Pope hopes Croatia trip will collision all of Europe

Pope Benedict said on June 8 that he hopes his visit to Croatia this past weekend “will bear plentiful fruit for Croatian families, the entire nation and throughout Europe.”

The Pope said at the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square that the June 4-5 visit was characterized by what he called “an intense spirit of faith.” In today's appraisal of the trip, he said that he primarily wanted to highlight his message to families delivered at the first annual Croatian National Family Day on Sunday morning.

In an era of divorce and separation, the Pope said that “the loyalty of spouses has become in itself a significant sign of the love of Christ.” He described this witness as “the first education in the faith” by which “children learn, without anything being said, that God is love, loyal, patient, respectful and generous.”

“Faith in the God, who is love, is mainly transmitted through the testimony of a faithful conjugal love, which obviously translates into love for children, the fruit of such a union.”

Pope Benedict also recalled with affection his gathering with over 50,000 youngsters in Zagreb’s Ban Jelacic Square on Saturday night.

“There I was able to meet the new Croatian generation, and I felt the full force of their young faith, animated by a great eagerness for life and its meaning, for the good, for freedom, that is to say for God.”

World needs Christian families more than ever, Pope says

Pope Benedict has given an touching plea for all people to recognize the beauty, joy and witness of Christian marriage and family life, and to reject secularism, artificial contraception and co-habitation because they are different to true love.

“Everyone knows that the Christian family is a special sign of the being there and love of Christ and that it is called to give a specific and unique contribution to evangelization,” the Pope told over 400,000 pilgrims at Croatia’s first annual family day in the nation’s capital of Zagreb, on June 5.

“In today’s society the presence of exemplary Christian families is more necessary and urgent than ever,” he said.

The gathering at the city’s Hippodrome racetrack was the highlight of the Pope’s two-day visit to Croatia. In his homily he inscribed both the virtues of Catholic family life and flatly rejected many of the modern attacks upon it.

Because of the “difficulties and threats” that Christian families face, Pope Benedict said that they have a “special need of evangelization and support.” He praised them as a crucial resource for education in the faith, for the way families build up the communion of the Church and the ways they give to the Church’s missionary presence “in the most diverse situations in life.”

Pope Benedict XVI prays for peace in Libya and Syria

Pope Benedict prayed for peace in both Libya and Syria following Sunday’s Regina Coeli.

“I continue to follow with great anxiety the dramatic armed conflict in Libya that has caused a high number of casualties and suffering, especially among the civilian population.

“I renew an vital appeal that the paths of negotiation and dialogue prevail over those of violence, with the help of international organizations that are working in the direction of finding a solution to the crisis,” he stated on May 15.

The Pope’s comments came on a day that other key figures called for an strengthening of military action in Libya. The head of the U.K.’s armed forces, General Sir David Richards, said he wants to see bombing limits on NATO forces eased. He now wants to target direct attacks upon the infrastructure propping up the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

NATO’s military action is at present guided by the terms of the U.N. resolution which only permit the use of force in protecting civilians. The Pope said he’s praying for those naively caught up in the conflict which has been continuing since February when rebels first took up arms against Colonel Gaddafi.

“I assure you, also, my sympathy and prayerful commitment with which the Church assists the local population, chiefly by religious in hospitals.”

The Pope then turned his prayers and thoughts to Syria.

“My thoughts also go to Syria, where it is urgent to reinstate a partnership geared towards harmony and unity. I ask God that there is no further bloodshed in the homeland of the great religions and civilizations, and urge the authorities and all citizens to spare no attempt in seeking the common good and in accommodating the legitimate aspirations for a peaceful future and stability.”

Since March, the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is estimated to have killed over 800 pro-democracy campaigners and imprisoned 10,000 others.

Pope Benedict said to have declined immediate canonization for Pope John Paul II

In his first days in office back in 2005, Pope Benedict measured but rejected the instant canonization of Pope John Paul II. That’s the claim being made by Andrea Tornielli, Vatican correspondent with the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

He writes April 27, “Pope Ratzinger did not decide on the spot. He knew his predecessor and had no doubts about his personal holiness. He required to consult first, though, and finally determined to waive the usual waiting period of five years (before opening the cause of canonization) but not to skip the step of beatification.”

Tornielli claims that the suggestion of immediate canonization came from Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the private secretary to John Paul II. He also states that the idea of not waiting the standard five-year period before opening a cause of canonization was made by the Slovak Cardinal Jozef Tomko, a close friend and intimate of John Paul II.

New start available for those who believe Christ, says Pope

"A new form of existence driven by love and intended to eternity" is possible through imitation of Christ, said Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday.

Before the conventional noon Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on Feb. 20, the Pope spoke of the day's Mass readings. He said the readings "speak ... of the will of God to make men participants in his life."

The words, "Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy," from the Book of Leviticus were an request to the chosen people to be faithful to the agreement with the Lord, the Pope said. They also "founded social legislation on the commandment 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself'."

"If we listen, then, to Jesus ... we find that same call, that same daring objective. The Lord says, in fact, 'be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect'."

"But who could become perfect?" asked the Pope. "Our perfection is living as children of God satisfying concretely his will."

Man corresponds to God's fatherhood by praising and glorifying him through good conduct, he explained.

"In what way can we imitate Jesus?" the Pope asked.

Young people want to know catechism: Pope

Pope Benedict has urged young people to study a youth catechism printed for young adults and teens, called "Youcat", in print next month in advance of Madrid's 2011 World Youth Day,

Writing in the foreword to the book, the Pope said: "Some people tell me that the youth of today are not involved in the catechism, but I do not consider this statement and I am certain that I am right. They are not as external as they are accused of being; young people want to identify what life really is about."

The book contains the authorized catechism for World Youth Day. It includes a question and answer section, illustrations, definitions of key terms, Bible credentials and quotes from the saints and other Church teachers.

In his foreword Benedict XVI said the book could be just as charming as a crime novel.

He said: "A crime novel is convincing because it involves the fate of other people, but it could be our own, this book is convincing because it speaks to us of our own fortune and therefore is closely related to each of us."

But he said the catechism did not offer "empty praise" or "easy solutions", but "requires a new life on your part". He urged young people "to study the catechism with passion and insistence! Sacrifice your time for it!"

The Pope said: "You need to know what you believe, you need to know your faith with the same precision with which a computer specialist knows the operating system of a computer...

"You need divine help, so your faith does not dry up like a drop of dew in the sun, so you do not yield to the temptations of consumerism, so your love is not drowned in pornography, so you do not hand over the weak, the victims of abuse and violence".

Only Christ can heal divisions amid Christians today, says Pope

Divisions among Christians exist today as they did in St. Paul's time and there continues to be a single source of curative – repentant and turning to Christ – said the Pope on Sunday.

As he did the week prior at the general audience, Pope Benedict XVI again took up the theme of Christian agreement during his Jan. 23 address before the Angelus prayer.

The subject is relevant as the annual, global celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity continues. Observed from Jan. 18-25, this year's Christian unity week focuses on the Acts of the Apostles and the very first Christian community in Jerusalem.

The Geneva, Switzerland-based World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Vatican Council for the endorsement of Christian Unity partnered with the churches of Jerusalem to come up with the theme and resources to be used during the week.

US bishops say health care law needs crucial changes in new Congress

In a Jan. 18 letters to members of the 112th Congress, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops advised important changes to the health care overhaul passed by the previous sitting of Congress.

One day after the conference released the letter to the public, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to cancel the law in question, the 2010 “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”

Significantly, the USCCB has selected neither to support, nor to oppose, Republican-led efforts to cancel the law. Instead, the bishops plan to “continue to devote our efforts to correcting serious moral problems in the current law, so health-care improvement can truly be life-affirming for all.”

Although the overall revoke measure stands little chance of passing in the Senate after its approval by the House, it is seen as the prelude to a strategy that could result in changes to important portions of the overhaul.

These changes could slot in some of the suggestions that the bishops made in their recent letter that explained their dangerous but nuanced position on health care reform.

The letter's signatories were Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, and Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles – the chairmen of the committees on Pro-life Activities, Domestic Justice and Human Development, and relocation, respectively.

Christmas with the pope online

Celebrating Christmas with the pope at home or on the go couldn’t be easier. All you need is an Internet connection or an iPhone.

Today the Vatican announced that it is offering a new “Smooth Streaming” service to broadcast papal Christmas events via the websites of Vatican Radio, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the council’s Pope2you site and iPhone.

The CNS Crossplayer, available on client websites such as this, also offers a “Vatican Live” feed from the Vatican Television Center of papal ceremonies in addition to other colorful content produced by CNS staff in Washington DC and Rome.

The new “Smooth Streaming” technology means people will experience top quality video in high definition.

The papal events that will be broadcast live over the Internet and iPhone are the following (listed in local Rome time):

– Christmas Eve Mass from St. Peter’s Basilica Friday Dec. 24 starting at 10pm.

– Christmas Day message and “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from St. Peter’s Square Sat. Dec. 25 starting at 12 noon.

– Mass for World Day of Peace from St. Peter’s Basilica Sat. Jan. 1 starting at 10am.

Live commentary will be available in six languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Portuguese) and one channel will offer live audio with no commentary.

Commentary in Chinese will be available for the Christmas Eve Mass and commentary in Arabic will be offered for New Year’s Day.

Pope asks Catholics to reflect on impact of work, free time on family

Pope Benedict XVI has asked the Catholics around the world to use 2011 as a time to reflect on the impact of their work and their free-time pursuits on their family life.

The reflection, he said, should help the church prepare for the Seventh World Meeting of the Families, which will be in Milan May 30-June 3, 2012.

The theme of the gathering will be: "The Family: Work and Celebration."

"Work and celebration are intimately tied with the family life," impacting the choices family members make and their relations with each other, with society and with the church, the pope said in a letter to Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

The cardinal released the pope's letter Sept. 24 and presided over a news conference to discuss initial preparations for the gathering in the Milan, which Pope Benedict has promised to attend.

The World Meeting of Families and the Pontifical Council for the Family were established by Pope John Paul II in 1981 when he published his apostolic exhortation, "Familiaris Consortio," on the role of the Christian family.

In his letter to the cardinal, Pope Benedict said the Book of Genesis makes clear that both work and rest are blessings from God. But, he said, in modern societies where market competition and maximum profit are seen as all-important, families have little time together and even days off are spent shopping or pursuing individual interests.

"There is a need to promote a reflection about and a commitment to reconciling the needs of work time and family time, recovering the true meaning of days off, especially Sundays," which should be dedicated to God, to family and to solidarity, the pope said.

Cardinal Antonelli said the church's message is that it is possible to run a business, "aiming not at maximum profit, but a just profit, compatible with the needs of workers, their families, society, protecting the environment" and offering workers flexibility so that they can meet all their family obligations.

Family members, too, have to do more to ensure that each member of the family shares in domestic chores and has free time to relax and enjoy the company of others, he said.

Cardinal Antonelli also said the pontifical council hopes that by the time the World Meeting of Families opens in May 2012 his office will have finished a new set of guidelines and suggestions for Catholic marriage preparation programs.

The cardinal said the document would not give hard and fast rules for what preparation programs must include and how long they must last, but it will include suggestions drawn from the estimated 400 program outlines sent in by dioceses and Catholic organizations that prepare couples for marriage.

Pope says golden years can be spiritually fruitful

Although he walks quickly and appears to have no serious medical problems, the 83-year-old Pope Benedict XVI said he knows what it's like to get old and experience increasing the physical frailty. Greeting a small gathering of his peers and elders in London Sept. 18, the pope said, "Our long years of life afford us the opportunity to appreciate both the beauty of the God's greatest gift to us -- the gift of life -- as well as the fragility of the human spirit." In the midst of a four-day visit filled with the pomp of papal liturgies and the formality of meeting royalty and government officials, Pope Benedict visited St. Peter's Residence, a home for the aged run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. "Those of us who live many years are given a marvelous chance to deepen our awareness of the mystery of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity," the pope told the 76 residents, who include nine priests and members of religious orders. "As the normal span of our lives increases, our physical capacities are often diminished; and yet these times may well be among the most spiritually fruitful years of our lives," the pope said. Patricia Fasky, who lives at St. Peter's, welcomed the pope to the residence's small theater and told him, "we all love you and we pray for you." 

Benedict XVI urges families to place Christ at center of their homes

In a message sent to the families participating in the 21st Marian Day of the Family in the Spanish city of Torreciudad, Pope Benedict XVI call on the faithful to “put the love of Christ at the center of the home.”

The Holy Father encouraged spouses to “offer the joyful testimony of a family life characterized by faith, prayer to God and the seeking of each family member’s well being.”

During Mass, Archbishop Jesus Sanz Montes of Oviedo said, “God wished to begin his human adventure as we begin ours: in the heart of a family.” For this reason, he said, “The Holy Family is the most beautiful icon in which God himself draws close to us, becomes visible and one of us.”

The archbishop also referred to the importance of human life. “The Church wishes to lend her humble voice to say yes to life, to all life, because that life both whispers and shouts out God to us.”

“This is the Gospel of Life, and this is the precious contribution to our beloved world, to which we also belong, that our families can make in hope and joy with their human and Christian values,” the archbishop said. “Be not afraid, proclaim to all the beauty and joy of trusting in God, and as a family in Him, cease not from building up his Kingdom,” he told the more than 15,000 in attendance.

Catholic officials to investigate claims of second Newman miracle

Catholic officials are investigating claims that a severely deformed baby was born in a perfectly normal condition after the child's mother prayed to Cardinal John Henry Newman for a miracle.

Andrea Ambrosi, the Vatican lawyer in charge of the Cardinal Newman's cause for canonization, has revealed in a BBC program to be broadcast Sept. 18 that he hopes the inexplicable healing may be the miracle needed to canonize Cardinal Newman as Britain's next saint.

Pope Benedict XVI will beatify Cardinal Newman at a huge open-air Mass in Birmingham's Cofton Park Sept. 19, the last day of his four-day visit to the England and Scotland. However, a second miracle is needed to name the 19th-century cardinal as a saint.

"I am about to leave for Mexico City precisely because that could be the miracle for his canonization," Ambrosi said in the documentary -- "Newman: Saint or Sinner?" -- excerpts of which were released by the BBC Sept. 9.

"We are in a very preliminary phase," he added. "I cannot say anything yet, but this shows how the cardinal answers these prayers."

Former British government minister Ann Widdecombe -- who, like Cardinal Newman, was Anglican before becoming Catholic -- will present the television program. She told Catholic News Service Sept. 13 that the alleged healing occurred after prenatal scans revealed that the unborn baby was "severely deformed."

The doctors, she said, were convinced they could do nothing to help the fetus, but the mother, a devout Catholic, insisted on going through with the pregnancy.

"The child was born perfect following the mother praying to Newman, and scientists can't explain it," said Widdecombe.

Father Richard Duffield, provost of the Birmingham Oratory, confirmed in an e-mail to CNS that "an investigative tribunal into a further miracle ... is about to open in the Archdiocese of Mexico City."

"The reported miracle took place after the formal announcement of Newman's beatification (in July 2009)," he said. "This means that if it is found to be genuine it would be eligible for consideration as the second miracle necessary for Newman's canonization. It is expected that witness statements from those concerned and from the medical teams will be ready to send to Rome in early 2011.

"The process of investigation needs to be very thorough, and we should be cautious," he said. "But it is always exciting to hear reports of Newman's intercession and the evident devotion there is to him all over the world."

U.S. Deacon Jack Sullivan of Marshfield, Mass., whose healing from a crippling spinal condition in August 2001 was the miracle that allowed for Cardinal Newman's beatification, will read the Gospel during the beatification Mass.

Pope Benedict has waived his own rules to preside over the ceremony rather than sending a Vatican delegate to conduct the ceremony.

Cardinal Newman was an Anglican theologian who became a Catholic after first founding the Oxford Movement to try to return the Church of England to its Catholic roots.

Pope Receives Shimon Peres, President Of Israel

The Holy See Press Office today released the following English-language communique:

"Today in the Apostolic Palace of the Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI received in audience Shimon Peres, president of the Israel, who also met with the Cardinal Secretary of the State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with the States.

"During the cordial discussions, the pilgrimage of His Holiness to the Holy Land in May 2009 was recalled.

"Concerning the renewal of direct contacts between the Israelis and Palestinians, scheduled for today in the Washington, U.S.A., the hope was expressed that this may assist in reaching an agreement that is respectful of the legitimate aspirations of the two peoples and capable of bringing the lasting peace to the Holy Land and to the entire region. The condemnation of all forms of the violence and the necessity of guaranteeing better conditions of life to all the peoples of the area were reaffirmed. The discussions also touched on inter-religious dialogue and an overview of the international situation.

"The discussions also permitted the examination of the relations between the State of Israel and the Holy See and those of the State authorities with the local Catholic communities. In this regard, emphasis was given to the great significance of the presence of these communities in the Holy Land, and the contribution they make to the common good of society, also through Catholic schools. Finally, the results, thus far, of the bilateral working Commission, which has for many years been tasked with the drafting of an accord concerning economic matters, were noted while at the same time expressing the hope for the rapid conclusion of its work".

Allowing girl servers ended prejudice, inequality, says Vatican paper

VATICAN CITY -- Permitting girls to the serve at the altar marked the end of a form of inequality in the church and allowed girls to experience the formative power of directly assisting with the mystery of the Eucharist -- the core of the Christian faith, said the Vatican newspaper.

"The exclusion of girls from all of this, for the sole reason of their being female, has always weighed heavily and represented a deep inequality within the Catholic education," it said.

Even though there may have been many parishioners who begrudgingly accepted the presence of girls as servers only when there were no boys to fill the role, "overcoming this barrier was very important for young women," it said.

Permitting girls to assist at the altar "has meant the idea they were impure because of their gender came to an end" and has meant girls, too, "could live out this extraordinarily important formative experience," it said.

The article came the same week Pope Benedict XVI met with more than 53,000 altar servers from Europe during his Aug. 4 weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. The majority of young pilgrims, aged 14-25, were female -- 60 percent, according to organizers.

The pope thanked the young people for their important service to the church and said by assisting priests at the altar, they were helping to bring Jesus closer to the people and helping to make him ever more present in the world.

In 1994, the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments issued rules officially stating that local bishops could allow women and girls to be altar servers.

The Vatican clarified in late 2001 that bishops could not require priests to use altar girls and that the use of male servers should be especially encouraged, in part because altar boys are a potential source of the priestly vocations.

Altar servers bring Jesus closer to the people, pope says at audience

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI thanked tens of thousands of the young altar servers for their important service to the church and urged them to "jealously safeguard" their friendship with the Jesus.

"Tell your peers about the gift of this friendship with the joy, with enthusiasm and without fear," he said.

The pope was flown to the Vatican by the helicopter Aug. 4 to give his first general audience since beginning his summer vacation from July 7 at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, south of the Rome.

More than 80,000 pilgrims cheered and waved at the sky as an Italian military helicopter carrying the pope circled over the St. Peter's Square.

The pilgrims in the square and along the top of the colonnade included more than 53,000 female and male altar servers, mostly from the pope's native of Germany, but also from 16 other European countries.

The altar servers were taking part in a two-day pilgrimage to the Rome organized by the European-based association "Coetus Internationalis Ministrantium," which was celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Upon his arrival in the square, the pope was presented with a white pilgrim bandana, which he wore draped over his shoulders; he said that the gift reminded him of his own years as a young altar server.

He told the altar servers, aged 14-25, that they were very fortunate to be able to take part in the mystery of the Eucharist.

The Eucharist "is a precious good, a priceless treasure and the bread of the life" with which Jesus nourishes and sustains his flock, giving people the love and strength they need in their daily lives.

By assisting priests at the altar, the servers help bring Jesus closer to the people and make him ever more present in the world, the pope said in German.

Dedicating their time and hearts to God will bring altar servers "true joy and more complete happiness," he said.

As part of the international pilgrimage, a four-and-a-half ton, 16-foot-tall bronze statue of St. Tarcisius, the patron saint of altar servers, was temporarily placed in St. Peter's Square.

The statue made a two-year pilgrimage of its own, traveling from Switzerland to Hungary and finally to Rome. It was to be moved Aug. 5 to its final destination outside the Catacombs of St. Callistus, where the young 3rd-century saint is believed to have been buried.

According to tradition, the young man, who was perhaps an acolyte or a deacon, was killed by a mob while defending the Eucharist he was carrying to prisoners and the homebound.

Pope Benedict said the young martyr exemplifies "the deep love and great veneration that we should have toward the Eucharist."

While martyrdom will probably not be asked of the most young people in the Europe today, he said, Jesus is calling everyone to be faithful "to the little things, to everyday duties and to witnessing his love by going to the church" and spending the time with people who help deepen your faith.

The Logic of Christ is the Logic of Charity

The parable of the Good Samaritan, the Pope said, "lead us to transform our logic in the accordance with a logic of Christ, which is the logic of charity: God is love and to worship Him means to serve our brothers and sisters with a sincere and generous love".

On last week the Holy Father appeared at the balcony overlooking the inner courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of the Castelgandolfo to pray the Angelus with pilgrims gathered there. He is currently now spending a period of rest at Castelgandolfo, his summer residence.

Commenting on today's Gospel reading, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Holy Father affirmed that "it is up to us to be close to whoever needs help. The Samaritan", he said, "takes responsibility for the needs of the stranger whom robbers had left half dead at the roadside, while a priest and a Levite pass by on the other side, afraid perhaps that - as the precept said - they would be contaminated by contact with the blood.

"This parable must, then", the Pope added, "lead us to transform our logic in accordance with the logic of the Christ, which is the logic of charity: God is love and to worship Him means to serve our brothers and sisters with sincere and generous love".

Benedict XVI went on: "This Gospel episode presents us a criterion to use as a measure; that of the 'universal love towards the needy whom we encounter by chance, whoever they may be'. Along with this universal rule, there is also a specifically ecclesial requirement; that 'within the ecclesial family no member should suffer through being in need'. The rule of Christians follow, as learned from the teaching of Jesus, is that of the 'heart which sees' where there is need of love and acts accordingly".

Finally, the Holy Father noted that today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Benedict of Norcia , patron of his own pontificate and "father and legislator of Western monasticism" whom Paul VI proclaimed as patron of Europe in 1964, "recognising his great efforts towards the formation of European civilisation.

"Let us entrust our journey of faith, and this holiday period in particular, to the Virgin, that our hearts may never lose sight of the Word of God and of our brothers and sisters in difficulty", he concluded.

Pope preparing speeches on Cardinal Newman for UK trip

While the Holy Father spends July in the serenity of the Apostolic Palace at the Castel Gandolfo, he is dedicating time to penning a number of important documents. Among the pieces on his to-do list are the speeches to be given in the U.K. for this September.

While a variety of the news reports have been speculated on the activity of the Pope during his summer retreat to the hilltop palace at the Castel Gandolfo, a piece by the Vatican specialist Paolo Rodari in Sunday's edition of the Italian paper Il Foglio gives an overview of the Holy Father's writing aspirations during his "time off."

Rodari described the three major works at the Pope's fingertips as: not an entire book as had previously been reported in the Italian press, but an "appendix" to his Jesus of the Nazareth books, the basic framework of his fourth encyclical and his addresses for the late-summer trip to Scotland and England.

According to Rodari, the brief addition to the Jesus of the Nazareth series will cover the infancy of Jesus as recounted in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and the encyclical will present his perspective on "faith," a logical choice after the first three, which focused on the social issues, charity and hope.

The Holy Father is drafting his Cardinal John Henry Newman-centered discourses during this time, as well, wrote Rodari, observing that, "The figure of the ex-Anglican English prelate was important for the formation of the Pontiff and his contribution could be the important to the Church today."

Pope Benedict XVI's schedule for the trip includes ample opportunities to reflect on the life of the cardinal, including his beatification ceremony, which the Holy Father will then preside over on the fourth and final day of his voyage.

The Birmingham Oratory announced in their Church bulletins this month that following the beatification ceremony, of the Holy Father will also go their Chapel, dedicated to St. Philip, where he will become the first pilgrim to pray at their new shrine to their founder, Cardinal Newman.

Countdown to Pope's England Trip: 62 Days

England's papal visit coordinator says preparations for Benedict XVI's Sept. 16 arrival are well under way: Invitations are out and the master of the papal ceremonies came in from Rome to visit the sites where the Pope will pray and then celebrate liturgies.

In this week's audio update, posted Monday, Monsignor Andrew Summersgill will explain the progress for the preparations.

Dioceses have received suggested allocations for the two larger gatherings in England: the beatification of the Cardinal John Henry Newman in Birmingham and the prayer vigil in the Hyde Park.

"It is now up to each of the diocesan coordinator and the people in the diocese to decide how they wish to divide them out, [to decide] which is the most fair way, and the most convenient way for them to do that," the monsignor il explain.

Regarding the visit from the Monsignor Guido Marini, the master of the papal ceremonies, Monsignor Summersgill said it "went very well."

Monsignor Marini and three assistants met with various officials from the visit team, including the Monsignor Philip Moger, who is overseeing the liturgies for both the episcopal conferences of the Scotland, and of England and Wales.

"We spent just under four days visiting the different places within the Pope’s itinerary -- where he will be celebrating the Mass, for the prayer vigil, and also those other specific moments of prayer within the visit. That of course includes Westminster Abbey as well where there will be the evening prayer," Monsignor Summersgill noted.

He added that texts have been finalized so a missal and the prayer book can be prepared and published.

"So it was a good week and we did a lot of work," the monsignor has affirmed, "and things are moving ahead very nicely with that."

New Catholic radio station to reach an estimated 5.5 million Bostonians

The New York -based Holy Family Communications has now announced the purchase of a Boston-area radio station, which will provide Catholic radio to the area's 5.5 million inhabitants.

The new station at WBIX 1060 AM is on expected to be operational by All Saints Day, which falls on Nov. 1. Previously the channel had a financial news and about discussion format.

“We are very excited about bringing the Catholic radio to the Boston community,” Holy Family Communications president Jim Wright said this in a press release.

WBIX president Alex Langer also lauded the move, stating that he was “pleased to welcome the Holy Family Communications,” according to the Boston Globe.

While there are other Boston stations that have the Catholic-themed programming, Holy Family's station will be the only 24-hour format.

The new station, catering to the nation's fourth largest archdiocese, and will feature programming from EWTN.

“We are grateful for the valiant efforts of the Holy Family Communications and for the support of Cardinal Sean O’Malley,” EWTN president and CEO Michael Warsaw said on Tuesday.

During their visit to the EWTN monastery in the mid-1990s, EWTN foundress Mother Angelica told to Holy Family Communications founders Jim and Joanne Wright to go home to Buffalo, New York and start a Catholic radio apostolate.

The Wrights, who had no radio or the media experience, launched the Station of the Cross to bring Catholic Radio to western New York. Dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, it began broadcasting on August 1999 on WLOF 101.7 FM Buffalo.

Another station, WHIC 1460 AM Rochester, began broadcasting on July 2003 and is dedicated to Our Lady’s Most Holy and Immaculate Conception.

Holy Family Communications also runs iCatholicRadio to bring the Catholic programming to mobile devices.