Pope Benedict XVI Retires on the last day of February 2013

Last February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced his retirement as supreme pontiff on the last day of month, February 28th, due to his advanced age and deteriorating health with a heart pacemaker. During March a conclave would be convened shortly thereafter to elect a new pope. Joseph Alois Ratzinger was born in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, on April 16,1927--Holy Saturday--and baptized that same day--the first person baptized in the new Easter water. It was a sign of blessing, he wrote in his memoir, that his life from the beginning was thus immersed in the Easter mystery. He entered the minor seminary in 1939 at the age of twelve, but his studies were interrupted by World War II, when the seminary was closed and Joseph, along with most of his class, was drafted into the army at the age of sixteen. After the war he resumed his education in philosophy and theology, and together with his brother, Georg, was ordained a priest in 1951. During the course of a twenty-year career as a professor of dogma and theology at several German universities, he earned the reputation of a gifted lecturer and learned scholar, and was present as a peritus, or theological advisor, at all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council. He was ordained an archbishop in May of 1977 and elevated to the College of Cardinals a month later. He settled in Rome in 1981 and went on to become one of the most influential men in Roman curia. Of the many offices he held, he is best known as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, an authoritative advisor on doctrinal issues during his predecessor's pontificate. When he was elected the 265th successor of Peter in 2005 at the age of seventy-eight, he became the first German pope since Victor II in the eleventh century. A central theme of his papacy has been the staunch defense of core Christian values against what he sees as moral decline across much of Europe. At the same time, he has sought to improve his relations with other religions, trying to determine if a "cultural synthesis" is possible without losing the identity of the faith while engaged in discourse with the Lutheran World Federation, Judaism, Islam, the Anglican Communion, and Christian Orthodox Churches. He has also spoken out against abuses of human rights and ongoing political conflicts and warfare, and has advocated better protection of the environment. He has called for a radical rethinking of the global economy, criticizing the growing divide between rich and poor, and has pressed for a "true world political authority" to oversee the economy and work for the common good. Ever true to his episcopal motto, "Fellow Worker in the Truth," Pope Benedict XVI's teaching and prolific writings have always defended traditional Catholic doctrine and values.

Pope Benedict XVI Will Visit The Basilica of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre on March 27, 2012

On March 27, 2012, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre during the 400th Anniversary of the finding of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre at the Bay of Nipe, near Santiago de Cuba.

The Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre has an inseparable presence in the religious culture of Cuba as the patron saint of the Cuban people.

All the cultural and religious manifestations of devotion have honored the Patron Saint and Mother of Cubans who acknowledge that her presence has developed our idiosyncracy, appreciating that the best of our national character traditionally affable, cordial and hospitable is derived from its maternal care and the educational force of Christian love.

Among the offerings and contributions, not only do we find symbols of the Cuban culture, we also find the celebrated American writer Ernest Hemingway who wanted to offer the medal which he was awarded for the Nobel Prize in Literature during the year 1956.

We all pray to the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre that Cubans be faithful to the Christian soul of our nation.

                                          Calendar Design Work by Cosme Proenza (detail)
©All Rights Reserved by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba. www.iglesiacubana.org
Original translation from Spanish into English by GHung

A New Translation of the Roman Catholic Mass Service Petitioned by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI

Through These Sacred Texts and The Actions That Accompany Them, Christ Will Be Made Present and Active in The Midst of His People. The Voice That Helped Bring These Words To Birth Will Have Completed Its Task.
--His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

Preparing For The New Liturgy of The Word on November 27, 2011

We are preparing for the New Translation of the Catholic Roman Mass. On November 27th, the First Sunday of Advent, all Catholic parishes in the United States will begin praying with the texts of the Mass Service using a new English translation of The Roman Missal.

I Pray That in This Way Any Risk of Confusion and Bewilderment Will Be Averted, and the Change Will Serve Instead as A Springboard For A Renewal and A Deepening of Eucharistic Devotion All Over The English-Speaking World.--His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI