Vatican

• 22 June 2004
  VATICAN - Special holiness of numerous Catholic priests, men and women religious and lay people, persecuted in Mexico and Spain in the 20th century recognised with 16 solemn decrees by Congregation for the Causes of Saints Vatican City (Fides) - This morning, 22 June, in the Sala Clementina in the Vatican, in the presence of Pope John Paul II, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints promulgated Decrees regarding the heroic virtues, mirac ...
• 21 June 2004
  VATICAN - Pope sends President of Pontifical Council Cor Unum to Haiti and Dominican Republic where at least 2,000 people perished in recent floods Vatican City (Fides Service) -Pope John Paul II has sent Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum to Haiti and the Dominican Republic where at least 2,000 people perished and thousands w ...
• 21 June 2004
  VATICAN - Statement from Director of Holy See Press Office on newly approved European Constitutional treaty: satisfaction for new step towards integration but regret for failure to recognise the continent’s Christian roots Vatican City (Fides Service) - On Saturday 19 June the Director of the Holy See’s press office Dr. Joaquín Navarro-Valls, issued the following press statement in Italian: (our English translation). “The means of s ...
• 21 June 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope’s Sunday message : “Everyone needs a safe place in which to live. This is something to which Refugees aspire but in many countries millions are still at collection points or in any case are limited for a long time in the exercise of their rights.” Vatican City (Fides Service) - A vibrant appeal “not to forget our refugee brothers and sisters!” was launched by Pope John Paul II in his message before the Angelus prayer on Sunday 20 June, World Refugee Day. Reca ...
• 17 June 2004
  VATICAN - A reflection on the occasion of the Church’s World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 18 June 2004 Vatican City (Fides Service) - In Italy we have a saying: “you can tell by the way a priest celebrates the Eucharist, the devotion with which he lifts his hands during Mass how much love he has in his heart for Jesus!� ...
• 16 June 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope addresses members of the post-synodal Council for the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops: the new chains binding the continent must be broken “a joint effort must be made by all the forces of society, and especially those of the Church already at work with interventions at every level with abnegation and dedication ”. Vatican City (Fides Service) - “I called the first Special Assembly the "Synod of resurrection and hope" (Ecclesia in Africa, 13) and it was true because already, here and there, we see the first signs of this new bloo ...
• 16 June 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope’s teaching at the General Audience: unwavering trust in God “our refuge and our strength always near in times of anguish…the world and its vicissitudes are governed by the Lord ” Vatican City (Fides Service) - Psalm 45, which Pope John Paul II commented during his teaching at the Wednesday audience in St Peter’s Square, “celebrates the Holy City of Jerusalem, «the City of God, the holy dwell ...
• 15 June 2004
  VATICAN - “The Church wished to ask forgiveness not in a disordered manner but with effective knowledge of that happened because from the truth there is nothing to fear ” Card. Georges Cottier said at the presentation of the Acts of a 1998 International Symposium on the Inquisition Vatican City (Fides Service) - “In the modern epoch in Europe there were roughly about 100,000 trials in civil and ecclesiastical courts. Of these 50,000 were trials by civil courts which led to condemnations to the st ...
• 14 June 2004
  VATICAN - At the Angelus prayer the Pope recalls Corpus Christi and newly called Year of the Eucharist: “Contemplating more assiduously the face of the Incarnate Word, truly present in the Sacrament, the faithful will learn the art of prayer and commitment themselves to that high measure of Christian life indispensable to development effectively new evangelisation.” Vatican City (Fides Service) - The celebration of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ and the announcement of the Year of the Eucharist were the focal point of Pope John Paul II’s address on Sunday 13 June be ...
• 12 June 2004
  VATICAN - “Carry Christ to every environment of daily life” is the mission of Cursillos of Christianity Mons. Ubaldo Speranza of the Italian branch of the movement told Fides the day after the consignment of the Decree of Canonical Recognition. Vatican City (Fides) - “You are the deanery of truth and the power of communion” Pope John Paul II said to members of the Movement Cursillos of Christianity during an audience in St Peter’s Square in 2000. Deanery ...
• 11 June 2004
  VATICAN - On the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Pope speaks of the “close bond between “celebrating the Eucharist and proclaiming Christ. To enter into communion with Him in the memorial of Easter means at the same time to become missionaries of the event relived in the liturgy”. - The Pope announces a ‘Year of the Eucharist’ starting in October on the occasion of the International Eucharistic Congress Vatican City (Fides Service) - “There exists a very close bond between "celebrating the Eucharist" and proclaiming Christ. To enter into communion with Him in the memorial of Easter means at the same time to become mis ...
• 9 June 2004
  VATICAN - At the General Wednesday Audience the Pope reflects on his meeting with youth in Switzerland: “Christ himself, Risen and Living, calls young people of the third millennium to “rise up”, to give full meaning to their life ” Vatican City (Fides Service) - At the General Wednesday Audience in St Peter’s Square this morning, the Pope reflected on his recent Apostolic Journey to Switzerland.. “The main reason for my apostolic pilgrimage to ...
• 4 June 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope grants private audience to the President of the United States of America: “May God grant strength and success to all those who do not cease to hope and work for understanding between peoples, in respect for the security and rights of every man and woman” Vatican City (Fides Service) - At midday on June 4, Pope John Paul II received in a private audience President George W. Bush of the United States of America, with Mrs Bush and the president’s entourage. After welcomin ...
• 2 June 2004
  VATICAN - His Excellency Monsignor Michel Gagnon, Bishop of Laghouat, unexpectedly passed away. Vatican City (Fides Agency) - The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples has learnt with grief of the death of His Excellency Monsignor Michel Gagnon, Bishop of Laghouat, a diocese in the south of Algeria. The bi ...
• 2 June 2004
  VATICAN - The Pope’s catechesis at the general audience: “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfil the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.” (Jn 13,18). Vatican City (Fides Agency) - continuing on his cycle of catecheses on the Liturgy of the Vespers, the Holy Father John Paul II commented on Psalm 40, The Prayer of a Sick Person, during the today’s general audience (R ...