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Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2006: JANUARY - JULY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 28, 2006 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities
of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of January through July
2006.

JANUARY

- 1: Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI for 39th World Day of Peace, on
the theme: "In Truth, Peace."

- 7: Holy Father receives in audience a delegation from the World Alliance of
Reformed Churches, led by Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick.

- 9: Holy Father receives in audience - in the Sala Regia of the Vatican
Apostolic Palace - members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See
for the traditional exchange of New Year greetings.

- 16: Holy Father receives in audience a delegation from the Jewish community
in Rome, headed by Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni.

- 16: Holy Father receives in audience Filip Vujanovic, president of the
Republic of Montenegro.

- 19: Holy Father receives in audience an ecumenical delegation from Finland
for the occasion of the Feast of St. Henry, patron saint of that country.

- 19: Holy Father receives in audience Gunther H. Oettinger, minister-
president of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.

- 22: For the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the Pontifical Swiss
Guard, Mass in the Sistine Chapel presided by Cardinal Secretary of State
Angelo Sodano, attended by the 110 Swiss Guards currently in service and their
families. The Mass inaugurates the 500th anniversary celebrations of the
world's oldest active military corps.

- 23 - 24: International congress on charity promoted by the Pontifical Council
"Cor Unum," its theme inspired by St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians: "
... But the greatest of these is love."

- 24: On the Feast of St. Francis of Sales, patron saint of journalists,
publication of Benedict XVI's first Message for the World Day of Social
Communications (to be celebrated on May 28), on the theme: "The Media: A
Network for Communication, Communion and Cooperation."

- 25: Publication of Pope Benedict XVI's first Encyclical: "Deus caritas est."

- 26: Holy Father receives in audience Lech Kaczynski, president of the
Republic of Poland.

- 31: Publication of the Message of Benedict XVI for Lent 2006. The text, dated
September 29, 2005, is entitled: "Jesus, at the sight of the crowds, was moved
with pity."

FEBRUARY

- 3: Publication of a decree announcing the concession of indulgences to the
faithful for the fifteenth World Day of the Sick, to be celebrated on February
11, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

- 9: The Holy Father accepts the invitation of Ahmet Necdet Sezer, president of
Turkey, to make an official visit to that country from November 28 to 30, 2006.

- 15: During the course of his weekly general audience, Benedict XVI announces
the conclusion of the cycle of catechesis begun by John Paul II and dedicated
to the Psalms and Canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours and of Vespers.

- 16: Holy Father receives in audience Fouad Siniora, prime minister of
Lebanon.

- 20: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Ali Achour, the new ambassador
of Morocco to the Holy See.

- 24: Holy Father receives in audience Alfred Moisiu, president of the Republic
of Albania.

- 27: Publication of the Holy Father's Message to the youth of the world for
21st World Youth Day 2006, on the theme: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a
light to my path."

MARCH

- 3: The Holy Father Benedict XVI visits the headquarters of Vatican Radio for
the 75th anniversary of the station's inauguration, in 1931 under the
pontificate of Pius IX.

- 13: Holy Father receives in audience Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, president of the
Arab Republic of Egypt.

- 15: In his weekly general audience, the Holy Father begins a new cycle of
catechesis dedicated to the mystery of the relationship between Christ and the
Church in the light of the experience of the Apostles and the task with which
they were entrusted.

- 18: Beatification of Servant of God Sister Elia di San Clemente (nee Teodora
Fracasso, 1901 - 1927), virgin of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, in the
cathedral of Bari, Italy.

- 20: Holy Father receives in audience His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX
Tarmouni, patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, Lebanon, accompanied by
members of the patriarchal synod and by a group of pilgrims.

- 24: First Ordinary Public Consistory of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI
for the creation of 15 new cardinals from 11 different countries. With the new
additions, the College of Cardinals numbers 193 members, of whom 120 are
eligible to vote.

- 30: Publication of the Holy Father's Message for the 43rd World Day of Prayer
for Vocations, to be celebrated on May 7, fourth Sunday of Easter, on the
theme: "Vocation in the mystery of the Church."

- 30: In the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, screening of the film "Karol, un Papa
rimasto uomo" (Karol, a Pope Who Remained a Man) in the presence of the Holy
Father. The film, dedicated to the life of John Paul II, was written and
directed by the Italian director, Giacomo Battiato.

APRIL

- 1: Holy Father receives in audience Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen
Paola of the Belgians.

- 2: First anniversary of the death of John Paul II. At 9 p.m., Benedict XVI
and Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's vicar general for the diocese of Rome,
preside at the praying of the Rosary in St. Peter's Square. At around 9.37
p.m., the exact moment of John Paul II's demise, the Pope Benedict addresses
the crowd from the window of his study overlooking the square.

- 3: At 5.30 p.m. in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI celebrates Mass marking
the first anniversary of the death of John Paul II.

- 6: Shimon Peres, former prime minister of the State of Israel and Nobel Peace
Prize winner, visits His Holiness Benedict XVI.

- 8: Holy Father receives in separate audiences Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe,
president of the Republic of Togo, and His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke
Otto of Austria.

- 9: Eucharistic celebration presided by the Pope in St. Peter's Square for
Palm Sunday, and for 21st World Youth Day which has as its theme this year
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

- 21: Benedict XVI attends a concert organized in his honor by the local
authorities of Rome at the city's "Parco della Musica" Auditorium to mark the
occasion of the 2759th anniversary of the foundation of the Eternal City, and
the first anniversary of his own election to the pontifical throne on April 19.

- 30: Beatification of Servants of God Msgr. Luigi Biraghi (1801-1879) and Fr.
Luigi Monza (1898-1954) in the Duomo of Milan, Italy.

- 30: Beatification of Servant of God Fr. Augustine Thevarparampil "Kunjachan"
(1891-1973), in Ramapuram, India.

MAY

- 1: Pope Benedict XVI visits the Sanctuary of "Divino Amore" (Divine Love),
located south of Rome. He prays the rosary before the image of the Virgin in
the old sanctuary before going on to visit the new sanctuary, consecrated by
Pope John Paul II in 1999.

- 3: A concert of popular music performed by the Swiss Guard Band in the Paul
VI Hall marks the beginning of the fifth centenary celebrations for the
founding of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.

- 5: Holy Father receives in audience Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the
European Commission.

- 6: In the Vatican Basilica, the Pope presides at a Eucharistic celebration
marking the fifth centenary of the foundation of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.
Civil and military authorities from Switzerland and other countries participate
in the ceremony, as do relatives and friends of the Guards, and military
chaplains.

- 8: Holy Father receives in audience Their Royal Highnesses, the Grand Duke
Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg.

- 11: Holy Father receives in audience Hugo Chavez Frias, president of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

- 13: On the 89th anniversary of the first appearance of the Virgin of Fatima,
and the 25th anniversary of the assassination attempt against John Paul II in
St. Peter's Square, a copy of the statue of the Virgin Mary from the famous
Portuguese shrine returns to the Vatican.

- 13: Holy Father receives Letters of Credence of Valentin Bozhilov, the new
Bulgarian ambassador to the Holy See.

- 13: Holy Father receives in audience participants in the plenary assembly of
the Pontifical Council for the Family which is celebrating the 25th anniversary
of its foundation. It was established by John Paul II on May 9, 1981.

- 13: Beatification of Servant of God Maria Teresa di San Giuseppe (nee Anna
Maria Tauscher van den Bosch, 1855 -1938) in Roermond, Netherlands.

- 14: Beatification of Servant of God Maria della Passione di Nostro Signore
Gesu Cristo (nee Grazia Tarallo, 1866 - 1912) in the cathedral of Naples,
Italy.

- 15: Holy Father receives in separate audiences Enrique Bolanos Geyer,
president of the Republic of Nicaragua, and His Royal Highness Duke Carl von
Wurttemberg.

- 18: Holy Father receives Letters of Credence of five new ambassadors to the
Holy See: Moukhtar Wawa Dahab from Chad; Amitava Tripathi from India; Domingos
Dias Pereira Mascarenhas from Cape Verde; Valeriu Bobutac from Moldova; and
Anne Maree Plunkett from Australia.

- 18: Holy Father receives in audience Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and
Kaliningrad, president of the Department for Foreign Ecclesiastical Relations
of the Patriarchate of Moscow.

- 18: Holy Father receives in audience Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, prime minister
of Poland.

- 19: Holy Father receives in audience Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of
Denmark.

- 20: Holy Father receives Letters of Credence of Francisco Vazquez Vazquez,
the new Spanish ambassador to the Holy See.

- 22: Holy Father receives in audience Branko Crvenkovski, president of the
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

- 23: Publication of a Letter from Benedict XVI to Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach
S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), for the 50th
anniversary of Pope Pius XII's Encyclical "Haurietis aquas" on devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus.

- 23: Holy Father receives in audience Sergei Stanishev, prime minister of
Bulgaria.

- 25-28: Holy Father Benedict XVI's apostolic trip to Poland where he visits
Warsaw, Czestochowa, Krakow, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, and Auschwitz.

- 28: Beatification of Servant of God Rita Amada de Jesus (1948 - 1913) in
Viseu, Portugal.

JUNE

- 2: Publication of the Holy Father's Message for 80th World Mission Day, on
the theme: "Charity, Soul of the Mission." The Day is due to be celebrated on
October 22.

- 3: Holy Father receives in audience Tony Blair, prime minister of Great
Britain.

- 3: In St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father Benedict XVI meets more than
400,000 representatives of ecclesial movements and new communities for the
First Vespers of the eve of Pentecost.

- 8: Holy Father receives in audience Norbert Lammert, speaker of the German
parliament, the "Bundestag."

- 15: Beatification of Servant of God Fr. Eustaquio Van Lieshout (1890 - 1943)
in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

- 16: Holy Father receives in audience Oscar Arias Sanchez, president of the
Republic of Costa Rica.

- 22: In accordance with Canon 354 of the Code of Canon Law, Holy Father
accepts the resignation of Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of State,
requesting him, nonetheless, to remain in office until September 15, with all
the faculties inherent to that role. On September 15. the Holy Father will
appoint Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., archbishop of Genova, Italy, as the
new secretary of State.

- 24: Announcement of a forthcoming apostolic trip by Benedict XVI to Germany
from September 9 to 14, where he will visit Munich, Altotting and Regensburg.

- 26: Holy Father receives in audience Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, president of
the Republic of the Philippines.

- 29: Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles. Pope presides at a
Eucharistic concelebration with 27 metropolitan archbishops from 17 countries,
upon whom he imposes the pallium. The day also marks the 55th anniversary of
Benedict XVI's own priestly ordination.

- 30: Holy Father receives Letters of Credence of Mario Juan Bosco Cayota
Zappettini, the new ambassador of Uruguay to the Holy See.

- 30: Benedict XVI decrees that from September 18 - when the Vatican Secret
Archives and other archives of the Holy See resume activities after the summer
vacation - all documents relative to the pontificate of Pope Pius XI (February
6, 1922 - February 10, 1939) be made available to researchers.

JULY

- 8-9: Holy Father Benedict XVI makes the third apostolic trip outside Italy of
his pontificate, visiting Valencia, Spain, for the occasion of the Fifth World
Meeting of Families.

- 11: Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. is appointed as new director of the Holy See
Press Office. He is currently director general of the Vatican Television Center
and of Vatican Radio, posts he will continue to hold in his new office. The
Pope accepts the resignation from the office of director of the Holy See Press
Office presented by Joaquin Navarro-Valls, who has held the position since
1984.

- 12: Presentation of the Holy See consolidated financial statements for 2005;
the year closed with a surplus of 9.7 million euro.

- 13: Theme announced of the 40th World Peace Day, due to be celebrated on
January 1, 2007: "The Human Person: Heart of Peace."

- 20: Benedict XVI proclaims Sunday, July 23, as a special day of prayer and
penance for peace in the Middle East.

- 26: Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, secretary for Relations with States,
participates as an observer at the International Rome Conference on Lebanon.
.../ACTIVITIES 2006/... VIS 060728 (2290)

SUMMARY

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