At 6 p.m. today the Holy Father arrived by helicopter at the town of Sansepolcro which is currently celebrating the thousandth year of its foundation. Before going there he had been due to travel to the shrine of La Verna but because of bad weather and in particular fog, he was unable to do so and his visit to Sansepolcro was brought forward. There he met with local citizens in the Piazza Torre di Berta which for the occasion had been decorated with more than 300 standards.

Before meeting the locals, Benedict XVI visited the cathedral of St. John the Baptist where he paused in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and venerated a famous crucifix known as the "Santo ...

Arezzo and Sansepolcro -- two communities that for centuries have embodied the model of the “city of man” built in the image of  “The City of God” -- welcomed Benedict XVI on Sunday, 13 May, on his first visit to Tuscany. The Pope had also planned to visit the Franciscan Shrine of La Verna, but was canceled at the last minute due to bad weather. To the faithful of Arezzo, he entrusted the “precious legacy” of a Church distinguished in the course of history for her sense of “freedom and her capacity for dialogue among different social components”. In her “work for peace within society for the common good” shows, according to the Pontiff, that it is still possible to realize the ...

Vatican City, 13 May 2012 (VIS) - Benedict XVI today made a pastoral visit to Arezzo in the Italian region of Tuscany, where he was greeted on arrival by Mario Monti, prime minister of Italy, and by the local religious and civil authorities. The Holy Father then went on to celebrate Mass at the "Il Prato" park behind the cathedral of Arezzo.

"The first reading presented us with an important moment which expresses the universality of Christ and the Church’s message: St. Peter, in the house of Cornelius, baptised the first pagans. In the Old Testament God had wanted the blessing of the Jewish people not to remain exclusive, but to extend to all nations". Thus "Peter’s gesture becomes ...

Vatican City, 13 May 2012 (VIS) - "As Mother of the Church, Our Lady always wants to comfort her children at the time of their greatest difficulty and suffering", said the Pope today before praying the Regina Coeli with thousands of faithful who had attended his Mass at the "Il Prato" park in the Italian city of Arezzo.

"Through Mary, we invoke moral consolation from God, so that this community and the whole of Italy may resist the temptation to become discouraged and, strengthened by their great humanist tradition, may set out again on the road to spiritual and moral renewal which is the only thing that can bring authentic improvement in social and civil life".

After praying the Regina Coeli ...

Holy See Press Office director, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J, stated on Tuesday that a group of about 35 Ambassadors to the Holy See were welcomed by the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) . The visit was to give them the chance to witness the transparency, professionalism, and strict adherence to the ethical norms that are practiced by the Institute.

The ambassadors were greeted with some introductory words by Assessor to the Secretary of State, Msgr Peter Bryan Wells, who explained that this visitation is part of the Holy See’s commitment to ensuring that the monetary activities of the Vatican remain transparent. His introduction was followed by a talk by IOR’s director, Paolo Cipriani, who spoke for an ...

Why the Year of Faith? The question is not rhetorical and deserves an answer, especially in the face of the great expectation which is being recorded in the Church for such an event.

Benedict XVI gave a first motivation when he announced the indiction: “The mission of the Church, like that of Christ, is essentially to speak of God, to remember his sovereignty, to remind all, especially Christians who have lost their own identity, of the right of God to what belongs to him, that is, our life. Precisely in order to give a fresh impetus to the mission of the whole Church to lead human beings out of the wilderness in which they often find themselves to the place ...

The Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Tuesday that the dispute between the Holy See and the Benetton Clothing Group over the incorrect use of the Pope’s image has been resolved.

The case concerns the faked image of Pope Benedict kissing a prominent Egyptian Moslem cleric that appeared last November in Benetton’s “UNHATE” publicity campaign. The image was immediately condemned by the Vatican which threatened legal action to get it withdrawn. The photo montage in question was withdrawn by Benetton shortly afterwards.

Father Lombardi’s statement came after Benetton issued a press release last Friday apologising for having upset the feelings of Pope Benedict the 16^th and believers and pledging that it had withdrawn all photographic ...

The 2012 meeting of MigraMed for all the Caritas organizations that operate in the Mediterranean countries will open in Cagliari, Italy tomorrow, 16 May. This year's forum is dedicated to the dialogue between the two shores of "Mare Nostrum" and will touch on, among other themes, the conflict in the Middle East and North Africa as well as the reception of emigrants and perspectives of emigration.

"A year after the Arab Spring and during the financial, economic, and social crisis that Europe is undergoing, Caritas in the Mediterranean, North African, Middle Eastern, and European areas will meet with Caritas Italy and the diocesan Caritas organizations on the theme of emigrants and the politics of development and welcome", reads a ...

Monday 14^th May sees the start, in Rome, of a three-day international conference dedicated to Africa, its current contexts, its expectations and its potential.

The Conference is organised - and hosted - by the Pontifical Urbaniana University in collaboration with other Vatican Institutions.

The Urbaniana itself, is an academic institution belonging to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples which provides for research and teaching within the framework of the Holy See’s educational system regulated by the Congregation for Catholic Education.


The conference is entitled “Listening to Africa: its contexts, its expectations, its potential”.

Amongst the many guest speakers is Cardinal Fernando Filoni Prefect if the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and Grand Chancellor of the Urbaniana University. Other ...

Today the Holy Father appointed: - Bishop Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kumasi (area 5,118, population 1,744,000, Catholics 401,000, priests 112, religious 615), Ghana. He succeeds Archbishop Thomas Kwaku Mensah, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

The Holy Father appointed Fr. Dieudonne Nzapalainga C.S.Sp., apostolic administrator of the archdiocese of Bangui, Central African Republic, as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese (area 38,342, population 1.043,000, Catholics 246,657, priests 104, religious 124). The archbishop-elect was born in Mbomou, Central African Republic in 1967 and ordained a priest in 1998. He studied in the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Gabon and France, and has worked in pastoral care in France and in the Central African Republic.

- Appointed Fr. Dennis Kofi Agbenyadzi S.M.A., regional superior of the Society of African Missions for the Central African Republic, as bishop of Berberati (area 45,000, population 450,000, Catholics 110,000, priests 33, religious ...

NOMINA DEL VESCOVO DI TARNÓW (POLONIA) - Il Santo Padre Benedetto XVI ha nominato Vescovo di Tarnów (Polonia) S.E. Mons. Andrzej Jeż, trasferendolo dalla sede titolare di Tigillava e dall’Ufficio di Ausiliare di Tarnów. S.E. Mons. Andrzej Jeż è nato il 3 maggio 1963 a Limanowa (diocesi di Tarnów). Terminati gli studi presso il Seminario Maggiore di Tarnów, è stato ordinato sacerdote il 12 giugno 1988. Dal 1988 al 1993 ha esercitato il ministero come Vice-parroco a Krościenko ed a Wietrzychowice. Nel 1993 è stato inviato a Varsavia presso l’Accademia di Teologia Cattolica (oggi Università Card. Stefan Wyszyński), dove ha conseguito nel 1996 la Licenza in Teologia. Negli anni 1996-2004 ha svolto il compito di Padre Spirituale ...

The Holy Father appointed Bishop Jose Roberto Ospina Leongomez, auxiliary of Bogota, Colombia, as bishop of Buga (area 3,997, population 626,000, Catholics 563,000, priests 107, permanent deacons 3, religious 160), Colombia. He succeeds Bishop Hernan Giraldo Jaramillo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Andrew Yeom Soo jung, auxiliary and vicar general of the archdiocese of Seoul, Korea, as archbishop of the same archdiocese (area 606, population 10,575,446, Catholics 1,417,695, priests 905, religious 2,380). He succeeds Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jinsuk, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached ...

Experts and officials from some 30 countries across the Middle East and North Africa are meeting this week at the Rome headquarters of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to coordinate responses to food insecurity and climate change.

The FAO calls the region one of the world’s driest and “vulnerable to extreme climatic events, which degrade natural resources and further impact food production.”

In preparatory documents for the conference, the FAO says “a high population growth rate has increased both rural and urban unemployment which, coupled with widespread poverty, exacerbates the food insecurity situation and undernourishment. The region is a net importer of food and major importer of cereals making it vulnerable to the effects of volatile ...

After nine days of talks on Tuesday political leaders in Greece admitted defeat in a bid to form a governing coalition. This political uncertainly has sent shock waves across Europe with key leaders fearing that the country could be forced out of the euro. One of those who has raised the possibility that Greece could leave the Eurozone is the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde

But in an interview with France 24 she also made it clear that such a move could pose serious risks to the region's financial stability.

The re-run election could provide parties who oppose current austerity measures with more seats - and hasten the country's exit from the eurozone.

Lagarde says the ...

Beirut (Agenzia Fides) - Radical Islamic Groups are fanning the conflict and want to infect Lebanon: this is the alarm launched to Fides by Fr. Paul Karam, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Lebanon. Fr. Karam, commenting on the recent clashes between Alawites and Sunnis in Lebanon, said: "We are very concerned for two reasons: the flow of Syrian refugees continues in northern Lebanon, moreover the conflict is spreading in Lebanon. This happens because of political interests that trample human rights, and the fragility of our country, ethnic-religious composite mosaic. Herein lies the major component of fanatic Islamic movements that fan on the religious aspect, fomenting hatred among communities." Fr. Karam insists that "violence has never solved anything: the ...

Quito (Agenzia Fides) - Every year about 800 000 people around the world are victims of human trafficking, a growing business that is based on slavery, deceit or violence, said Hiroshima Villalba, Undersecretary to the democratic guarantees of the Ministry of Interior of Ecuador, while the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Javier Cordoba, said that in Ecuador the victims are more than 6 000, and 90% of the women involved suffer sexual violence. These statements were made during the presentation of the International Meeting on human trafficking, in progress (14 and 15 May) in Quito, with the title "Meeting on human trafficking and smuggling of migrants", attended by specialists from Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and the United States ...

Juba (Agenzia Fides) - As Sudan and South Sudan remain on a war footing, tens of thousands of southern Sudanese expelled from Khartoum are coming to Juba, because devoid of residence permits. On May 14, the first group of 164 people from Khartoum on a flight organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) arrived in the southern Sudanese capital, out of a total of 12,000 people expected to leave Sudan in the coming days. In Sudan, home to hundreds of thousands of south Sudanese who have lost their jobs and do not have permission to stay after the proclamation of the independence of South Sudan, in July 2011. Among them there are also many people of southern Sudanese descent ...

Bamako (Agenzia Fides) – People are waiting for the appointment of the new President of the transition in Mali. "The mediators of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) were in Bamako for 5 days, but failed to bring the various parties to agree on appointing a new President of the transition" says to Fides Fr. Edmond Dembele Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Mali. On May 22, the interim period of the government ends, initiated under the agreement reached on April 6 by the military junta (which took power with the coup on 22 March) and by the Malian political parties, with the mediation of ECOWAS. Interim President is Dioncounda Traoré who appointed Cheick Modibo Diarra as Premier (see ...

Greece's president will ask politicians on Tuesday to stand aside and let a government of technocrats steer the nation away from bankruptcy, but leftists have already rejected the proposal and look set to force a new election they reckon they can win.

Party leaders, deadlocked since a parliamentary vote nine days ago, will convene at the presidential palace this afternoon, but said they had little hope President Karolos Papoulias's offer would resolve a political crisis that has fuelled speculation Greece's days in the euro zone are numbered.

The multi-party political landscape has been in disarray since an inconclusive election on May 6 left parliament divided between supporters and opponents of a 130 billion-euro ($168-billion) EU/IMF bailout ...

The right understanding of what marriage really is, the role of the Church in public life, and the challenge of the New Evangelization in light of the coming Year of Faith were the topics that Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta, Georgia, discussed in an exclusive interview with Vatican Radio during the course of his ad limina visit. Archbishop Gregory began by offering his consideration of the challenges to traditional marriage currently underway in the United States, in light of US President Barack Obama’s May 9^th announcement of his personal support for so-called same-sex marriage. “Marriage is a public issue, ” said Archbishop Gregory. “It’s not simply a matter of a personal issue,” he continued, but one that ...

Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) – Formation and the testimony of faith, mutual support to rekindle the faith in the family of the Church, in the footsteps of the first Christian communities: is the encouragement of Cardinal John Tong Hon, Bishop of Hong Kong, to the 800 newly baptized in the diocese during the Welcome Meeting to the newbies held recently. According to reports from the Kong Ko Bao (the diocesan bulletin in Chinese), this year there were 3,400 baptized during Easter. Cardinal Tong pointed out that "in view of the Year of Faith, of the 50 years of II Vatican Council and 20 years of the publication of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church, we are offered the opportunity ...

Davao City (Agenzia Fides) - Two Philippines religious women, committed to peace, defence of the indigenous peoples and the natural heritage of Mindanao, have been accused by the military of being "communists and rebels," supporters of the guerrilla group "New People's Army" (NPA ), which for decades have held in check the government in Manila with an armed insurrection of communist origins. As learned by Fides, the victims of a smear campaign of some Philippine military officers are Sister Stella Matutina OSB, a Benedictine nun and Sister Julita Encarnacion, of the Sisters of the Assumption of Mary. The two religious sisters have long been committed on the island of Mindanao in campaigns for peace, justice and the defence of the environment ...

Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) – It is unacceptable that children die or remain disabled because of hunger. This is what emerges in a document released by the Archdiocese of Mexico, which is based in Mexico City, which proposes some actions for the establishment of a national agreement to deal with this tragedy. To raise awareness on social levels of poverty and inequality that exist in Mexico, the Catholic Church has just published its second National Report "Dolor de la Tierra, Dolor de los Pobres. ¡Actuemos ya! "Which emphasizes that "it is unacceptable that a quarter of Mexicans live in hunger and thirst, and that children cannot continue to die or be disabled because of hunger." "Neither - continues the document - it is ...

Caritas Europa is calling on the European Commission and EU Member States to guarantee the effective right to family life and family reunification for all migrants and beneficiaries of international protection. A joint statement by Caritas Europa and 19 other NGOs, has been sent to the European Commission and Member States Tuesday.

Caritas Europa says it “finds unacceptable that the European Commission is turning a blind eye to the fact that a series of Member States are not complying with the EU Family Reunification Directive. The European Commission has been aware of this situation since 2008 when it published an evaluation report that cast the spotlight on Member States' failure to transpose the Directive into law”.

In the statement Caritas ...

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) on Monday released a pastoral letter on freedom of conscience and religion. Issued by the CCCB Permanent Council, the letter expresses concern about an “aggressive relativism” in Canada that seeks to relegate religion to the private sphere.

“The effective functioning of a democracy is absolutely dependent upon the protection of fundamental human freedoms,” says Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton, the President of the Canadian Bishops’ Conference. “That includes freedom of conscience and freedom of religious expression. So for the sake of the common good and for the sake of protecting those who find their rights are being challenged, the bishops felt it necessary to speak by issuing this letter.”

Archbishop Smith says the ...

Panama City - The Primate Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, presided on Sunday, May 13 the celebration for the 42nd Eucharistic Meeting of Panama, as the initial part of the celebrations for the anniversary of 500th anniversary of the foundation in this country, of the first diocese in the American continent, with the name of "Santa Maria la Antigua". The celebration of the Mass, in the Rommel Fernandez Stadium in the capital, where thousands of faithful Catholics gathered united by the slogan "With Mary walking in hope", was also attended by the Archbishop of Panama, His Exc. Mgr. José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, O.S.A., and the Apostolic Nuncio, His Exc. Mgr. Andrés Carrascosa Coso, and ...

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Faith in Christ and his gospel are always "the rock for his life", both within the walls of a church, and on the grass of a football field: Christian Sieland, 32 years of age, a seminarian from Papua New Guinea who is studying in Rome, was ordained a deacon in Rome on Saturday 12 May. As reported to Fides, for him it was "a memorable weekend ": on the day of his ordination to the diaconate he was also declared "best player" of the tournament "Clericus Cup" a football competition between priests and seminarians in Rome, now in its sixth edition, which was won by the team of the North American Pontifical College. Christian competed in the ...