Wednesday, December 27, 2006 at 2:02am
Rome station named after John Paul II
Honoring the late Pope John Paul II as a man of dialogue and encounter, the city of Rome and the Italian state railway system have dedicated Rome's Termini train station to his memory.
The newly refurbished "Termini-John Paul II Station" was formally inaugurated Saturday. According to Termini statistics, some 480,000 people a day — 150 million each year — pass through the station, Catholic News Service reported.
At the dedication ceremony, Rome's Mayor Walter Veltroni said Pope John Paul was "a man who bound to himself the idea of dialogue and of understanding values continually listening to a society in transformation."
Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the papal vicar of Rome, told the crowd gathered for the ceremony that it made perfect sense to dedicate a train station to the memory of a pope who traveled so much.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, conveyed the "pleasure and thanks of Pope Benedict (XVI). We spoke this morning and he asked me to give his blessing to you."
The newly refurbished "Termini-John Paul II Station" was formally inaugurated Saturday. According to Termini statistics, some 480,000 people a day — 150 million each year — pass through the station, Catholic News Service reported.
At the dedication ceremony, Rome's Mayor Walter Veltroni said Pope John Paul was "a man who bound to himself the idea of dialogue and of understanding values continually listening to a society in transformation."
Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the papal vicar of Rome, told the crowd gathered for the ceremony that it made perfect sense to dedicate a train station to the memory of a pope who traveled so much.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, conveyed the "pleasure and thanks of Pope Benedict (XVI). We spoke this morning and he asked me to give his blessing to you."