concluded the Prelate.

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 Respecting the freedom of faith, the outcome of an interreligious marriage
 Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) - During the Sixth General Congregation of
the Synod, held on Saturday, the Baiai couple spoke before the Holy Father and
the Synod Fathers. Catholic and married to for 39 years to a Hindu, Penelope
Baiai spoke about her
 experience of interreligious marriage as a couple, and in terms of faith and
community, emphasising that the outcome of an interreligious marriage is mutual
respect so that neither of the spouses feel obliged to renounce their faith.
"This religious freedom made the path of our marriage smooth and successful".
 She also spoke about her experience as the mother of two children, who
accompanied her to Church and attended Sunday School, but were not baptised.
"It
was my husband's desire that both our children should be allowed the freedom of
choosing their own religion and I accepted it with a very large lump in my
throat", she said, commenting that, however, "the differences of religion were
never a deterrent to us, for little magic words like compromise, humility and
sorry helped us to lose our ego and live for the other".
 "Is there someone out there who knows how a perfect marriage takes place?",
she
joked, remarking that "we are still learning and understanding our marriage
every day. If if were not for my husband's tolerance and love of Christianity
and my love and understanding of where he comes from, we would never have been
able to celebrate our life and inter-community differences".

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 Telegram for the attack in Turkey
 Vatican City, 10 October 2015 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro
Parolin sent a telegram on behalf of the Holy Father to the president of the
Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following the attack against peace
demonstrators in Ankara that caused around a hundred deaths and many injuries.
 "His Holiness Pope Francis is deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and
the injuries caused by the explosions in Ankara this morning, and he expresses
his heartfelt solidarity with those affected by this tragedy. While His
Holiness
deplores this barbaric act, he asks you to convey his spiritual closeness to
all
the families affected during this time of grief, and to the security and
emergency personnel working to assist the wounded. Commending the souls of all
who have died to the loving mercy of the Almighty, Pope Francis invokes divine
strength and peace upon their grieving relatives".

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 Plenary Session of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
 Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) - The Pontifical Commission for the
Protection of Minors gathered in Plenary Assembly, from 9 to 11 October in
Rome.
It is the second time that the full Commission has gathered together.
 The Plenary Assembly began with Mass with the Holy Father in the Domus Sanctae
Marthae. Members then focused their sessions on listening to and discussing
progress reports presented by the Working Groups formed in the February 2015
Plenary.
 These Working Groups cover key areas of the mission that has been entrusted to
the Commission by the Holy Father, namely to advise him, his collaborators and
the local church on the following areas of the protection of minors. The
Working
Groups are:
 - Guidelines for the safeguarding and protection of minors;
 - Healing and care for victims, survivors and their families;
 - Formation of candidates to the priesthood and religious life and the
education of Church leadership;
 - Education of families and communities;
 - Theology and spirituality;
 - Canonical and civil norms.
 Particular areas of focus of these working groups include research into the
assessment and ongoing formation of candidates to the priesthood and religious
life; the use of forensic assessments with people accused of a crime; the
provision of liturgical materials for the pastoral care of victims, survivors
and communities. The Commission does not address individual cases, it does not
exercise oversight, and is not a decision-making body.
 Since its establishment, the Commission for the Protection of Minors has been
invited by Church leaders to place the inter-disciplinary expertise of its
members at the service of Church in various parts of the world.
 Commission members have taken part in workshops, conferences and seminars on
the protection of minors in Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand,
the Pacific Islands and recently in the Philippines, where 76 bishops attended.
Next month, Commission members will also address all of the bishops of Central
America.
 Very positive feedback has been received from the Commission's participation
in
these initiatives. The Commission's contribution has been seen as a resource
for
the local Church worldwide as Bishops' Conferences continue to develop sound
and
culturally effective guidelines that reflect the local reality.
 The Commission plans to hold its next Plenary Assembly in February, 2016.
 Commission members:
 Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap.,United States of America, President; Msgr.
Robert Oliver, United States of America, Secretary; Rev. Fr. Luis Manuel Ali
Herrera, Colombia; Catherine Bonnet, France; Marie Collins, Ireland; Gabriel
Dy-Liacco, Philippines; Sheila Baroness Hollins, United Kingdom; Bill
Kilgallon,
New Zealand; Sr. Kayula Lesa, RSC, Zambia; Sr. Hermenegild Makoro, CPS, South
Africa; Kathleen McCormack, Australia; Claudio Papale, Italy; Peter Saunders,
United Kingdom; Hanna Suchocka, Poland; Krysten Winter-Green, United States of
America; Rev. Fr. Humberto Miguel Yanez, S.J., Argentina, and Rev. Fr. Hans
Zollner, S.J., Germany.

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 New dormitory for the homeless near the Vatican
 Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) - "Dono di Misericordia" ("Gift of Mercy")
- is the name of the new dormitory for the homeless, newly established near
Santo Spirito Hospital and the Church of the same name in Rome. In an
extraterritorial zone, the dormitory is a gift to the Pope from the General
House of the Society of Jesus in response to the Pope's appeal to religious
communities and orders to house people in need or in difficulty in their
properties.
 It is a "Gift of Mercy" as it is offered as a gift from the community, and
mercy is the second name of the love expressed through concrete and generous
gestures towards others, according to a press release from the Apostolic
Almoner, which financed and carried out the works necessary to adapt the
structure to the needs of its users. It was funded by the proceeds from the
sale
of parchments of the Apostolic Blessing and by generous contributions from
private individuals. The Almoner, along with the Sisters of Mother Teresa, will
continue to provide economic support for the Dormitory.
 The structure is able to house 34 men. The religious sisters engaged in its
administration are those who already assist people in need at Termini Station
and San Gregorio Magno al Celio. According to the regulations of the Gift of
Mercy Dormitory, guests are received following an interview with the Sisters
for
reception and registration of applicants (at the Casa Dono di Maria in the
Vatican), and may stay for a maximum period of thirty days. There is a precise
timetable regarding entry into the dormitory (between 6 and 7 p.m.), waking
time
(6.15 a.m.) and closing time (8 a.m., to allow general tidying and cleaning).
There are also rules regarding personal hygiene and the personal maintenance of
each bed and cupboard.
 Guests who stay the night may also dine at the canteen at the Casa Dono di
Maria before arriving at the Dormitory, and are offered breakfast prepared at
the Dormitory before they leave. They may use the showers available under the
Colonnade of St. Peter's Square.
 It should be recalled that since 1988, in the Casa Dono di Maria in the
Vatican, fifty beds are available to accommodate women for overnight stays, of
which around thirty are occupied on a stable basis.

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 Cardinals to take possession of their titular churches
 Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of
the Supreme Pontiff today announced that on Sunday 18 October the following
cardinals will take possession of their titular churches:
 At 11 a.m., Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M., archbishop of
Addis
Abeba, Ethiopia, will take possession of the title of San Romano Martire (Largo
Antonio Beltramelli, 23).
 At 6.30 p.m., Cardinal Jose Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan, O.A.R., bishop of David,
Panama, will take possession of the title of San Giuseppe da Copertino (Via dei
Genieri, 12).

___________________________________________________________

 Cardinal Cordes, Pope's special envoy to the First National Eucharistic
Congress of the Czech Republic
 Vatican City, 10 October 2015 (VIS) - In a letter published today, written in
Latin and dated 17 September 2015, the Holy Father appointed Cardinal Paul
Josef
Cordes, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", as his special
envoy to the closing celebrations of the First National Eucharistic Congress of
the Czech Republic, to be held in Brno on 17 October 2015.
 The mission accompanying the cardinal will be composed of: Don Radek Tichy of
the clergy of the archdiocese of Prague, lecturer in liturgy at the Catholic
Theological Faculty of the University of Carlo in Prague; and Don Zdenek Mares
of the clergy of the diocese of Ceske Budejovice, lecturer in systematic
theology at the Theological Faculty of the University of South Bohemia.

___________________________________________________________

 Audiences
 Vatican City, 11 October 2015 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in
audience Archbishop Alberto Ortega Martin, apostolic nuncio in Jordan and Iraq,
with family members.

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