BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

The Christmas season comes to an end tomorrow, Feast of the Epiphany. Until then, the days following the Octave of Christmas are called Christmas weekdays.

Saturday, January 5, Christmas Weekday

Third photo from left shows St. John Neumann's remains at his National Shrine in Philadelphia.
ST. JOHN NEPOMUCENE NEUMANN (Jan Nepomucyk Neumann)(b Bohemia 1811, d USA 1860), Missionary and Bishop
It's very strange that the Czech-born saint left his native land to go to the United States at age 24 because no bishop in Europe would ordain
him as a priest. The reason: there were too many priests already! He came to the US, was ordained, became a Redemptorist father after 4 years
(the first one in the US), and did missionary work in several states before he was appointed at age 41 to be the third Bishop of Philadelphia.
A great organizer, he changed the parochial school system into a diocesan one, resulting in a 20-fold increase in enrolment, He also brought in
religious teaching orders to serve the city. In life, he was reputed for his holiness and learning, his writings and his preaching. In 1963, he became
the first American bishop to be beatified, and then to become a saint when he was canonized in 1997. President Obama's gift to Benedict XVI
when he visited in July 2009 was the original pallium that had been placed on St. John's remains.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010512.cfm


AT THE VATICAN TODAY

No events announced for the Holy Father.

The Vatican announced that Benedict XVI has named Mons. Jean-Paul Gobel, till now Apostolic Nuncio to Iran,
as the Apostolic Nuncio to Egypt and Vatican observer at the League of Arab States.
[It's strange there is no mention of the previous Nuncio to Egypt and Arab League observer, the British Mons. Michael Fitzgerald. I have looked back and do not see any announcement that he had resigned! Almost at the start of his Pontificate, Benedict XVI had 'reassigned' Fitzgerald to the Nunciature in Egypt from having been president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialog under John Paul II. The open speculation at the time was that it was because he 'pushed' the Muslim agenda too hard, but during his service in Egypt, he appeared to be an unexceptionable representative of the Holy Father. P.S. It turns out Fitzgerald turned 75 and took the option to retire.]