Looking ahead at Pope's 2013 agenda

(Jan. 02, 2013) Pope Benedict XVI's calendar for 2013 is already filling up with planned, probable or possible events. Here are a few to watch for in the news during the coming year.
New Encyclical: Pope Benedict's fourth encyclical will be released in the first half of next year, very possibly in the spring, according to Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi. Treating the subject of faith, the encyclical will complete a trilogy on the three "theological virtues"; the previous installments were "Deus Caritas Est" (2005) on charity, and "Spe Salvi" (2007) on hope.
Next, the Worldwide solemn Eucharistic adoration: On the feast of Corpus Christi, June 2, Pope Benedict will lead an hour of Eucharistic adoration to be observed simultaneously around the world, highlighting a traditional devotion that fell largely out of use in the decades after the Second Vatican Council, but which has lately grown more popular with the pope's personal encouragement. This promises to be one of the most visually impressive of many events scheduled for the Year of Faith, which ends Nov. 24.
Then there’s the New charter for health care workers: The Vatican plans to publish an updated version of its 1995 guidelines for Catholic hospitals, taking into account nearly two decades of technological developments and political trends in areas including abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research and human cloning. The document, whose target release date is in June, will reflect Catholic moral teaching. on biomedical issues and Catholic social teaching on the equitable and effective provision of health care.
Finally, the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hundreds of thousands of young Catholics are expected to gather in Rio in July for a week of events whose highlight will be the presence of the pope, encouraging them to cultivate their faith and religious identity. This will be Pope Benedict's second trip to Brazil, the country with the world's largest Catholic population. where he is also likely to address problems of inequality in a developing economy, as well as the need for good government and civil peace in Latin America as a whole.