Castel Sant'Angelo Papal Exhibit

"Special Bond with the See of Peter"-B16

CNA:

Vatican City, Nov 11, 2009 / 12:11 pm (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI focused his remarks at today's General Audience on the monastic reform linked to the monastery of Cluny. The rich cultural and religious heritage of those centuries, he said, should be rediscovered, appreciated and defended by all those who are concerned about the future of Europe.

The Order of Cluny was born in 910, thanks to a donation from William the Pious, the Pope explained to the 9,000 pilgrims in the Paul VI Hall. This monastic revival began in Cluny, "which at the beginning of the twelfth century came to include almost 1,200 monasteries.”

In particular, the revival consisted of the Benedictine rule being restored, “with some adaptations and above all the central role of the liturgy in Christian life with great care to chants, psalms, liturgy of the hours, the celebration of Holy Mass, enriching the worship of God with displays of art and music and introducing new festivals in early November as a celebration for the dead," said the Holy Father.

Another key component of the reform identified by Pope Benedict was that the monastery of Cluny and its dependent communities were placed directly under the jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff. “This begot a special bond with the See of Peter and, thanks precisely to the protection and encouragement of the Popes, the ideals of purity and faithfulness, which the Cluniac reform set itself to pursue, were able to spread rapidly.”

Benedict XVI highlighted how "the Cluniac reform had positive effects not only on the purification and revitalization of monastic life, but also on the life of the universal Church."

The Church at the time was afflicted with two serious problems, simony, that is, the selling of clerical positions, and the immorality of the secular clergy. Thanks to the service of Cluniac monks who became bishops and popes, renewal began to spread through the Church.

The Pope explained, “The celibacy of priests again became respected and practiced, and more transparent procedures were introduced into the process of assigning ecclesiastical office." In an era when only ecclesiastical institutions provided for the needy, charitable actions were promoted.

He also explained how the monks of Cluny promoted the so-called “truces of God” and the “peace of God.” “In a period deeply marked by violence and the spirit of vendetta, the 'truces of God' ensured long periods of non-belligerence on specific religious feasts and on certain days of the week. The 'peace of God' called, under pain of canonical censure, for innocent people at holy sites to be respected," the Pope recalled.

The reform of Cluny, the Holy Father said, “kept alive attention to the primacy of God, it encouraged institutions to promote human values, it educated people to a spirit of peace."

“Let us pray,” the Pontiff concluded, “that all those people who have true humanism and the future of Europe at heart may know how to rediscover, appreciate and defend the rich cultural and religious heritage of those centuries."

See English language remarks here.

Benedict XVI-Jordan Pics & Video

Pictures Source: Sky News


Hat Tip: A Catholic View

Papal Interview on Shepherd One

During His flight to Jordan, Pope Benedict XVI held a news conference.

Below is the text version, as reported by ZENIT:

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, MAY 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the unofficial transcript of the press conference Benedict XVI gave today aboard the papal plane en route to Amman, Jordan, on the first leg of his Holy Land trip.

* * *

Father Lombardi: Your Holiness, we thank you for granting us an encounter with you at the beginning of a trip that is so important and difficult. Among other things, you have given us as well the opportunity to wish you a good trip and to tell you that we will collaborate in disseminating the message that you wish to give. As is habitual, the questions we now ask are the result of a collection of questions posed by all the colleagues here present. I ask them for logistical reasons, but they are in reality the fruit of team work.

Your Holiness, this trip takes place at very delicate moment for the Middle East: There are strong tensions -- during the Gaza crisis it was speculated that you would not make this trip. At the same time, a few days after your trip, the political leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority will meet with [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama. Do you think that you could contribute to the peace process that now seems to be running aground?

Benedict XVI: Good morning! Before all else, I would like to thank you all for the work you have done, and I wish you all a good trip, a good pilgrimage, and a good return.

Regarding the question, certainly I intend to contribute to peace, but not as an individual, but in the name of the Catholic Church, of the Holy See. We are not a political power, but rather a spiritual force, and this spiritual force is a reality that can contribute to the progress of the peace process.

I see [a contribution to be made on] three levels: As believers, we are convinced that prayer is a true force. It opens the world to God: We are convinced that God listens and that he can act in history. I think that if millions of people -- believers -- would pray, it could really be a force that could influence and contribute to the advancement of peace.

Second point: We try to help in the formation of consciences. The conscience is the capacity of mankind to perceive the truth, but particular interests often block this capacity. And it is a big job to liberate from these interests, to open more to the truth, to the true values: It is a duty of the Church to help one to know the true criteria, the true values, and to liberate ourselves from particular interests.

And thus, the third point, let us draw reason in as well -- precisely this is it: precisely because we are not a political party, perhaps too we can more easily, with the light of faith, see the true criteria, help bring an understanding of what contributes to peace and speak to reason, to support the truly reasonable positions. And this we have already done, and we want to do so now and in the future.

Father Lombardi: Thank you, Your Holiness.

Second question: As a theologian, you have reflected in particular on the common roots that unite Christians and Jews. How is it possible that, despite the efforts of dialogue, misunderstandings often occur? How do you see the future of dialogue between the two communities?

Benedict XVI: The important thing is that in reality we have the same roots, the same Books of the Old Testament that are -- as much for the Jews as for us -- the Book of Revelation. But naturally, after 2,000 years of living a distinct history, even a separate one, the fact that misunderstandings arise shouldn't be a surprise. Traditions of interpretation, language, and thinking have been formed that are very distinct, we could say a "semantic cosmos" that is very distinct, in such a way that the same word for both traditions signifies different things. And with the use of these words that, in the course of history have taken on different meanings, obviously misunderstandings are born.

We should do everything to learn the language of the other, and it seems to me that we have made great progress. Today we have the possibility of the youth, of the future professors of theology, who can study in Jerusalem, in the Hebrew university, and the Jews have academic contact with us: In this way an encounter of the distinct "semantic cosmos" is made possible.

We learn mutually and we advance on the path of true dialogue, we learn from one another and I am sure and convinced that we are making progress. And this would also help peace, and what is more, reciprocal love.

Father Lombardi: Your Holiness, in this journey you have two essential dimensions of inter religious dialogue, with Islam and with Jews. Is there a common message that has to do with the three religions that make reference to Abraham?

Benedict XVI: Certainly there exists a common message, and there will be an occasion to present it and, despite the difference of origins, we have common roots, because, as I have said, Christianity is born of the Old Testament, and the writings of the New Testament wouldn't exist without the Old, because it refers permanently to Scripture, that is to say, to the Old Testament.
Islam was also born in an environment where Judaism and various branches of Christianity, Judeo-Christianity, Antiochian-Byzantine-Christianity were present, and all these circumstances are reflected in the tradition of the Quran. In this way we have much in common from our origins, in the faith in the one God. For that, it is important on one hand to maintain dialogue with the two parts -- with the Jews and with Islam -- and as well a trilateral dialogue.

I myself have cofounded a foundation for the dialogue between the three religions where figures such as Metropolitain Damaskinos and the chief rabbi of France, René-Samuel Sirat, etc. gathered. This foundation also published an edition of the books of the three religions: the Quran, the New Testament and the Old Testament. For this reason the trilateral dialogue should go forward, it is very important for peace, and as well for living one's own religion well.

Father Lombardi: A last question. Your Holiness, you have often mentioned the problem of the decline of the Christians in the Middle East, and also in particular in the Holy Land. It is a phenomenon with various reasons of a political, economic and social character. What can be done to help the Christians in the region? What contribution do you hope to give with your trip? Is there hope for these Christians in the future? Do you have a particular message as well for the Christians of Gaza that will come to see you in Bethlehem?

Benedict XVI: Certainly there is hope, because now is a moment, as you have said, that is difficult, but also a moment of hope, of a new start, of a new impulse in the path toward peace, and we want to encourage the Christians in the Holy Land, and in all of the Middle East, to stay, to give their contribution to the countries of their origins: They are important components of life in these regions.

Specifically the Church, beyond words of encouragement, has schools and hospitals. In this sense we have a very concrete presence. Our schools form a generation that will have the possibility to be present in public life. We are creating the Catholic University in Jordan, it seems to me this is a great place where the youth -- both Muslims and Christians -- meet, learn together, where a Christian elite is formed that is prepared specifically to work for peace.

But generally, our schools are very important opportunities to open up a future for Christians, and the hospitals show our presence. Furthermore, there are many Christian associations that help Christians in various ways, and with specific help they encourage them to stay. In this way I hope that Christians are able to find the value, the humility, the patience to stay in these countries, to offer their contribution to their nation's future.

Father Lombardi: Thank you, Your Holiness, with these answers you have helped to set the tone for our trip from a spiritual point of view, and from a cultural point of view. I repeat the wishes, also on behalf of all the colleagues here present, and on behalf of those flying now to the Holy Land to help with the media end of this trip, for the success of this difficult mission. Have a good trip and, good work as well to all our colleagues.

Swiss Guard Day @ the Vatican

Mons. Fernando Filoni, right, and another prelate help dress a Vatican Swiss Guard during a celebration of the 1527 Sack of Rome, in the courtyard of the headquarters of the Swiss Guards, at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 6, 2009. On Wednesday afternoon, the Swiss Guards will swear in 32 new recruits. The ceremony is held each May 6 to commemorate the 147 Swiss Guards who died protecting Pope Clement VII during the 1527 Sack of Rome carried out by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.(AP Photo/Danilo Schiavella, pool)

Pope Benedict XVI, center, walks with Archbishop James Harvey, of the US, prefect of the Papal Household as a Vatican Swiss Guard stands guard in the foreground, during the pontiff's weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 6, 2009. The Vatican's Swiss Guards will swear in 32 new recruits later Wednesday amid suggestions from their new commander that women might one day join their ranks. Col. Daniel Anrig said Tuesday he was open to the idea of women serving in the elite, 500-year-old papal security force, reversing the long-held position of his predecessors. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

See a slideshow of photos here.

Read about the possible introduction of female guards here.

Official duties of the Guard can be found at the Vatican website here.

Hat Tip: Orbis Catholicvs

Lukashenko in Rome

Source: Vatican You Tube

Divine Mercy Sunday

Source: Apostleship of Prayer

Read more about the great Sister Faustina here.

Happy Easter: Christ is Risen!!!

Source: Vatican You Tube



Source: Apostleship of Prayer



Hat Tip: A Catholic View

Pope's Easter Vigil Homily

Catholic News Service reports:

VATICAN CITY — Here is the Vatican’s English translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s homily this evening at the Easter vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Saint Mark tells us in his Gospel that as the disciples came down from the Mount of the Transfiguration, they were discussing among themselves what “rising from the dead” could mean (cf. Mk 9:10). A little earlier, the Lord had foretold his passion and his resurrection after three days. Peter had protested against this prediction of death. But now, they were wondering what could be meant by the word “resurrection”. Could it be that we find ourselves in a similar situation? Christmas, the birth of the divine Infant, we can somehow immediately comprehend. We can love the child, we can imagine that night in Bethlehem, Mary’s joy, the joy of Saint Joseph and the shepherds, the exultation of the angels. But what is resurrection?

It does not form part of our experience, and so the message often remains to some degree beyond our understanding, a thing of the past. The Church tries to help us understand it, by expressing this mysterious event in the language of symbols in which we can somehow contemplate this astonishing event. During the Easter Vigil, the Church points out the significance of this day principally through three symbols: light, water, and the new song - the Alleluia.

First of all, there is light. God’s creation - which has just been proclaimed to us in the Biblical narrative - begins with the command: “Let there be light!” (Gen 1:3). Where there is light, life is born, chaos can be transformed into cosmos. In the Biblical message, light is the most immediate image of God: He is total Radiance, Life, Truth, Light. During the Easter Vigil, the Church reads the account of creation as a prophecy. In the resurrection, we see the most sublime fulfilment of what this text describes as the beginning of all things. God says once again: “Let there be light!” The resurrection of Jesus is an eruption of light. Death is conquered, the tomb is thrown open. The Risen One himself is Light, the Light of the world. With the resurrection, the Lord’s day enters the nights of history. Beginning with the resurrection, God’s light spreads throughout the world and throughout history. Day dawns. This Light alone - Jesus Christ - is the true light, something more than the physical phenomenon of light. He is pure Light: God himself, who causes a new creation to be born in the midst of the old, transforming chaos into cosmos.


Let us try to understand this a little better. Why is Christ Light? In the Old Testament, the Torah was considered to be like the light coming from God for the world and for humanity. The Torah separates light from darkness within creation, that is to say, good from evil. It points out to humanity the right path to true life. It points out the good, it demonstrates the truth and it leads us towards love, which is the deepest meaning contained in the Torah. It is a “lamp” for our steps and a “light” for our path (cf. Ps 119:105). Christians, then, knew that in Christ, the Torah is present, the Word of God is present in him as Person. The Word of God is the true light that humanity needs. This Word is present in him, in the Son. Psalm 19 had compared the Torah to the sun which manifests God’s glory as it rises, for all the world to see.


Christians understand: yes indeed, in the resurrection, the Son of God has emerged as the Light of the world. Christ is the great Light from which all life originates. He enables us to recognize the glory of God from one end of the earth to the other. He points out our path. He is the Lord’s day which, as it grows, is gradually spreading throughout the earth. Now, living with him and for him, we can live in the light.

At the Easter Vigil, the Church represents the mystery of the light of Christ in the sign of the Paschal candle, whose flame is both light and heat. The symbolism of light is connected with that of fire: radiance and heat, radiance and the transforming energy contained in the fire - truth and love go together. The Paschal candle burns, and is thereby consumed: Cross and resurrection are inseparable. From the Cross, from the Son’s self-giving, light is born, true radiance comes into the world. From the Paschal candle we all light our own candles, especially the newly baptized, for whom the light of Christ enters deeply into their hearts in this Sacrament.


The early Church described Baptism as fotismos, as the Sacrament of illumination, as a communication of light, and linked it inseparably with the resurrection of Christ. In Baptism, God says to the candidate: “Let there be light!” The candidate is brought into the light of Christ. Christ now divides the light from the darkness. In him we recognize what is true and what is false, what is radiance and what is darkness. With him, there wells up within us the light of truth, and we begin to understand. On one occasion when Christ looked upon the people who had come to listen to him, seeking some guidance from him, he felt compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd (cf. Mk 6:34).


Amid the contradictory messages of that time, they did not know which way to turn. What great compassion he must feel in our own time too - on account of all the endless talk that people hide behind, while in reality they are totally confused. Where must we go? What are the values by which we can order our lives? The values by which we can educate our young, without giving them norms they may be unable to resist, or demanding of them things that perhaps should not be imposed upon them? He is the Light.


The baptismal candle is the symbol of enlightenment that is given to us in Baptism. Thus at this hour, Saint Paul speaks to us with great immediacy. In the Letter to the Philippians, he says that, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, Christians should shine as lights in the world (cf. Phil 2:15). Let us pray to the Lord that the fragile flame of the candle he has lit in us, the delicate light of his word and his love amid the confusions of this age, will not be extinguished in us, but will become ever stronger and brighter, so that we, with him, can be people of the day, bright stars lighting up our time.

The second symbol of the Easter Vigil - the night of Baptism - is water. It appears in Sacred Scripture, and hence also in the inner structure of the Sacrament of Baptism, with two opposed meanings. On the one hand there is the sea, which appears as a force antagonistic to life on earth, continually threatening it; yet God has placed a limit upon it. Hence the book of Revelation says that in God’s new world, the sea will be no more (cf. 21:1). It is the element of death. And so it becomes the symbolic representation of Jesus’ death on the Cross: Christ descended into the sea, into the waters of death, as Israel did into the Red Sea. Having risen from death, he gives us life. This means that Baptism is not only a cleansing, but a new birth: with Christ we, as it were, descend into the sea of death, so as to rise up again as new creatures.

The other way in which we encounter water is in the form of the fresh spring that gives life, or the great river from which life comes forth. According to the earliest practice of the Church, Baptism had to be administered with water from a fresh spring. Without water there is no life. It is striking how much importance is attached to wells in Sacred Scripture. They are places from which life rises forth. Beside Jacob’s well, Christ spoke to the Samaritan woman of the new well, the water of true life. He reveals himself to her as the new, definitive Jacob, who opens up for humanity the well that is awaited: the inexhaustible source of life-giving water (cf. Jn 4:5-15). Saint John tells us that a soldier with a lance struck the side of Jesus, and from his open side - from his pierced heart - there came out blood and water (cf. Jn 19:34).

The early Church saw in this a symbol of Baptism and Eucharist flowing from the pierced heart of Jesus. In his death, Jesus himself became the spring. The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of the new Temple from which a spring issues forth that becomes a great life-giving river (cf. Ezek 47:1-12). In a land which constantly suffered from drought and water shortage, this was a great vision of hope. Nascent Christianity understood: in Christ, this vision was fulfilled. He is the true, living Temple of God. He is the spring of living water. From him, the great river pours forth, which in Baptism renews the world and makes it fruitful; the great river of living water, his Gospel which makes the earth fertile. In a discourse during the Feast of Tabernacles, though, Jesus prophesied something still greater: “Whoever believes in me … out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38).

In Baptism, the Lord makes us not only persons of light, but also sources from which living water bursts forth. We all know people like that, who leave us somehow refreshed and renewed; people who are like a fountain of fresh spring water. We do not necessarily have to think of great saints like Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and so on, people through whom rivers of living water truly entered into human history. Thanks be to God, we find them constantly even in our daily lives: people who are like a spring. Certainly, we also know the opposite: people who spread around themselves an atmosphere like a stagnant pool of stale, or even poisoned water. Let us ask the Lord, who has given us the grace of Baptism, for the gift always to be sources of pure, fresh water, bubbling up from the fountain of his truth and his love!

The third great symbol of the Easter Vigil is something rather different; it has to do with man himself. It is the singing of the new song - the alleluia. When a person experiences great joy, he cannot keep it to himself. He has to express it, to pass it on. But what happens when a person is touched by the light of the resurrection, and thus comes into contact with Life itself, with Truth and Love? He cannot merely speak about it. Speech is no longer adequate. He has to sing. The first reference to singing in the Bible comes after the crossing of the Red Sea. Israel has risen out of slavery. It has climbed up from the threatening depths of the sea. It is as it were reborn. It lives and it is free. The Bible describes the people’s reaction to this great event of salvation with the verse: “The people … believed in the Lord and in Moses his servant” (Ex 14:31). Then comes the second reaction which, with a kind of inner necessity, follows from the first one: “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord …”

At the Easter Vigil, year after year, we Christians intone this song after the third reading, we sing it as our song, because we too, through God’s power, have been drawn forth from the water and liberated for true life.

There is a surprising parallel to the story of Moses’ song after Israel’s liberation from Egypt upon emerging from the Red Sea, namely in the Book of Revelation of Saint John. Before the beginning of the seven last plagues imposed upon the earth, the seer has a vision of something “like a sea of glass mingled with fire; and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb …” (Rev 15:2f.).

This image describes the situation of the disciples of Jesus Christ in every age, the situation of the Church in the history of this world. Humanly speaking, it is self-contradictory. On the one hand, the community is located at the Exodus, in the midst of the Red Sea, in a sea which is paradoxically ice and fire at the same time. And must not the Church, so to speak, always walk on the sea, through the fire and the cold? Humanly speaking, she ought to sink. But while she is still walking in the midst of this Red Sea, she sings - she intones the song of praise of the just: the song of Moses and of the Lamb, in which the Old and New Covenants blend into harmony. While, strictly speaking, she ought to be sinking, the Church sings the song of thanksgiving of the saved. She is standing on history’s waters of death and yet she has already risen. Singing, she grasps at the Lord’s hand, which holds her above the waters. And she knows that she is thereby raised outside the force of gravity of death and evil - a force from which otherwise there would be no way of escape - raised and drawn into the new gravitational force of God, of truth and of love. At present she is still between the two gravitational fields.

But once Christ is risen, the gravitational pull of love is stronger than that of hatred; the force of gravity of life is stronger than that of death. Perhaps this is actually the situation of the Church in every age? It always seems as if she ought to be sinking, and yet she is always already saved. Saint Paul illustrated this situation with the words: “We are as dying, and behold we live” (2 Cor 6:9). The Lord’s saving hand holds us up, and thus we can already sing the song of the saved, the new song of the risen ones: alleluia! Amen.

Photo courtesy of (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Way of the Cross Benedict XVI Video

Hat Tip: NCRegister.com

Colusseum Cross Procession

April 10: A large, fire-lit cross is seen overlooking the ancient Colosseum prior to the start of the Good Friday Way of the Cross procession. (AP)

Accompanying Fox News story below:

ROME — Pope Benedict XVI presided over a torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum on Good Friday and said he was praying so that people who suffered losses in Italy's devastating quake can see the light of hope in their dark hour.

Tens of thousands of faithful, clutching prayer books and candles in paper lanterns, turned out for the traditional Holy Week appointment at the ancient Roman arena.

"Let us pray for all those who feel sorrow, above all for those suffering in the quake-stricken area of L'Aquila," Benedict urged, speaking at the end of the procession about the Apennine mountain town near the epicenter.

"Let us pray that the star of hope appears to them in this dark night," he said.
Suffering and hope were the motif of the meditations read aloud as faithful carried the slender, lightweight cross in the shadows cast by the Colosseum's massive stones.

Benedict told the faithful they had come to "sing together a hymn of hope. We want to tell ourselves that all is not lost in moments of difficulty."

Benedict, who turns 82 next week, wore a crimson-colored, ermine-trimmed cape against the cool night air. Kneeling on a terrace overlooking the Colosseum, he folded his hands in prayer and bowed his head in reflection. (Read entire article here)

Holy Thursday

Source: Apostleship of Prayer





Source: Vatican You Tube

Catholic Culture's Holy Thursday entry:

The last three days of Holy Week are referred to as the Easter or Sacred Triduum (Triduum Sacrum), the three-part drama of Christ's redemption: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

Holy Thursday is also known as "Maundy Thursday." The word maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum (commandment) which is the first word of the Gospel acclamation:

Mandátum novum do vobis dicit Dóminus, ut diligátis ínvicem, sicut diléxi vos:
"I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34)

These are the words spoken by our Lord to His apostles at the Last Supper, after he completed the washing of the feet. We should imitate Christ's humility in the washing of the feet.

By meditating on the Gospels (cf. Matt 26:1 ff.; Mark 14:1 ff.; Luke 22:1 ff.; John 13:1 ff.), we can recall to mind Jesus' actions of that day.

Father Bernard Strasser summarizes all the events of that first Holy Thursday:

...They included: (1) The eating of the Easter lamb or the paschal meal; (2) The washing of the disciple's feet; (3) The institution of the Most Holy Eucharist (the first Mass at which Jesus Christ, the eternal high priest, is the celebrant; the first Communion of the apostles; the first conferring of Holy Orders); (4) The foretelling of Judas' betrayal and Peter's denials; (5) The farewell discourse and priestly prayer of Jesus; (6) The agony and capture of Jesus in the Garden of Olives. — ©1947, With Christ Through the Year

In all the German speaking countries, Slavic nations and in Hungary this day is also known as "Green Thursday." The word is a corruption of the German word grunen (to mourn) to the German word for green (grün). Many people believe they must eat green at today's meal, which is probably derived from from the Jewish Passover meal that included bitter herbs.

Read the Holy Father's Mass of the Holy Oils homily here.

New Benedict XVI Holy Land Travel Blog

There is a new blog specifically associated with Pope Benedict XVI's trip to the Holy Land. For those who want up to date exclusive news regarding the Holy Father's every important apostolic journey I urge you to access it or peruse it regularly.

Click here for the Pope Benedict in Israel blog.

Moreover, their associated site, Catholic Friends of Israel, also disseminates pertinent information in relation to the Holy See and the great state of Israel.

As such, read the Bishop of Rome's itinerary below:

Friday, May 8 (Rome, Amman)

9:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m.) Departure from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport.

2:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.) Arrival at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. Welcoming ceremony. Speech by pope.

3:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m.) Visit to the Regina Pacis center in Amman. Speech by pope.

5:40 p.m. (10:40 a.m.) Courtesy visit to the king and queen of Jordan at the royal palace in Amman.

Saturday, May 9 (Amman, Mount Nebo, Madaba)

7:15 a.m. (12:15 a.m.) Private Mass in chapel of apostolic nunciature in Amman.

9:15 a.m. (2:15 a.m.) Visit to the Memorial Church of Moses at Mount Nebo. Speech by pope.

10:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m.) Pope blesses the cornerstone of the Latin Patriarchate's University of Madaba. Speech by pope.

11:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m.) Visit to the Hashemite Museum and the King Hussein Mosque in Amman.
11:45 a.m. (4:45 a.m.) Meeting with Muslim leaders, diplomats and rectors of the University of Jordan outside the mosque. Speech by pope.

5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m.) Celebration of evening prayer in the Melkite Cathedral of St. George in Amman, attended by priests, men and women religious, seminarians and members of church movements. Speech by pope.

Sunday, May 10 (Amman, Bethany Beyond the Jordan)

10 a.m. (3 a.m.) Mass at Amman's soccer stadium. Homily by pope. Recitation of Angelus. Talk by pope.

12:45 p.m. (5:45 a.m.) Lunch with patriarchs, bishops and the papal entourage in the Latin-rite vicariate of Amman.

5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m.) Visit to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the site where Jesus was baptized.

6 p.m. (11 a.m.) Blessing of cornerstones for a Latin Catholic church and Melkite Catholic church at Bethany Beyond the Jordan. Speech by pope.

Monday, May 11 (Amman, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem)

7:30 a.m. (12:30 a.m.) Private Mass in chapel of apostolic nunciature in Amman.

10 a.m. (3 a.m.) Departure ceremony at Queen Alia International Airport. Speech by pope.

10:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m.) Departure for Israel.

11 a.m. (4 a.m.) Welcoming ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. Speech by pope.

4:15 p.m. (9:15 a.m.) Courtesy visit to President Shimon Peres in presidential palace in Jerusalem. Speech by pope.

5:45 p.m. (10:45 a.m.) Visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. Speech by pope.

6:45 p.m. (11:45 a.m.) Meeting with organizations involved with interreligious dialogue at the Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center. Speech by pope.

Tuesday, May 12 (Jerusalem)

9 a.m. (2 a.m.) Visit to the Dome of the Rock and courtesy visit to the grand mufti. Speech by pope.

10 a.m. (3 a.m.) Visit to the Western Wall.

10:45 a.m. (3:45 a.m.) Courtesy visit to two chief rabbis of Jerusalem at the Hechal Shlomo center. Speech by pope.

11:50 a.m. (4:50 a.m.) Recitation of the "Regina Coeli" prayer at the chapel of the Cenacle together with the Catholic ordinaries of the Holy Land. Speech by pope.

12:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m.) Brief visit to the Latin Patriarchate's co-cathedral.

1 p.m. (6 a.m.) Lunch with the Catholic ordinaries of the Holy Land at the Latin Patriarchate.

4:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m.) Mass in the Josafat Valley. Homily by pope.

Wednesday, May 13 (Jerusalem, Bethlehem)

9 a.m. (2 a.m.) Welcome ceremony in the square in front of the presidential palace of Bethlehem. Speech by pope.

10 a.m. (3 a.m.) Mass in Manger Square. Homily by pope.

12:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m.) Lunch with the Catholic ordinaries and Franciscan community of the Holy Land and the papal entourage in the Casa Nova guesthouse.

3:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m.) Private visit to the grotto in the Church of the Nativity.

4:10 p.m. (9:10 a.m.) Visit to the Caritas Children's Hospital.

4:45 p.m. (9:45 a.m.) Visit to the Aida refugee camp. Speech by pope.

6 p.m. (11 a.m.) Courtesy visit to the president of the Palestinian Authority in the presidential palace.

6:40 p.m. (11:40 a.m.) Farewell ceremony in the courtyard of the presidential palace. Speech by pope.

Thursday, May 14 (Nazareth)

10 a.m. (3 a.m.) Mass on Mount Precipice in Nazareth. Homily by pope.

12:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m.) Lunch with the Catholic ordinaries and Franciscan community of the Holy Land and the papal entourage in the Franciscan convent.

3:50 p.m. (8:50 a.m.) Meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the Franciscan convent.

4:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m.) Pope greets religious leaders of Galilee in the auditorium of the Basilica of the Annunciation. Speech by pope.

5 p.m. (10 a.m.) Visit to the Grotto of the Annunciation.

5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m.) Celebration of evening prayer in the upper Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth attended by bishops, priests, men and women religious, seminarians, members of church movements and pastoral workers of Galilee. Speech by pope.

Friday, May 15 (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Rome)

7:30 a.m. (12:30 a.m.) Private Mass in chapel of the apostolic delegation in Jerusalem.

9:15 a.m. (2:15 a.m.) Ecumenical meeting in the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Speech by pope.

10:15 a.m. (3:15 a.m.) Visit to the Holy Sepulcher. Speech by pope.

11:10 a.m. (4:10 a.m.) Visit to the Armenian Apostolic patriarchate's Church of St. Jacob.

1:30 p.m. (6:30 a.m.) Farewell ceremony at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Speech by pope.

2 p.m. (7 a.m.) Departure from the Ben Gurion International Airport for Rome.

4:50 p.m. (10:50 a.m.) Arrival at Rome's Ciampino airport.

Newt's Catholic Conversion-Video

Hat Tip: Da Mihi Animas

Plus, The Weekly Standard denotes Newt's aggressive critique of the Obama Administration:

The U.S. is at greater risk of terrorist attack because of the Obama administration's actions, Newt Gingrich said Monday.

In a chat with POLITICO readers, Gingrich also called the administration’s response to the North Korean missile launch a “vivid demonstration of weakness in foreign policy.” He said Obama’s proposals for a resumption of nuclear arms limitation talks reflected “a dangerous fantasy that runs an enormous risk. ... Not since Jimmy Carter have we had an administration this out of touch with reality.”

“Dick Cheney is clearly right in saying that between the court decisions about terrorists and the administration actions, the United States is running greater risks of getting attacked than we were under President Bush,” said the former speaker of the House and Georgia congressman.

Palm Sunday & World Youth Day-UPDATE

Source: Vatican You Tube



Source: Apostleship of Prayer

Read or here the Holy Father's Sunday Angelus here.

Palm Sunday & World Youth Day

Photo Hat Tip: Catholic Fire

Hat Tip: A Catholic View

Benedict XVI Champions JP2

Source: Apostleship of Prayer



Source: Vatican You Tube



Hat Tip: Orbis Catholicvs

John Paul II-We Miss You

Hat Tip: A Catholic View

Today's remembrance in his native country of Poland is particularly special and poignant:

Krakow, Poland, Apr 2, 2009 / 03:50 am (CNA).- On Thursday Poland will mark the fourth anniversary of the death of Servant of God Pope John Paul II with prayers, poetry and music as a website advocates for his beatification. A web page has been created where readers can sign in and endorse the “Saint now” appeal launched in St. Peter’s Square on the day of the pontiff’s funeral.

“The page was not opened to pressure people or try to speed up the beatification process, but to send a tangible sign that the words ‘Saint now’ were not just uttered on the spur of the moment,” the page organizers said, according to SIR.

The appeal says “John Paul II exerts great influence on the moral attitudes of the Polish population and lives in our hearts as a saint.”

Signatures to the appeal are displayed under a short prayer thanking God for the gift of Pope John Paul II and asking that he be beatified soon, SIR reports.

The Polish-language website is located at http://www.beatyfikacjajp2.pl/

Also on Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI will preside at a Mass marking the anniversary of John Paul II. Young people from the diocese of Rome are particularly welcome at the ceremony as a preparation for World Youth Day, which is celebrated on the diocesan level on April 5.

As he does so eloquently & with such elan, Deacon Keith Fournier has a magnificent post today regarding the significance of the late, great Vicar of Christ:

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Catholic Online) - It is hard to believe that it has been four years since the one whom I call with deep affection, “My Champion”, the beloved late Servant of God John Paul II went to the Fathers house. As I grow older it has become so clear that he is the man who has most influenced my life and shaped my thought. He is also the one who singlehandedly turned my whole plan for my own future upside down through the witness of his life and the wisdom of his writings.

Wednesday, his beloved successor, the Servant of the Servants of God, Pope Benedict XVI, told the Pilgrims gathered in Rome "With you, I pray for the gift of beatification," during the General Audience in Saint Peter's Square. To honor his memory I offer this article which I wrote on the day he died and I join my prayer to the chorus of millions “Sancto Subito”!:

“I am happy. You should be too. Let us pray together with joy” Pope John Paul II right before he died.

"I feel that my mission is about to begin, my mission to make God loved as I love him, to teach souls my little way ... the way of trust and absolute surrender ... I will spend heaven doing good on earth." St. Therese

"The words were just announced to a waiting world “Pope John Paul II has died.” The heart of that world has broken. The tears of the faithful will fill rivers. We will pray, and reflect on the life and example of this incredible gift, Pope John Paul II, for centuries to come. We had in our midst, John Paul the Great.

With millions of the faithful throughout the world, I watched and prayed throughout these painful days for our Pope. He showed us how to live for Jesus Christ. He showed us how to love, poured out for others. He showed us that suffering, joined to the Savior, can become a sign of God’s continued mercy and an occasion of grace. Then, he showed us how to die, not with fear, but with faith. Just this morning, he spoke these words to a friend at his bedside “I am happy. You should be too. Let us pray together with joy.”

It seems like only yesterday that he stepped out on to the balcony in St. Peters Square and proclaimed: "Be Not Afraid! Open up, no; swing wide the gates to Christ. Open up to his saving power the confines of the State, open up economic and political systems, the vast empires of culture, civilization and development…. Be not afraid!" He strode onto that platform with strength and vitality.

This mountain climbing Polish Pope was so filled with the love of God that it was contagious. A talented and gifted "man of letters", a playwright, a philosopher, an intellectual giant, a poet, but more importantly, a genuine human being with a heart that embraced the whole world, like the Heart of the One whom he represents on earth. He was truly the “Vicar of Christ”, representing the Lord, the King of Kings, for us all. We had him but a short time.

Now, he is home with the Lord. (Read entire commentary here)

Remembering Pope John Paul II

UPDATE 1:

Sophia Loren writes the Vatican on behalf of the beatification and sainthood of Pope John Paul II. (H/T NCRegister.com)

ANSA.it reports:

(ANSA) - Rome, March 31 - Sophia Loren has lent her weight to the cause of Pope John Paul II reaching sainthood.

The screen star has written to the Vatican official who is putting the case for the late pope's beatification, one step from sainthood, Italian magazine Chi reports in an edition out Wednesday.

''The memory of John Paul II is jealously guarded in my heart,'' says the 74-year-old screen icon.

''It is a daily memory,'' she says, adding that she prayed at the pope's tomb ''to bear witness to my great admiration and devotion''.

Another Italian magazine, Oggi, reported two new alleged miracles Tuesday as part of the dossier being put together by the pope''s 'postulator', Msgr Slawomir Oder: a Polish boy with incurable kidney cancer who reportedly rose from his stretcher after visiting the pope's tomb; and a Texas woman said to have recovered from respiratory failure after being given up for dead.

Beatification is the final stage on the way to being declared a saint. It means that someone can be called 'Blessed' and that the person can be venerated by Catholics in the place where he or she lived, whereas a saint is venerated by the entire Church.

FAST TRACK.

John Paul was put on a beatification fast track after his death in 2005 but the Vatican has repeatedly denied reports that he will get to the pre-sainthood stage any time soon. Despite this, there has been speculation that a June 2009 date would be chosen to coincide with the 30th anniversary of John Paul's election as pope. (Read entire article)

Plus, if you are so inclined you can purchase the following DVD, with trailer below:

A unique 5-DVD collection that chronologically follows, step by step, Pope John Paul II’s life, including his childhood in Poland, his appointment as Pope, his most important foreign visits, and his last days. The last section is dedicated to his touching final farewell to the faithful in Rome. It is the extraordinary portrait of a Pope who spiritually guided millions of people, leaving an indelible mark in the recent history of mankind.


DVD 1. From Crakow to St. Peter’s chair
DVD 2. 1988-1991: The fall of the Berlin Wall
DVD 3. 1992-1995: Witness to Peace
DVD 4. 1996-1999: Towards the III Millennium
DVD 5. 2000-2005: From the Jubilee to the last goodbye

Papal Update: Israel Trip

The Benedict Blog has the following key information regarding the May Papal visit to the Holy Land, which can be found here.