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Finally, a reality show based on reality. Thia Easter Sunday on the A&E network carried on cable and satellite, a five-part reality series premieres entitled "God or the Girl". This program has 4 young Catholic men as they contemplate one of the most serious choices in their lives...the choice between the priesthood and marriage. This is not, according to reviews in The Boston Herald, Milwaukee Journal, and New York Daily News, the typical reality show, nor is it disrespectful as one might assume from a title like "God or the Girl". It actually affirms the Catholic Church and honors vocations to the priesthood and the witness of faithful young Catholics. The series has received a positive review from the USCCB.

The full series schedule is as follows:
PART I - EASTER SUNDAY APRIL 16, @ 9PM EASTERN/8C MOST IMPORTANT
PART 2 - EASTER SUNDAY APRIL 16, @ 10PM/9C
PART 3 - EASTER MONDAY, APRIL 17, @ 9PM/8C
PART 4 - MONDAY, APRIL 17, @ 10PM/9C
FINALE (PART 5) - SUNDAY, APRIL 23, @ 10PM/9C

Have you ever felt lonely? I’d wager that every one of us can say "yes" to that question. Think for a moment, what was it that caused you to feel lonely? Sickness has the power to do that, so does loss and misunderstanding and isolation and rejection and a thousand other things that can touch our very souls and make us feel the pangs of a lonely heart. Herman Hess, the German novelist has said: "Life is solitude. No one knows anyone else. Everyone is alone." Surely a strange thing to say about our world today where networking and communication are so important. But it’s true; in our world of ultimate communication many of us feel lonely. Many of us have lots of contacts, but no real relationships; we are lonely in the midst of a crowd. Thomas Merton, in one of his diaries, says that he realized, "that is when I am with people that I am lonely and when I am alone I am no longer lonely because then I have God and converse with him (without words) without distraction or interference."

It does seem to be a reversal of the way we ordinarily think for Merton to say that it is when he is with people that he feels lonely, but no longer feels lonely when he is alone. And yet there is, I believe, more than a grain of truth in this seemingly paradoxical statement.

There is a remarkable similarity between Merton’s thought and Christ’s. If you page through the gospels, you will find many instances of Jesus’ need for solitude; a need that he had no hesitations about expressing. Jesus was constantly surrounded by people who wanted him to touch them and heal them. But when you read between the lines of the gospels, you suddenly realize, that Jesus must have felt most lonely in the midst of crowds and that he assuaged this loneliness by retreating into solitude; it was in solitude that he cou1d best communicate with his Father. In solitude Jesus experienced the company of his Father and his loneliness melted away. Jesus certainly approached everyone with great openness, but there was always some part of himself that he didn't allow others to see, that he kept to himself. Jesus had many friends - Lazarus, Mary and Martha, his Apostles - but deep within his soul loneliness lived in the soil of misunderstanding.

When you read the gospels you realize that Jesus was different from other people. In one sense he doesn't seem to have been able to explain himself to his disciples; the gospels are replete with occasions which left them confused and Jesus, misunderstood. Take for example the time Jesus came down from the Mount of the Transfiguration only to find his disciples arguing with the crowd; the disciples were unable to cure a boy possessed by a demon. When Jesus was apprised of the situation by the boy's father and told that his disciples could not cast out the devil from the boy, Jesus replied: "You faithless generation. How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? How much longer must I be among you?" How much longer, indeed? You can hear the longing, the almost desperate longing in Jesus' words, the longing to be home with his Father. Can you also hear the loneliness?

Jesus went his way of suffering alone; the way of suffering is always a very lonely way. Those of us who suffer know how lonely life can be.

The Gospel of John penetrates to the depths of Jesus’ loneliness like none of the other gospels do. And John also makes clear that Jesus is able to accept and endure his loneliness simply because he knows that he is one with his Father in heaven. He referred to this when he said to his apostles that the time will come when they will be scattered, each going his own way leaving Jesus alone. Yet Jesus added that he was really not alone because his Father was with him.

Jesus offers us himself to transform our loneliness into oneness with him. This should always be comforting to us when loneliness engulfs us. Loneliness can always be for us a deep experience of God’s presence, indeed, a blessed and blissful experience of being one with Christ. Loneliness can indeed be painful; it can strike at our hearts and shatter them. But it can also be the place where the lonely Christ who will support us through all the stages of our loneliness, is present. Jesus knows how lonely life can be, not in some abstract way but in the very real way he lived it and the way we live it too. And that is why we, out of the depths of our own loneliness, can turn to the lonely Christ to find something which we can live for and which is big enough to die for. Christ did, so can we.

By Rev. Richard Scheiner C.P.

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Blessed Didacus Joseph was born on March 29, 1743, in Cadiz, Spain. He was baptized Joseph Francis. His parents loved their faith and practiced it. He was brought up devoutly by his parents and his baptismal innocence remained with him throughout his life.

When he was old enough, Joseph learned how to serve Mass at the Capuchin Franciscan church just down the street. Joseph learned to love the Mass. He used to get up early enough to be at the church each morning to wait for the doors to be unlocked. He never missed a day.

One of the Capuchin priests or brothers gave Joseph a book about the lives of the Capuchin saints. He read it and read it again. Joseph learned every story. He grew to love the holy men who were poor and humble like Jesus.

The day came when he asked to join the order. At first he was refused entry because of poor education gaining entry only after a great deal of persistence. Although difficulties in studies remained with him during his years as a student, in time he was raised to the priesthood and then sent out to preach.

He was sent out to preach to the people the Good News of Jesus. He loved doing this. He had wonderful gifts for preaching the Word of God and it soon became evident. He travelled throughout Spain teaching and preaching in remote villages and crowded towns. His homilies were so clear and kind that people listened.

Everyone marvelled at the singular power and sweetness of his words, which swayed his audiences and left marked impressions on their lives. They even brought friends to listen. Soon an ordinary church was too small for the crowds. When Father Didacus was preaching, the talks were held outdoors, usually in the town square or in the streets.

Father Didacus loved to preach about the Blessed Trinity. He was always available to hear confessions, too. He was happy when people came to the sacrament of Reconciliation. He was capable of touching the heart of those who came to him for confession. Whenever he had some free time, he visited prisons and hospitals. He also would pay calls at the homes of shut-ins. Most of his nights were spent in prayer.

It was undoubtedly the Holy Spirit who because of Didacus' humility and virtue, converted this unlearned man into the most celebrated preacher in Spain. No doubt the Holy Spirit listened to his long and ardent prayers for guidance during the time that he spoke. On occasions Father Didacus was raised supernaturally into the air so that he required assistance to regain the floor of the pulpit.

Father Didacus died in 1801 and was declared "blessed" by Pope Leo XIII in 1894.

Anne Catherine Emmerich was born in humble conditions to a very devout couple so she learnt from an early age to love her Faith. But Anne's life was not like that of other children her age in that she was the recipient of visions and messengers of God from her youth.

God blessed Anne with many gifts including that of reading hearts, the hidden stigmata, and she survived only on the Eucharist for many years. This remarkable young girl would also converse with her guardian Angel and also come under attack by the demonic forces, none of which affected her Faith except for it to grow even more depthful than it already was.

Venerable Anne would also be visited by our Lord Jesus and our Lady where upon she received messages for the world, warning all people to once again embrace and live their Faith.

Some of these messages given to Anne were, 'that every parish and diocese, each city and country has its own particular and powerful guardian angel.' Anne Catherine was to see and be told many things including these messages from Heaven, She revealed that to gain an indulgence we must approach the Sacraments with true repentance and a firm purpose of amendment–or we do not gain it. She deposes that it is more holy to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory than for sinners who are still alive, for Anne had a particular love and devotion for the poor souls in Purgatory. She was also told that 'more Protestant souls stayed in Purgatory the longest not because they were worse than anyone else, but because so few people prayed for the repose of their souls or offered up Masses for their soul.'

Anne went on to describe what she has seen and 'describes the nature, extent and power of victim souls, and their role in the life of the Church. She describes the condition of St. Lydwine of Schiedam, a victim soul during the time of "three popes," and how her body came apart into three pieces, joined only by the slenderest of sinews. She saw only 6 victim souls in her time working like herself on behalf of the Universal Church, and about 100,000 Catholic people worldwide who were great in their faith.'

This great Saint went on to experience mystical visions and receive even more prophecies for our troubled world including these, 'She saw the strong link–even long after their deaths–between holy souls in Heaven and their descendants here on earth, lasting even centuries. And that Enoch and Elias are in Paradise where they await their return to the world to preach at the End of Time. Also this too, she revealed that Our Lord suffered from the wound in His shoulder more than from any other.'

And a warning for the world for those would listen to the signs of the times, she said that, "a false church, and wicked men scheming against the Catholic Church and doing much harm–both in her own time and in the future. And actually saw in a vision this, the enemies of the Church tearing it down and trying to build a new one on strictly human plans–but none of the saints would lend a hand. Later, this church of men is destroyed and the saints of God join in to rebuild the true Church of God, which becomes more glorious than ever before".

But once again our Lord leaves us with hope through this most pious of souls as Anne was told, that the there would be a revival in the Priesthood and the Religious order after a period of great decadence.

Anne also describes seeing this in her words, "All over the world I saw numberless infusions of the Spirit; sometimes, like a lightning-stroke, falling on a congregation in church, and I could tell who among them had received the grace; or again, I beheld individuals praying in their homes, suddenly endowed with light and strength. The sight awoke in me great joy and confidence that the Church, amid her ever-increasing tribulations, will not succumb; for in all parts of the world I saw defenders raised up to her by the Holy Ghost. Yes, I felt that the oppression of the powers of this world serves but to increase her strength."

Anne also went on to say what had been revealed to her, "what is most painful for me to repeat, that if only one priest offered the Unbloody Sacrifice as worthily and with the same sentiments as the Apostles, he could ward off all calamities from the Church." "Owing to the spirit of the world and tepidity, if the Savior returned to earth today to announce His doctrine in person, He would find as many opponents as He did among the Jews."

And though Anne Catherine suffered much not only physically but also from the disdain of her fellow Religious Sisters, still she lived a life of quiet humility and holiness.

I would encourage all to read more about this great Saint of the Church, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich.

Copyright © 2007 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.

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In his address to the National Catholic Education Conference, Cardinal Pell goes into some detail about the history of the Catholic Church in forming the hearts and minds of many Australians throughout our short history.

Cardinal Pell expands at length on the political influence that the Catholic Church has had in polarizing issues that affect all Australians. To read more of Cardinal Pells speech please click here.

When we Catholics begin our instruction in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we learn about and are given warning to be on guard against the Seven Deadly Sins, which are pride, avarice, lust, anger, envy, sloth, and gluttony.

I am going to discuss the capital sin known as “envy”. Let me begin, by giving a definition of the word “envy”: wanting what somebody else has; the resentful or unhappy feeling of wanting somebody else’s success, good fortune, qualities, or possessions. Also, here are a few synonyms for envy as well as also being faults or sins that envy can lead to: jealousy, greed, bitterness, resentment, and spite.

As we can see from the above definitions and synonyms, envy is not something that any of us should desire, harbor within us, or allow to fester and grow, because fester and grow is what envy does, and can only lead to more sin, and more serious sin at that.

Let me be clear, it is never wrong to see an achievement, a quality, a good virtue in our neighbor that we desire for ourselves, and then to go and emulate what they have done to better ourselves. Indeed, are we as Christians not called to emulate Our Lord Jesus Christ and strive to achieve His example of perfection in love, faith, hope, and charity? For if we do not try to emulate His example, what He taught, what He lived, and what He did, and is still doing for us, then we have nothing, and we are nothing no matter what our status in life, our position in our communities, or in our hope to achieve His Kingdom. If we have envy, then we have no faith, we have no hope, and we most certainly have no charity. If we have no charity, then we can have no love, and if we have none of these virtues as taught to us by Christ and the Apostles and as handed down to us for our instruction and edification by the Church, then we deny Christ, and His example, and His sacrifice for us all. If we say that we are Christian, and we envy our neighbor for whatever he or she has or does, then we live in complete hypocrisy. Indeed, to envy one's brother or sister, is to hate him or her. For as Saint John the Apostle tells us in his Epistle 1 John 2:9-11: “Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

For us to have envy can only lead to other vices and sin. Envy leads to detraction, and hatred, as Pope Saint Gregory the Great said far better than I can: “From envy are born hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the misfortune of a neighbor, and displeasure caused by his prosperity.” Do you envy your neighbor? For envy violates the Tenth Commandment: “You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's. You shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.” In paragraph 2539 of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, it states: “Envy is a capital sin. It refers to the sadness at the sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor it is a mortal sin...”

So, what do we envy about our neighbor? Their wealth? Their home? Their friends? Their position? When we are envious we do harm to ourselves, and not to the one who is the object of our envy. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and that where our treasures lie, so do our hearts lie. We can not be so caught up in the world, that we forget our true home, and our true salvation. What salvation is there to be found in wealth, position, status, houses, or popularity? None. As Saint Augustine said: “God bestows more consideration on the purity of the intention with which our actions are performed than on the actions themselves.” What purity is there in envy? Augustine also said: “The honors of this world, what are they but puff, and emptiness and peril of falling?”

As long as I am quoting from Saints like Augustine, and Gregory the Great, let us see what other great saints of the Church have to say about envy. For they certainly can say it far better than I ever could:

“It was through jealousy and envy that the greatest and most upright pillars of the Church were persecuted and struggled unto death. Let us set before our eyes the good apostles. First of all, Peter, who because of unreasonable jealousy, suffered not merely once or twice but many times, and, having thus given his witness, went to the place of glory that he deserved. It was through jealousy and conflict that Paul showed the way to the prize for perseverance. He was put in chains seven times, sent into exile, and stoned; a herald both in the east and the west, he achieved a noble fame by his faith. He taught justice to all the world and, when he had reached the limits of the western world, he gave his witness before those in authority; then he left this world and was taken up into the holy place, a superb example of endurance. Around these men with their holy lives there gathered a great throng of the elect, who, though victims of jealousy, gave us the finest example of endurance in the midst of many indignities and tortures. We are writing this, beloved, not only for your admonition but also as a reminder to ourselves; for we are placed in the same arena, and the same contest lies before us. Hence we ought to put aside vain and useless concerns and should consider what is good, pleasing and acceptable in the sight of him who made us. Let us fix our gaze on the blood of Christ, realizing how precious it is to his Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world.”

“Envy is a gnawing pain which springs from the success and prosperity of another; and this is the reason why the envious are never exempt from trouble and vexation. If an abundant harvest fills the granaries of a neighbor, if success crowns his efforts, the envious man is chagrined and sad. If one man can boast of prudence, talent, and eloquence; if another is rich, and is very liberal to the poor, if good works are praised by all around, the envious man is shocked and grieved. The envious, however, dare not speak; although envy makes them counterfeit gladness, their hearts are sore within. If you ask him what vexes him, he dare not tell the reason. It is not really the happiness of his friend that annoys him, neither is it his gaiety that makes him sad, nor is he sorry to see his friend prosper; but it is that he is persuaded that the prosperity of others is the cause of his misery. This is what the envious would be forced to acknowledge, if they spoke the truth sincerely; but because they dare not confess so shameful a sin, they, in secret, feed a sore which tortures them and eats away their rest. As the shadow ever accompanies the pedestrian when walking in the sun, so envy throws its shadow on those who are successful in the world.”

“You who are envious, let me tell you that however often you may seek for the opportunity of injuring him whom you hate, you will never be able to do him so much harm as you do harm to yourselves. He whom you would punish through the malice of your envy, may probably escape, but you will never be able to fly from yourselves. Wherever you may be your adversary is with you, your sin rankles within. It must be a self-willed evil to persecute a person whom God has taken under the protection of His grace; it becomes an irremediable sin to hate a man whom God wishes to make happy. Envy is as prolific as it is hurtful; it is the root of all evil, the source of endless disorder and misery, the cause of most sins that are committed. Envy gives birth to hatred and animosity. From it avarice is begotten, for it sees with an evil eye honors and emoluments heaped upon a stranger, and thinks that such honors should have been, by right, bestowed upon himself. From envy comes contempt of God, and of the salutary precepts of our Savior. The envious man is cruel, proud, unfaithful, impatient, and quarrelsome; and, what is strange, when this vice gains the mastery, he is no longer master of himself, and he is unable to correct his many faults. If the bond of peace is broken, if the rights of fraternal charity are violated, if truth is altered or disguised, it is often envy that hurries him on to crime. What happiness can such a man enjoy in this world? To be envious or jealous of another, because such a one is virtuous and happy, is to hate in him the graces and blessings God has showered down upon him. Does he not punish himself when he sees the success and welfare of others? Does he not draw down upon himself tortures from which there is no respite? Are not his thoughts, his mind, constantly on the rack? He pitilessly punishes himself, and, in his heart, performs the same cruel office which Divine Justice reserves for the chastisement of the greatest criminal.”

“O envious one, you injure yourself more than he whom you would injure, and the sword with which you wound will recoil and wound yourself. What harm did Cain do to Abel? Contrary to his intention he did him the greatest good, for he caused him to pass to a better and a blessed life, and he himself was plunged into an abyss of woe. In what did Esau injure Jacob? Did not his envy prevent him from being enriched in the place in which he lived; and, losing the inheritance and the blessing of his father, did he not die a miserable death? What harm did the brothers of Joseph do to Joseph, whose envy went so far as to wish to shed his blood? Were they not driven to the last extremity, and well-nigh perishing with hunger, whilst their brother reigned all through Egypt? It is ever thus; the more you envy your brother, the greater good you confer upon him. God, who sees all, takes the cause of the innocent in hand, and, irritated by the injury you inflict, deigns to raise up him whom you wish to lower, and will punish you to the full extent of your crime. If God usually punishes those who rejoice at the misfortunes of their enemies, how much more will He punish those who, excited by envy, seek to do an injury to those who have never injured them?”

O meek Savior and Prince of Peace,
implant in me the virtues
of gentleness and patience.
Let me curb the fury of anger
and restrain all resentment and impatience
so as to overcome evil with good,
attain Your peace, and rejoice in Your love

O Model of humility,
divest me of all pride and arrogance.
Let me acknowledge my weakness and sinfulness,
so that I may bear mockery and contempt
for Your sake
and esteem myself as lowly in Your sight.

O Teacher of abstinence,
help me to serve You rather than our appetites.
Keep me from gluttony
the inordinate love of food and drink
and let me hunger and thirst for Your justice.

O Lover of purity,
remove all lust from my heart,
so that I may serve You with a pure mind
and a chaste body.

O Father of the poor,
help me to avoid all covetousness for earthly goods
and give me a love for heavenly things.
Inspire me to give to the needy,
just as You gave Your life
that I might inherit eternal treasures.

O Exemplar of love,
keep me from all envy and ill-will.
Let the grace of Your love dwell in me
that I may rejoice in the happiness of others
and bewail their adversities.

O zealous Lover of souls,
keep me from all sloth of mind or body.
Inspire me with zeal for Your glory,
so that I may do all things for You and in You.

--Amen--

The Vatican's Secretary of State has presented a spirited defence of Pope Pius XII's role during World War II in protecting Jews as a former KGB spy reveals a deliberate super-secret Soviet plan to smear the Pope as an anti-Semitic Nazi sympathiser.

Catholic News Agency reports that in a recent issue of the National Review Online, Lt General Ion Mihai Pacepa, who eventually defected from the former Soviet bloc, recounts how the KGB and the Kremlin designed the deliberate campaign to portray the Pius XII "as a cold hearted Nazi sympathiser".

In February 1960, Nikita Khrushchev approved a "super-secret" plan, codenamed "Seat-12", for destroying the Vatican's moral authority in Western Europe, writes Pacepa.

Eugenio Pacelli, by then Pope Pius XII, was selected as the KGB's main target, its incarnation of evil, because he had departed this world in 1958. "Dead men cannot defend themselves" was the KGB's latest slogan.

The KGB used the fact that Archbishop Pacelli had served as the papal nuncio in Munich and Berlin when the Nazis were beginning their bid for power against him.

"The KGB wanted to depict him as an anti-Semite who had encouraged Hitler's Holocaust," says Pacepa.

Using documents provided by Pacepa, the KGB used these documents to produce a powerful play attacking Pope Pius XII, entitled The Deputy.

It eventually saw the stage in Germany in 1963, under the title The Deputy, a Christian Tragedy. It proposed that Pius XII had supported Hitler and encouraged him to go ahead with the Jewish Holocaust. The German director claimed to have 40 pages of documentation attached to the script that would support the thesis of the play.

The play ran in New York in 1964 and was translated into 20 languages. The play then led to a flurry of books and articles, some accusing and some defending the Pontiff.

Pacepa says the truth has finally begun to emerge with the canonisation process of Pius XII, which was opened by John Paul II.

Meanwhile, Catholic News Agency reports that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, speaking at a Rome book launch, strongly defended Pope Pius XII's wartime actions and said he had coordinated church efforts that saved the lives of many Jews.

He said the Catholic Church as an institution played a part in this effort, working under Pope Pius and following his directives. The church aided all during World War II, but specifically sought to defend and save persecuted Jews, he said.

"They were to be helped in any way possible. This is the premise on which every action of the Pope and his aides was founded, as is demonstrated by the existing documentation," Cardinal Bertone said.

Lisa Palmieri-Billig, the Rome representative of the American Jewish Committee, also spoke at the book presentation. She said there was no question that the Vatican had helped save the lives of Jews, sometimes hiding them inside the Vatican itself.

She noted Pope Pius' strongly worded Christmas appeal in 1942 on behalf of those persecuted by the Nazi regime on the basis of nationality or race.

Amen.

SUMMARY:

- Pope Calls for Sensitivity to the Problems of the Amazon
- Charity, Prayer and Penance for Interior Renewal
- Holy Father Meets Clergy of Rome
- Exhibition: the Vatican Basilica and Papal Medals
- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________

POPE CALLS FOR SENSITIVITY TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE AMAZON

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2007 (VIS) - Benedict XVI sent a Message to Cardinal Geraldo Majella Agnelo, archbishop of Sao Salvador da Bahia and president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, for the occasion of the Fraternity Campaign traditionally promoted by the Brazilian Church during Lent, and which begins on Ash Wednesday each year. This year, the campaign is dedicated to the theme "Fraternity and Amazonia" and its motto is: "Life and mission in that land."

In his Message, written in Portuguese, the Pope writes that "Lent is a time in which all Christians are called to reflect deeply upon the ... social situations of the Brazilian people in which fraternity is most necessary."

The Holy Father recalls that this year's campaign promotes life - "which shows itself with such exuberance in the Amazon region" - and that this "is part of the broader framework of defense of the environment." The Amazon "is a shared heritage which for its human, socio-political, economic and environmental peculiarities, requires special attention from the Church and Brazilian society."

"It is in this context," he continues, "that the activity of the Church plays a vital role as she aims to foment a process of widespread evangelization that simulates the mission and creates conditions favorable for the discovery and development of the faith by the entire population of the Amazon region."

After expressing his gratitude to the missionaries who dedicate themselves to this task "even at the cost of their own lives," the Pope expresses the hope that "the various components of civil society become ever more aware of the question of the Amazon, while upholding the ethical requirements of justice and respect for life."
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CHARITY, PRAYER AND PENANCE FOR INTERIOR RENEWAL

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2007 (VIS) - At 5 p.m. yesterday, Ash Wednesday, in the basilica of Santa Sabina on Rome's Aventine Hill, the Holy Father presided at a Eucharistic celebration during which the blessing and imposition of the ashes took place.

In his homily, the Pope pointed out that the day's liturgy "identifies the fundamental dimension of Lent in the conversion of hearts to God. This is the evocative symbol we receive with the traditional imposition of the ashes, .... a rite that holds a dual significance: the first concerns interior transformation, conversion and penance; the second recalls the precarious nature of the human condition."

In the Gospel reading, Pope Benedict continued, "Jesus indicates the instruments to be used to carry out an authentic interior and community renewal." They are "works of charity (almsgiving), prayer and penance (fasting). ... These exterior gestures must be carried out to please God and not to obtain approval or consensus from man; and they are good in His eyes if they express the determination of the heart to serve only Him with simplicity and generosity."

"The fast, to which the Church invites us at this significant time," he went on, "certainly does not arise from physical or aesthetic considerations, rather it springs from man's need for an interior purification to detoxify him from the pollution of sin and evil, educate him to those beneficial sacrifices that free the believer from the slavery of his own self, and make him more attentive and open to listening to God and to serving his brothers and sisters.

"For this reason," the Holy Father added, "fasting and other Lenten practices are considered by Christian tradition as spiritual 'arms' to combat evil, the negative passions and vices."

The Pope recalled that in his Lenten message this year he had "invited people to live these 40 days of special grace as a 'Eucharistic' time." In the Eucharist, he went on, "all Christians can continue the journey that we solemnly begin today. Works of charity (almsgiving), prayer and fasting, together with all other sincere efforts of conversion, find their highest significance and value in the Eucharist, source and summit of the life of the Church and the history of salvation."
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HOLY FATHER MEETS CLERGY OF ROME

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2007 (VIS) - This morning, in the Hall of Blessings in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, Benedict XVI celebrated his traditional Lenten meeting with the clergy of the diocese of Rome.
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EXHIBITION: THE VATICAN BASILICA AND PAPAL MEDALS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2007 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, a press conference was held to present the exhibition "'Tu es Petrus' - the Basilica of Peter in the Medals of the Popes," which has been organized by the Vatican Apostolic Library and the Numismatic Collections of Rome to mark the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the current Vatican Basilica.

The exhibition is due to be inaugurated at 11 a.m. tomorrow Friday, February 23, at Villa Chiassi on Rome's via Cola di Rienzo by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, archivist and librarian of Holy Roman Church. It is due to run until April 22.

In the course of the press conference, Ambrogio M. Piazzoni vice-prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library explained how the pontifical medals correspond to different phases of the construction of the modern basilica. They were coined each time another phase of the building work was completed, he said, from the laying of the first stone in 1506 until the completion of the building. However, they did not stop there "because work has continued over these 500 years."

The vice-prefect then went on to list a number of the medals that will be on display: the medal coined at the foundation of the basilica (depicting Bramante's design which was never in fact put into effect), the medal showing Sangallo's project, that with Michelangelo's design, with the dome, with Maderno's facade, Bernini's cathedra, etc.

He then announced that, following its closure on April 22, the exhibition will move to Russia, to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, where it will be open to public view during the months of May and June. "This," he said, "is highly significant because it is the first time that objects from the Vatican Apostolic Library have been put on display in that great country."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Manuel Jose Macario do Nascimento Clemente, auxiliary of Lisbon, Portugal, as bishop of Porto (area 3,010, population 2,077,000, Catholics 1,881,000, priests 557, permanent deacons 16, religious 1,169), Portugal. He succeeds Bishop Armindo Lopes Coelho, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. Domenico Mogavero of the clergy of the archdiocese of Palermo, Italy, under-secretary of the Italian Episcopal Conference, as bishop of Mazara del Vallo (area 1,374, population 235,409, Catholics 221,096, priests 94, religious 196), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Castelbuono, Italy in 1947 and ordained a priest in 1970.

- Appointed Msgr. Claudio Giuliodori of the clergy of the archdiocese of Ancona-Osimo, Italy, director of the office of social communications of the Italian Episcopal Conference, as bishop of Macerata-Tolentino-Recanati-Cingoli-Treia (area 745, population 139,600, Catholics 134,600, priests 202, permanent deacons 6, religious 240), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Osimo in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1983.

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