Vatican City, Oct 9, 2012 / 09:23 am
A procession of over 400 bishops from around the world will form a key part of the ceremony to open the Church's Year of Faith on Oct. 11, a day that will also mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the Second Vatican Council.
"When you look at the television images of Vatican II from 50 years ago, first of all you see a big procession with all the bishops. We will repeat the same" procession, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, told CNA Oct. 9.
"It should be a moment of prayer, a moment of spirituality, and also a moment when we can take into serious consideration the teachings of Vatican II," he said.
At an Oct. 9 Vatican press conference, Archbishop Fisichella unveiled the details of Thursday's opening ceremony in St. Peter's Square, promising it will be "deeply impregnated" with symbols of the Second Vatican Council, which lasted from 1962-65.