I wish OR would perform this service more regularly - and provide the appropriate pictures. The Pope with Vagni and his family would have been good - his wife is Thai and they have a little daughter.
Sidelights after
the GA today
Translated from
the 3/4/10 issue of
Left, Vagni shortly after he was released by Muslim guerrillas; right, the all-gypsy orchestra Rezko who played for the Pope.
A released hostage
thanks the Pope
"But are you a friend of the Pope? He wishes you well and is asking for your release". Eugenio Vagni, the Red Cross worker who was kept hostage for 178 days by Muslim guerrillas in the Philippines from January to July 2009, says he learned from his captors of Benedict XVI's public appeals in his behalf.
"To feel the Pope's nearness," says Vagni now, "gave me courage in those terrible moments. I was afraid they would behead me. Today, I have come with my family to thank him".
Pastoral ministry for gypsies
Also at the Wednesday general audience were officials of the pastoral ministry for gypsies, who came to Rome for a meeting of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant Workers. They presented to the Pope their pioneering experiences and had a surprising piece of information for him: There are currently 120 gypsies who have embraced the religious life, and 70 have already been ordained as priests.
Their ministry has two golden rules which they said were proposed by the gypsy community itself: to listen to them and live with them, and to help them but not with mere assistentialism.
One Padre Luigi is cited as a priest who has lived with the nomad communities for 30 years, sharing their life of emargination and poverty.
"It is a matter of promoting together evangelization and human promotion," said Paolo Ciani of the Sant'Egidio Community, "bearing witness to the Gospel in the disadvantaged situation that ethnic gypsies find themselves in".
Helping give voice to the gypsies yesterday was an all-gypsy orchestra from Hungary, the Rejko. They played the Overture to the opera William Tell by Gioacchino Rossini for the Pope before he began his plurilingual greetings.
"The Vatican is the 100th nation where we have played," said the conductor Istvan Gerandasi, who underscored "the positive message that comes from the art and the dissemination of popular gypsy traditions".
New crowns for the
Black Madonna of Czestochowa
At the end of the audience yesterday, the Pope blessed two new crowns for the image of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, in which are imbedded stones from the moon and other planets, along with stones from Jerusalem and Nazareth.
Benedict XVI was also shown "the stars, in precious gems, that will adorn the new garments we are preparing for the image", according to the prior of Czestochowa, Fr. Roman Majewski.
"We had new crowns made to commemorate the gifts of Pius X a hundred years ago. We believe Czestochowa continues to be the key for understanding the identity of the Polish people".
For the 5th centenary of
the Marian apparition in
Motta di Livenza
The Pope also blessed the votive lamp for the celebrations of the fifth centenary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin in Motta di Livenza*.
"Starting March 9, the lamp will be lit at the Basilica of the Madonna dei Miracoli," said its rector, Fr, Alfonso Cracco, who said that the location of the chrine at the crossroads of four dioceses - Vittorio Veneto, Treviso, Pordenone and Venice - makes it a popular place for pilgrimages and confessions".
I must confess I had never heard of Motta di Livenza before! This is what Wikipedia says about it:
Basilica of Motta di Livenza, built near the spot where Giovanni Cigana reported the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him on March 9, 1510 during his praying of the rosary. She asked him and the inhabitants of the area to fast as an act of repentance for sin for at least three consecutive Saturdays, pray to God for mercy, and to build a basilica on the site so that people could come for prayer. The Marian apparition was subsequently investigated and proclaimed worthy of belief by Pope Julius II.
These are some images from the official site of the Basilica of the Madonna dei Miracoli:
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 04/03/2010 02:46]