EUROPE/SPAIN - 5th World Meeting for Families - The Pope alters his schedule to render homage to the victims of the July 3 metro tragedy. Congresses for Children and Grandparents underway

Thursday, 6 July 2006

Valencia (Agenzia Fides) - Pope Benedict XVI has altered his schedule in Valencia to pay a visit to Jesus metro station the site of the accident in which 41 people were killed and 39 inured on 3 July. The change was announced by the organisers of the World Meeting of Families WMF event for which the Pope is travelling to Spain. The Pope will stop at the station to lay a wreath and pray before going on to Valencia cathedral to meet about 800 diocesan priests and a large number of men and women religious. At the Cathedral the Pope will be welcomed by the Bishops of Spain in the Chapel of the Sacred Chalice of the Last Supper and he will venerate the holy relic.
During WMF the church of Santa Catalina in Valencia has organised daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10am to 9pm. WMF volunteers will take it in turns to keep watch. On Friday 7 July, at the same Church, at 8pm Holy Mass will be offered for seminarians and their parents all over the world.
In the meantime three customary WMF events, Theological-Pastoral Congress, Congress for Children and Congress for Grandparents are underway. The Children’s Congress is on the theme “Youth, family and handing on the faith”. On Wednesday 5 July the participants listened to a talk on "Challenges for youth today " by Dr José T. Raga Gil, vice chancellor of San Vicente Martyr Catholic University in Valencia who urged those present to "avoid mediocrity and conformism" and “do everything possible to change society”. Two panel discussions were held on various themes including: "Young people, voluntary work solidarity"; "Young people and emigration"; “Young people working to promote peace "; "Young people and music to hand on the faith"; "Young people and the world of work". The Grandparents’ Congress focussed yesterday on “Grandparents and the family". D. Guillermo León Escobar gave a paper with the title "place and mission of grandparents in the family". Penal discussions focused on: "grandparents and AIDS orphans"; "Solitude and loneliness of grandparents "; "Spirituality of uselessness ". (RG) (Agenzia Fides 6/7/2006)


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