(November 15, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI gathered together the heads of all the dicasteries
of the Curia on Friday to coordinate work among the Vatican offices. Father Ciro
Benedettini, the vice director of the Vatican press office, reported that the meeting
also served to include in the coordination of work the newest addition to the Curia,
the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. The Pope instituted the new dicastery
Oct. 12 with the apostolic letter "Ubicumque et Semper" (Everywhere and Always), which
he issued "motu proprio." Then, on Oct. 24, the Pope announced that the next Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will be held in 2012, and will be dedicated
to the theme "The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith."
The last meeting of dicastery heads took place last January. Pope Benedict has called
a meeting of the College of Cardinals for this Friday, one day before the consistory
that will create 24 new cardinals for the C Catholic Church. The meeting will address
questions central to the Church, such as religious liberty, liturgy, relations with
Anglicans and the topic of sexual abuse of minors.