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CNS Story:
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POPE-LETTER Apr-6-2006 (210 words) xxxi
Pope Benedict drops tradition of Holy Thursday letter to priests
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Dropping a tradition of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI is not issuing a letter to the world's priests on Holy Thursday, a Vatican spokesman said.
Father Ciro Benedettini, assistant director of the Vatican press office, said April 6 that no papal letter would be released this year. He did not say why the pope had decided to discontinue the practice.
In 1979, a few months after his election, Pope John Paul II began writing the Holy Thursday letter as a sign of his special concern for the priesthood and the burdens of pastoral ministry.
Over the years, the letters covered such topics as priestly vocations, morale among the clergy, spirituality and priestly celibacy. The pope's last letter to priests focused on the importance of the Eucharist; he signed it three weeks before his death in April 2005.
During his Easter schedule, Pope Benedict will celebrate a Holy Thursday chrism Mass, another Vatican tradition, which underlines the ties between the universal ministry of the pope and the pastoral ministry of local priests.
In the first year of his pontificate, the pope has engaged in several lengthy meetings with groups of priests, answering questions on a wide variety of topics.
END
Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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