VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 042
DATE 27-02-2015

Summary:
- The Pope and the Curia conclude their Spiritual Exercises
- A congress to commemorate the first mass in Italian celebrated by Blessed
Paul VI
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 The Pope and the Curia conclude their Spiritual Exercises
 Vatican City, 27 February 2015 (VIS) - This morning in the House of the
Divine Master in Ariccia the Holy Father and the Roman Curia completed the
spiritual exercises they began last Sunday afternoon.
 Following today's sermon, the Pope thanked Fr. Bruno Secondin, O. Carm.,
author of this week's meditations, which explored the theme "Servants and
prophets of the living God", based on a pastoral reading of the prophet Elijah.
 "On behalf of all of us, myself included", said Francis, "I would like to
thank Fr. Secondin for his work with us. It is not easy to give Exercises to
priests! We are all somewhat complicated, but you have managed to sow seeds.
Many the Lord allow the seeds you have given us to grow. And I hope that we
will all be able to leave here with a piece of Elijah's mantle in our hands
and in our hearts. Thank you, Father!".

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 A congress to commemorate the first mass in Italian celebrated by Blessed
Paul VI
 Vatican City, 27 February 2015 (VIS) - On 7 March 1965, Blessed Paul VI, on
the 25th anniversary of the death of St. Luigi Orione, celebrated the first
mass in Italian in history in the parish of Ognissanti (All Saints), Rome.
"Today we inaugurate the new form of Liturgy in all the parishes and churches
of the world, for all the Masses followed by the people. It is a great event,
that shall be remembered as the beginning of a flourishing spiritual life, as
a new effort to participate in the great dialogue between God and man".
 Fifty years on, to commemorate this historic date, Pope Francis will preside
at a Eucharistic celebration next Saturday, 7 March at 6 p.m. in the same
parish (Via Appia Nuova, 244). The occasion will also be celebrated by a
Congress on Pastoral Liturgy organised by the Vicariate of Rome, the Opera Don
Orione and the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Rome, to open today at the
Teatro Orione, adjacent to the All Saints parish.
 The theme of the Congress is "United in giving thanks". The works will be
presented by Rev. Flavio Peloso, superior general of the Sons of Divine
Providence (Don Orione), who comments that the event "will facilitate an
understanding of the reasons behind yesterday's liturgical reforms and today's
commitment to liturgical fidelity". Following greetings from the auxiliary
bishop Giuseppe Marciante, Archbishop Francesco Pio Tamburrano, metropolitan
emeritus of Foggia-Bovino, Italy, will speak about "Tradition and renewal in
paragraph 23 of the liturgical Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium. Archbishop
Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee for International
Eucharistic Congresses, will then consider the theme "The spoken language,
tool of communion in the dialogue of the liturgical assembly", and finally
Rev. Francesco Mazzitelli, parish priest of Ognissanti, will examine "The
liturgical formation of the laity".
 The work of the Congress will be concluded by the Benedictine Fr. Jordi
Pique, president of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute. The moderator, Fr.
Giuseppe Midili, director of the diocesan liturgical office, affirmed that
"the congress offers various points for reflection on the reasons that led the
conciliar bishops to introduce the spoken language into the liturgy. Indeed,
one of the main aims of liturgical reform was full, active and conscious
participation in the liturgy, so that the faithful moved on from their role as
mute, extraneous spectators. In this sense, the change was historical and
signified a turnaround. Indeed, when the liturgy was celebrated in a language
they did not understand, the faithful sought more accessible forms of private
worship and prayer to recite during the Mass. With the introduction of the
spoken language, these individualistic forms slowly disappeared from the
celebratory context in favour of the centrality of the community celebration".

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 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 27 February 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Bishop
Charles Jude Scicluna, as metropolitan archbishop of Malta (area 246,
population 413,000, Catholics 380,000, priests 621, religious 1,321), Malta.
Msgr. Scicluna is currently apostolic administrator of the same archdiocese.

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