* Original message posted in: VATICAN.
* Crossposted in: IN_CATHOLIC.

VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE

TWENTY-FIRST YEAR - N. 7
ENGLISH
WEDNESDAY, 12 JANUARY 2011

SUMMARY:

- Catherine of Genoa and the Experience of Purgatory
- Egyptian Ambassador Received in the Vatican
- Papal Message for First Anniversary of Haiti Earthquake
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________

CATHERINE OF GENOA AND THE EXPERIENCE OF PURGATORY

VATICAN CITY, 12 JAN 2011 (VIS) - During this morning's general audience,
held in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of 9,000 faithful, Benedict XVI
focused his catechesis on St. Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510), author of two
books: "Treatise on Purgatory" and "Dialogues on the Soul
and the Body".

  Catherine received a good Christian education in the home before marrying
at the age of sixteen, although her married life was not an easy one. At
first she led a worldly existence which caused her a profound sense of
emptiness and bitterness however, following a unique spiritual experience
which made her aware of her own misery and defects and, at the same time, of
the goodness of God, she decided to change her life and to begin a journey
of purification and mystical communion with the Lord. "The place of her
ascent to the mystical heights was the hospital of Pammatone, the largest in
Genoa, of which she was director", said the Pope.

  "The period between her conversion and her death was not marked by
extraordinary events", said the Holy Father, "but two elements
characterised
her entire life: on the one hand, mystical experience, profound union with
God and, ... on the other, service to others, especially the most needy and
abandoned".

  "We must never forget", he went on, "that the more we love
God and remain
constant in our prayers, the more we will truly manage to love those around
us, because in each individual we will see the face of the Lord, Who loves
without limit or distinction".

  Benedict XVI then went on to refer to the works of the saint, recalling
how, "in her mystical experiences, Catherine never received specific
revelations on Purgatory or on the souls being purified there". She did not
see Purgatory "as a place of transit in the depths of the earth: it is not
an exterior fire, but an interior fire". She did not use the hereafter as a
basis "to recount the torments of purgatory and then show the way to
purification and conversion; rather, she began from the interior experience
of man on his journey towards eternity".

  Thus, for Catherine, "the soul is aware of God's immense love and perfect
justice; as a consequence, it suffers for not having responded to that love
perfectly, and it is precisely the love of God Himself which purifies the
soul from the ravages of sin".

  This mystical saint from Genoa used an image typical of Dionysus the
Areopagite: the thread of gold linking the human heart to God, said the
Pope. "In this way the heart of man is inundated with the love of God, which
becomes his only guide, the only driving force in his life. This situation
of elevation towards God and abandonment to His will, as expressed in the
image of the thread, is used by Catherine to express the action of divine
light on the souls in Purgatory, a light which purifies and raises them
towards the splendour of the dazzling rays of God".

  "In their experience of union with God, saints achieve so profound an
'understanding' of the divine mysteries, in which love and knowledge almost
become one, that they can even help theologians in their studies", said the
Pope.

  "St. Catherine's life teaches us that the more we love God and enter into
intimate contact with Him through prayer, the more He makes Himself known
and enflames our hearts with His love. By writing about Purgatory, the saint
reminds us of a fundamental truth of the faith which becomes an invitation
for us to pray for the dead, that they may achieve the blessed vision of God
in the communion of the saints".

  And Benedict XVI concluded: "The saint's lifelong humble, faithful and
generous service in the hospital of Pammatone is a shining ex
ample of
charity towards everyone, and a special encouragement for women who make a
fundamental contribution to society and the Church with their precious
efforts, enriched by their sensitivity and the care they show towards the
poorest and those most in need".
AG/                                                             VIS 20110112
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EGYPTIAN AMBASSADOR RECEIVED IN THE VATICAN

VATICAN CITY, 12 JAN 2011 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr.
Federico Lombardi S.J. released the following declaration yesterday evening:

  "This evening Lamia Aly Hamada Mekhemar, the ambassador of the Arab
Republic of Egypt to the Holy See, was received in the Vatican by Archbishop
Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

  "During the meeting the ambassador, who is to return to Cairo for
consultations with the Egyptian foreign ministry, described the concerns of
her government at this present difficult time. She was also able to receive
information and gather the elements necessary in order to report adequately
on the Holy Father's recent remarks concerning, in particular, religious
freedom and the protection of Christians in the Middle East.

  "Highlighting how the Holy See shares the emotions of all the people of
Egypt, struck by the attack in Alexandria, Archbishop Mamberti gave
assurances that the it also fully shares the Egyptian government's concern
'to avoid the escalation of religiously motivated conflict and tensions',
and appreciates the efforts being made to that end".
OP/                                                             VIS 20110112
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PAPAL MESSAGE FOR FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HAITI EARTHQUAKE

VATICAN CITY, 12 JAN 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father has written the following
Message to mark today's first anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. The
Message was read out by Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical
Council "Cor Unum", during a commemorative Mass held in Haiti today.

  "In order to mark the first anniversary of the terrible earthquake which
struck your country, I join you all, dear Haitians, to assure you of my
prayers, particularly for the dead", the Pope writes.

  "I also wish to pronounce a word of hope in the current particularly
difficult circumstances. The time has come to rebuild, not only material
structures but, and above all, civil, social and religious coexistence. I
hope that the Haitian people will become the main actors in their own
present and future, also with the support of international aid which has
already demonstrated great generosity with economic support and volunteers
coming from all parts of the world.

  "I am present among you through Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the
Pontifical Council 'Cor Unum'. With his presence and his voice, he brings
you my encouragement and affection,. I entrust you to the intercession of
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, patroness of Haiti who, I am sure, in heaven, is
not indifferent to your prayers. May God bless all Haitians!"
MESS/                                                           VIS 20110112
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 12 JAN 2011 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father
received in audience Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne,
Germany.
AP/                                                                     VIS
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 12 JAN 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Archbishop Murilo Sebastiao Ramos Krieger S.C.I. of
Florianopolis, Brazil, as metropolitan archbishop of Sao Salvador da Bahia
(area 6,241, population 3,879,000, Catholics 2,737,000, priests 295,
permanent deacons 78, religious 1,106), Brazil. He succeeds Cardinal Geraldo
Majella Agnelo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same
archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Guire Poulard of Les Cayes, Haiti, as archbishop of
Port-au-Prince (area 5,500, population 4,044,000, Catholics 2,912,000,
priests 284, permanent deacons 2, religious 1,708), Haiti. The
archbishop-elect was born in Delatte, Haiti in 1942, he was o
rdained a
priest in 1972 and consecrated a bishop in 1988.

 - Appointed Msgr. Glandas Marie Erick Toussaint of the clergy of the
archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, pastor of the cathedral and director
of Caritas in Port-au-Prince, as auxiliary of Port-au-Prince. The
bishop-elect was born in Grande Savane in 1965 and ordained a priest in
1994.
NER:NEA/                                                                VIS
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 - Origin: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede (1:396/3) 
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