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INSIDE THE VATICAN
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Vatican |
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The Vatican is the planet's smallest State. Within this tiny political entity, the world's largest and most influential Church's executive powers affect the lives of at least one billion Catholics throughout the world. In fact, the Vatican is the only State in the worldsubservient to a religion. The pontifical palace, Swiss Guards, in house newspaper,railroad station and hundreds of employees, executives, manual laborers and craftsmen,are all part of life in the Vatican, to which we have been invited for a special visit. |
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INTO THE HEART OF OPUS DEI
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Rome |
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Founded in 1928 by Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, this organization which now has over 85000 members throughout the world has always been supported by the Popes. However, it is accused by its enemies of heresy, fascism, integrism, sectarism, Mafia- like practices, plotting, political manipulations, and of being at the head of a collosal fortune. Naturally, its HQ is in Rome, near the Vatican, a highly suggestive place imagined by Escriva de Balaguer himself, now governed by Bishop Javier Echevarria, the Opus Dei Prelate. In the Eternal city, the organization controls university centers, a large biomedical center, schools and enjoys a prestigious place within the Vatican. |
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ROME'S PONTIFICIA UNIVERSITA GREGORIANA
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Italy |
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Rome's Pontificia Universita1 Gregorian was founded in 1551. Sixteen Popes, twenty Saints and thirty nine of the Blest are among the many pupils to have attended this unusual school. |
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THE JESUITS
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Rome |
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The Company of Jesus is the largest and perhaps most influential, controversial and prestigious Catholic clerical order founded by St Ignatius Loyola in 1540. Their leader is traditionally known as "the black pope" because of the color of the simple cassock he wears and because -- like the pope who dresses in white -- he has worldwide influence and usually keeps the position for life. Today, the all-male order officially known as the Society of Jesus has about 20 000 members worldwide involved in education, refugee help and other social services. |
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THE VATICAN'S MUSEUM
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Vatican |
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Five centuries of papal patronage have created one of the greatest collections in classical and Renaissance art. The museums originated under Julius II who, in 1503, had a few works of ancient art exposed in the belvedere. His successors continued to gather Greek, Roman, early Christian and Christian antiques.The Vatican thus enters the third millenium in full force with an ultra-modern entrance which is worthy of the artistical treasures kept in these museums, some of the richest in the world. |
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THE WOMEN OF THE VATICAN
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Benois XVI's eight women. Little by little the Vatican is turning pink... |
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Inside the Vatican, although approximately 15% of employees are women, they very rarely occupy important positions and never any key ones. We met eight of them who hold a variety of responsibilities within the Church, sometimes directly serving Benedict XVI. Nuns or laywomen, young or old, they all share a common feature : working among the Monsignori, in this extremely masculine universe, does not really pose a problem for them. The Vatican is gradually turning pink ! |
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