concluded the Prelate.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Respecting the freedom of faith, the outcome of an interreligious marriage   
    Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) - During the Sixth General Congregation of   
   the Synod, held on Saturday, the Baiai couple spoke before the Holy Father and   
   the Synod Fathers. Catholic and married to for 39 years to a Hindu, Penelope   
   Baiai spoke about her   
    experience of interreligious marriage as a couple, and in terms of faith and   
   community, emphasising that the outcome of an interreligious marriage is mutual   
   respect so that neither of the spouses feel obliged to renounce their faith.   
   "This religious freedom made the path of our marriage smooth and successful".   
    She also spoke about her experience as the mother of two children, who   
   accompanied her to Church and attended Sunday School, but were not baptised.   
   "It   
   was my husband's desire that both our children should be allowed the freedom of   
   choosing their own religion and I accepted it with a very large lump in my   
   throat", she said, commenting that, however, "the differences of religion were   
   never a deterrent to us, for little magic words like compromise, humility and   
   sorry helped us to lose our ego and live for the other".   
    "Is there someone out there who knows how a perfect marriage takes place?",   
   she   
   joked, remarking that "we are still learning and understanding our marriage   
   every day. If if were not for my husband's tolerance and love of Christianity   
   and my love and understanding of where he comes from, we would never have been   
   able to celebrate our life and inter-community differences".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Telegram for the attack in Turkey   
    Vatican City, 10 October 2015 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro   
   Parolin sent a telegram on behalf of the Holy Father to the president of the   
   Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following the attack against peace   
   demonstrators in Ankara that caused around a hundred deaths and many injuries.   
    "His Holiness Pope Francis is deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and   
   the injuries caused by the explosions in Ankara this morning, and he expresses   
   his heartfelt solidarity with those affected by this tragedy. While His   
   Holiness   
   deplores this barbaric act, he asks you to convey his spiritual closeness to   
   all   
   the families affected during this time of grief, and to the security and   
   emergency personnel working to assist the wounded. Commending the souls of all   
   who have died to the loving mercy of the Almighty, Pope Francis invokes divine   
   strength and peace upon their grieving relatives".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Plenary Session of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors   
    Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) - The Pontifical Commission for the   
   Protection of Minors gathered in Plenary Assembly, from 9 to 11 October in   
   Rome.   
   It is the second time that the full Commission has gathered together.   
    The Plenary Assembly began with Mass with the Holy Father in the Domus Sanctae   
   Marthae. Members then focused their sessions on listening to and discussing   
   progress reports presented by the Working Groups formed in the February 2015   
   Plenary.   
    These Working Groups cover key areas of the mission that has been entrusted to   
   the Commission by the Holy Father, namely to advise him, his collaborators and   
   the local church on the following areas of the protection of minors. The   
   Working   
   Groups are:   
    - Guidelines for the safeguarding and protection of minors;   
    - Healing and care for victims, survivors and their families;   
    - Formation of candidates to the priesthood and religious life and the   
   education of Church leadership;   
    - Education of families and communities;   
    - Theology and spirituality;   
    - Canonical and civil norms.   
    Particular areas of focus of these working groups include research into the   
   assessment and ongoing formation of candidates to the priesthood and religious   
   life; the use of forensic assessments with people accused of a crime; the   
   provision of liturgical materials for the pastoral care of victims, survivors   
   and communities. The Commission does not address individual cases, it does not   
   exercise oversight, and is not a decision-making body.   
    Since its establishment, the Commission for the Protection of Minors has been   
   invited by Church leaders to place the inter-disciplinary expertise of its   
   members at the service of Church in various parts of the world.   
    Commission members have taken part in workshops, conferences and seminars on   
   the protection of minors in Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand,   
   the Pacific Islands and recently in the Philippines, where 76 bishops attended.   
   Next month, Commission members will also address all of the bishops of Central   
   America.   
    Very positive feedback has been received from the Commission's participation   
   in   
   these initiatives. The Commission's contribution has been seen as a resource   
   for   
   the local Church worldwide as Bishops' Conferences continue to develop sound   
   and   
   culturally effective guidelines that reflect the local reality.   
    The Commission plans to hold its next Plenary Assembly in February, 2016.   
    Commission members:   
    Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap.,United States of America, President; Msgr.   
   Robert Oliver, United States of America, Secretary; Rev. Fr. Luis Manuel Ali   
   Herrera, Colombia; Catherine Bonnet, France; Marie Collins, Ireland; Gabriel   
   Dy-Liacco, Philippines; Sheila Baroness Hollins, United Kingdom; Bill   
   Kilgallon,   
   New Zealand; Sr. Kayula Lesa, RSC, Zambia; Sr. Hermenegild Makoro, CPS, South   
   Africa; Kathleen McCormack, Australia; Claudio Papale, Italy; Peter Saunders,   
   United Kingdom; Hanna Suchocka, Poland; Krysten Winter-Green, United States of   
   America; Rev. Fr. Humberto Miguel Yanez, S.J., Argentina, and Rev. Fr. Hans   
   Zollner, S.J., Germany.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    New dormitory for the homeless near the Vatican   
    Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) - "Dono di Misericordia" ("Gift of Mercy")   
   - is the name of the new dormitory for the homeless, newly established near   
   Santo Spirito Hospital and the Church of the same name in Rome. In an   
   extraterritorial zone, the dormitory is a gift to the Pope from the General   
   House of the Society of Jesus in response to the Pope's appeal to religious   
   communities and orders to house people in need or in difficulty in their   
   properties.   
    It is a "Gift of Mercy" as it is offered as a gift from the community, and   
   mercy is the second name of the love expressed through concrete and generous   
   gestures towards others, according to a press release from the Apostolic   
   Almoner, which financed and carried out the works necessary to adapt the   
   structure to the needs of its users. It was funded by the proceeds from the   
   sale   
   of parchments of the Apostolic Blessing and by generous contributions from   
   private individuals. The Almoner, along with the Sisters of Mother Teresa, will   
   continue to provide economic support for the Dormitory.   
    The structure is able to house 34 men. The religious sisters engaged in its   
   administration are those who already assist people in need at Termini Station   
   and San Gregorio Magno al Celio. According to the regulations of the Gift of   
   Mercy Dormitory, guests are received following an interview with the Sisters   
   for   
   reception and registration of applicants (at the Casa Dono di Maria in the   
   Vatican), and may stay for a maximum period of thirty days. There is a precise   
   timetable regarding entry into the dormitory (between 6 and 7 p.m.), waking   
   time   
   (6.15 a.m.) and closing time (8 a.m., to allow general tidying and cleaning).   
   There are also rules regarding personal hygiene and the personal maintenance of   
   each bed and cupboard.   
    Guests who stay the night may also dine at the canteen at the Casa Dono di   
   Maria before arriving at the Dormitory, and are offered breakfast prepared at   
   the Dormitory before they leave. They may use the showers available under the   
   Colonnade of St. Peter's Square.   
    It should be recalled that since 1988, in the Casa Dono di Maria in the   
   Vatican, fifty beds are available to accommodate women for overnight stays, of   
   which around thirty are occupied on a stable basis.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Cardinals to take possession of their titular churches   
    Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of   
   the Supreme Pontiff today announced that on Sunday 18 October the following   
   cardinals will take possession of their titular churches:   
    At 11 a.m., Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M., archbishop of   
   Addis   
   Abeba, Ethiopia, will take possession of the title of San Romano Martire (Largo   
   Antonio Beltramelli, 23).   
    At 6.30 p.m., Cardinal Jose Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan, O.A.R., bishop of David,   
   Panama, will take possession of the title of San Giuseppe da Copertino (Via dei   
   Genieri, 12).   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Cardinal Cordes, Pope's special envoy to the First National Eucharistic   
   Congress of the Czech Republic   
    Vatican City, 10 October 2015 (VIS) - In a letter published today, written in   
   Latin and dated 17 September 2015, the Holy Father appointed Cardinal Paul   
   Josef   
   Cordes, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", as his special   
   envoy to the closing celebrations of the First National Eucharistic Congress of   
   the Czech Republic, to be held in Brno on 17 October 2015.   
    The mission accompanying the cardinal will be composed of: Don Radek Tichy of   
   the clergy of the archdiocese of Prague, lecturer in liturgy at the Catholic   
   Theological Faculty of the University of Carlo in Prague; and Don Zdenek Mares   
   of the clergy of the diocese of Ceske Budejovice, lecturer in systematic   
   theology at the Theological Faculty of the University of South Bohemia.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 11 October 2015 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in   
   audience Archbishop Alberto Ortega Martin, apostolic nuncio in Jordan and Iraq,   
   with family members.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
   Copyright (VIS):  the news contained in the services of the Vatican   
   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
   the source:  V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.   
   http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)