June 18th, 2008

Press information File n° 1

Pope Benedict XVI’s Visit to France

The Church of France is looking forward to Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to France next Friday 12- Monday 15 September. It is a great honour for the country and a joy, especially for Catholics. Benedict XVI knows France well and has strong links with our country.

The Pope is coming for an apostolic visit. As Pastor of the universal Church, he is coming to support the Church of France and the faith of Catholics. He is coming to meet all the French, all those who will come to listen to him and pray with him. He is coming to give thanks to God for Lourdes as a place of blessings for 150 years.

In Lourdes , Pope Benedict XVI pilgrimage will be notably different from Pope John Paul II’s two previous pilgrimages; which themselves were quite different.

The 2008 pilgrimage is part of a whole jubilee year, and will be its summit. The Pope will perform the jubilee acts that are proposed to all and consist in following the Way of the Jubilee, as the French bishops did during their spring meeting.

The Pope’s pilgrimage will be placed under the sign of the Cross, since we will be celebrating the Glorious Cross on Sunday, September 15 and Our Lady of Sorrows on Monday 15.

The Sunday celebration will be more particularly open to young people, to whom John Paul II transmitted already a long time ago the Cross that is travelling all around the world from one World Youth Day to the next. The Monday celebration will be more particularly open to the sick, to hospital workers and to doctors.

The Pope will personally administer the Unction of the Sick, thus contributing to a better understanding of this sacrament, whose value remains insufficiently appreciated.

The Pope has also wished to gather in Lourdes the French Episcopal Conference, since Lourdes is the usual host of the French bishop’s plenary assemblies.

For his visit to , the Pope has expressed several desires: he wishes to address the world of culture, to pray with all those who assiduously participate every day in the prayer of the Church, to speak to young people and to celebrate a Mass with a great number of the faithful. These wishes now correspond to the key stages of the Pope’s visit to Paris: the Bernardins College, Notre Dame Cathedral and the High Mass celebrated on the Invalides Esplanade.

In charge of communication of the Pope’s visit to France: Jean-Pierre Chaussade Press contact for Paris : 01 56 56 44 20 - 06 09 25 57 78, [email protected] Press contact for Lourdes : 05 62 42 78 01, [email protected] Press contact for the French bishops’Conference : 01 72 36 68 41, [email protected]

Press information File n° 1 (continued)

In Paris the Pope will address the world of culture. During his first visit to Paris in 1980, John Paul II gave a highly significant lecture at the UNESCO headquarters. It was centred on culture as the expression of the human person. Since his election, Benedict XVI has striven to help today’s man trust in the resources of his reason and open up to all the dimensions of the human being. He has already dealt with this subject several times, suggesting that this is where dialogue between the world’s cultures can be rooted. The Pope’s address at the Bernardins College is likely to be a further major step in the development of his reflection in this line.

In this respect, the Christian faith powerfully and unequivocally requires opening up to universality. It allows to admire all that is “just, noble and worthy of love” in man and his works. The Church is man’s servant, to help him fulfil his destiny, which means that the Church is eager to enter into dialogue, i.e. to ask, listen, teach and talk with all those who participate in fostering the image of itself that humanity is constantly shaping up.

The Pope’s meeting with representatives of the world of culture at the Bernardins College will certainly be a major event, reaching far beyond the Parisian or national levels. This meeting will also testify to Pope Benedict XVI’s esteem for French culture and our country’s contribution to making human life more human.

Benedict XVI is also coming to meet young people – those already in the workplace, university and high school students, as well as children . The Pope will be celebrating World Youth Day in Sydney this summer. Some will be able somehow to seize this opportunity. But in addition the Pope has wished to address the young of France directly outside of Notre Dame Cathedral. He is praying for them and for their future.

The Pope also invites all the faithful of Paris, from the whole Ile de France, from other regions and even from abroad to join him for the High Mass he will celebrate on the Invalides Esplanade. 150,000 participants are expected for a great occasion to rejoice and pray.

Benedict XVI will meet with President Sarkozy too . The Pope’s visit inevitably has an official dimension, and he is invited to the Elysées Palace. This is likely to be an opportunity for fruitful exchanges on the place of religions in France and the Church’s contribution to social life.

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Press information File n° 2

How the Pope’s visit is being prepared

The Pope’s visit is an event that demands marshalling numerous people and technical means within a very short time span and on several locations both in Paris and Lourdes.

For the time being, the priority is to launch mobilisation campaigns so as to muster the 5,000 volunteers who are required for a wide array of tasks , from reception to logistics to managing and policing crowds of participants. Banners, posters and leaflets are being distributed to announce the Pope’s visit to Paris and Lourdes, and invite all those who can to participate massively. Parishes, Church movements, Catholic schools of the whole Paris area and all dioceses are being mobilized.

Logistics

The various events have to be organized in cooperation with public officials (traffic management, equipment of the venues, etc.), in order to cater as efficiently as possible for the needs of crowds: giant monitors, sound systems, podiums, furniture, flower decorations, etc.

The arrangements in Paris

The Auteuil Foundation : Within the framework of an exemplary partnership, the young people and adults of this foundation will actively participate in the preparation of the Pope’s visit to Paris. The skills of the young people trained by the Auteuil Foundation will be used to create and set up:

- Part of the flower decoration at the Bernardins College, Friday September 12, and flower decoration at the centre of the stairs and on the liturgical platform of the Mass on the Invalides Esplanade Saturday, September 13.

- The furniture for this celebration, i.e. the altar, the pulpit, the Pope’s chair, the Virgin’s statue’s pedestal, the benches and seats for bishops, and the communion tables.

Contributions will come from the horticulture and woodwork vocational schools of the Auteuil Foundation, especially in the Paris area and in the Centre and Normandy regions.

With some 170 establishments in France, the Auteuil Foundation welcomes, educates, trains and guides into professional life nearly 10,000 boys and girls in great social, academic, familial and emotional difficulty. These young people are sent by their families or by official social workers. Each teenager receives individual counselling to develop his competence and personal involvement in the trade he chooses.

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Press information File n° 2 (continued)

The liturgy

The various celebrations have to be prepared: the liturgical readings must be selected, the hymns must be rehearsed, the groups providing the musical background of the Friday evening event must be approached and coordinated, etc.

Choirs : About thirty choirs will participate in the Saturday, September 13 Mass. This means 1,500 or so singers, both children and adults , coming from the choral societies of parishes, primary and secondary schools. The hymns will be simple or well known, so that the crowd may easily join. Prayers will be accompanied by a smaller choir.

The reception of participants

The flows have to be managed, in cooperation with first-aid crews, including distribution of drinkable water and cleaning up after the events.

Volunteers : They will be found principally in parishes, Catholic schools and the new communities. Thanks to the latter, 150 team leaders aged 17-30 have already registered, and each one is gathering a team of 10, 20 or 30 persons.

The arrangements in Lourdes

“The pilgrimage directors have been invited to organize groups of faithful, which had not been possible for the previous papal visits as they took place in the middle of summer vacations. These groups will take advantage of priority seating for the Sunday Eucharistic celebration. The members of these groups will not have to take care of their transport and accommodation. At the spiritual level, this should allow everyone to focus on fathoming the deep significance of what they will experience around the Holy Father.

“The experience of John Paul II’s visits to France teaches us that pessimistic rumours spread in the last few days: the venues might be inaccessible; you had better stay at home and watch TV… In Lourdes, the prefect is fully determined to offer permanent easy access to the premises. Let us spread the good news!” (From a message of the Most Reverend Jacques Perrier, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes).

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Press information File n° 3

The links between Pope Benedict XVI and France

Pope Benedict XVI’s wish to visit France is a clear indication of his long-time personal interest in our country. He speaks fluent, accurate French.

His knowledge of France is based on numerous visits and exchanges along the years, but it is above all rooted in the early awareness of the importance of French-speaking culture in today’s world.

In the course of his studies, Joseph Ratzinger quickly detected the influence on European culture after World War II of secular French thought, characterised by existentialism, the human sciences and a fascination with Marxism. He thus studied Sartre and Camus (among others), and closely followed the emergence of the “new philosophers” in the 1970s.

During his seminary years, young Joseph Ratzinger discovered and admired the works of such major French theologians as Henri de Lubac, Yves Congar, Marie-Dominique Chenu, Jean Daniélou or Louis Bouyer. After reading them, he was given the opportunity to work with some of them during the , then at the Roman International Theological Commission. He also was a regular contributor to the international Catholic journal Communio , with many articles published in the French edition.

He met as early as 1954 with the future Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, who was then the Sorbonne students’ Chaplain. Until Cardinal Lustiger’s demise in August 2007, the two men were to have many occasions to meet again and work together.

Cardinal Ratzinger often came to France to lecture, and also to exchange, especially in 1983 at Notre Dame in Paris and also in Lyons, in 1999 at the Sorbonne to deal with the crisis of the Christian understanding of truth in contemporary culture. More recently, he was invited by the Archbishop of Paris to give the 2002 final Lenten Lecture at Notre Dame, and in 2004 he represented Pope John Paul II at the celebrations of the sixtieth anniversary of the allied landing in Normandy.

Such interest in French culture justified Cardinal Ratzinger’s January 13, 1992 reception as Associate Foreign Member of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences to take up Andrei Sakharov’s chair.

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Press information File n° 4

The major themes developed by Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI and the young

“I am looking forward to meeting the young people form all over the world in Cologne, or rather to their meeting Christ there.”

In his first words as Pope, the former Archbishop of Munich paid a tribute to John Paul II and announced his pontificate’s orientation: he too would be the young’s Pope. World Youth Day Cologne was Benedict XVI’s first opportunity to meet them. 800,000 young people from all over the world, including some 70,000 from France, gathered at Marienfeld for an evening of prayer with the Pope. “I would like to make them realize how beautiful it is to be a Christian,” he said.

In his numerous meetings with young people, he urges them to commit themselves: “Be the disciples and witnesses of the Gospel… Work for peace and unity!” Another example: in Loretto, Italy, the Pope invited the 500,000 young people gathered there to take action in order to preserve the world created y God: “Economic development has not always managed to respect the fragile natural balance of the environment. The future of our planet is between the hands of the young. Bold choices have to be made before it is too late, in order to restore a sane covenant between man and the Earth. Saving God’s creation requires a firm commitment, and so does the necessity to reverse the trends that may lead to irreversible damage.”

Ecumenism

“To do all I can to promote the fundamental mission of ecumenism” (April 20, 2005 at the Sistine Chapel).

Just after his election, during the Mass celebrated with the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on April 20, 2005), Pope Benedict XVI expresses his determination to foster dialogue between Christians. This priority has been confirmed through the continuation of the relationships established by his predecessors with the representatives of the various Christian denominations. When visiting Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul in November 2006, Benedict XVI stresses the theological proximity of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches on many points. One of the fruits borne by this meeting was that the Catholic-Orthodox Theological Commission resumed its work. Moscow Patriarch Alexis II’s visit to Paris in October 2007, followed by Cardinal Kasper’s reception in Moscow as Pope Benedict XVI’s envoy at the end of May 2008 have given substance to this wish for a rapprochement between the two Churches. The Pope has also invited Protestant and Anglican representatives as well as Patriarch Bartholomew to take part in the opening of the year dedicated to St. Paul.

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Press information File n° 4 (continued)

The relationships with Jews

“The is close to you. She is our friend. Yes, we love you” (To Rome’s Chief Rabbi, January 16, 2006).

As a theologian, Cardinal Ratzinger has always been interested in Judaism. He has then quite spontaneously taken up and developed his predecessor’s considerable accomplishments in this domain. He immediately and clearly stated his commitment to “ carry on dialogue and strengthen cooperation with the sons and daughters of the Jewish people .” He has never failed to express this determination during all of his trips abroad: in Cologne, where he visited the synagogue (Germany, August 2005), at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp (Poland, May 2006), at Vienna’s Juden Platz (Austria, September 2007), in Washington and New York (, April 2008). In Rome, he received Israel’s two Chief Rabbis (September 2005) and Rome’s Chief Rabbi (January 2006), as well as Israel’s Heads of State (in 2005, 2006, 2007). Mr Shimon Peres has renewed Mr Ariel Sharon’s invitation, and informed the Pope that he would be welcome in Israel.

Interreligious dialogue

“It is important to reaffirm that religions can never become the promoters of hatred. Never can mentioning God’s name justify evil and violence.”

As far as interreligious dialogue is concerned, Pope Benedict XVI is unambiguously faithful to the orientations opened by the Second Vatican Council and developed by John Paul II. Since his election, he has repeatedly expressed his wish to follow “the way of dialogue”. This was the case especially during the International Meeting for Peace, which gathered religious leaders in Naples in October 2007. The Pope strives to feed this dialogue with reflection themes. His goal is to foster the opening up of all cultures, including the Occidental one, to the thirst and search for truth. That same month, 138 Muslim leaders sent the Pope and other Christian leaders an open letter entitled “Towards Common Speech.” Benedict answered favourably and added the suggestion to set up a permanent institution for dialogue between the Vatican and the signatories of this letter. The first meeting is scheduled to take place in Rome next November 4- 6.

Secularity

“The full guarantee of religious freedom must take into account the public dimension of religion and, in consequence, the possibility for believers to take part in the edification of the social order.”

Benedict XVI sees the secularity of the State in a positive light. He made it plain once more during his recent visit to the United States. Secularity cannot mean banning religion from the public square. The Pope considers that the “healthy secularity” which acknowledges the place and role of religions is one of the pillars of democracy. This is why he encourages Catholics to take an active part in the life of the “city,” because – in his own words – “the Church wishes to

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Press information File n° 4 (continued)

contribute to building up a world that is ever more worthy of the human person created in God’s image and resemblance” (Address to the President of the United States at the White House, Washington, D.C., April A6, 2008).

Preserving God’s creation

“Bold choices have to be made, in order to restore a sane covenant between man and the Earth” (Evening prayer with young Italians at Loretto, September 1 st , 2007).

Virtually every three months, if not very month, since Pope Benedict XVI’s election, he or the Vatican have issued statements or taken an initiative concerning the protection of the environment. Benedict this followed in the steps of his predecessors, and especially John Paul II, who pointed out the theological stakes of environmentalism in his keynote message of January 1 st , 1990: “ Peace with God the Creator, peace with the while creation .”

On September 1 st , 2006, Benedict XVI said to support the first Day for the Preservation of God’s creation in Italy: “ Together with Christians of other denominations, we must take care of the creation. We must not waste its resources and rather share them in solidarity. ”

Benedict XVI’s commitment to the preservation of the environment was confirmed in his address to 500,000 young Italians in Loretto September 2 nd , 2007, and in his peace message of January 1st , 2008: “ It is essential to see the Earth as our ‘common house.’ This means that “the technologically advanced countries are to reconsider the exaggerated consumption of energy that the current models of development have accustomed them to .” Everyone is invited to “ take action […] in order to strengthen the covenant between humanity and its environment. That covenant should be a response to the love of the Creator from whom we have come and to whom we are going .”

Europe

“Cooperation, reciprocity in exchanges, mutual discovery and friendship have been developed to replace confrontation” (Lecture in Caen for the 60th anniversary of the Normandy Landing, June 5, 2004).

For Benedict XVI, “ today, just after a century marked by two world wars and the confrontation with major ideologies which proved to be but tragic utopias, Europe is in search of its identity. Political, economic and legal tools are certainly required to foster a new, sustainable unity, but a moral and spiritual revival is no less necessary ” (General Audience, April 2008).

The Pope is eager to see peace guaranteed and has constantly encouraged strengthening European integration, for example in a September 2007 address to the diplomatic corps in Vienna: “ The unification process remains a major achievement, which has allowed this continent, continuously torn by conflicts and disastrous fratricidal wars, to experience decades of long-forgotten peace .”

Finally, while acknowledging the sizable contribution of European nations and institutions to international development, Benedict XVI also invites them to “ wield their political power for example in order to take up the very urgent challenges in Africa .”

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