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Confusion over Church teaching after Vatican II

In a July 24 meeting with Italian priests, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about confusion over Church teachings following Vatican II, the relationship between faith and reason, and the duty of all Catholics to spread the Gospel. The Holy Father met with about 400 priests of the dioceses of Belluno-Feltre and Treviso, in a parish church near his vacation cabin in Lorenzago di Cadore. Reporters were not allowed to attend the full session, but saw a portion of the Pope's talk; later Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, briefed reporters about the meeting. Following a pattern that he has set in similar meetings in the past, Pope Benedict devoted most of the 2-hour session to answering questions from the priests.

The Vatican announced that a transcript of the Pope's answers to questions will be published in L'Osservatore Romano. The discussion covered a broad range of questions, with the Pope reportedly speaking about the turbulence within the Church after Vatican II and the importance of an accurate understanding of the Council's teachings. Pope Benedict has frequently insisted that Vatican II must be understood in light of Catholic tradition, rather than as a break from that tradition. The Pontiff offered one lengthy response to a question on conflicts between faith and science, emphasizing that although scientific research can resolve many questions, it cannot answer existential questions about the meaning of life-- questions that man by nature finds himself asking. The Pope went on to suggest that scientists should be open to the possibilities offered by religious faith, and recognize that there is no conflict, but rather a complementarity, between the approaches taken by faith and reason. Pope Benedict reminded the priests that all Christians, and especially clerics, have a fundamental obligation to inform people about the faith. Their efforts, he continued, should be aimed not to win arguments but to win souls, bringing new believers into the Church. [CWNews] 1373.2

 

Care for the elderly

'Ministry in the care for the elderly' will be the theme of the 22nd International Conference of the Pontifical Council for Health Care, which will be held in Rome November 15-17. The president of the dicastery, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, will open the event with a conference entitled, 'The pastoral care of the elderly infirm in light of the Word of God.' Afterwards, there will be a historical analysis of the care of the elderly and of the main illnesses that affect them. Other themes to be discussed include the advances in health care for the elderly, economic and legislative issues related to the elderly, the influence of climate change and pollution on the health of the elderly, and the care of the infirm in the history of the Church, in Scripture and in the fathers of the Church. [CNA] 1373.3

 

Meeting with Cardinal Zen

Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong, the most visible Catholic prelate in China, was in Lorenzago di Cadore this past weekend, meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal Zen attended the Holy Father's Angelus audience on Sunday, July 22, in the remote Italian town where the Pontiff is vacationing. The cardinal was leading a pilgrimage of about 60 Chinese Catholics to Italy. The appearance of Cardinal Zen at the papal audience drew the attention of reporters, especially in light of the Pope's message to the Church in China, released on June 30. Church spokesmen confirmed that although the Pope has held few private audiences during his vacation, he did talk with Cardinal Zen about the Chinese reaction to his message. [CWNews] 1373.4

The arms race

Benedict XVI made a plea for a rejection of the arms race and the attempt to solve problems with war, which he called a 'useless bloodbath.' The Pope urged an end to war on Sunday at the midday Angelus address in Piazza Calvi in Lorenzago di Cadore, where he is on vacation. 'From this place of peace here in the north of Italy, where one feels even more vitally how unacceptable the 'useless bloodbaths' are, I renew the call to follow with tenacity the way of law, to firmly renounce the arms race, to reject in general the temptation to face new situations with old systems,' he said. The Holy Father recalled that 90 years ago on Aug. 1, 1917, the Pontiff from whom he took his name, Benedict XV, published his celebrated 'Nota Alle Potenze Belligeranti' (Note to the Warring Powers), asking that an end be put to the First World War. 'As that huge conflict raged, the Pope had the courage to affirm that it was a 'useless bloodbath,'' Benedict XVI affirmed. He continued: 'This expression of his left a mark on history. It was a justified remark given the concrete situation in that summer of 1917, especially on the front here in this part of northern Italy.

But those words, 'useless bloodbath,' have a larger, prophetic application to other conflicts that have destroyed countless human lives.' The Holy Father added, 'Benedict XV's 'Nota' did not limit itself to condemning war; it indicated, at a juridical level, the ways to construct an equitable and durable peace.' Concretely, he said, the Pontiff of the First World War proposed: 'the moral force of law, balanced and regulated disarmament, arbitration in disputes, freedom on the seas, the reciprocal remission of war debts, the restitution of occupied territories, fair negotiations to resolve problems. The Holy See's proposal was oriented toward the future of Europe and of the world, according to a project that was Christian in inspiration but able to be shared by all because it was founded on the law of nations,' Benedict XVI observed. He added: 'It is the same program that the Servants of God Paul VI and John Paul II followed in their memorable speeches at the United Nations, repeating in the name of the Church: 'No more war!' If men lived in peace with God and with each other, the earth would truly resemble a 'paradise.' Unfortunately, sin ruined this divine project, generating divisions and bringing death into the world. This is why men cede to the temptations of the evil one and make war against each other. The result is that in this stupendous 'garden' that is the world, there open up circles of hell.' [Zenit] 1373.5

 

Scout Camp centenary

August 1st will mark the centenary of the opening of the first ever Scout Camp, organized on Brownsea Island, United Kingdom, by Lord Baden-Powell (1857-1941), founder of the World Scout Movement. For this occasion, thousands of Catholic scouts and guides from all over Europe will meet with Benedict XVI on Wednesday, August 1, during the general audience which is due to be held in the Vatican. In a Letter to mark the centenary of the Scout Movement, addressed to Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux and president of the Conference of Bishops of France, and published on July 2, the Holy Father recalls the founder of Catholic Scouts, Fr. Jacques Sevin S.J. and gives thanks to God 'for all the fruits which, over this century, the Scout Movement has brought.' The Pope also encourages Catholic scouts and guides to continue their journey, offering 'young people today an education that forms strong personalities, rooted in Christ and desirous of living exalted ideals of faith and human solidarity.' [Vatican Information Service] 1373.6

Europe

 

Poland refuses to accept EU sex-selection ruling

The Polish government will not accept the portion of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union that covers issues of discrimination on the basis of sexual preference. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has announced that Poland will not grant legal recognition to same-sex unions, saying that the step would violate the country's cultural heritage. He pointed out that Poland had joined the European Union with the understanding that the sovereignty of the nation would be respected on matters of culture. The recognition of marriage, he said, falls into that category. The Polish government has been in conflict with leaders of the European Union over issues involving the treatment of homosexuality. The announcement by Kaczynski appears likely to bring that conflict to a head. [CWNews] 1373.7

 

 

United Nations

NGOs' 'insidious threats'

One of the most powerful and insidious threats to unborn human life around the world today is the campaign being waged by an alliance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) within the United Nations. These NGOs work together to establish new, legally enforceable 'rights', including the supposed right to abortion.

One of the most popular tactics in this campaign is to hijack the Compliance Committees of the UN treaty-monitoring system, and it is by these committees that many countries, including Ireland, have been chastised for restricting abortion. The members of these treaty-monitoring bodies are not representatives of governments but unaccountable functionaries. Their aim is to create the impression that the various UN human rights treaties recognise a right to abortion (they do not), and that signatory nations which have laws restricting abortion must change their laws to gain international acceptance. This, of course, involves the deliberate misinterpretation of existing, uncontroversial human rights. According to them, the right to life (of mothers) implies the right to abortion. A bit of dishonesty is a small price for the great prize of an internationally recognised right to abortion.

Another stratagem of the pro-abortion NGOs is to have ambiguous language included in new documents on human rights (conventions or treaties) which could later be interpreted to support a right to abortion. Their preferred phraseology is talk about 'reproductive and sexual health rights'. Their most recent attempt to include this was over the wording of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The European Union pushed for the inclusion of language about 'sexual and reproductive health services' being a human right. The EU also supported the 'right' of disabled people 'to experience their sexuality', whatever that might mean. While many of the worst proposals were eventually dropped, references to sexual and reproductive health remained in the final document. This was only agreed after all sides accepted that the term does not include abortion, a rare concession by the pro-abortion side, but we can be confident that pro-abortion campaigners will seize upon this phrase to further their cause.

In the debates on the same Convention, Finland, representing the EU, was the only country to oppose efforts to guarantee that disabled people would not be denied life-saving treatment, and would be protected from involuntary euthanasia. The EU representative also contested a reference to the family as the 'fundamental group of society'.

This year at the annual assembly of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Ireland's delegation declined to join the group of countries who supported a United States intervention rejecting any attempt to interpret the WHO's five year strategy as 'suggesting the existence of a new human right to sexual and reproductive health' or 'encouraging or compelling Member States to expand the availability of legal abortion'. Ireland's silence can be very eloquent.

So labyrinthine and arcane are the structures and processes of the UN and the whole international human rights system that it is easy for radical pro-abortion individuals and groups to plug away with their campaign without receiving too much notice or scrutiny-until it is too late. The branches which they have infiltrated most successfully are the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights. They have also colonised key sections of the structures of the EU. [Family & Life] 1373.8

The Radical Outrage

 

 

Mary's Son will deny her nothing that she asks, and herein lies her power. While Mary defends the Church, neither great monarchs, nor craft of man, nor popular violence, can avail to harm us; for human life is short, but Mary reigns above, a queen forever.

John Henry Cardinal Newman, Prayers, Verses & Devotions

 

Barack Obama promises to appoint pro-abortion judges

One of the leading US Democrat presidential candidates, Mr Barack Obama, pledged support for abortion covered by health insurance and said that he would aim to appoint judges who were pro-abortion. He said: 'We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges.' He dismissed the pro-life movement in America, saying: 'At a time when the real war is being fought abroad, [some] would have us fight Culture Wars here at home. I am absolutely convinced that culture Wars are just so 90s. Their days are growing dark.' [LifeSite, SPUC] 1373.9

No biological cause for homosexuality

According to the American Psychiatric Association, there are no replicated scientific studies supporting any identified biological cause for homosexuality. But now the Montgomery County Board of Education, in the state of Maryland, USA, has done what science and medicine could not do by declaring in its newly approved curriculum that homosexuality is 'innate', that is to say, that homosexuals are born, not made. The board could not produce any evidence to support this claim, but is merely following the example of numerous government agencies in Canada, USA, Britain and Ireland, not to mention the EU Parliament.

Let's put the facts as clearly as we can:

a) There is no scientific research or study that has established the existence of a 'gay gene'. Numerous studies suggest the opposite. Calling Same Sex Attraction (SSA) 'innate', 'biologically determined' or, worse still, 'created by God' is as unscientific as talking about the 'flat earth'. For example, Dean Hamer's much touted study of the 'gay gene', published in Science in 1993, was subsequently discredited, and he has since retired from research to dedicate himself to 'gay' activism.

b) Closely connected to the theory of the 'gay gene' is the concept of 'sexual orientation'. If 'orientation' is anything, it is a persistent, deep-rooted, and maybe lifelong, existence of SSA, whether or not this attraction leads to homosexual actions. The theory that there are several sexual orientations among humans is just that-theory with very little evidence. Unfortunately, much human rights and equality legislation have accepted the concept of sexual orientation as proven.

c) Numerous studies have found that SSA is a transient condition during adolescence and the years that immediately follow. Many young teenagers who experience SSA find that the problem disappears by the time they reach the age of 25.

d) The claim that trying to change a person's 'sexual orientation' is impossible, medically dangerous and therefore should be opposed is contradicted by numerous cases where therapy has succeeded. For some, this is not a realistic option. They have to learn to live chastely as a person with SSA, as Fr John Harvey of Courage holds.

e) The claim that 'coming out' will solve the problems of a person with SSA is highly doubtful. The 'gay scene' puts men at grave risk of contracting HIV and other STIs as well as developing grave mental health problems. 'Safe sex' via condoms has not worked to prevent the spread of these diseases.

f) The homosexual lifestyle generally leads to much higher level of serious mental disorders, substance abuse and self-harm. Homosexual activists have always blamed 'homophobic' society for the psychological problems of homosexuals and their reduced life expectancy but a recent study has shown that the mental disorders of homosexuals are no different in countries where there is high level of tolerance and acceptance, e.g. Holland and New Zealand. [Family & Life] 1373.10

 

International news

 

 

CHINA  An invitation to Pope Benedict XVI

The vice-chairman of the Chinese state-approved Catholic Association has said that in light of Pope Benedict XVI's recent letter to Catholics in China, he would like him to visit and celebrate Mass. For the time being, the Holy Father has chosen not to comment because of the complexity of the issue. Vice chairman Liu Bainian's comments came in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica about the Pope's recent letter to the Church in China. He said that he wanted to use the interview as an opportunity to send the Pope his organization's prayers and an invitation to visit. '[We want to] Let him know that we pray for him always and may the Lord give us the grace to welcome him here among us. I strongly hope to be able to see the pope one day here in Beijing to celebrate Mass for us Chinese,' Liu was quoted as saying. Pope Benedict, who was reached while leaving a meeting with local clergy in Northern Italy replied, 'I can't speak at this time. It's a bit complicated,' according to ANSA news agency.

The chairman also said that the new letter is a 'big positive difference' compared with the Vatican's previous efforts at reconciliation. 'Every opposition to socialism disappeared. We weren't accused of schism. It marked the first time that, according to the pope, Chinese people could feel it was possible to be Catholic and love their own country.' The most contentious issue by far between the Chinese government and the Church is that of appointing bishops. On the one hand, the government sees the papal appointment of bishops as the Church getting involved in the internal affairs of the nation, while Rome sees the issue as an issue of papal authority and the inordinate control of the state. Liu expressed hope that an agreement could be reached in the near future. 'The problem can be resolved. It will be resolved, I hope soon,' he was quoted as saying. At the same time, however, Liu insisted that religion could never be used to interfere in China's internal affairs. 'Beijing will never accept what the church did in Poland,' referring to how Pope John Paul II helped rid the country of communism. Liu explained that in the past the government saw the Church as meddling in the affairs of the state, but stressed that Chinese Catholics always recognized the sole authority of the pope as far as religion was concerned. 'The Holy See is the only representative of Jesus on earth, and as Catholics we must follow it,' he said. 'What we must affirm is our political and economic independence; otherwise we remain a colonial church.' [CNA] 1373.11

 

SOUTH KOREA  Taliban reportedly kill Christian hostage

Taliban militants in Afghanistan who took 23 South Korean Christians hostage, have reportedly killed one of them after losing patience with negotiations, claimed their unofficial spokesman. 'Since Kabul's administration did not listen to our demand and did not free our prisoners, the Taliban shot dead a male Korean hostage,' Qari Yousef Ahmadi, the alleged news representative for the Taliban, told Reuters by phone from an unknown location. Ahmadi said earlier that the insurgents would kill 'a few' of the hostages before 5:30 a.m. EDT after talks over the fate of the 23 South Korean Christian hostages had stalled. Three deadlines have passed since the Koreans were abducted last Thursday, with the latest being Tuesday 10:30 a.m. EDT. 'The Taliban have lost their patience with it all so they will be killed.because a lot of time has passed since the deadline and there has been no response,' Ahmadi told AP by satellite phone before the news of a first killing was reported.

'The Taliban takes no responsibility for the killing.' The threat came as a surprise to Ali Shah Ahmadzai, the police chief of the Ghazni province where the hostages were captured, who said negotiations were moving in a positive direction. 'I don't know why they've suddenly changed their mind,' Ahmadzai said, according to AP. Several of Ahmadi's past statements have turned out false or contradicted other statements by Taliban, leading some to question the reliability of his information. My message to the Taliban is to use tolerance and be patient,' the provincial police chief said. 'This (killing hostages) is against the Afghan culture.' It has been nearly a week since the group of South Korean Christians was kidnapped while riding in a bus to the southern city of Kandahar, where they planned to do medical work and teach English. The militants have accused the Koreans of being on an evangelistic mission, but South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun as well as the senior pastor of the hostages' home church, the Rev. Park Eun-jo, emphasized that the volunteers were there to provide free medical or educational services with no missionary intentions. The Taliban is demanding for the Afghan government to release a similar number of Taliban prisoners and for South Korea to remove its 200 troops from the country in exchange for the captives. So far, the Afghan government has not agreed to release the prisoners and South Korea has emphasized that the troops, who are mostly doing humanitarian work, will leave Afghanistan by the end of the year as scheduled. The kidnapping of the 23 South Korean Christians is the largest abduction of a group of foreigners in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.[CNA] 1373.12

 

SPAIN  Socialist Youth's support for euthanasia

The director of Fundacion Vida in Spain, Manuel Cruz, criticized the members of the Socialist Youth of Spain for promoting the legalization of euthanasia, saying the move is a sign of 'the level of corruption in this political organization and a terrible symptom of the state of society, especially if this proposal is accepted without any kind of debate or discussion or alternatives.' Cruz's comments came in the wake of the Socialist Youth's annual gathering. 'The most troubling fact is that the legalization of euthanasia, which is an act that always kills a person with or without his consent, is included in their project,' he said. Cruz noted that euthanasia goes against the first and fundamental right which is the right to life and that to present euthanasia as a 'sign of solidarity' is a deception. 'It's something criminal that, if done at the request of the victim, is a 'homicide-suicide'. In any case, it constitutes grave harm for all of society.

What do these young people think they will do with their parents and grandparents in a few years?' Cruz asked, noting that at the same time that they are proposing getting rid of the sick and the elderly, advances in palliative care have been made to make the process of dying as dignified as possible. In supporting euthanasia, 'the Socialist Youth are 'not in the game' in the area of healthcare,' he said. At their congress, the Socialist Youth also proposed lowering the voting age to 16, legalizing prostitution and modifying the accords with the Holy See among other proposals.UK ~ Hospices in Britain are suffering from financial difficulties after the government reportedly failed to provide the funding it promised. A study of 186 out of 194 of the UK's charitable hospices showed that one in four of them was in deficit, despite government promises that funding for palliative care would be doubled. David Praill, chief executive of Help the Hospices, said: 'We are asking the government to deliver Labour's election manifesto commitment to doubling the amount given for palliative care as a matter of urgency. Charitable hospices provide the majority of in-patient palliative care services as well as a range of day care, hospice at home, bereavement support services and training for doctors and nurses.' [BBC, SPUC] 1373.13

 

TURKEY  Bishops 'pleased' at election result

Father Georges Marovitch, the spokesman for the Catholic bishops' conference of Turkey, has said that Church officials are pleased with the results of the country's elections, the ANSA news service reports. Confirming the opinion offered earlier by Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani, the former apostolic nuncio in Turkey, Father Marovitch said that the election results were 'without a doubt positive.' The Turkish bishops' spokesman observed that the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which won a solid parliamentary majority, has been responsive to the needs of the country's Christian minority. He noted, too, that the Turkish government-- currently led by the AKP-- and the Holy See are still involved in negotiations that could lead to legal recognition of the Catholic Church in the predominantly Muslim country. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose position was strengthened by the election results, is committed to arranging Turkey's entry into the European Union, Father Marovitch said. That ambition could prompt the Turkish leader to ensure greater respect for human rights and to safeguard the status of minorities, in order to ease opposition to Turkey's application. [CWNews] 1373.14

 

UK  Lambeth Conference bishops warned

An influential leader of the Church of England has warned African Anglican bishops that they will endanger their place in the worldwide communion if they follow through with plans to boycott the Lambeth Conference. 'Anglicanism has its roots through Canterbury,' Archbishop John Senatamu of York told the Daily Telegraph. 'If you sever that link you are severing yourself from the communion.' Archbishop Sentamu was responding to announcements from African leaders who have said that they will decline an invitation from the Archbishop of Canterbury to attend the Lambeth Conference, in which Anglican bishops gather each decade for discussions. The African bishops have said that they cannot accept the legitimacy of Episcopalian bishops who have rejected Biblical teaching regarding homosexuality and consented to the appointment of an openly homosexual bishop. But Archbishop Sentamu-- a native of Uganda who fled to England to escape the dictatorial regime of Idi Amin-- said that the African bishops would be the ones breaking away from the Anglican tradition. If they fail to attend the Lambeth Conference, he said, 'They would be the ones voting with their feet.' [CWNews] 1373.15

 

UK  'Killing allowed for any reason'

A British couple who have a family history of breast cancer have reportedly won the right to screen their embryos for a gene that may trigger the disease. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) gave them the licence, which is the first of its kind in Britain. Gemma Wilkie, a spokeswoman for the HFEA, said: 'I can confirm that the HFEA have granted a licence to University College Hospital in London to use PGD to screen for the BRCA gene which causes a susceptibility to inherited breast cancer. We have also received a further application for this condition which is still being considered.' [Times] Alison Davis of No Less Human said: 'This case clearly shows yet again that, once killing is allowed for any reason, it is likely eventually to be extended to allow more and more killing, all in the name of supposedly 'preventing suffering.' The HFEA first allowed PGD 'only' for conditions it considered 'severe' and which inevitably caused disability. Now it has allowed it for a condition which has only 80% penetration. We can guess what will happen next, but the wrongness is not in the effects of the slippery slope but in the fact that it was allowed to start in the first place. The only ethical way to proceed is to stop trying to deal with disabling conditions by killing those who have them, and to welcome every child into the world.' [SPUC] 1373.16

 

UK  Wider destruction of embryos

The British public health minister has announced that there will be new measures to improve the availability and quality of IVF treatment on the National Health Service. Ms Dawn Primarolo MP outlined measures to standardise eligibility criteria, to produce better guidance for primary care trusts and to monitor IVF provision more closely so as to identify where services needed to be improved. She said: 'We recognise that there are local variations in the provision of IVF and that this does cause distress to many childless couples who feel that they are not getting the treatment they need.' [Department of Health] IVF involves great waste of human life. Statistics from Australia have suggested that only one IVF embryo in 25 will see the light of day as a born child. [SPUC] 1373.17

 

VENEZUELA   President escalates his criticism of Cardinal

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has again escalated his criticism of Catholic Church leaders, referring to a cardinal from Honduras as an 'imperialist clown.' Chavez lashed out against Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigapla, Honduras, after the cardinal, in an interview with a Venezuelan news agency, said that Chavez 'seems to think that he is a god and can trample over others.' Chavez responded by saying that the Honduran cardinal was a 'parrot' serving the forces of imperialism which, he said, sought to undermine his regime. The statement by Cardinal Rodriguez fell in line with the criticism of the Venezuelan president by his own country's hierarchy. The bishops of Venezuela have frequently provoked the wrath of Chavez by criticizing his plans to consolidate power in his strict regime. [CWNews] 1373.18

 

ZIMBABWE  Supporters rally to defence of archbishop

Supporters of Zimbabwe's embattled Archbishop Pius Ncube have rallied to his defence, accusing the government of President Robert Mugabe of organizing a campaign to smear a popular critic. At the same time allies of Mugabe, including some Evangelical Christian leaders, have stepped up their criticism of the archbishop, who has been sued by a man claiming that Ncube had an affair with his wife. The Save Zimbabwe Coalition held a press conference on July 24 to denounce the government's public attacks on Archbishop Ncube. Representatives of human-rights groups and the Christian Alliance of Zimbabwe teamed up to defend the prelate. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said that the attacks were a 'diversionary tactic' intended to deflect public attention from the Catholic bishops' strong criticism of government corruption, suppression of political opponents, and economic mismanagement. Pointing to the widespread distribution of graphic photos that reportedly show the bishop and the woman unclothed, the coalition said: 'It is only a desperate government that can subject children to pornographic material in contravention of its draconian censorship laws, to score a political goal.' The group strongly urged that the archbishop's guilt or innocence should be judged by the country's courts rather than through a media campaign. Catholics in Bulawayo, the archdiocese headed by the outspoken prelate, organized an inter-religious prayer service in support of their archbishop. [CWNews] 1373.19

'A marvellous adventure'

Benedict XVI wants to make the 2008 World Youth Day in Sydney a great proclamation to young people of God's love, the Vatican spokesman said. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, explained this in the latest edition of the television program 'Octava Dies.' 'In one year we will be in Sydney or we will be looking to Sydney,' he said. 'The World Youth Days continue their marvellous adventure and are preparing to land in Oceania, in a splendid city that is a symbol of development and vitality on a continent that is both ancient and young. 'It seems like yesterday that at Marienfeld in Cologne, Benedict XVI announced this meeting which was welcomed with an indescribable enthusiasm by the Australian young people who waved flags and figures of kangaroos. And now we are practically on the eve.' Father Lombardi mentioned that the WYD cross is already on pilgrimage in Australia.

He called the cross 'a symbol of the spiritual journey of conversion and commitment with which the young people of the world prepare for a great event of meeting and celebration of the faith with the Pope.' The spokesman continued: 'In the general audience of July 4 in Rome and at the Angelus on August 15 in Lorenzago di Cadore, Benedict XVI has twice already touched on the message directed to young people and he nourished their program of preparation. 'It is inspired by the promise of the risen Jesus to his apostles: 'You will receive power from the Holy Spirit who will descend on you and you will be my witnesses.' 'He added that the heart of the Christian life is love, because it is love -- awakened