Pope Benedict Meets with Faculty, Students of Pontifical North American College

(9 Jan 10 - RV) Pope Benedict Saturday met with the faculty, students, and alumni of the Pontifical North American College, which is run by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The college trains men for the priesthood at their seminary on the Janiculum hill overlooking the Vatican.  It also has a facility for priests studying in Rome at the Casa Santa Maria dell’Umiltà near the Trevi Fountain. The North American College just celebrated the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the College’s establishment by Blessed Pius IX. 
Pope Benedict spoke about the important role the College serves in the life of the Church in the United States: