Cardinal outlines Rome basilica's activities for Pauline year

Published: 2008-01-21

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Dedicating 2008-2009 to reading the letters of St. Paul and rediscovering the zeal that led him to establish Christian communities throughout the Mediterranean basin, the Catholic Church also hopes to promote Christian unity, an Italian cardinal said. Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, said that if Christians seriously follow the apostle's example of allowing Christ to work in and through them, they naturally will draw closer to one another. Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the special Pauline year, which will begin June 28, to coincide with the 2,000th anniversary of St. Paul's birth. In Rome, the basilica where his tomb is located will be the focal point of Catholic as well as ecumenical activities. Presenting a brief outline of the kinds of activities the basilica will host during the year, Cardinal Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo also announced Jan. 21 that a special Web site -- www.annopaolino.org -- had been launched and would be updated as events are confirmed.

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