December 27, 2010.  ROME REPORTS has listed the ten most important news stories from the Vatican in 2010, with its short and long term impacts.

In tenth place is the establishment of a Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. It is the Pope's reply to the decline in numbers of Christians in Europe and North America. He has also called a synod on the theme for the year 2012. (LINK HERE)


At number 9: The Pope formed a Vatican commission to investigate the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje. Their work is being developed under the strictest of secrecy and their findings will only be given to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  (LINK HERE)

Number 8 is the appointment the now Cardinal Velasio De Paolis as the Pope's delegate to bring order to the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ after the scandals committed by its founder. (LINK HERE)

The seventh story is the exposition of the Holy Shroud of Turin. Two million people visited the most important relic of the Catholic Church during the 44 days it was on display. (LINK HERE)


At number 6, the consistory to create 24 new cardinals. With them, the number of cardinals rises to 203, of which 121 have voting powers, only they could participate in an eventual conclave. (LINK HERE)

Fifth, the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, during which the religious leaders from the Holy Land met with the Pope to study ways of stopping the exodus of Christians from the land where Jesus was born. (LINK HERE)

The fourth story is the book length interview with the Pope, “Light of the World,” (LIGHT OF WORLD LINK HERE) and the document “Verbum Domini” on the Bible. While the book shows the more personal side of the Pope and his opinion on current issues, in the “Verbum Domini” Benedict XVI writes about the topic he's most passionate about, the Holy Scripture. (VERBUM DOMINI LINK HERE)

Number 3 is the closing of the Year for Priests. Alongside around 15,000 priests, Benedict XVI concelebrated the biggest Mass in the history of St. Peter's Square. There he asked for forgiveness from God and the victims of sexual abuse by priests. He promised that the Church will do everything possible to make sure “this never happens again.” (LINK HERE)

Benedict XVI
“We promise we will do everything possible so that these types of abuses never happen again.”

The second biggest news story of 2010 is the search for solutions to address sexual abuses by priests.

Following the publication of two investigations in Ireland which reported hundreds of cases of child abuse committed by dozens of priests and religious, the Pope ordered these cases be addressed with honesty and courage to bring them to an end and so they could no be repeated.

He also wrote a letter to all Catholics in Ireland in which he personally asked for forgiveness from the victims. He said in these cases it's wrong to use silence when trying to protect the good name of the Church. (LINK HERE)


And the biggest news of the year is the Pope's trip to the UK, which combined his main themes of the year.  (LINK HERE)

On the plane to Edinburgh the Pope recognized that the Church has not been vigilant or determined to take swift and appropriate action against sex abuse. Because of this, he said the most important thing is to help victims overcome the trauma and to rebuild their lives.

In the ecumenical field, in the middle of forming Catholic Ordinariates to welcome disenchanted Anglicans, the Pope visited the Anglican Primate Rowan Williams and by doing so became the first pope to enter Westminster Abbey, the most important place of worship for Anglicans.  (LINK HERE)

In Westminster Hall he spoke to 1,800 politicians, businessmen and British intellectuals on the relationship between politics and religion.

Benedict XVI
“If the moral principles underpinning the democratic process are themselves determined by nothing more solid than social consensus, then the fragility of the process becomes all too evident - herein lies the real challenge for democracy.”

Also during this trip, Benedict XVI beatified one of his most admired intellectuals, Cardinal John Henry Newman, a great defender of freedom of conscience and a precursor of the Vatican Council II.
 
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