Every month, Pope Benedict XVI prays for a specific general intention. Catholics around the world are invited to join in praying for the same intention. For November 2009, the intention is as follows:
“That all the men and women in the world, especially those who have responsibilities in the field of politics and economics, may never fail in their commitment to safeguard creation.”
Leave a Comment » | 
Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer | 
Permalink
Posted by APWeb
Every month, Pope Benedict XVI prays for a specific general intention. Catholics around the world are invited to join in praying for the same intention. For October 2009, the intention is as follows:
“That Sunday may be lived as the day on which Christians gather to celebrate the Risen Lord, participating in the Eucharist.”
Leave a Comment » | Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer | Tagged: Catholic, october 2009, pope's prayer intention | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
Before President Obama met Pope Benedict XVI in July 2009, Catholic media reported that the President’s staff had been busy searching for a gift to give the Pope. They finally settled on a liturgical stole that was a relic. For 18 years, the stole had covered the remains of St. John Neumann at St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia. This was a very appropriate gift, especially since St. John Neumann was the first US Bishop to become a saint. The Redemptorists, who had recently made changes to the tomb, were honored to have the stole serve as the gift.
What then, people wondered, would be the Pope’s gift to the President? The Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, recently published the answer. The Pope gave the President several gifts. In addition to rosaries and pontifical medals, the Pope gave a mosaic of St. Peter’s and an autographed copy of his latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate. These also are very appropriate gifts and in line with gifts given by the Pope in similar circumstances. But then the Pope added another gift. He gave the President a copy of last year’s Instruction on bioethics, Dignitas Personae. The thought behind this last gift was that the document would help the President to better understand the Catholic Church’s position on these matters. Bioethics is an area of disagreement between both, especially when focused on abortion.
During last May’s controversy when the University of Notre Dame invited President Obama to speak at its commencement, University President Fr. Jenkins said that he believed it was important to both illuminate “issues with the moral and spiritual wisdom of the Catholic tradition” and to serve as a place where “people of good will are received with charity, are able to speak, be heard, and engage in responsible and reasoned dialogue.” The Pope’s cordial welcome of President Obama was certainly an example of this. The meeting between the Pope and the President marked the face-to-face beginning of a dialogue. Let the dialogue continue.
Leave a Comment » | Encyclical Letter, Medical Ethics, politics, Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican | Tagged: Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI, president and pope meet, president at the vatican, president obama | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
On July 7, 2009, the eve of the G-8 meeting, Pope Benedict XVI released his latest encyclical letter titled “Caritas in Veritate” or Charity in Truth.
The Pope begins his encyclical by reminding us that love is the driving force which leads people to justice and peace. “Charity is at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine.” The Pope then makes the case for the necessity of linking charity to truth. “Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the ‘economy’ of charity, but charity in its turn needs to be understood, confirmed and practised in the light of truth.”
The introduction ends with this timely comment, given the current economic crisis. “The Church does not have technical solutions to offer and does not claim ‘to interfere in any way in the politics of States.’” However, the Pope concludes, the Church does have a responsibility to preach truth and the promotion of human dignity in all aspects of society.
The encyclical is divided into six chapters:
1) The message of Populorum Progressio (Pope Paul VI’s encyclical issued right after the close of Vatican II)
2) Human Development in Our Time
3) Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society
4) The Development of People, Rights and Duties, the Environment
5) The Cooperation of the Human Family
6) The Development of People and Technology
The Pope reminds us that we do not work alone and that we can accomplish nothing without God. He ends the encyclical with the words from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honour.”
It would be interesting to see what the G-8 meeting results would be if the leaders truly put Paul’s words to practice.
Leave a Comment » | Catholic, Catholic Social Teaching, Encyclical Letter, Financial Investments, Pope Benedict XVI | Tagged: caritas in veritate, Catholic, charity in truth, pope benedict xni, pope's encyclical | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
The Vatican has a new website called Pope2You.net The site has a link to a Facebook page where you can send a prayer for the sick, send a virtual postcard to others, download messages from the Pope, and sign up for future emails. Notably missing is the “wall” where visitors can write comments and interact with each other.
The site also offers links to send video and audio downloads of Vatican news to your iPhone or iPod Touch.
A link is also provided for the Vatican’s YouTube channel which was launched earlier.
Another link on the site offers an intriguing format. The link is for “WikiCath” which the site claims is an interactive way, using wiki-technology, to read the Pope’s message on the World Day of Communication. This section breaks up the message into parts and provides links to background information on key words and phrases. I am reminded of the North American Commentary to the Code of Canon Law which also provides background information to key parts of each canon. So often you learn much more from reading the commentary than just reading the Code alone.
WikiCath amazingly invites comments. Currently, when you click on the comment button, an email message appears indicating that your comments will be sent via email, and thus won’t be posted. The Italian bishops’ conference is helping the Vatican to work with this site.
I have to smile as I watch the Vatican start to use new technology for communication. I think it’s great! I smile because it is such a cautious, exploratory attempt. And I have to be honest in admitting that I am also a “newbie” in some of these technology areas and thus also tread cautiously when trying these technologies. Every step forward is definitely welcome. The challenge will come, in my opinion, in the missing step that so many young people around the world take so easily. That step is opening up one’s site so that visitors’ comments are visible to all, and thus encourage interaction.
Not everyone is ready for this step and I can’t blame them. I still don’t totally understand the allure for young people of posting their daily lives and friends’ comments on a site that is open to the public. Yet, it would definitely be intriguing to visit a Vatican site where the public could post comments and interact on any given topic. Maybe we’re not ready for that yet. But given these first steps using Facebook, YouTube, WikiCath, and the iPhone, one can only hope.
Leave a Comment » | bishops, Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican | Tagged: Catholic, facebook, new technology, new vatican website, pope2you, vatican communication, wiki, wikicath, you-tube | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
This Sunday, May 24, 2009 has been designated by the Vatican as the 43rd World Day of Communications. Pope Benedict has issued his message to media & communications professionals titled, “New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship.”
The Pope jumps right in by focusing on digital communications and the amazing potential to promote human understanding and solidarity. He notes that people want to connect with each other and that this is “rooted in our very nature as human beings.” In fact, this innate desire mirrors God’s relationship with us.
Media tools can do much to help us connect with each other, to understand and to provide support for each other. “These networks can facilitate forms of co-operation between people from different geographical and cultural contexts that enable them to deepen their common humanity and their sense of shared responsibility for the good of all.”
The Pope concludes his message by asking young people, who take so naturally to the digital realm, to evangelize cyberspace by bringing their Christian values to this new area.
Leave a Comment » | Blind, Pope Benedict XVI, Radio, Vatican | Tagged: Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope's Message to Media, World Day of Communications | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
Every month, the Pope prays for a specific intention. You are invited to join the Pope and Catholics from all over the world in praying for this intention.
For the month of May 2009, the prayer is “that the laity and the Christian communities may be responsible promoters of priestly and religious vocations.”
Leave a Comment » | Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer, Vatican | Tagged: catholic monthly prayer intention, join the pope in prayer, Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer, Vatican, Vocations | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
Every month, the Pope prays for a specific intention. You are invited to join the Pope and Catholics from all over the world in praying for this intention.
For the month of April 2009, the prayer is “that the Lord may bless farmers’ work with an abundant harvest and sensitize the richer populations to the drama of hunger in the world.”
Leave a Comment » | Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer, Vatican | Tagged: catholic monthly prayer intention, farm, farmers, farming, join the pope in prayer, Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer, Vatican | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
Pope Benedict XVI has released his message to young people worldwide for the 24th World Youth Day (WYD) in 2009. The theme of the message is “We have set our hope on the living God” from 1Tim 4:10. Not surprisingly since 2009 is the year of St. Paul, the Pope speaks of St. Paul as a witness of hope.
Leave a Comment » | Catholic, Hope, Pope Benedict XVI, Teens, Vatican, World Youth Day - WYD, Young Adults | Tagged: Catholic, pope's message to youth, vatican's world youth day message, wyd, young people | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
Every month, the Pope prays for a specific intention. You are invited to join the Pope and Catholics from all over the world in praying for this intention.
For the month of March 2009, the prayer is “that the role of women may be more appreciated and used to good advantage in every country in the world.”
Leave a Comment » | Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer, Vatican | Tagged: catholic monthly prayer intention, join the pope in prayer, Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer, Vatican, women | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
The Vatican has assembled a helpful webpage for Lent 2009. The site includes the Pope’s Lenten message, as well as the schedule of the Pope’s liturgical celebrations for Lent. It also includes Lenten hymns from the chorus of the Sistine Chapel and from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. Both the text and audio are provided for the hymns. It is great to see the Vatican continue to expand its use of technology by posting musical podcasts.
Leave a Comment » | Catholic, Lent, Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican | Tagged: chorus of the sistine chapel, lenten message 2009, lenten music, pontifical institute of sacred music, Pope Benedict XVI | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
Most people have heard of YouTube by now, a free online website that allows users to both post and view short videos. In its ongoing journey to utilize modern technology, the Vatican has now started its own YouTube site at www.youtube.com/vatican
As of mid-February, the Vatican has posted 48 short videos, each about a minute long. Most of these are excerpts from press conferences, highlights of gatherings, or speeches by the Pope. A voice-over is provided in Italian, English, Spanish and Dutch.
Although the video clips are too short to provide extensive information, they do serve the wonderful purpose of letting people take a peek at life inside the Vatican. In general, Catholics have an image of the Vatican based on written statements that are published, and quotes that are picked up by the media. These video images provide a much fuller glimpse into the people, lives, events and processes that are responsible for our worldwide church. Currently, most images focus on the Pope or other Vatican official speaking while an audience listens. It will be interesting, as time passes, to see if the videos start to pick up more of the interactive dimension of life in the Vatican.
Leave a Comment » | Catholic, Catholic Conferences, Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican | Tagged: Catholic, pope vidoes, vatican on the web, vatican video, youtube | Permalink
Posted by APWeb
You are currently browsing the archives for the Pope Benedict XVI category.
