Posted on 05/05/2010 10:48:55 AM PDT by markomalley
"Fatima is a particularly significant place for this Pope," said Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi on Tuesday, noting that it was also a destination for two former Popes. The Holy Father has a thorough knowledge of the history of the Marian sanctuary, he added.
Fr. Lombardi held a press conference at the Vatican to prepare the media for the Pope's next trip out of the Vatican. He will be visiting Portugal from May 11-14.
The spokesman referred to the Pope's stop in Fatima on May 13 as the highlight and "heart" of the upcoming four-day trip to Portugal, according to Vatican Radio. But, he pointed out, Benedict XVI will not be the first Pope to visit the Marian shrine.
Two other Pontiffs have been to Fatima. In 1967, the sanctuary hosted Paul VI, and John Paul II visited in 1982, 1991 and 2000, at which time the visionaries Jacinta and Francesco were beatified.
The Portuguese shrine is not unfamiliar to Pope Benedict, since as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger extensively studied the message of Fatima. Fr. Lombardi said on Tuesday that the Pope has been involved with history of the Marian sanctuary in a "very deep, personal way."
It was him, for example, who was called upon to give a theological perspective when the third secret of Fatima was made public in 2000.
The Vatican spokesman said that the Holy Father will also deliver an intense message during his Fatima visit. Upon his arrival at the sanctuary on May 12, he will remember John Paul II and the 29th anniversary of the assassination attempt that nearly took his life on May 13, 1981.
This visit marks the Holy Father's 15th Apostolic Journey abroad in his five years and is his first to Portugal as Pope.
During today's general audience, the Holy Father greeted the people of Portugal in their language, telling them that he will be there this coming weekend at the invitation of the president of the nation and the episcopal conference.
He said he was "happy to be able to visit the 'land of Holy Mary'" on the 10th anniversary of the beatification of the shepherd children.
According to Portuguese press reports, local police are planning for a cumulative total of 450,000 people at the celebrations in Lisbon, Fatima and Portugal during the four-day visit.
INDEED.
BLESSINGS,
I rarely watch movies. Agreed. too much trash.
I liked Rogers & Hamerstein, too.
You know I am packing I was just going get that movie in the dvd collection it might be in the Box for the moving Pod. I would like to watch that tomorrow if i could.
You know I have to tell you last week we had to pull the plug on my comatose cousin. His brother wanted help so you know. He asked me to go with him. Now I said yes and they did it while we were there. Family have to be there. Now let me tell you What a thing to witness afterwards of course Devotions and pray Helped but I put on 2 W C Fields Movies when I got home. Oh what therapy!
it was THE BANK DICK and Its A Gift
Hey I know a great house for sale in Charlotte, NC!! Gorgeous city, very nice wheather, sweet people!
“I pray that you would stop spouting it, and give up your beliefs of men...”
There’s more irony here than words can accurately express.
“...we Christians...”
Seriously, just who is it that you believe you are fooling?
HUMOR, imho,
is one of God’s great therapies.
though WC Fields is a bit . . . to something . . . for my taste.
Glad he helped.
What a chore.
Peace and wholeness in THE LORD to all concerned.
Safe travels to you.
I have family in North Georgia thanks anyway.
Bring it Holy Father. Wake the people up; wake the dead-behind-the-eyes.
Mark, I would have loved to have read about this without the Usual Suspects jumping in.
That ruined it for me. I’m very interested in Fatima, I just don’t want to debate my beliefs anymore. I just want to read about the Pope and Fatima.
Well said!
I'm sorry that it ruined it for you.
I've tried arguing with them and it is just pointless. There is no sense arguing with one whose mind is already made up before the first word is uttered.
The best thing you can do when you read some of those comments is to pray for them. Remember that Jesus prayed for those who crucified them: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Who knows, God may give some of them a "Road to Damascus" moment (Acts 9:3-8)
With some of them it isn't just a matter of their minds being made up, some of them lack the intellectual capacity to even understand what is being said.
A great many of the anti-Catholics are totally unintelligible unless they are cutting and pasting from somewhere else. I guess certain anti-Catholics knew what they were doing when they decided to publish their trash in comic book form.
>>The best thing you can do when you read some of those comments is to pray for them.<<
Trust me, I do.
But I don’t need to see the same things over and over to be reminded of it.
Some of the posters on these threads are like our President. Even if Jesus came down and smacked them in the head, they would still cling to their egos. They tell us they we are not saved by works yet, I’m told that they MUST evangelize in order to be saved. In my own life, with many faiths in my family, I have yet to see one of them that believe that. I can’t find a single denomination.
It’s the bully on the playground. We slam the schools for blaming the person being beat on, yet gleefully allow it here. And it’s not just the Catholics.
Christianity should be about witnessing one’s faith. It’s spreading the Good News. I see little of that here.
So I’ll take my “Thin Skinned” label and avoid the smary graphic and name calling posts. There is a point where humanity should be required but isn’t. It’s sad when all I want to do is see what other Catholics are saying about the Pope and Fatima. Instead I have to read through the posts that prove conservatives are what the MSM label us.
This article could have been posted as a “Catholic Caucus” to keep the discussion among Catholics - or “ecumenical” to disallow antagonism.
Yes. I REALLY wish it had been caucused.
However, as has been pointed out, a "companinion" thread would have soon been posted by a non-Catholic.
It happens, but the companion cannot be a duplicate article while the other is still active (usually four hours.) And posters can link back to the original, caucused thread, to wave off anyone not wanting the contention of an “open” RF thread, town square type debate.
These threads go on for days. Four hours is not long enough.
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