The Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls witnessed

the conclusion of the Pauline year, welcoming Bene-

dict XVI in a spirit of celebration on the afternoon of

June 28th as he came to preside over First Vespers for

the Solemnity of Saints Peter and

Paul. The following afternoon,

representing the Holy Father, the

Archpriest of the Basilica, Cardinal

Andrea di Montezemolo closed the

year commemorating the bi-

millennium of the birth of the

Apostle during Second Vespers and

a solemn Mass which was concele-

brated by the Benedictine monks

from St Paul’s Abbey.

Thousands of cheering faithful

crowded into the basilica, even

more than the thousands who were

there a year ago to participate in the

opening of the jubilee year which

the Holy Father inaugurated along-

side the Ecumenical Patriarch Bar-

tholomew 1st. On this occasion the

Pope was flanked by Cardinal di

Montezemolo and Cardinal Raf-

faele Farina. Many other cardinals, archbishops and

bishops were on hand, together with a representative

of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and

delegates from the other Orthodox and Protestant

Churches in Rome.

All those present experienced a moment of great

emotion as the Pope, at the beginning of his homily,

announced that ‘careful scientific analysis’, recently

carried out inside the sarcophagus of the Apostle,

‘seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested

tradition which claims that these are the moral re-

mains of the Apostle Paul’. The announcement im-

mediately sparked reactions right across the Christian

world.

After recalling that, during these past months, many

people ‘have followed the paths of the Apostle, the

exterior ones and especially the interior paths on

which he travelled during his lifetime’, the Pope said:

‘The Pauline Year is drawing to a close but what will

remain a part of Christian existence is the journey

with Paul, with him and thanks to him getting to know

Jesus, and, like the Apostle, being enlightened and

transformed by the Gospel. And always, going beyond the

circle of believers, he remains the "teacher of the Gentiles",

who seeks to bring the message of the Risen One to them

all, because Christ has known and loved each one; he has

died and risen for them all’. The

Holy Father then focused his atten-

tion on certain passages from Paul’s

letter to the Romans (‘I beg you….to

offer your living bodies as a holy

sacrifice, truly pleasing to God’) and

his letter to the Ephesians (the ap-

peal to live out an adult faith and the

vastness of the mystery of Christ),

before concluding with the prayer

that the love and truth of Jesus ‘may

touch our hearts so that we may ‘act

according to truth in love’.

In his homily during solemn Mass,

Cardinal di Montezemolo said: ‘The

Pauline year is ending, but what will

not come to end are the benefits that

it has generated, the richness of faith,

love and hope which it has provoked

or reignited in us, the interest in the

Apostle’s teachings, the commitment

to restore the unity of Christians. As a sign of this fervour,

he added, the Pauline flame which the Pope lit will con-

tinue to burn in the portico of the Basilica, surrounded by

the smaller flames which the faithful continue to light as a

sign of their devotion. We can also expect a further in-

crease in the number of pilgrims to the tomb of St Paul,

the Cardinal went on, in light of the Pope’s announcement

regarding the results of the scientific tests carried out inside

the sarcophagus. He concluded his homily by speaking

about the testimony of Jesus’ revelation to Paul, given to

Ananias in Damascus, and by St Peter in his second letter,

before praying to both the Apostle and Mary, Mother of

Our Lord, with the invocation that the fruits of the Pauline

year would continue to grow within us and throughout the

whole Christian world. Thousands of faithful then stood

and applauded as the Cardinal made his way through the

central nave of the basilica and then went in procession

with the monks from the Benedictine abbey to close, in a

symbolic way, the Pauline door. Decorated with the new

bronze panels by sculptor Guido Veroi, the door was re-

opened the following day and will remain that way to wel-

come pilgrims in the future.

Celebrating First Vespers in St Paul’s BasilicaCelebrating First Vespers in St Paul’s BasilicaCelebrating First Vespers in St Paul’s BasilicaCelebrating First Vespers in St Paul’s Basilica

PAULINE YEAR CLOSES WITH PAULINE YEAR CLOSES WITH PAULINE YEAR CLOSES WITH PAULINE YEAR CLOSES WITH

BENEDICT XVIBENEDICT XVIBENEDICT XVIBENEDICT XVI

Archpriest Cardinal Andrea di Montezemolo presided the following day at Second Vespers and a solemn Mass

Organisation for the Bi-millennium of the Birth of the Apostle

June 2009

Year 3, N° 6

Page 2 Bulletin of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls

Various addresses by Pope Benedict XVI

THE PAULINE YEAR HAS BEEN A

TRUE TIME OF GRACE

A common thanksgiving with our Orthodox brothers for ‘all the fruits and benefits which it has brought us’ – Its ties to the Year of the Priest

The closing of the Pauline year has been at the centre of various addresses by Pope Benedict XVI: at the Angelus on Sunday June 28th, just a few hours before he went to the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, he said that the Pauline year ‘has been a true time of grace in which, through pilgrimages, catecheses, numerous publications and various initiatives, the figure of St Paul has been presented anew throughout the Church and his vibrant message has revived in Christian communities everywhere a passion for Christ and for the Gospel. After giving thanks to God ‘for the Pauline Year and for all the spiritual gifts that it has brought us, the Holy Father recalled that just a few days earlier, on June 19th, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he inaugurated the Year of the Priest. He stressed that ‘St Paul is the example of a priest who iden-tified totally with his ministry as the holy Curé d'Ars would also be, aware that he was carrying a priceless treasure, namely, the message of salvation, but in "earthen vessels"’. The following day, on the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, patron saints of the Church in Rome, the Pope at his Angelus expressed the wish that their joint veneration ‘be an ever fuller

and more deeply felt pledge of communion among Christians in every part of the world’ so that ‘Rome may keep alive its Christian voca-tion’. At the same time Pope Benedict also an-nounced the forthcom-ing publication of his third encyclical Caritas in Veritate. On June 27th, as he re-ceived in audience the delegation from the Ecumenical Patriar-chate of Constantinople that had come to take part in the solemnity of

Saints Peter and Paul, Pope Benedict XVI recalled how, last year, the Patriarch Bartholomew 1st had ‘wished to honour us with his presence in order to celebrate together the inauguration of the Pauline year, a year of prayer, reflection and exchange of acts of communion between Rome and Constantinople. In our turn’, the Pope added, ‘we had the joy of sending a delega-tion (led by Cardinal di Montezemolo, Archpriest of the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls – ndr) to the corresponding celebrations organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Moreover it could not be otherwise in this year dedicated to St Paul who strongly recommended us to maintain "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace ", teaching us that "there is but one body and one Spirit"’. Inviting his listeners to thank the Lord together ‘for the fruits and benefits which the celebration of the bi-millennium of St Paul’s birth has brought us’, the Holy Father stressed that the presence of the delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate ‘is a sign of ec-clesial fraternity’, recalling ‘our common commitment in the search for full communion’.

Page 3 Bulletin of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls

Cardinal di Montezemolo at the Holy See Press Office

A LOOK BACK AT THE CELEBRA-

TIONS FOR THE BI-MILLENNIUM

OF ST PAUL’S BIRTH

‘The overall outcome has been very positive, even exceeding my most optimis-

tic expectations’, he told journalists

‘A look back at the general nature of the Pauline year which is drawing to an end, its significance, vari-

ous aspects of its development and the benefits which it has brought’: that was the purpose and the con-

tent of a press conference given by Cardinal Andrea di Montezemolo, Archpriest of the Basilica of St

Paul Outside the Walls to journalists accredited to the Holy See press office on June 25th. The outcome

of this year, he said, ‘has been very positive, even exceeding my most optimistic expectations’.

The cardinal recalled how, after an initially cool reception and slow beginning to the celebrations mark-

ing the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of the Apostle, as desired by Pope Benedict XVI, there

has since been steady growth of interest around the world. That has led to the crowds of thousands of

pilgrims who have often filled St Paul’s Basilica which has been the driving force and the motivator –

with an ecumenical agenda – behind the rediscovery of the

Apostle, his writings and his missionary commitment.

On all the continents and in all the local Churches, he said, the

Pauline year has received an enormous boost from the Holy

Father’s catecheses, his speeches and speeches and citations from

the Apostle which he has made on numerous occasions and at all

sorts of events in different cir- cumstances and with different

emphases. The cardinal men- tioned some of the important

events which have taken place around the world (such as the

Synaxis of the Orthodox Churches in Constantinople and

the conference of Oriental Churches in Damascus) and he

recalled some of the great cele- brations which have been held in

the Basilica. They include eccle- sial events, such as the inaugura-

tion of the Synod of Bishops on the Word of God, ecumenical

celebrations which have seen the participation of patriarchs and

other Orthodox and Protestant worshippers, cultural events such

as the five encounters on the Pauline letters with exegesis by

well known scholars and testi- mony by personalities from civil

society, ecclesial movements or charitable institutions or musical

events, such as concerts, choral gatherings and the world premier

performance, on the evening of the press conference, of the Pauline oratorio Cadens revixit. The cardi-

nal also spoke of the significant restructuring projects that have taken place in the Basilica for the spiri-

tual assistance of pilgrims (the penitential area), to improve the quality of services available, to restore

works of art and finally the building work that has been undertaken to improve or enhance all the princi-

ple activities of the Basilica.

‘The Pauline year is closing’, concluded the cardinal, ‘but the spiritual benefits which it has produced

around the world and the transformations it has worked must continue’. The Pauline door, with its nu-

merous bronze panels, will remain open, the Pauline flame, lit by the Holy Father, will continue to burn

in the portico surrounded by flames lit by the faithful. ‘The great fervour of pastoral, catechetical and

cultural initiatives are also destined to continue and to have an important follow up, both at local and

continental level, for the benefit of the faith of all Christians and in order to continue the irreversible

journey towards the restoration of Christian unity’.

Page 4 Bulletin of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls

The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resigna-

tion from the post of archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St Paul

Outside the Walls, presented by Cardinal Andrea Cordero

Lanza di Montezemolo on reaching the required age limit and

has named as his successor Archbishop Francesco Monterisi

who has been serving as secretary of the Congregation for Bish-

ops.

The announcement was made at 12.30 on July 3rd in the Holy

See press office by papal spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico

Lombardi at the end of a press conference with Cardinal di

Montezemolo and Professor Ulderico Santamaria, director of

the scientific laboratories of the Vatican museums. They were

briefing journalists on the tests carried out on St Paul’s sarcopha-

gus, the results of which sparked such interest and such strong

emotions when they were announced by the Pope during the First Vespers for the closing of the

Pauline year.

In announcing the resignation, Fr Lombardi said: ‘I believe that we have truly experienced, to-

gether with your Eminence, the wide participation of so many people here in these last few years,

because you have succeeded in promoting so many initiatives in the Basilica and in sparking the

interest, not just of us here in the Vatican, but of so many Christians in St Paul’s’. Referring to

the encounter with the media and the announcement of his retirement, Fr Lombardi continued:

It seems to me that this concluding announcement is the most momentous of these last four

years of your service here, which will most likely prove to have been a highly significant historical

period for the Basilica. Thus on behalf of all those present I would like to express our esteem

and our gratitude for the way in which you have carried out this task and for allowing us to par-

ticipate on so many occasions in these various archaeological, organisational and spiritual initia-

tives. We thank you from the depth of our hearts’.

In his reply, Cardinal di Montezemolo said, ‘It is I who thank you, but it is not up to me to judge

all that has been done. I thank sincerely the Holy Father who, four years ago – when I was al-

ready over the age limit which is normally observed for those taking up positions within the Holy

See – entrusted to me a three year posting which he then extended to run until the end of the

Pauline year. I thank God for giving me this opportunity. I thank the Pope and all those who

have worked with me at St Paul’s Basilica. I am also aware that, as an architect, I have been able

to do accomplish many things that others might not have been able or willing to undertake’.

Noting his historic appointment as the first archpriest of the Basilica of St Paul Outside the

Walls, the cardinal recalled the objections that some jurists raised about the institution of this

position which he had suggested after being charged by Pope John Paul II in 2002-2003 (he was

then a former nuncio) to draw up and to coordinate a general restructuring project for the whole

complex of St Paul’s Basilica and abbey. The jurists maintained that there had never been an

archpriest at St Paul Outside the Walls and there could not be one, since there was no college of

canons, thus no need for the figure of a proto-canon such as the archpriest. They added that the

abbey has a college of Benedictine monks presided over by the abbot.

THE NEW ARCHPRIEST OF THE NEW ARCHPRIEST OF THE NEW ARCHPRIEST OF THE NEW ARCHPRIEST OF

ST PAUL’S BASILICAST PAUL’S BASILICAST PAUL’S BASILICAST PAUL’S BASILICA

Archbishop Francesco Monterisi takes over from Cardinal Andrea di Montezemolo

Page 5 Bulletin of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls

The cardinal replied: ‘I am an architect, non a jurist, even though I do have a degree in utroque jure. But all the same you can install an archpriest, even without a college of canons by defining his require-

ments and responsibilities. And that’s exactly what happened. This, I realise, enabled me to give signifi-

cant impetus to a huge variety of little tasks which had needed doing for a long time, to sort out other

things which were badly organised and to provide the basilica with a range of services – so necessary in

today’s world – for which there was previously no provision or no space. We are now re-organising

everything as I have prepared and put in place a building project which will take a few years, but I thank

God for all of that’.

Finally the cardinal concluded: ‘I believe they have been four very active, very intense years and I hope

also very advantageous for the basilica and abbey complex so that it may once again become an impor-

tant centre for liturgy, for study and for all kinds of cultural activities connected to St Paul with a very

significant ecumenical dimension’. The cardinal’s words were greeted with spontaneous applause.

Archbishop Francesco Monterisi was born in Barletta on May 28th 1934 and he was ordained priest on

March 16th 1957. In 1964 he entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service after completing a degree in

theology and cannon law in Rome. He worked for the nuncios in Madagascar and Egypt before coming

to serve in the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church (the current second section of the Secretary

of State’s office) in 1970, with a particular interest in Middle Eastern affairs.

After being nominated bishop of Alba Marittima on December 24th 1982, he was consecrated on Janu-

ary 6th of the following year and later promoted to archbishop, serving as the Pope’s representative in

South Korea. He remained there until 1987, when he was called back to Rome as a nuncio at large. In

June 1990 he became the delegate for the papal representatives to the Secretary of State before being

named by Pope John Paul II as the nuncio to the newly formed state of Bosnia-Herzegovina in June

1993. In March 1998 he was appointed secretary of the Congregation for Bishops and also became

secretary of the College of Cardinals.

SEVEN SPECIAL PAPAL ENVOYS

FOR THE CLOSING OF THE

PAULINE YEAR

In the various places where the Apostle lived and worked

‘As the year dedicated to the Apostle Paul in now drawing to a close, we have wished to send several eminent cardinals to those places in which that illustrious announcer of the Gospel of Christ lived and worked, thus they can rightly be defined as Pauline places’: those were the words of Pope Benedict XVI in a letter, written in Latin, nominating seven of his ‘special envoys’, who were to be accompanied by delegations of three figures from the local Churches, for the ceremonies celebrating the closing of the Pauline year. Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, was sent to the Holy Land where St Paul travelled the country during different stages of his life. Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, went to Malta where the Apostle was shipwrecked and remained for several months, bringing the good news of the Gospel to the people of the island. Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, was sent to Cyprus where St Paul preached the Word, while Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue went to Tarsus in Turkey, the city where the Apostle was born. Cardinal Jozef Tomko, president emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisa-tion of Peoples, travelled to Greece for celebrations that took place in Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens and Corinth. Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, the archbishop of Madrid, went to Syria, where Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus and finally Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, the archbishop of Paris, was sent to Lebanon to mark the Apostle’s journey to that land. In his letter to the cardinals, Pope Benedict XVI recalled amongst other things the teaching of St Paul to the pastors of the Church and his concern for the salvation of humanity. Recalling the wealth of content in his letters, the Pope high-lighted how they have ‘illuminated the doctrine of the Church over the centuries’ and how ‘even today’ they are ‘a source of Christian reflection and aesthetic meditation’.

Via Ostiense, 186

00146 ROMA

Telephone : 06 698 80 800

Telefax : 06 698 80 803

E-Mail : info@annopaolino.org

Organisation for the Organisation for the Organisation for the Organisation for the

BiBiBiBi----millennium of the Birth millennium of the Birth millennium of the Birth millennium of the Birth

of the Apostleof the Apostleof the Apostleof the Apostle PaulPaulPaulPaul

“IT IS NO LONGER

I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST WHO

LIVES IN ME!” Gal 2, 20

THE WEB SITE OF THE PAULINE YEAR NOW ALSO IN ENGLISH,

SPANISH , DEUTCH , FRENCH AND PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE

The website of the Pauline year, started in Italian language, now is available in English, Spa-nish, Deutch and French.. The web site, that supplies modernized informations also about the calendar and the services beyond a montly bulletin for the mass media, allows to interact with announcement of pilgri-mages and reservations of celebrations and events in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls.

THE POPE: PETER AND PAUL AS TWO

ACTS OF THE PASCHAL MYSTERY

Peter and Paul, as ‘two acts of a single drama, the drama at the heart of our faith, that paschal mystery were ‘Cross and Resurrection, death and life, sin and grace’ find themselves face to face and from which the plan of salvation, brought to fruition by Christ, finally emerges. That was how Pope Benedict XVI interpreted the splendid frescos painted by Michelangelo, ‘the last works of his long life’, which adorn the walls of the Pauline chapel in the Vatican. The occasion was the inauguration of the chapel following their restoration which lasted for five years. Peter and Paul are ‘opposite each other’: one might therefore imagine that Peter's face is actually turned towards the face of Paul, who in turn does not see but bears within him the light of the Risen Christ. It is as though Peter, in the hour of supreme trial, were seeking that light which gave true faith to Paul. It is in this sense, then, that the two images can be-come the two acts of a single drama’. Referring to the use of the Pauline chapel as a place of worship for the pope and the pontifical household, Pope Benedict said: ‘Solemn celebrations with the people are not held here. This is where the Successor of Peter and his collaborators meditate in silence and adore the liv-ing Christ, present above all in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist’.