In proclaiming a special Year for Priests, Pope Benedict XVI has the goal of "rebuilding in the priest a strong spiritual identity, faithful to his original mission," writes Sandro Magister of Espresso. The noted Vatican-watcher says that Pope Benedict sees an urgent need to cleanse the priesthood from corruption and to restore a clear model for 21st-century ministry. Espresso calls attention to-- and reprints-- an unusually blunt speech by Archbishop Jean-Louis Brugues, the secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, detailing serious problems in the training of young priests.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.A Special Year to Get Priests Back in Shape (Espresso)
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Pope's new encyclical will focus on economy
The Associated Press June 13, 2009
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday his new encyclical on the economy and labor issues will focus on ways to make globalization more careful to the needs of the poor amid the worldwide financial crisis.
The document will outline the goals and values that the faithful must "tirelessly defend" to ensure "true freedom and solidarity" among humans, Benedict said in a speech.
He said the global downturn shows the need to "rethink economic and financial paradigms that have been dominant in the last years."
Benedict has frequently spoken out on the crisis, urging leaders to ensure the world's poor don't end up bearing the brunt of the downturn even though they are not responsible for it.
The encyclical is expected to be released June 29.
Benedict has been working on "Caritas in veritate" (Charity in Truth) since 2007 but recently said he had held back on issuing it so that he could update it to reflect the global economic crisis.
An encyclical is the most authoritative document a pope can issue. Benedict has written two in his four years as pope: "God is Love" in 2006 and "Saved by Hope" in 2007.
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