VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 106   
   DATE 06-06-2014   
      
   Summary:   
   - THE HOLY FATHER TO PRAY ON 13 SEPTEMBER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN IN ALL WARS   
   - AUDIENCE WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN: UNDERSTANDING AND COLLABORATION   
   BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE   
   - BRIEFING OF PRESENTATION FOR INVOCATION OF PEACE   
   - AUDIENCES   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    THE HOLY FATHER TO PRAY ON 13 SEPTEMBER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN IN ALL WARS   
    Vatican City, 6 June 2014 (VIS) - On 13 September Pope Francis will pray at   
   the military monument of Redipuglia, Italy, for those who have fallen in all   
   wars, to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, "an   
   enormous tragedy about which I heard many painful stories from my grandfather,   
   who fought in the Battle of the Piave". He announced this at the end of his   
   meeting in St. Peter's square with the Carabinieri, Italy's military police   
   corps, celebrating the bicentenary of its foundation.   
    "Between the Carabinieri and the people there exists a bond of solidarity,   
   trust and dedication to the common good"; said the Pope in his address. "The   
   Carabinieri 'stations', present throughout the national territory, are points   
   of reference for collectivity, even in the most remote and peripheral towns   
   and villages. And this capillary presence requires you to participate in the   
   life of the community to which you belong, seeking to be close to the problems   
   faced by the people, especially the weakest and those in difficulty. Your   
   vocation is service".   
    This vocation is made manifest in "the protection of individuals and the   
   environment, in action for security, the respect for the rules for civil   
   co-existence and the common good; it is a concrete and constant commitment to   
   the defence of the rights and duties of individuals and communities. The   
   maintenance of public order and personal safety is an increasingly current   
   issue in a dynamic, open society committed to the protection of civil rights   
   and liberties, such as Italy, where you serve".   
    Pope Francis went on to speak about the history of the Carabinieri Corps,   
   mentioning that it numbers among its members the Servant of God Salvo   
   d'Acquisto, who at the age of 23 in Palidoro, near Rome, "offered his young   
   existence to save the lives of innocent people from Nazi brutality". He also   
   commented on their notable efforts beyond national borders as "peacemakers, to   
   ensure security, respect for human dignity and the defence of human rights in   
   countries racked by conflicts and tensions of every type". He concluded,   
   "Never cease to give everywhere, in your homeland and elsewhere, a clear and   
   joyful witness of humanity, especially towards the neediest and least   
   fortunate".   
      
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    AUDIENCE WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN: UNDERSTANDING AND COLLABORATION   
   BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE   
    Vatican City, 6 June 2014 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Apostolic   
   Palace the Holy Father Francis received in audience the prime minister of   
   Japan, Shinzo Abe, who subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of   
   State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary   
   for Relations with States.   
    During the cordial discussions, the good relations between Japan and the Holy   
   See were evoked, as well as the understanding and collaboration between the   
   Church and State in the fields of education, social welfare and healthcare.   
    The conversation then turned to several current regional and international   
   themes, with particular reference to initiatives aimed at promoting peace and   
   stability in the Asian continent, Japan's commitment to cooperation for   
   development, especially in Africa, attention to the environment, and nuclear   
   disarmament.   
      
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    BRIEFING OF PRESENTATION FOR INVOCATION OF PEACE   
    Vatican City, 6 June 2014 (VIS) - During a briefing held this morning, Fr.   
   Pierbattista Pizzaballa O.F.M., custodian of the Holy Land, and Fr. Federico   
   Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, presented the details   
   of the "Invocation for Peace" initiative scheduled to take place in the   
   Vatican on Sunday. Pope Francis has invited the presidents of Israel and   
   Palestine, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas, to join him in a prayer encounter.   
    Peres and Abbas will arrive at the Vatican within a few minutes of each other   
   (the former at 6.15 p.m. and the latter at 6.30). The Holy Father will receive   
   them at the entrance of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, and will then speak briefly   
   with each. All three will then join together, along with the Ecumenical   
   Patriarch Bartholomew, and will then proceed by car to the Vatican Gardens   
   where the event will take place, beginning with a musical introduction and an   
   explanation in English of the structure and form of the celebration, which   
   will follow the chronological order of the three religions: Judaism,   
   Christianity, and Islam.   
    At around 7 p.m. there will be a prayer (creation) in Hebrew, a brief musical   
   interlude, a prayer invoking forgiveness, another musical interlude, a prayer   
   invoking peace, and finally, a Jewish musical meditation. The Christian part   
   will follow the same structure, but the first prayer will be in English, the   
   second in Italian, and the third in Arabic. Finally the Muslim part of the   
   celebration will proceed as above, in Arabic.   
    The reader will then introduce in English the final part of the celebration,   
   beginning with Pope Francis' discourse invoking peace. The Holy Father will   
   then invite each of the two presidents to formulate his own invocation. Shimon   
   Peres will begin, followed by Mahmoud Abbas. As a gesture of peace, in which   
   the Patriarch Bartholomew will also participate, they will all shake hands and   
   the Pope will then accompany them in planting an olive tree, symbol of peace.   
    At the end of the celebration the four will remain side by side while the   
   delegations pass by to greet them. The Holy Father, the two presidents and the   
   Patriarch will then proceed to the Casina Pio IV to speak in private.   
    Finally, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas will leave the Vatican, while Pope   
   Francis and the Patriarch Bartholomew will return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    AUDIENCES   
    Vatican City, 6 June 2014 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in audience:   
    - Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the   
   Doctrine of the Faith.   
    - Lech Walesa, former president of Poland, and entourage.   
    - Archbishop Brian Udaigwe, apostolic nuncio in Benin and Togo.   
    - Bishop Domenico Mogavero of Mazara del Vallo, Italy.   
      
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