Vatican City, Jan 18, 2006 / 22:00 pm
As Pope Benedict XVI prepares for the release of his first Encyclical letter, which will deal with the nature--and sometimes abuse--of the concept of love, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, has announced an international congress on charity, which they hope, will piggyback on the Holy Father’s new work.
The congress, themed, “…But the greatest of these is love,” based on St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, is due to be held on January 23 and 24 in the Vatican's New Synod Hall.
It will immediately precede the release of the Pope’s Encyclical, called "Deus Caritas est" and, according to a statement released by Cor Unum, has the aim of "maintaining alive within the Church a sense of Christian commitment to others."
The meeting is scheduled to be inaugurated by Cor Unum president, Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, and will likely be attended by some 200 participants, including cardinals, bishops, ambassadors, heads of international aid organizations, and national delegates from Caritas and from non-governmental groups.