{UAH} Confirmed : Pope Paul VI to be beatified Sunday 19 Oct 2014

It was at today Monday's first extraordinary session of the Synod of Bishops on the Family currently

going on in Rome that Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, announced

the date of Pope Paul VI's beatification scheduled Sunday October 2014 in St Peter's Square. The cardinal, whose

statement on Paul VI was accompanied by heavy applauses, was outlining before the Pope and the 200 cardinals, 

bishops and lay observers present, the modalities to be followed during the Synod which was officially launched yesterday

Sunday ( 05/10/2014 ) in a packed St Peter's Basilica. The cardinal commended Paul VI for having continued with Vatican II

Ecumenical Council and for having tried to put it into action notably by creating the Synod of Bishops to promote collegiality

within the Church's episcopal body. Pope Paul VI was also the first Pope to travel by air when he visited various parts of the

world including Uganda where he was very warmly received and cheered by millions of people in what was described as

a pilgrimage which enabled the Pope to see how his Church was very well seen in Africa as a uniting force against racism.

This Monday session started early in the morning and was opened by the Gloria prayer recited by the Pope. then there came the 

Veni Creator Spiritus song to request aid from the Holy Spirit. It was followed by a song on Psalms. Then Vatican's Cardinal Secretary of State

gave a brief on behalf of the Pope on what was to be expected from the Synod.qualified as a moment of joy in God's love and 

an act of evangelization in spite of multitudes of difficulties. After him it was Cardinal André Vingt Trois, Archbishop of Paris and co-chairman

of the Synod to give his views.He thanked the Pope for this Synod. He noted that the Synod was there not to complicate things for the

faithful but to make life more comfortable for them. He expressed a wish that the Synod deliberations and conclusions correspond to the

pope's intentions and to those of the faithful.

The Pope saluted all participants thanking them for their presence. Hed commended the good work done by the preparatory committees

and thanked the various episcopal conferences for the work done to enable the Synod to open. He thanked the religious and laity for their

remarkable contribution. He requested the local churches to show their worries to the universal church and appealed to participants to speak

and express their views without fear and to listen very carefully to one another.

The Archbishop of Budapest ( Hungary ) read the items from a preparatory text that would serve as a programme guide to the Synod.

Africa's presence is very impressive with 48 prelates present.

Yesterday Sunday (05/10/2014 ) was the official inaugural service in St Peter's Basilica before tens of thousands of pilgrims who had squeezed

in the vast edifice. The relics of St Theresa of Infant Jesus and those of her parents, Blessed Louis Martin and Blessed Zelie Martin, were placed

not far away from the Main Altar. The Pope wanted to confide the synod to the protection and prayer of this model French holy family.

In the sermon he insisted on creativity in love for a holy Church springing from good families where love reigned. At noon he recited the Angelus

prayer from the window of his study. An estimated 200,000 pilgrims were present. The thousands from the Basilica adding to the tens of thousandfs

already present in St Peter's Square. He requested them to pray for the success of the Synod.

A day earlier ( Saturday evening ) there was the session of vigil prayers for the Synod in aq St Peter's Square crammed with over 150,000 pilgrims!

Crowds continue to flock Rome for the Pope's audiences on Wednesday and on Sunday. They usually continue to number a hundred thousand plus.

The new peculiarity now is the ever increasing number of pilgrims from Africa. On Wednesday 24 / 09 / 2014 there were hundreds of cheering pilgrims from Kenya and last Wednesday ( 01 / 10 / 2014 ) other widely cheering and ululating African pilgrimages came from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Namibia. There have also been numerous groups from Zimbabwe. And African presence was visible among the 200,000 pilgrims who turned up in St Peter's Square on Sunday 28 / 09 / 2014 for the Papal Mass for the aged and for the grandparents. The official guest at the ceremony was retired Benedict XVI on whom Pope Francis showered special praises. The Pope also called upon governments all over the world to look very seriously in the question of the aged and dop something to help them. He appealed to the youth to respect and help the old because they were their inspiration in many things.

Dr G.H. Kkolokolo  ( Paris /France )