Thursday, May 2, Fifth Week of Easter
MEMORIAL OF ST. ATHANASIUS
From left, 2 Greek icons of the saint, followed by 2 Coptic icons, a statue in the Vatican, the Four Doctors at the foot of Peter's Chair (from left, Ambrose, Athanasius, John Chrysostom and Augustine),
and another Greek icon.
ST. ATHANASIUS (Egypt 297-373), Theologian, Patriarch of Alexandria, Champion against Arianism, Patron of the Coptic Church, Doctor of the Church
Benedict XVI dedicated a catechesis on June 20, 2007, to this towering figure of the early Church, who is considered the Doctor of Orthodoxy. He was born in Alexandria, acquired a classical education and became secretary to the Bishop of the city, late being named Bishop himself. He was always a great champion against Arianism which denied the divinity of Jesus and was prevalent at the time. Because of his disputes with the Arians, he was exiled by Emperor Constantine, later restored by his son, but deposed again by Arian bishops. Pope Julius I called a Synod to review his case and returned him to his seat, but five times more in his lifetime, he would be exiled for defending the divinity of Christ. All his life, he was devoted to monastic ideals, and his biography of St. Anthony Abbot became the first universal best-seller in Christianity, inspiring the beginnings of Western monasticism. He argued against the Arians in the first Council of Nicaea. His most famous theological work is De Incarnatione, in which he made the statement "God made himself man so that we may be made God". He died peacefully in Alexandria, but his remains were brought to Italy where it stayed for centuries until Paul VI returned them to the Coptic Pope in 1970. Athanasius's tomb is now in the Coptic Cathedral of St. Mark in Cairo. Athanasius was one of the four great Doctors of the Eastern Church proclaimed by Pope St. Pius V in 1568, along with Saints Basil the Great, Gregory Nazianzene and John Chrysostom.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/050213.cfm
AT THE VATICAN TODAY
Pope Francis met with
= Mons. Claudio Maria Celli, Pfresident of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
:
= H.E. Jozef Dravecký, Ambassador from Slovakia, who made his farewell visit.
And in the afternoon with
= Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Sainthood
Later, he welcomed emeritus Pope Benedict XVI on his return to the Vatican to take up permanent residence
at the Mater Ecclesiae convent. They prayed together in the chapel of the convent.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 03/05/2013 03:24]