Pope to Meet With Youth of Catholic Action

(October 30, 2010) Some 80,000 youth and 10,000 teachers, all part of the Italian Catholic Action organization gathered in St. Peter's Square on Saturday to meet with Pope Benedict XVI. "This great festive day is in the first place an immense 'thank you' to the Holy Father who yet again is receiving Catholic Action in St. Peter's Square, expressing an indissoluble, true and solid bond," said Franco Miano, national president of Italian Catholic Action, on presenting the meeting to the press this morning in Rome. The Catholic Action is a lay organisation that aims to encourage a Catholic influence on society. This was founded in Italy in 1867 with the name of Italian Catholic Youth Society, and later renamed as Azione Cattolica or Catholic Action. At present it is spread beyond the Italian borders. The Director of Catholic Action noted that there was time for one child and one adolescent to ask the Holy Father a few questions. Catholic Action also presented to the Pontiff a "project of solidarity with abandoned children of Russia." Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, together with 50 bishops of Italian dioceses and 500 assistant priests of Catholic Action, were also present in St. Peter's for the meeting. The youth, ages 4-18, were representing all the dioceses of Italy, and after the meeting with the Pope they would participate in events throughout Rome. The younger group was to gather in the Villa Borghese, and the adolescents to meet for organized activities in Piazza del Popolo. Though mainly for Italian youth, the gathering included participants from Catholic Action in Romania, Argentina, Burundi, the Holy Land and Spain.