Pope On Facebook, Now Launched

Pope on Facebook in attempt to woo young believers

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - You won't get an email saying Pope Benedict added you as a friend and you can't "poke" him or write on his wall, but the Vatican is still keen to use the networking site Facebook to woo young people back to church.

A new Vatican website, www.pope2you.net, has gone live, offering an application called "The pope meets you on Facebook," and another allowing the faithful to see the Pope's speeches and messages on their iPhones or iPods.

The Vatican's World Communications Day this Sunday is devoted to communicating the gospel with new technologies.

"We recognize that a church that does not communicate ceases to be a church," said Monsignor Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican's Social Communications department.

"Many young people today are not turning to traditional media like newspapers and magazines any more for information and entertainment.

"They are looking to a different media culture, and this is our effort to ensure that the Church is present in that communications culture."

Users of the new site can select from more than a dozen "virtual postcards" with pictures of the pope and messages from him on faith, love and life specifically aimed at young people, and send them to other users.

The Catholic Church, which has seen vocations to religious life decline and church attendance fall, has already turned to the Internet.

Last January the pope became one of the oldest people to have his own YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/vaticanit.

The pope, known to write most of his speeches by hand, while his aides manage his forays into cyberspace, has even admitted that the Vatican does not use the Internet enough.

The Vatican got egg on its face in January when the pope admitted that, if the Church had surfed the web more, it might have known that a traditionalist bishop whose excommunication was lifted had for years been a Holocaust denier.

Vatican launches Facebook application

Web surfers can now send virtual postcards of Pope Benedict XVI to their Facebook friends or follow the pontiff's travel on their iPhones.

Under a papacy that has suffered communication woes, the Vatican is taking new, technologically savvy steps to bring its message to social networking sites and smartphones.

In its first day of operation Thursday, the Pope2You portal gathered some 45,000 contacts and 500,000 page views, while a Facebook application that sends postcards with photos of Benedict and excerpts from his messages was used around 10,000 times, the head of the project said.

Also available on the portal is an application for iPhone and iPod Touch that gives surfers video and audio news on the pope's trips and speeches, as well as on Catholic events worldwide. 

Facebook Application Here.

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Pope Benedict looks for resurrection of the Holy Land

Vatican City, May 20, 2009 / 10:02 am (CNA).- At his Wednesday general audience, Pope Benedict XVI recalled his recent trip to the Holy Land. He told the 20,000 pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square that peace is possible in the Holy Land, with the help of faith.

“I will never cease to thank the Lord because it revealed itself to be an immense gift for St Peter’s Successor and for the entire Church,” the Holy Father said of his visit.

After having thanked the bishops, governments and all those who collaborated in the success of the visit, Benedict XVI then recalled the first stage of the voyage: Jordan, and his visits to Monte Nebo and then Bethany Beyond Jordan, where Christ was baptized. Monte Nebo, he explained, is “a site of strong symbolic significance, its speaks of our condition as pilgrims, between what was and what has yet to be, between a beautiful hope and the fulfillment that goes beyond us.”

At Bethany the Pope blessed the foundation stones of two new churches—one Greek Melkite and the other a Latin rite Church. These churches, he stressed, are “a sign of the respect of the Hashemite Kingdom has for religious freedom and the Christian tradition.”

The Pontiff also visited the al-Hussein bin-Talal Mosque, which was built by King Abdullah II in memory of his father. “How important it is,” he commented, “that Christians and Muslims live together peacefully in mutual respect.” The Christian community in Jordan, Pope informed, provides education and aid to the needy  independent of their religious convictions.

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POPE RECALLS HIGHLIGHTS, CHALLENGES FOR HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE

The Holy Father before boarding his plane at Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv.

May 18, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI offered two assessments of his visit to the Holy Land-- first speaking to journalists who accompanied him on the flight from Tel Aviv back to Rome, then speaking to the crowd gathered for his regular Angelus audience on Sunday, May 17.

In his talk to reporters, the Pope mentioned a few memorable moments from the trip:

• …the moving descent to the lowest point on earth, on the River Jordan, which for us was also a symbol of the descent of God, the descent of Christ into the deepest areas of human existence;
• The Cenacle, where the Lord gave us the Eucharist, where the Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit, took place;
• also the Holy Sepulchre and many other impressions.

Moving from specific moments to more general impressions, the Pope mentioned three lasting thoughts: the lively interest in inter-religious dialogue, spurred by the mutual recognition that "God is love and wants love to be the dominant force in the world;" the truly encouraging" ecumenical meetings with other Christian leaders; and the enormous difficulties that still face the people of the Holy Land in their pursuit of peace and security.

At his midday audience on Sunday the Pope remarked that the Holy Land, "a symbol of God's love for his people," has over time be "a symbol of quite the opposite," because of the conflicts there. Still, he said, the challenges facing the people of that region can today be seen as "a microcosm encapsulating God's demanding journey with mankind."

Soorce: Catholic Culture

Pope Completes his Holy Land Pilgrimage(updated)

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, May 15, 2009 (CNA) .- Pope Benedict made the strongest appeal for peace of his entire trip as he prepared to depart for Rome on Friday. During his farewell speech at the Ben Gurion International Airport, the Pope stressed the need for universal recognition of Israel's right to exist and the Palestinians' “right to a sovereign independent homeland.”

The Holy Father imparted his strong message urging "no more bloodshed, no more fighting and no more terrorism".  

He was sent off by  Shimon Peres, president of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister.

Pope Benedict XVI left Israel on Friday, May 15, concluding his week-long visit to the Holy Land. In a departure ceremony at Ben Gurion airport outside Tel Aviv, attended by Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Pope said that he saw the Holy Land as "fertile ground for ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue," and hoped that "the rich variety of religious witness in the region will bear fruit in a growing mutual understanding and respect."

Pope Benedict emphasized his love for the Jewish people, and the strong religious bonds between Judaism and Christianity. "We are nourished from the same spiritual roots," he observed. Acknowledging that the two religious traditions "at times in our history have had a tense relationship," he said that Christians today "are firmly committed to building bridges of lasting friendship."

The Pope made special mention of his visit to the Holocaust memorial at Yad Vashem, and indirectly replied to the critics who were unsatisfied by his speech there. Repeating his condemnation of the Holocaust, he observed that millions "were brutally exterminated under a godless regime that propagated an ideology of anti-Semitism and hatred. That appalling chapter of history must never be forgotten or denied."

Addressing the current political conflict in the region, the Holy Father made a final impassioned plea for a negotiated solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. "No more bloodshed!" he urged; "No more fighting! No more terrorism!"

The Pope repeated once again his conviction that "the Palestinian people have a right to a sovereign independent homeland." And he said that the security wall girding Palestinian communities on the West Bank was among the saddest sights he had observed during his stay.

The following are live telecast TV pictures beamed directly from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv (Israel) at 13.30 (Local Time) moments before  Pope Benedict XVI  boarded his plane for his homeward flight to Ciampino Airport (Rome). All pictures were taken with my Nokia handphone.

Pope Benidect XVI delivering his farewell address at the airport tarmac. 

Pope's Holy Land Pilgrimage

Family in focus as Pope celebrates Mass at Nazareth Pope Benedict XVI put the spotlight on family life as he celebrated Mass at Nazareth on May 14. Noting that the Catholic Church in the Holy Land is completing a "Year of the Family," the Pope encouraged the faithful to draw inspiration from the hidden life of the young Jesus with Mary and Joseph in Nazareth, and (as Pope Paul VI had suggested) "to contemplate ever anew the silence and love of the Holy Family." The Pope's homily addressed domestic life rather than political issues. While he concentrated on the need for a revitalization of family life, he did make a pointed observation about "the duty of the State to support families in their mission of education, to protect the institution of the family and its inherent rights, and to ensure that all families can live and flourish in conditions of dignity." Netanyahu and Pope discuss peace process, Iran Pope Benedict XVI met on May 14 with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for a private conversation that was "centered on how the peace process can be advanced," according to a papal spokesman

POPE TELLS ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS: TEAR DOWN WALL

MAY 14, 2009

Before leaving Bethlehem on Wednesday, May 13, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Aida refugee camp outside the city, and called for the destruction of the Israeli security wall that looms over the camp. The Holy Father expressed his solidarity with the estimated 1.3 million Palestinians living in refugee camps, "who long to be able to return to their birthplace, or to live permanently in a homeland of their own." He reiterated his support for "an independent Palestinian state."

Referrring to the massive concrete security barrier, the Pontiff said that "it is tragic to see walls still being erected." He said that the wall should be razed, and mutual respect should ensure security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. However, the Pope said: "On both sides of the wall, great courage is needed if fear and mistrust is to be overcome, if the urge to retaliate for loss or injury is to be resisted."

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• Hostilities that have led to building of wall must end (VIS)

Pope said Mass in Nazareth

14-May-2009 -- Vatican Information Service

Mass in Nazareth: The Family Is Essential for Building a Civilization of Love

VATICAN CITY, 14 MAY 2009 (VIS) - At 8.30 a.m. today the Pope travelled by helicopter to Nazareth, town of the Annunciation and of the Holy Family, which is located some 110 kilometres from Jerusalem. Having landed, the Holy Father continued his journey by car to the Mount of the Precipice where he celebrated Mass to mark the closure of Year of the Family, an initiative organised by the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

Benedict XVI was welcomed by the mayors of Nazareth and of Nazareth Illit, by Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, Latin patriarchal vicar for Israel, and by Archbishop Paul Nabil El-Sayah of Haifa and the Holy Land of the Maronites. The Holy Father saluted the faithful from his popemobile as he toured the site, a natural amphitheatre located near a wood dedicated to Pope John XXIII. Having then received greetings from Archbishop Elias Chacour, Greek Melkite ordinary for Galilee, he presided at Mass. Among those attending the ceremony was Shimon Peres, president of the State of Israel.

In his homily, the Holy Father affirmed that, following the example of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, "we come to appreciate even more fully the sacredness of the family, which in God's plan is based on the lifelong fidelity of a man and a woman consecrated by the marriage covenant and accepting of God's gift of new life.

"How much the men and women of our time need to re-appropriate this fundamental truth, which stands at the foundation of society, and how important is the witness of married couples for the formation of sound consciences and the building of a civilisation of love", he added.

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JERUSALEM CHIEF RABBI: POPE AGREES TO CEASE CATHOLIC MISSIONARY ACTIVITY AMONG JEWS

MAY 13, 2009

Welcoming Pope Benedict to the Hechal Shlomo Center in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yona Metzger, Jerusalem’s chief Ashkenazi rabbi, said that the Pontiff had pledged to end Catholic missionary activity among the Jews. Pope Benedict made no reference to such an agreement in his own address.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• ‘Vatican to stop missionizing Jews’ (Jerusalem Post)
• Papal address: Courtesy visit to the two Chief Rabbis of Jerusalem at Hechal Shlomo Center in Jerusalem (Holy See)

POPE STRONGLY BACKS PALESTINIAN STATE, END TO GAZA EMBARGO

MAY 13, 2009

During a May 13 visit to Bethlehem, Pope Benedict XVI strongly underlined the Vatican's support for an independent Palestinian state, and called for an end to the Israeli embargo of Gaza, while pleading with young Palestinians to eschew violence and terrorism.

As he arrived in the Palestinian territories on Wednesday morning, the Pope said that he wanted to express "my solidarity with the people who have lost so much." He went on to say: "I know how much you have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of the turmoil that has afflicted this land for decades." He promised his daily prayers for a just and lasting peace in the region. He would later add his special remembrance for the people of Gaza, and "my prayers that the embargo will soon be lifted."

"The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbours, within internationally recognised borders," the Holy Father told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

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The Pope in the Holy Land

Dear Mr. Disimon,

The Pope is off to the Holy Land for an historic visit, and I'm sure a deeply moving personal one. Here is the itinerary: Full schedule for Pope's visit to the Holy Land. This trip is a minefield, so let's keep the Holy Father in our prayers. See our Catholic World News feature for details: 'Spin Control' for the Pope's trip to the Holy Land. Seeing Pope Benedict's apostolic mission in action is a good reminder that we are all nourished by the faith of the Apostles. To learn more about Christ's first bishops, check outApostles.com, which has just been updated in our review section. Phil Lawler and I have also added quite a lot this week to our ongoing—and apparently well-received—discussion of how to strengthen the pro-life movement. In the last Insightsmessage, I promised some spiritual considerations: The Antidote for Pro-Life Depression. Meanwhile, Phil sums up his political advice in the latest post in the string: Working Together: Cooperation in the Pro-Life Movement. But that item reads even better in the context of his separate and beautiful reflection on The Church and the Beehive. Finally, I also review the sum total of reader interventions on this subject, along with a spiritual point, in this week's column: Restating the Pro-Life Question: Readers Help. May God bless all our efforts! Jeff Mirus President Trinity Communications