [a towering float elaborately designed and lit to carry the image of the saint].

We have other exemplary women models: St. Lucia Filippini, who founded the Maestre Pie [Pious teachers] religious congregation; St. Rosa Venerini, who started the first girls' schools; Blessed Gabriella Sagheddu, who was named by John Paul II as the patron of spiritual ecumenism.

Then we have the Capuchin St. Crispin and the Passionist Blessed Domenico Barberi, who was the one who welcomed John Henry Newman into the Catholic Church in Birmingham.


What do you expect to come out of the Pope's visit to this land?
The principal outcome is expressed in the motto we have given to the visit: 'Confirm your brothers'. It is also the pastoral theme that has guided us in the diocese, since faith itself is the true challenge for the Church in contemporary society.

In this respect, we are trying to actively involve the youth - we have 10,000 students in Viterbo attending the University of Tuscia - who run the grave risk of a religious-cultural rupture with preceding generations.

Finally, a new impetus for charity, in a diocese that already has 62 volunteer associations and numerous institutions for hospitality and solidarity with the needy.


THE DIOCESE OF VITERBO:
- 2,161 square kilometers
- 172,839 residents
- 97 parishes
- 168 priests
- 8 deacons





The theological lesson from
St. Bonaventure's 'little old woman'
Translated from

September 2, 2009


On Sunday, Benedict XVI will be in Bagnoregio, birthplace of St. Bonaventure, one of his intellectual references.

As a young priest, Joseph Ratzinger obtained his habilitation to be a professor in Germany with a study on the theology of history of the Franciscan saint and Doctor of the Church who made clear, much more than anyone before him, the idea that Christ is the center and axis of human history.

There is much of Bonaventure in Papa Ratzinger. Above all, the awareness that reason alone does not suffice. Both Bonaventure and Benedict insist on trusting rationality and the goodness of theological science, but are also equally convinced that without a a relationship of love with God, reason and knowledge are incomplete.

"A little old woman could love God much more than a master of theology," Bonaventure observed.

At an audience last year, the Pope underscored this central aspect of Bonaventure's theology: "Love sees more than reason. Where there is the light of love, then the shadows of reason have no access. Love sees, love is an eye, and experience gives us more than reflection. Love makes the difference".

On Sunday, Benedict XVI will kneel before a relic of the saint. It is almost like a response to the muggy media polemics in August, which centered on the easy abortion pill and an official decision to relegate religious instruction to a a free-time option in Italy's public schools.

If these represent what secular scientific rationality today has achieved, then Italy needs a gust of fresh air. May St. Bonaventure help us open ourselves to wider perspectives.

Thursday, Sept. 3

ST. GREGORY THE GREAT (540-604)
Pope, 590-604
One of six Latin Fathers of the Church
Doctor of the Church



OR today.

Illustration: War, Marc Chagall, 1964.
At the General Audience, the Pope recalls the start of World War II 70 years ago:
'The absurdity of war'
In the catechesis, he proposes a radical change of life following the example of St. Odon of Cluny


Other Page 1 stories: Observance of World War-II anniversary in Poland has Putin's participation; Iran offers a proposal
for resumption of talks about its nuclear program. A brief item in the inside pages reports the telephone call by the Holy
Father to Cardinal Bagnasco on Tuesday afternoon, expressing his full support for the Italian bishops conference. There is
a very good article by art historian Timothy Verdon on Constantine's first Basilica of St Peter.



THE POPE'S DAY

The Holy Father met today with
- Bishops of Brazil on ad-limina visit (Group 1)

The Vatican released the text of Pope's message to Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council
for Promoting Christian Unity, on the occasion of the XI Inter-Christian Symposium sponsored by the
Istituto Francescano di Spiritualità of the Pontifical Antonianum University and the Orthodox Theological
Faculty of Aristotle University in Thessalonia. The symposium is being held in Rome Sept. 3-5.

Several days into a media scandal,
Avvenire editor resigns:
Did the Pope have something
to do with the resignation?


I was tied up all morning, only to find out when I checked the Net just now that the embattled editor of Avvenire, Dino Boffo, has resigned, and that Cardinal Bagnasco, president of the Italian bishops' conference which owns Avvenire, has accepted the resignation 'with deep regret'.

Boffo also resigned his positions as managing director of Sat2000 and InBlu, the CEI's TV station and radio network.

We can all be glad that Boffo finally did what he should have done right away - at least until he could clear up the issue, which has caused a huge media scandal for the Church, even if the accusations mounted against Boffo were false or not.

I also agree with the conclusion reached by most Vatican reporters that the sudden development must have followed a suggestion by Pope Benedict XVI, who called Cardinal Bagnasco Tuesday afternoon and asked for 'information and assessments' on the Boffo situation, according to the CEI press release.

The CEI also said the Pope had expressed his full 'esteem, gratitude and appreciation' for the work of the CEI leadership, but there was no mention of an expression of 'personal solidarity' with Boffo as Cardinal Bertone and Fr. Lombardi had done on the same day.

In today's issue of Avvenire, Boffo has an article specifically rebutting ten statements made by Vittorio Feltri, editor of Il Giornale, a newspaper owned by the brother of Prime Minister Berlusoni, in the original article with which he attacked Boffo with tabloid-style front-page headlines last Friday.

Before the resignation this morning, Boffo had denied a bylined Corriere della Sera report yesterday saying he had gone to see Cardinal Bagnasco in Rome Tuesday to offer his resignation, but that Bagnasco turned him down.

I will post the translations of the pertinent items in the CHURCH&VATICAN thread.


Though I am posting this one day late, it is the appropriate place for Marco Politi's analysis of the Boffo case as of yesterday, after the Pope's call to Bagnasco but before Boffo's resignation. Politi seems to have taken a vacation in the summer because he has n't been heard from till now.

For a change, he's not being nasty. And for a change, his newspaper is not the primary aggressor in this case, as it usually is.


The Church closes ranks
by MARCO POLITI
Translated from

Sept. 2, 2009


The Pope intervened, making a telephone call to express his total support to the president of the Italian bishops conference (CEI), Cardinal Bagnasco.

An intervention through which the Supreme Pontiff sent the order, "Close ranks" to the entire Church in Italy. After the 'reassuring' message of Benedict XVI to the editor of Avvenire. [Politi here perpetrates the mistake his newspaper did, which claimed that Fr. Lombardi had said Cardinal Bertone expressed his personal solidarity to Boffo, as well as that of the Pope. Lombardi's statement made no mention of the Pope at all.]

After the denunciation by Bagnasco of the 'disgusting' attack by [Vittorio] Feltri against Boffo, after the solidarity expressed by Secretary of State Bertone to Boffo directly, the Pontiff's extraordinary gesture told the Church hierarchy they should speak firmly as one, in the face of the heavyhanded campaign of the Berlusconian Il Giornale.

If the Cavaliere [Berlusconi's appellative in the Italian media] had hoped to sow division in the Church - by intimidating denunciatory voices [as Boffo was] and give the Vatican a sort of 'do this or else' (i.e., "You better stop criticizing my government because I am supporting you on the issues of the biological wil, the abortifacient pill, school funding and ethical questions"), Benedict XVI's gesture was a clear block to any such temptation that the Premier may have entertained.

It is a significant coincidence that on the same day, even the weekly magazine Famiglia Cristiana - so sensitive to the demands of socially conscious Catholic liberals that sometimes it even risks clashing with a hierarchy that is more interested in political affairs [now, that's the usual nasty Politi!] - expressed its solidarity with Avvenire , denouncing the "grave and disgusting attack against it for having dared to criticize some government decisions".

Benedict XVI's direct intervention, so unusual, also expresses a concern about a situation of disgregation within the Italian Church.

It pays to weigh carefully each word in the CEI news release about the Pope's call. Not only did the Pope express 'esteem, gratitude and appreciation' for Bagnasco and the work of the CEI but also "asked for information and assessments" on the present situation [the Boffo case].

In doing this, he confirmed the role of Bagnasco as his direct interlocutor in matters regarding the orientation, the questions and the demands made by the Italian bishops, who in large part have been suffering from being unable to express their great disquiet at the behavior of Berlusconi in his private life.

{And is the Pope also signalling Cardinal Bertone that he cannot expect to take away from the CEI the leading role in dealing with the Italian government?]

It is no secret that part of the episcopate canot bear the thought of supporting, or having to rely on, the center right political coalition [Berlusconi's] in the presence of 'a cynically anti-Christian philosophy' (in the words of one bishop) such as that shown by the lifestyle that Berlusconi flaunts.

There have been recent events that have disconcerted the Italian bishops. But in his interview with L'Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Bertone appeared to distance himself from certain anti-government criticisms by prelates within the Vatican and outside.

The criticisms made by the OR editor, Giovanni Maria Vian, of recent positions taken by Avvenire on public issues, has disoriented
Catholic public opinion. [And I continue to maintain that Vian had no business doing that - it was unprofessional and completely unwarranted. Who is he to dictate what another newspaper should say? The more so because he is criticizing a Catholic newspaper which has certainly been far more stimulating and engaging than his own newspaper, even despite his innovations, while still hewing to orthodox Catholic positions. The positions Vian objects to are on socio-political issues.]

It has projected an image of a Church that seems to lack a center of gravity at the moment when it needs one. [That's rather overstating the case, though - and ignoring that whatever weaknesses and tactical errors the Catholic newspapers and the Catholic hierarchy may commit, the one stable and dependable center of gravity is Benedict XVI. I don't think the faithful can overlook that point.]

And that is why Benedict XVI - after the Vatican spokesman Fr. Lombardi had already rejected attempts to set the Secretary of State in opposition to the CEI hierarchy - felt it was urgent for him to say the definitive word, in order to strengthen the hand of Cardinal Bagnasco. [A conclusion opposite to what other Vaticanistas were saying last week - that Bertone appears to have consolidated his power not only in the Curia but also over the CEI!]

Certainly, there will persist within the ecclesial hierarchy opinions that are profoundly different about how to deal with the Berlusconi government, which is heavily conditioned by xenophobia and by the regional selfishness of the Lega Nord.

And certainly, the editor of Avvenire can only be weakened by the Terni episode. Still, the Church has its times and ways to untangle the knots.

Surely, the Cavaliere should perceive by now that the gross maneuver to try and split the ecclesiastic world by showing up bad parish priests, wayward bishops and an anti-government Avvenire, on the one hand, and on the other, a Holy See with whom he is in daily peaceful dialog, has failed.

Being in grave difficulties at home as well as abroad, Berlusconi should know that his own future is tied to the good graces of the Vatican.

Once again. St. Augustine is in the news! After his feast day last week and the TV mini-series on his life shown to the Holy Father last night, he is the subject of a three-day inter-Christian symposium in Rome. BTW, in the original post on the film screening for the Pope, at the top of this page, I've posted a translation of the Holy Father's brief but beautiful remarks at the end of the screening Wednesday night



MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER
TO CARDINAL KASPER
XIth Inter-Christian Symposium
'Augustine in the Western and Eastern Traditions'


The Holy Father today sent a message to Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, on the occasion of the XI Inter-Christian Symposium sponsored by the Istituto Francescano di Spiritualità of the Pontifical Antonianum University and the Orthodox Theological Faculty of Aristotle University in Thessalonia. The symposium is being held in Rome Sept. 3-5.



Here is a translation of the message:

---

To my venerated Brother
Cardinal Walter Kasper
President of the Pontifical Council
for the Promotion of Christian Unity


Through you, venerated Brother, as President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, I have the pleasure and joy to send warm wishes and greetings to the organizers and participants of the XI Inter-Christian Symposium, sponsored by the Franciscan Institute of Spirituality of the Pontifical Antonianum University and the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessalonia, which is taking place in Rome Sept. 3-5.

I am happy, first of all, for such an initiative of fraternal meeting and confrontation on common aspects of spirituality, which is beneficial lymph for broadening the relationship among Catholics and Orthodox.

Indeed, these symposiums, started in 1992, have dealt with important and constructive themes for reciprocal understanding and unity of our intentions. The fact that the meetings are held alternatively in countries with a Catholic or Orthodox majority allows real contact with the concrete historical, cultural and religious life in our respective Churches.

This year, you decided to hold the Symposium in Rome, a city that offers all Christians indelible testimonies of history, archeology, iconography, hagiography and spirituality.

Above all, a strong stimulus for us to advance towards full communion is the memory of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Protothroni, and so many martyrs who were among the most ancient witnesses to the faith.

St. Clement the Roman wrote about them that "in suffering many insults and torments, they became a most beautiful example for us" (cfr. Lettera ai Corinti, VI,1).

The theme you have chosen for this meeting, "St. Augustine in the Western and Eastern traditions" - which will be developed in collaboration with the Augustinianum Patristic Institute - is most interesting for a deeper knowledge of Christian theology and spirituality in both the East and the West, as well as for their development.

The Saint of Hippo, a great Father of the Latin Church, is of fundamental importance for the theology and for the culture itself of the West, whereas the reception of his thought in Orthodox theology has proven to be quite problematic.

But learning together, with historical objectivity and fraternal cordiality, the doctrinal and spiritual riches which form the patrimony of both East and West, is indispensable not only to value them, but also to promote better reciprocal appreciation among all Christians.

I express my sincere wish that your Symposium will be fruitful, and especially profitable in discovering doctrinal and spiritual convergences that are useful for building together the City of God, where his children can live in peace and fraternal love, based on the truth of our common faith.

I assure you of my prayers for this end, asking the Lord to bless the organizers and the institutions they represent, the Catholic and Orthodox speakers, and all participants.

May the grace and peace of the Lord be in your hearts and in your minds.


Castel Gandolfo
August 28, 2009

---

The Greek program for the symposium.

Isn't this amazing?


German firm publishes 440-page book
listing Joseph Ratzinger's writings
before he became Pope



Augsburg, Germany, Sept. 3 (dpa) - An exhaustive list of early writings by Pope Benedict XVI, beginning with articles published in 1953 by the young priest Joseph Ratzinger, was published Wednesday in Germany.

The 440-page printed bibliography, entitled Das Werk, was compiled by theologians Vinzenz Pfnuer and Stephan Horn, who travelled to Rome to hand a first copy to the pope, the diocese of Augsburg said.

[The item does not mention that both Pfnuer and Horn are members of the Ratzinger Schuelerkreis and the Foundation they established. This exhaustive bibliography was one of the Foundation's immediate objectives. From what I read about the project earlier, the list includes titles published in all languages, not just German.]

The book was issued by the Sankt Ulrich Verlag Catholic publishing house in Augsburg, Germany. It covers books, articles, sermons, essays, lectures and letters by Ratzinger up to 2005, when he was elected Pope.


I found this picture from a German site. Fathers Pfnuer and Horn (center and right) along with a representative of the publisher, actually presented a copy of DAS WERK [The Work!] to the Pope at Castel Gandolfo on Sunday, Aug. 30, at the Schuelerkreis seminar.

There's also a longish article worth translating.



'DAS WERK'

Friday, Sept. 4

ST. ROSA OF VITERBO (Italy, 1235-1252)
Virgin
Dying young, she was a miracle worker
from childhood. On the eve of her feast
every year, a procession carries her
incorrupt body through the streets of
Viterbo within a 100-foot tall elaborate
float called 'Macchina di Santa Rosa' -
a different one every year.



OR today.


No papal news on Page 1 other than Rinunce e Nomine. In the inside pages, his letter to the Inter-Christian Symposium on
Augustine (translation posted on this page yesterday) and his words at the screening of the TV film on Augustine {photo).
OR takes note of the resignation of Avvenire's Dino Boffo by reprinting the brief CEI announcement without comment.
Page 1 stories: Paris conference of allies fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan says troops won't leave until the country
is secure; China joins the International Military Fund; Iran continues to push for resuming talks on its nuclear program.



THE POPE'S DAY

The Holy Father met today with

- Bishops of Brazil on ad-limina visit (Group 2)
- H.E. Valentin Vassilev Bozhilov, Ambassador from Bulgaria, on a farewell visit.


The Vatican announced a news briefing next Thursday, Sept. 10, on the Holy Father's scheduled meeting
with contemporary artists on November 21. John Paul II held a similar meeting 10 years ago, on
the anniversary of Paul VI's meeting with artists in 1959.

A non-indulgent Pope
by Benedetto Ippolito
Translated from

Sept. 4, 2009


Pope Benedict XVI has always shown great attention to the question of sin. Today, sin is simply considered a matter of conscience that can be shrugged off as a banality, in the words of Hannah Arendt [Jewish intellectual who wrote a book The Banality of Evil about the Nazi genocide of the Jews], and we give it little count.

On the other hand, the behavior inconsistent with what is right, or directly opposed to it, has always appeared scandalous. St. Augustine himself did not hesitate to admit that even the existence of God is put to the test and sorely tried by the active presence of human vileness.

Thus it was not surprising that the issue itself was at the center of Joseph Ratzinger's theological reflections even before he became Pope.

Indeed, impressed in the minds of many is his exhortation in his now celebrated homily at the Mass on April 18, 2005, just before the opening of the Conclave that would elect him Pope.

At that time, addressing the College of Cardinals who were about to make a difficult choice, he warned against the 'banalization of evil', underscoring the necessary link between the experience of sin with penitence and conversion.

At his Wednesday audience this week, Benedict XVI came back to the subject of sin, in talking about the figure of the 10th century Benedictine monk, St. Odon of Cluny.

He recalled not only how the medieval saint's monastic experience embodied the authentic sense of Cistercian spirituality, but how he shed light on "the vast multitude of vices widespread in society in every age" in order to urge a "radical change of life founded on humility, austerity, detachment from ephemeral things and adherence to eternal values".

The Holy Father's strongest words were then addressed to each individual's personal responsibility for his own actions, which is equally indispensable in the management of the governance of any community, religious or political.

Papa Ratzinger has always been sensitive to the profoundly Christian distinction between the sinner and the sin, without being indifferent to the moral behavior of those who hold public office or exercise a public role.

He has given many proofs of these during his Pontificate so far.

In an inflight interview with newsmen en route to the United States for his apostolic visit in April 2008, he said bluntly that "Pedophiles cannot be priests", while pointing out that as individuals they need Christian help and understanding.

He said the same thing during his trip to Australia in July 2008, while underscoring the moral consciousness that Christian educators should have.

In his address to Irish bishops earlier, during their 2006 ad limina visit, he told them that "Sexual abuses are sorrowful episodes which are even more tragic when priests commit them."

And he showed this intransigent attitude in the case of Fr. Marcel Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, who was investigated for alleged sex offenses and ordered by the Pope to desist from performing his ministry in public and to live in seclusion adn penitence.

The Legionaries are now under a formal Vatican 'visitation' process to determine how much its hierarchy knew about their founder's wrongful activities.

Moral rectitude is expected of everyone who is in public service. Even if Christian teaching leaves the door open to personal repentance, bringing scandal to others by immoral and irresponsible private behavior 'delegitimizes' the public role of the offender.

Church tradition has many examples of such a response, of which the most rigorous expression perhaps came from an heir of the Odonian monastic spirit, St. Pier Damiani.

In his Liber gomorrianus Damiani prescribed a severe course of penitence and sacrifice by the 'sinner in authority' in order to gain forgiveness, starting with leaving the institutional role that he plays.

Benedict XVI, from the pastoral point of view, has indeed treated the moral question in the Church by clearly distinguishing the sinner from the sin, but points out at the same time that there is no sin without a sinner, who must take personally responsibility for the sin.


The essay could well refer to Prime Minister Berlusconi and his 'loose morals', but it could also be interpreted by minds so inclined as referring likewise to Dino Avvenire, who commanded the considerable tri-media enterprise of the Italian bishops conference - in a way that is unfair, because it would equate Boffo's alleged telephone harassment of someone with the Prime Minister's well-documented sexual indiscretions.

BTW, according to the court in Terni, the complainant withdrew her charge against Boffo after he paid the fine.

And the Pope may lay down the law with priests, but he can only hope to have moral influence with public offenders like Berlusconi..

Saturday, Sept. 5

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
(born Skopje 1910, died Calcutta 1997)
Founder, Missionaries of Charity



OR today.


No papal stories in this issue. Page 1 stories are about a NATO raid against the Taliban in Afghanistan
which also kills civilian victims; melting Himalaya glacier raises concern for potential implications
on Asian food production; the European Union awaits Iran's proposals for a resumption of dialog on its
nuclear program; and current figures show women will outnumber men in the US workforce this year
for the first time ever, because jobs lost are mostly male jobs in construction and manufacture,
while job growths are in women-dominated fields like health and education.



No events scheduled for the Holy Father today.


The Vatican released the text of the Holy Father's message for the 83rd World Missionary Day on October 18,
on the theme "And the nations will walk in his light" (Ap 21,24). The text is in all the Vatican official languages.

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MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI
83rd WORLD DAY FOR MISSIONS, October 18, 2009

On this Sunday dedicated to the missions, I turn first of all to you, my brothers in the episcopal and the priestly ministry, and then to you, my brothers and sisters, the whole People of God, to encourage in each one of you a deeper awareness of Christ's missionary mandate to "make disciples of all peoples" (Mt 28:19), in the footsteps of Saint Paul, the Apostle of the nations.

"The nations will walk in its light" (Rev 21:24).

The goal of the Church's mission is to illumine all peoples with the light of the Gospel as they journey through history towards God, so that in Him they may reach their full potential and fulfilment.

We should have a longing and a passion to illumine all peoples with the light of Christ that shines on the face of the Church, so that all may be gathered into the one human family, under God's loving fatherhood.

It is in this perspective that the disciples of Christ spread throughout the world work, struggle and groan under the burden of suffering, offering their very lives.

I strongly reiterate what was so frequently affirmed by my venerable Predecessors: the Church works not to extend her power or assert her dominion, but to lead all people to Christ, the salvation of the world.

We seek only to place ourselves at the service of all humanity, especially the suffering and the excluded, because we believe that "the effort to proclaim the Gospel to the people of today... is a service rendered to the Christian community and also to the whole of humanity" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 1), which "has experienced marvellous achievements but which seems to have lost its sense of ultimate realities and of existence itself" (Redemptoris Missio, 2).


1. All peoples are called to salvation

In truth, the whole of humanity has the radical vocation to return to its source, to return to God, since in Him alone can it find fulfilment through the restoration of all things in Christ. Dispersion, multiplicity, conflict and enmity will be healed and reconciled through the blood of the Cross and led back to unity.

This new beginning can already be seen in the resurrection and exaltation of Christ, who draws all things to himself, renewing them and enabling them to share in the eternal joy of God. The future of the new creation is already shining in our world and, despite contradictions and suffering, it enkindles hope for new life.

The Church's mission is to spread hope "contagiously" among all peoples. This is why Christ calls, justifies, sanctifies and sends his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God, so that all nations may become the People of God.

It is only in this mission that the true journey of humanity is understood and attested. The universal mission should become a fundamental constant in the life of the Church.

Proclamation of the Gospel must be for us, as it was for the Apostle Paul, a primary and unavoidable duty.


2. The Pilgrim Church

The universal Church, which knows neither borders nor frontiers, is aware of her responsibility to proclaim the Gospel to entire peoples (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 53). It is the duty of the Church, called to be a seed of hope, to continue Christ's service in the world.

The measure of her mission and service is not material or even spiritual needs limited to the sphere of temporal existence, but instead, it is transcendent salvation, fulfilled in the Kingdom of God (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 27).

This Kingdom, although ultimately eschatological and not of this world (cfr Jn 18:36), is also in this world and within its history a force for justice and peace, for true freedom and respect for the dignity of every human person.

The Church wishes to transform the world through the proclamation of the Gospel of love, "that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working … and in this way … cause the light of God to enter into the world" (Deus Caritas Est, 39).

With this message I renew my invitation to all the members and institutions of the Church to participate in this mission and this service.


3. Missio ad gentes

The mission of the Church, therefore, is to call all peoples to the salvation accomplished by God through his incarnate Son. It is therefore necessary to renew our commitment to proclaiming the Gospel which is a leaven of freedom and progress, brotherhood, unity and peace (cf. Ad Gentes, 8).

I would "confirm once more that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 14), a duty and a mission which the widespread and profound changes in present-day society render ever more urgent. At stake is the eternal salvation of persons, the goal and the fulfilment of human history and the universe.

Animated and inspired by the Apostle of the nations, we must realize that God has many people in all the cities visited by the apostles of today (cfr Acts 18:10). In fact "the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him" (Acts 2:39).

The whole Church must be committed to the missio ad gentes, until the salvific sovereignty of Christ is fully accomplished: "At present, it is true, we are not able to see that all things are in subjection to him" (Heb 2:8).


4. Called to evangelize even through martyrdom

On this day dedicated to the missions, I recall in prayer those who have consecrated their lives exclusively to the work of evangelization.

I mention especially the local Churches and the men and women missionaries who bear witness to and spread the Kingdom of God in situations of persecution, subjected to forms of oppression ranging from social discrimination to prison, torture and death.

Even today, not a few are put to death for the sake of his "Name". The words of my venerable Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, continue to speak powerfully to us: "The Jubilee remembrance has presented us with a surprising vista, showing us that our own time is particularly prolific in witnesses, who in different ways were able to live the Gospel in the midst of hostility and persecution, often to the point of the supreme test of shedding their blood" (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 41).

Participation in the mission of Christ is also granted to those who preach the Gospel, for whom is reserved the same destiny as their Master.

"Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too" (Jn 15:20).

The Church walks the same path and suffers the same destiny as Christ, since she acts not on the basis of any human logic or relying on her own strength, but instead she follows the way of the Cross, becoming, in filial obedience to the Father, a witness and a travelling companion for all humanity.

I remind Churches of ancient foundation and those that are more recent that the Lord has sent them to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and he has called them to spread Christ, the Light of the nations, to the far corners of the earth. They must make the Missio ad gentes a pastoral priority.

I am grateful to the Pontifical Mission Societies and I encourage them in their indispensable service of promoting missionary animation and formation, as well as channelling material help to young Churches. Through these Pontifical Institutions, communion among the Churches is admirably achieved via the exchange of gifts, reciprocal concern and shared missionary endeavours.


5. Conclusion

Missionary zeal has always been a sign of the vitality of our Churches (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 2). Nevertheless it must be reaffirmed that evangelization is primarily the work of the Spirit; before being action, it is witness and irradiation of the light of Christ (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 26) on the part of the local Church, which sends men and women beyond her frontiers as missionaries.

I therefore ask all Catholics to pray to the Holy Spirit for an increase in the Church's passion for her mission to spread the Kingdom of God and to support missionaries and Christian communities involved in mission, in the front line, often in situations of hostility and persecution.

At the same time I ask everyone, as a credible sign of communion among the Churches, to offer financial assistance, especially in these times of crisis affecting all humanity, to enable the young local Churches to illuminate the nations with the Gospel of charity.

May we be guided in our missionary activity by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of New Evangelization, who brought Christ into the world to be the light of the nations and to carry salvation "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 13:47).

To all I impart my Blessing.


From the Vatican
29 June 2009

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CALENDAR OF LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS
TO BE PRESIDED OVER BY THE HOLY FATHER
September-November 2009

SEPTEMBER

Sunday, Sept. 6
XXIII Sunday 'per annum'
PASTORAL VISIT TO VITERBO & BAGNOREGIO

Saturday, Sept. 12
St. Peter's Basilica
10:00 EPISCOPAL ORDINATIONS*

Saturday, Sept. 26, to Monday, Sept. 28
APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC


OCTOBER

Sunday, Oct. 4
XXVII Sunday "per annum"
09:30 St. Peter's Basilica
Cappella Papale
OPENING OF THE XII SPECIAL ASSEMBLY FOR AFRICA
OF THE BISHOPS' SYNOD

Saturday, Oct. 10
16:00 Aula Paolo VI
ROSARY PRAYER with Students of Roman Universities

Sunday, Oct. 11
XXVIII Sunday "per annum"
10:00 St. Peter's Square
Cappella Papale
CANONIZATION OF
- Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński
- Francisco Coll y Guitart
- Josef Daamian de Veuster
- Rafael Arnáiz Barón
- Marie de la Croix (Jeanne) Jugan

Sunday, Oct. 25
XXX Sunday "per annum"
09:30 St. Peter's Basilica
Cappella Papale
CONCLUSION OF THE II SPECIAL ASSEMBLY FOR AFRICA
OF THE BISHOPS' SYNOD


NOVEMBER

Thursday, Nov. 5
11:30 St. Peter's Basilica, Altar of the Chair
Cappella Papale
HOLY MASS IN MEMORY OF THE CARDINALS AND BISHOPS
who passed away in the past year

Sunday, Nov. 8
XXXII Sunday "per annum"
PASTORAL VISIT TO BRESCIA

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*On Saturday, Sept. 12, the Holy Father will consecrate the ff. new archbishops in St. Peter's Basilica:

- Mons. Gabriele Caccia, named Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, from his previous assignment as Counselor
for Internal Affairs at the Secretariat of State;
- Mons. Pietro Parolin, named Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela, from his previous assignment as undersecretary
to the Deputy Secretary of State for Foreign Relations;
- Mons. Giorgio Corbellini, newly named president of the Labor Office of the Holy See;
- Mons. Franco Coppola, named Apostolic Nuncio to Burundi; and
- Mons. Raffaello Martinelli, named Bishop of Frascati (Italy).

On the eve of Benedict's pastoral
visit to Viterbo and Bagnoregio
Translated from
the Italian service of





The city and the diocese of Viterbo are all set to welcome Benedict XVI who arrives at that ancient capital tomorrow at 9 a.m. by helicopter.

He will celebrate Mass in Viterbo, and in the afternoon, he will pay a visit to Bagnoregio to venerate a relic of that town's most outstanding son, St. Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church.

Antonella Palermo reports from Viterbo:

In the past few days, the city of Viterbo has been carrying out a technical and logistical dress rehearsal, in effect, for the Pope's visit.

Along the narrow streets of the historical center - which still have traces of the Feast of Santa Rosa marked by the Viterbesi with great pomp and circumstance on Sept. 3-4 - the yellow-and-white flags of the Vatican adorn all the building that have artistic and religious significance.



This is after all the City of Popes, famous for the first Conclave in history, when in 1271, after 33 months of a sede vacante, Blessed Gregory X was final elected Pope when the townspeople placed the indecisive cardinals under lock and key to force them to decide. Five other Popes were elected in Viterbo, of whom four are buried here.

A pleasant September sun highlights the new bronze doors of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo which the Holy Father will bless tomorrow. A project of Mons. Lorenzo Chiarinelli, Bishop of Viterbo, the two lateral doors which complement the central door installed in 2004 were completed in time for the visit. The triptych is shown below:



Where the central door is dedicated to the Luminous Mysteries, with the 127a Conclave and the city's patron saints, Rosa and Lorenzo, as additional motifs, the two laterals depict the 1986 unification of five ancient dioceses and a historic Benedictine abbey into the single Diocese of Viterbo.

In Valle Faul, where the Holy Father will concelebrate Holy Mass at 10:30, they were putting the finishing touches to the two-level altar stage which is designed to look like an open shell.

Some 200 diocesan priests and religious representing more than 90 parishes of the diocese will be concelebrating.

There is also great anticipation at the Shrine of the Madonna della Quercia and in Bagnoregio.

"He is the first Pope ever to visit here and we are very very happy," said the mayor of this little town which gave birth to St. Bonaventure, whose arm is kept in the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolas in Bagnoregio {he is buried in Lyons, where he died).

Benedict XVI will be venerating here a spiritual and intellectual mentor who had a significant role in his theological formation.

We asked Mons. Chiarinelli what he expects of the visit.



MONS. CHIARINELLI: Basically, it is expressed by the motto on our logo for the visit, using the words of Jesus to Peter: "Confirm your brothers" int he faith.

We need to recover an active awareness to realize the joy and the hope in living our faith in today's world - for the young people in particular, but really for the entire territory, for this Church.


How has Viterbo prepared for this visit?
In a very beautiful way. As a bishop, I am not just surprised but in admiration - for the joy, the enthusiasm, among the people and even among all the institutions during the preparation for the visit, a unanimity and synergy which are truly admirable.


Viterbo was the papal seat during a historical era that was distinguished by the severe conflicts between the Guelphs [pro-Pope elements] and the Ghibellines [pro-Emperor]. Today, the Church itself has internal conflicts...
I believe there are two expressions that we must take from the Second Vatican Council: the Church as a sign of communion in society and in history, and the concept of communion itself.

Pope Benedict XVI has always insisted on this weight-bearing idea from the Council, because the Church is a brotherhood. As the Council said, the Church is 'imago Trinitatis' - the image of the Trinity, which is a relationship - and so we must recover these relationships among ourselves.

And the Council urges us to construct the new reality of authentic communion, in which we see everyone else as just like ourselves,


What is the importance of the Pope's visit to Bagnoregio?
Because besides the experience of popular faith that we have been experiencing these days, as in the feast of Santa Rosa, there is also 'docta fides', informed faith.

Faith is a challenge to intelligence, Benedict XVI has pointed out, but faith is a friend of intelligence, to which intelligence must open it=s horizons.

This opening to transcendence in Bonaventurian thought and in the meditation Joseph Ratzinger devoted to St. Bonaventure's theology of history is a provocation to contemporary secular culture but it also constitutes a powerful appeal.





THE MADONNA DELLA QUERCIA
Translated from
the Italian service of





The Basilica of the Madonna and its adjoining monastery complex, now converted into a multi-purpose social center. Below, the miraculous image venerated in the Basilica:



Co-patron of the Diocese of Viterbo, along with Santa Rosa and San Lorenzo, is the Madonna della Quercia (Our Lady of the Oak) who is venerated in the shrine where Benedict XVI will have lunch and rest after the Mass in Viterbo.

The Domus Quercia, as the monastery complex of the Shrine is now known.


He will also pray here with some 120 cloistered nuns from the various monasteries of the diocese, before proceeding to Bagnoregio. Antonella Palermo rerports further:

Wherever faith has prevailed, the grace of the Lord has been abundant. Thsi is the story of the Shrine of the Madonna della Quercia, located two kilometers from the center of Viterbo which will host Benedict XVI for a few hours Sunday.

Here, in the 15th century, extraordinary things happened that the Viterbesi immediately saw as a sign of divine intervention, which among other things, saved the city from the plague in 1467 as it would be saved later from bombings in World War II.

It all began with an image of Our Lady and the Infant Jesus that a peasant had painted on a tile which he attached to an oak tree on his property at a spot where highwaymen used to ambush passersby. This was around 1417.



Over the years, the local people came to pray at the oak, and a series of miraculous events connected with the image caused devotion to grow. [Initially, the fact that individuals who attempted to take the image home found that the image always 'returned' miraculously to the oak.]

By the time of the Great Plague of 1467, its fame was such that the faithful came in the thousands (it is recorded that as many as 30,000 came on a single day) to ask to be spared from the affliction.

Since the 16th century, there has been a Basilica on the site of that oak, and the tile painting is venwerated at the central altar. When John Paul II visited Viterbo in 1984, he crowned the image with his own rosary.



Says Rector Angelo Massi: "It is the most beautiful memory we habe. Speaking at the Shrine, he told our people, 'I have left my rosary to your Madonna. May it be the reminder of the prayer that should always surround Our most Blessed Lady, for peace, for teh world, for the young people, for everyone'."

Meanwhile, on the other saint that Benedict XVI will be venerating on his sixteenth pastoral visit in Italy, we spoke to Mons. Dante Bernini, emeritus Bishop of Albano Laziale, about the importance of St. Bonaventure in the history of the Church. The saint was Bishop of Albano for two years:

"Bonaventure gave Franciscanism, which was born in the heart of Francis of Assisi at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, something that Francis in his evangelical authenticity did not forget but did not bring to light enough - which is the relationship between faith and reason, with faith as the starting point (for Francis the definitive and inescapable element), and using reason always with that pre-eminent quality of charity which Francis had in his heart and transmitted to his religious family. Bonaventure brought all this together in a way that was deeper, so to speak, and more incisive for the life of the Church."

Sunday, Sept. 6

BLESSED CLAUDIO GRANZOTTO (Italy, 1900-1947)
Franciscan friar and sculptor, beatified 1994



OR today.

Page 1 stories on the Holy Father: an editorial 'From Augustine to Bonaventure' on how these two
saints have marked the intellectual and spiritual itinerary of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, as
the Pope makes his 16th pastoral visit in Italy today; and the Pope's mesasge for World Mission Day
next month. Other Page 1 stories: The investigation on the NATO airstrike that killed many civilians
in Afghanistan earlier this week; South America's paradoxical crisis in water resources for its peoples,
although it has the richest fresh water sources in the world, is traced to privatization and widespread
pollution; and Moscow's alarm over North Korea's progress in enriching uranium for its nuclear-arms
development program.



THE POPE'S DAY

PASTORAL VISIT OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI

TO VITERBO AND BAGNOREGIO

Sunday, September 6, 2009

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08.30 Departure by helicopter from the heliport of the Pontifical Villas in Castel Gandolfo

09.00 Arrival at the Rocchi communal sports field in Viterbo.

09.30 WELCOME CEREMONY at the stairway of the Palazzo dei Papi at the Piazza San Lorenzo
and a brief visit to the Conclave Hall 9where five Popes were elected).

10.15 EUCHARISTIC CONCELEBRATION at Valle Faul of Viterbo
- Homily by the Holy Father
- Recital of the Angelus
- Words by the Holy Father

Private lunch.

16.00 Travel to the Shrine of the Madonna della Quercia.
- Brief stop en route before the Shrine of St. Rosa of Viterbo

16.30 Private visit to the Shrine of the Madonna della Quercia

17.00 Departure by helicopter form the Rocchi sports field for Bagnoregio.

17.20 Arrival at the Alessandro Pompei sport field in Bagnoregio.

17.30 Visit to the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Bagnoregio and
veneration of the relics of St. Bonaventure.

17.45 MEETING WITH THE FAITHFUL in Piazza Sant’Agostino
- Address by the Holy Father

18.30 Departure by helicopter from Bagnoregio for Castel Gandolfo.

19.30 Arrival in Castel Gandolfo.

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THE POPE IN VITERBO
Translated from

Sept. 6, 2009


At 8:30 today, the Holy Father left by helicopter from the Pontifical Villas heliport in Castel Gandolfo for his pastoral visit to Viterbo and Bagnoregio.

Upon landing in the Rocchi sports field of Viterbo, the Pope was welcomed by Mons. Lorenzo Chiarinelli, Bishop of Viterbo, and Gianni Letta, undersecretary of the Prime Minister's cabinet, along with other civilian, military and Church authorities.

The Holy Father travelled by Popemobile to Piazza San Lorenzo where he blessed the new bronze doors of the Cathedral.

At 9:30, he proceeded to the Loggia of the Palazzo dei Papi where he received a formal welcome from Mayor Giulio Marini and Bishop Chiarinelli.

He made a brief visit to the Conclave Hall of the historic papal palace - where cardinals were in session from December 1268 to September 1271 until they could elect a new Pope in Gregory X.

From here he proceeded to Valle Faul for the Mass and Angelus prayer.

Site map for program in Viterbo:


The photos have been slow in coming and rather random. I am using some copyrighted images from Tusciaweb.




At the Loggia of the Palazzo dei Papi, where he was formally welcomed to the city:


Leaving Piazza San Lorenzo for the Mass in Valle Faul:



The Mass at Valle Faul:







NB: Because his right wrist is still under rehabilitative therapy, the Pope did not distribute Commuinion today. His Vicar for Rome, Cardinal Agostino Valli, did it in his place.

After the Mass.





After the Mass, the Holy Father proceeded to to the Basilica of Santa Rosa, where the Pope venerated the saint's body:


Arriving at the Basilica. Left photo shows this year's 'Macchina', nicknamed 'Flore del Cielo' (Flower of Heaven'); right photo is the image of the saint that is transported at the top of the float tower on the eve of her feast day.




From the Church, he proceeded to the Shrine of the Madonna della Quercia, where he was to lunch with 24 bishops from the Lazio region, meet with the cloistered nuns of the diocese, and venerate the miraculous image of the Madonna, after which he flies by helicopter to Bagnoregio for the second stage of this pastoral visit.

Teresa: Thank you for the meticulous reporting on this thread, accompanied by pictures and maps for which you must have had to search really hard.
I'm so pleased to see photos from this morning's Mass already posted! EWTN showed the welcoming ceremony [weather was very windy!] and the Mass, which I have yet to watch, as I had to leave for our own Mass.

Thanks again. All is very much appreciated!
Mary

THE HOLY FATHER'S HOMILY TODAY

Here is a translation of the Pope's homily at the Mass today in Viterbo:

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Dear brothers and sisters!

The setting in which we celebrate Holy Mass today is truly unprecedented and evocative. We are in the 'valley' that faces the ancient city gate called FAUL, whose letters refer to the initials of the four hills of ancient Viterbum, Fenum-Arbanum-Vetulonia-Longula.

On one side, there rises above us the imposing Palace that was once the residence of the Popes, and which, as your bishop reminded us, hosted five ConcLaves in the t13th century.

Around us are buildings and spaces that testify to the many events of the past and which form the fabric of live for your city and province.

In this context, which evokes centuries of our civilian and religious history, your entire diocesan community is now gathered around the Successor of Peter to be confirmed by him in your faith to Christ and his Gospel.

To all of you, dear brothers and sisters, I address my most grateful thoughts for the warm welcome you have shown me. I greet first of all your beloved Pastor, Mons. Lorenzo Chiarinelli, whom I thank for his words of welcome.

I greet the other bishops, particularly those of Lazio, including the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, our dear diocesan priests, deacons, seminarians and religious; young people and children; and all the components of the diocese, which in recent times, were united together in the Diocese of Viterbo, namely the dioceses of Acquapendente, Bagnoregio, Montefiascone e Tuscania, along with the abbey of San Martino in Cimino.

This new configuration is now artistically sculpted in the Bronze Doors of the Cathedral of Viterbo, which I was able to bless and admire at the start of my visit today.

With deference, I address the civilian and military authorities, the represents of the Italian government, of Parliament, the region and the province, and especially, the mayor of the city, who expressed such warm sentiments on behalf of its residents.

I thank the forces of law and order, and greet the numerous military present in this city, along with those who are engaged in peace missions throughout the world.

I greet and thank the volunteers who have given of themselves to contribute to my visit. And I most especially greet the older persons and solitary ones, the sick, those who are in jail, and those who are not able to take part in this encounter of prayer and friendship.

Dear brothers and sisters, this liturgical gathering is a space for the presence of God. Assembled for the Holy Eucharist, the disciples of the Lord proclaim that he is risen, he is alive, he gives life, and they bear witness that his presence is grace, it is fulfillment, it is life. Let us open our heart to his words and welcome the gift of his presence!

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah (35,4-7) encourages those 'whose hearts are frightened' and announces the stupendous news that experience confirms: When the Lord is present, the eyes of the blind are opened, the ears of the deaf are cleared, and the crippled leap like deer.

Everything is reborn and everything is revived because beneficial waters irrigate the desert. The 'desert', in symbolic language, can evoke tragic events, difficult situations and the loneliness that not uncommonly characterizes life.

The most profound desert is the human heart when it loses its capacity to listen, to speak, to communicate with God and other men. Then one becomes blind because one is incapable of seeing reality; one's ears are closed in order not to hear the cries of those who plead for help; the heart hardens in indifference and selfishness.

But now, the prophet announces, everything is destined to change. This 'arid ground' of the closed heart shall be irrigated by a new divine lymph. And when the Lord comes, he will say authoritatively to those who are frightened of heart, "Be strong, fear not!" (v. 4).

Perfectly linked to the reading is the Gospel narrative by St. Mark (7,31-37), in which Jesus heals a deaf-mute in 'pagan territory'.

First, he welcomes him and attends to him in the language of gestures, more immediate than words. And then, with an expression in Aramaic, he says to him, "Effata!", which means, "Open up!", giving back to that man both hearing and speech. Full of wonder, the crowd exclaimed: "He has done all things well!" (v. 37).

We can see in this 'sign' the ardent desire of Jesus to conquer in man his solitude and the incommunicability created by selfishness, in order to give birth to a 'new humanity', the humanity of listening and speech, of dialog, of communication, of communion with God.

A 'good' humanity, as all of God's creation is good. A humanity without discrimination, without exclusions - as the apostle James admonishes in his Letter (2,1-5) - so that the world may truly be, for everyone, 'a space of genuine fraternity' (Gaudium et spes, 37), open to the love of our common Father who created us and made us his sons and daughters.

Dear Church of Viterbo, may Christ, whom in the Gospel we see open the ears and loosen the tongue of the deaf-mute, open your hearts, and always give you the joy of listening to his Word, the courage to announce his Gospel, the capacity to speak with God and thus speak with your brothers and sisters, and finally, the courage to discover his Face and his Beauty!

But in order for this to happen - we are reminded by St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, where I will be going this afternoon - the mind should go beyond everything through contemplation, go beyond not just the world of senses, but beyond oneself (Itinerarium mentis in Deum VII,1).

This is the itinerary of salvation, illuminated by the light of the Word of God and nourished by the sacraments which bring community to all Christians.

About this course which you too, beloved Church that lives in this land, are called on to follow, I wish to consider a few spiritual and pastoral lines.

A priority that is very close to your Bishop's heart is education in the faith, as Christian search and initiation, as living in Christ.

"To become a Christian' consists in 'learning Christ' as St. Paul expressed it in his formulation, "I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2,20).

In this experience, parishes, families and the various church associations are involved. Commitment is demanded of catechists and all educators. Schools are called on to offer their own contribution, from the primary schools to the University of Tuscia, that has become more important and prestigious, and, in particular, Catholic schools, including the San Pietro Philosophical-Theological Institute.

There are many ever-relevant models, authentic pioneers of educating in the faith, from whom to draw inspiration. I am happy to mention, among others, your own saints: Rosa Venerini (1656-1728) – whom I had the joy of canonizing three years ago) - the true pioneer of girls' schools in Italy in the 'century of Enlightenment' itself; and Lucia Filippini (1672-1732) who, with the help of the Venerable Cardinal Marco Antonio Barbarigo (1640-1706), founded the admirable 'Maestre Pie' (Pious Teachers).

From these spiritual sources you may happily draw in order to face, with clarity and consistency, the present, inescapable and priority 'educational emergency', a great challenge to every Christian community and for the entire society, which is undergoing a process of "Effatà", of opening its eyes, unblocking its ears and untying its tongue.

Together with education, witness to faith is necessary - "only faith working through love", St. Paul writes (Gal 5.6), counts for anything in Jesus.

It is thus that the Church's charitable activities are presented: her initiatives, her words, are signs of faith and of the love of God, who is Love himself - as I have amply underscored in the encyclicals Deus caritas est and Caritas in veritate.

It is here that the presence of the voluntariate flowers and is ever growing, whether on the personal level or on the associative, which finds in [organizations like] Caritas its propulsive and educational institution.

The young Saint Rose (1233-1251), co-patron of the diocese, whose feast was celebrated earlier this week, is a brilliant example of faith and generosity to the poor.

And how can we forget St. Giacinta Marescotti (1585-1640) who, from her monastery, promoted Eucharistic Adoration in this city, and gave rise to institutions and initiatives for those in jail and for the marginalized?

Nor the Franciscan witness of St. Crispin, Capuchin (1688-1759), who continues to inspire many worthy assistential undertakings.

It is significant that this climate of evangelical fervor also gave birth to many houses of consecrated life, male and female, particularly, cloistered orders, who constitute a visible reminder of the primacy of God in our existence and remind us that the first form of charity is prayer itself.

Emblematic of this is the example of the Blessed Gabriella Sagheddu (1914-1939), a Trappist nun. The convent of Vitorchiano, where she is buried, continues to promote that spiritual ecumenism, nourished by incessant prayer, so earnestly solicited by the Second Vatican Council (cfr Unitatis redintegratio, 8).

I must also recall another Viterban, Blessed Domenico Bàrberi (1792-1849), Passionist, who in 1846 received into the Catholic Church John Henry Newman, who later became a cardinal, a figure of high intellectual profile and luminous spirituality.

Finally, I wish to point to a third indication in your pastoral plan: attentiveness to the signs of God. As Jesus did with the deaf-mute, God continues to reveal his designs to us through 'events and words'. To listen to his word and to discern his signs is the duty of every Christian and and every community.

The most immediate of God's signs is certainly attention to our neighbor, about whom Jesus has said: "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me" (Mt 25,40).

Moreover, as Vatican-II states, the Christian is called on to be "before the world a witness to the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus, and a sign of the living God" (Lumen gentium, 38).

Before everyone else, the priest, whom Christ has chosen to belong to him completely, is called on to be such a witness and such a sign. During this Year for Priests, pray with greater intensity for priests, for seminarians and for vocations, that they may be faithful to their calling. But so must every consecrated person and every baptized Christian be a sign of the living God.

Lay faithful, young people and families, do not be afraid to live and bear witness to your faith in the various sectors of society, in the multiple situations of human existence!

Even in this respect, Viterbo has produced prestigious figures. On this occasion, it is both duty and joy to recall the young Mario Fani of Viterbo, initiator of the Circolo Santa Rosa, who lit, along with Giovanni Acquaderni of Bologna, that first light which would become the historic reality of the lay faithful in Italy: Catholic Action.

The seasons of history follow each other, social contexts change, but what will not change nor ever go out of fashion is the calling of Christians to live the Gospel in solidarity with the human family, in step with the times.

And that is the social commitment, the proper service for political action, namely, integral development of the human being.

Dear brothers and sisters! When the heart gets lost in the desert of life, do not be afraid - entrust yourselves to Christ, the firstborn of the new humanity, a family of brothers built on freedom and justice, in the truth and love of the children of God.

This great family includes the saints who are dearest to you: Lorenzo, Valentino, Ilario, Rosa, Lucia, Bonaventura and many others.

Our common Mother is Mary who is venerated, under the title of Madonna della Quercia, as the patron of the entire diocese in its new configuration.

May they keep you all united and nourish in each of you the desire to proclaim, in words and deeds, the presence and the love of Christ! Amen.

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WORDS AT THE ANGELUS

After the Mass, the Holy Father led the recitation of the Angelus, before which he said the following (translated):

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Dear brothers and sisters!

At the end of this solemn Eucharistic celebration, I thank the Lord yet again for having given me the joy of making this pastoral visit to your diocesan community.

I have come to confirm you in your faith in Christ, as expressed by the motto you chose: "Conform your brothers" (Lk 22,31). These were the words of Jesus to the apostle Peter during the Last Supper, entrusting to him the task of being pastor on this earth to all his Church.

For many centuries, your Diocese has been distinguished by a singular bond of affection and communion with the Successor of Peter, as I was well aware when I visited the Palazzo dei Papi this morning, and particularly, the Conclave Hall.

Among those born in the vast territory of ancient Tuscia was St. Leo the Great, who rendered great service to truth in love, through his assiduous exercise of the word, attested by his Sermons and Letters. Biera was the birthplace of Pope Sabinian, successor to Gregory the Great; and Paul II was born in Canino.

Viterbo was chosen in the second half of the 13th century as the residence of the Roman Pontiffs. Here five of my predecessors were elected, and four of them are buried here. At least fifty Popes have visited here, the last having been the Servant of God John Paul II. 25 years ago.

These figures represent a historic significance of which I wish to exmphasize the spiritual value.

Viterbo is rightly called City of the Popes, and this provides you with an added stimulus to live and bear witness to the Christian faith, the faith for which the martyr saints Valentino and Ilario, both resting in the Cathedral Church, gave their lives - the first of a long procession of saints, martyrs and blesseds from your land.

"Confirm your brothers" - I feel this command of the Lord directed to me with singular intensity. Pray, dear brothers and sisters, that I may always be able to carry out, with faithfulness and love, the mission of Pastor to the whole flock of Christ (cfr Jn 21,15ff).

On my part, I assure you of constant prayer to the Lord for your diocesan community, so that its different components - a symbolic representation of which I was able to admire in the new doors of the Cathedral - may converge towards fuller unity and fraternal communion, which are indispensable conditions for offering the world an effective evangelical testimony.

I will entrust these intentions this afternoon to the Virgin Mary, when I visit the Shrine of the Madonna della Quercia. Now, with the prayer that commemorates her YES to the Angel's annunciation, let us ask her to keep our faith always strong and joyful.


After the prayer, he said the following:

I wish now to send a heartfelt greeting to the participants of the International Congress on "Men and Religions' which is taking place in Cracow, Poland, on the theme, "Faiths and cultures in dialog".

Numerous personalities and representatives of various religions - invited by the Archdiocese of Cracow and the Sant'Egidio Community - are gathered to reflect in prayer for peace, 70 years after the start of the Second World War.

We cannot fail to remember the tragic facts which gave rise to one of the most terrible conflicts in history, which caused the death of tens of millions and brought such sufferings to the beloved people of Poland.

A conflict that saw the tragedy of the Holocaust and the extermination of other ranks of innocents. May the memory of these events lead us to pray for the victims and for all those who still bear wounds in the body and in the heart. May it also be a warning for all not to repeat such barbarism and to intensify efforts to construct a lasting peace in our time, which is still marked by conflicts and confrontations, transmitting, above all to the new generations, a culture and a lifestyle shaped by love, solidarity and respect for the other.

In this perspective, the contribution that religions can and should make to promote pardon and reconciliation, in place of violence, racism, totalitarianism and extremism which distort the image of the Creator in man, which block the horizon of God, and consequently, lead to a disrespect for man himself.

May the Lord help us to build peace, starting with love and reciprocal undestanding (cfr Caritas in veritate, 72).

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After the Mass, the Holy Father travelled by Popemobile to the Shrine of the Madonna della Quercia two kms outside the city limits for lunch and a brief rest at the Domus La Quercia.

Along the way, he stopped at the Shrine of Santa Rosa, patron of Viterbo, to venerate her remains. Present in the square of the Basilica were the 'facchini of Santa Rosa', the men who transport the towering Macchina di Santa Rosa, topped by a statue of the saint, in a venerable annual Viterbo celebration.

The facchini showed the 2009 version of teh Macchina to the Pope. The traditional 'transportation' of the saint's image through the streets of the medieval city takes place on Sept. 3, eve of the saint's liturgical feast.

'An exemplary celebration',
Pope says of Viterbo Mass
Translated from

Sept. 6, 2009


"It was an exemplary celebration. The people were very devout and disciplined," Pope Benedict XVI reportedly said about the Mass in Viterbo's Valle Faul this morning.

He said this during lunch with 25 bishops from the Lazio region at the Domus La Quercia, the vast convent-seminary attached to the Shrine of the Madonna della Quercia, which has been adapted for other multi-purpose uses.



Those who were at the lunch said it took place in a very familial atmosphere, with a Pope who was radiant and very happy with the morning he had spent with the Viterbans.

Lunch - using products typical of the area, ended with a sumptuous 'millefoglie', a dessert made with delicate pastry layers - was served by five young waiters whom the Pope later thanked individually.

After a brief rest, the Pope met with the organizers of the visit - about 30 in all. They gave him a variety of gifts, including a ceramic ostensorium, olive oil from Canino, a painting with words from St. Bonaventure, and a golden chalice.

The Pope then met with some 120 cloistered nuns from the various convents of the diocese. He gave them the stole he wore this morning and the zucchetto he was wearing. Some of the sisters had worked on the liturgical vestments worn by the Pope in Viterbo.


REMARKS TO THE NUNS
OF THE DIOCESE

Here is a translation of the words he addressed to the nuns, followed by a prayer to the Madonna della Quercia which he wrote for the occasion:

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Dear sisters!

It is truly a joy to meet you here in this place so beloved in popular devotion. You, who are nuns leading a contemplative life, have the mission in the Church of being torches who, in the silence of your monasteries, burn with prayer and love of God.

I entrust my intentions to you, along with the intentions of the Pastor for this Diocese, and the needs of those who inhabit this land. I also entrust to you, in this year for Priests, all priests, seminarians and vocations.

With your praying silence, be their support 'from afar' and exercise over them your spiritual motherhood, offering to the Lord the sacrifice of your lives for for their sanctification and the good of all souls.

I thank you for your presence, and I bless you from my heart. And to your fellow nuns who were unable to come here, please convey the greeting anf the blessing of the Pope.

I ask you now to join me in invoking the maternal protection of Mary on this diocesan community and on the inhabitants of this land which is so rich in cultural and religious traditions.

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Basilica of the Madonna della Quercia. Upper left photo is a two-meter wide lunette in glazed terracotta executed in 1507 by Andrea Della Robbia, one of his most beautiful works. It depicts the triumph of the Madonna della Quercia, flanked by St. Dominic and St. Lawrence, protector of Viterbo. It is found above the central door to the Basilica. Bottom right photo is the miraculous image painted on tile in 1417 by one who has come down in history only by the name Monetto.

PRAYER OF THE HOLY FATHER
TO THE MADONNA DELLA QUERCIA

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Holy Virgin, Our Lady of the Oak,
Patron of the Diocese of Viterbo,
gathered together in this shrine consecrated to you,
we address to you a plea and a confident prayer:
Watch over the Successor of Peter
and the Church entrusted to his care;
watch over this diocesan community and its pastors,
over Italy, over Europe and other continents.
Queen of Peace, obtain for us the gift of concord and peace
for all peoples and all mankind.

Obedient Virgin, Mother of Christ,
who, with your humble YES to the Angel's annunciation,
became the Mother of the Almighty,
help all your children to follow
the plans that the heavenly Father has for each of us,
to cooperate in the universal plan of redemption
which Christ fulfilled by dying on the Cross.

Virgin of Nazareth, Queen of the family,
make our Christian families
nurseries for evangelical life,
enriched by the gift of many vocations
to the priesthood and the consecrated life.
Keep firm the unity of our families,
today threatened from all sides.
and make them hearths of tranquility and concord,
where patient dialog dissipates difficulties and differences.
Watch, above all, over those who are divided and in crisis,
Mother of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the Church,
nourish the enthusiasm of all the elements
of our Dioceses: of parishes and ecclesial groups,
of associations and new forms of apostolic commitment
that the Lord inspires with his Holy Spirit;
keep firm and decisive the will of those
whom the Lord of harvests continues to call
as laborers in his vineyard, so that,
resisting every worldly flattery and temptation,
they may persevere generously along the path they have undertaken,
and with your maternal help, become witnesses to Christ
who are drawn by the radiance of his Love, spring of joy.

Clement Virgin, Mother of mankind,
turn your eyes to the men and women of our time,
to peoples and those who govern them, to nations and continents;
comfort those who weep, who suffer,
who pay the price for human injustices;
sustain those who vacillate under the weight of their woes
and who look at the future without hope;
encourage those who are working for a better world
where justice triumphs and brotherhood reigns,
that selfishness, hate and violence may cease.
May every form and manifestation of violence
be conquered by the pacificatory power of Christ.

Virgin of listening, Star of hope,
Mother of mercy,
the spring which brought forth Jesus to the world,
our life and our joy,
we thank you and renew the offering of our lives,
certain that you will never abandon us,
especially in the dark and difficult moments of existence.
Be with us always, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen!.

Viterbo, 6 September 2009

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THE POPE IN BAGNOREGIO - 1


The Holy Father left Bagnoregio to return to Castel Gandolfo shortly after 7 p.m. today, according to TusciaWeb's running online coverage. The dedicated site of the Diocese of Viterbo already has the text of the Holy Father's address to the people of Bagnoregio online (will post as soon as translated) - it's a wonderful though necessarily brief homage to St. Bonaventure and to human hope that comes with faith in Christ.

Sitemap for the Pope's visit to Bagnoregio.

Very appropriately, the Pope addressed the townspeople from the Piazza San Agostino, on which is found the town's monument to its most eminent son, St. Bonaventure, and the Co-Cathedral of San Nicola (photo above, and below), where his relic is venerated.



Above photos from TusciaWeb shows the crowd awaiting the Pope in Piazza San Agostino.