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January 18, 2013 (Romereports.com) Alejandro Burgos is a Spaniard who was born in the city of Valladolid. But now, he's better known by his Russian name of Otests Aleksander. For ten years now, the Spaniard priest has been living in St. Petersburg. He actually asked to be transferred. The first option was to go to the country of Kazakhstan, because of its lack of priests, but then things changed.FR. ALEKSANDER BURGOS-VELASCOPastor, St. Petersburg (Russia)“I
offered to go to Kazakhstan, but in the e ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 17, 2013 (Romereports.com) Meet Ventura,
the bull. This huge animal made it, or rather was brought to St.
Peter's Square to celebrate the Feast Day St. Anthony, the patron saint
of animals. Making it here wasn't easy. He's about 6 feet tall, eats 30
pounds of hay and flour a day and weighs more than 2,000 pounds. He
definitely didn't make it alone to St. Peter's Square though. Italian
horses, donkeys, cows, rabbits, chickens and more, made it here with a
clear objective. GAETANO CRUCIANELLI ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 17, 2013 (Romereports.com) (-ONLY VIDEO-) Horses, cows, rabbits and peacocks were among the species present for the traditional blessing of St. Anthony at St. Peter's Square. A majestic horse parade cut off traffic for a few minutes as they made their way through the Via della Conciliazione. Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, blessed the animals and freed a white dove, asking for peace.OFL @odelafu /RCarrMGVM- PR- Up: VIC ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 17, 2013 (Romereports.com) Christianity has been a major driving force in shaping Western society. To prove it, the Cathedral of Pamplona in Spain underwent a transformation, becoming a type of time machine, for an exhibit titled Occidens. In fact it's a project that could be shown in others parts of the world. The
narrative features several levels, supported by images, objects,
sounds, texts and slides showcasing the history of the Navarre region in
northeast Spain. CARLOS BERNAL ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 16, 2013 (Romereports.com) This is Spanish
Cardinal Antonio Cañizares. When it comes to the liturgy, he says some
of the changes that were called on by the Second Vatican Council, are still pending. But if those changes are applied correctly, he says, even traditionalists groups, like that of Lefebvrians, would not feel mistrust. CARD. ANTONIO CAÑIZARES Prefect, Congregation for Divine Worship “For
example, when members of the Society of St. Pius X, found ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 16, 2013 (Romereports.com) (-VIDEO ONLY-) On his week-long tour through European capitals, U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stopped at the Vatican to meet Benedict XVI. Panetta
sat in the front row of Paul VI Hall for the duration of the weekly
general audience. After, he was escorted to the stage to meet the Pope.
During their brief encounter, the Pope gave Panetta a small white box, presumably with a commemorative coin with his coat of arms. RCarr ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 15, 2013 (Romereports.com) The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the United Kingdom failed to protect a Christian, airlines employee's freedom of religion, when British Airways had ordered her to stop wearing a visible cross. In a 5-2 decision, the judiciary ruled that the UK courts had unfairly given greater weight
to the airlines desire to “maintain a certain corporate image,” in lieu
of Coptic Christian Nadia Eweida's freedom to express her religion. In
the b ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 15, 2013 (Romereports.com) This storybook
includes a tale about two red fish that live in a pond, and what
happens when they discover that a man dressed in white visits them every
day.
It was written and illustrated by Russian painter Natalia Tsarkova.
In addition to being an original story, the book also stands out
because it's based on two fishes that actually live in a pond at papal
gardens at Castel Gandolfo. The person that feeds them is none other
than Benedict XVI. NATALIA TSA ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 14, 2013 (Romereports.com) Surrounded by the priceless art of the Sistine Chapel, the Pope baptized 20 newborns, most of whom are children of Vatican employees. Just like any baptism, some cried when the holy water was poured on them. Others, didn't even flinch. Because the ceremony marked the Feast Day of Jesus' Baptism, the Pope explained exactly why this Sacrament is so important. BENEDICT XVI“By receiving their Baptism, they are reborn as children of Go ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 14, 2013 (Romereports.com) Despite the cold and rainy weather, thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to hear the Pope's Angelus. From his studio window, the Pope reflected on the day Jesus himself was baptized. BENEDICT XVI“But why did Jesus, in whom there was no shadow of sin, go to be baptized by John? Because he wanted to make that gesture of penance and conversion.”Just minutes before Sunday's Angelus, the Pope actually baptized 20 babies& ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 14, 2013 (Romereports.com) The prince of Monaco, Albert II met with Benedict XVI at the Vatican. This marks their third meeting, but the first with the prince's wife, Charlenne. The princess followed protocol by wearing a white dress, which is technically allowed for the Catholic wives of monarchs. 'Bienvenue'.The three of them talked for about 15 minutes, during which the Pope mentioned Charlenne's professional career as a swimmer. As a gift, the pri ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 13, 2013 (Romereports.com) At the tender age of 11, Joe Melendrez wrote his first poem. His Puff Daddy album inspired him to put the words to a beat. At school, he would “break it down,” like Michael Jackson or Usher.Then in 2001, at 15-years-old, he was invited to a spiritual retreat, where he decided his verses would praise God.Since then, he has published two rap albums, and has toured throughout the United States. He's also breaking ground abroad, participating in World Youth Day 201 ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 13, 2013 (Romereports.com) Like its American counterpart, the Canadian Catholic Church is rapidly changing. Secularism is on the rise and the church often finds itself at odds with a fast changing society.As the head of the largest Catholic diocese, in the largest city, in the country, Cardinal Thomas Collins finds himself in the front lines of change. CARD. THOMAS COLLINSArchbishop of Toronto (Canada)“People, especially if they some have material prosperity, they begin to forget the need ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 12, 2013 (Romereports.com) A woman's decision to have an abortion, by force or free will, can be mired in pain and guilt. It can also have consequences long after the ordeal is over.While the Catholic Church is firm in its pro-life stance, it has also made inroads reaching out to women and men that have suffered through trauma as a result of an abortion.Front and center in that mission is Vicki Thorn, an American laywoman and founder of the Project Rachel Ministry.VICKI THORNFounder, Project Rachel& ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 12, 2013 (Romereports.com) The year was 1962. An unexpected snowstorm blanketed Senigallia, in the Italian province of Ancona. The freezing temperatures chipped at the daily routine of local seminarians. Their moments on the snow, captured on film, have achieved posterity, and so has their photographer.Mario Giacomelli obtained, but not without struggle, permission to live one year with the seminarians.SILVANA BONFILIMuseo di Roma in Trastevere“We say it was in the 60's when he began taking pi ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 11, 2013 (Romereports.com) Among the investigations, commissioned by the Vatican, lies the credibility of the alleged apparitions of Our Lady, in the town of Medjugorje. 31 years ago, a group of seven people, said it physically saw the Virgin Mary. Since then, other claims have followed, drawing thousands of people to this town in Bosnia. Since 2010, Benedict XVI established a Vatican commission, made up 17 experts, to look into the alleged apparitions and give an official ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 11, 2013 (ROMEREPORTS.COM) (-ONLY VIDEO-) Benedict XVI met with Rome's local government officials on Friday morning. The Pope greeted regional president Renata Poverini as well as Rome's mayor Gianni Alemanno. As a gift, Poverini gave the Pope a gold embroidered stole, while Benedict XVI gave her a framed image of the Vatican Gardens. In light of Europe's economic situation, mayor Alemanno told the Pope, he's hoping 2013 will be a better year. He then gave the P ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 11, 2013 (Romereports.com) Over the years millions of students have traveled all the way from Latin America to Europe to take on a unique adventure. Rome is one of the key stops in the so called InterRail train pass. So many youths take advantage of this, to see the Pope up close. BELÉN BRIZUELA Y SOFÍA SIMÓN“It's
important to say 'I went to Rome', but not only did I go to Rome, 'I
also saw the Pope. 'It's an inexplicable feeling. We went inside and
asked each other 'Do you feel s ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 10, 2013 (Romereports.com) Following this week's general audience, Benedict XVI personally greeted Prince Vladimir Karadjordjevic and his wife Princess Brigitta, of Yugoslavia. Their 30 second encounter with the Pope began with Prince Vladimir kissing the Pope's hand. He then introduced his wife, Princess Brigitta, whom presented the Pope with a small gift wrapped in brightly colored paper.
Prince Vladimir is a member of the Serbian Orthodox Church, but he states that he is committed t ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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January 9, 2013 (Romereports.com) More than 100 million Christians worldwide suffer from persecution, according to the non-denominational agency Open Doors International. In 2013, the majority of countries are located in Asia or Africa. The worst country for Christians is North Korea.Rounding out the top 10 are Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Maldives, Mali, Iran, Yemen and Eritrea.The on-going civil war, that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, has landed Syria just one slot outside the to ROMEREPORTS.COM (View | Year of Faith) |
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