2008 Woodie Awards
New pope continues good terms with media
Nadia Beidas
Issue date: 5/7/05 Section: News
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The pope said, "I hope to follow this dialogue with you, and I share, as Pope John Paul II observed concerning the faith, the development of social communications."
The session went on for approximately 15 minutes. During this time, the new pope said his predecessor was "a great artisan" of an "open and sincere" conversation with the media starting with the Second Vatican Council during the middle of the 1960s.
The pontiff also said, "Thanks to all of you, this historically important ecclesial events have had worldwide coverage. I know how hard you have worked, far away from your homes and families for long hours and in sometimes difficult conditions."
He also said, "I am aware of this dedication with which you have accomplished this demanding task."
"You could say that thanks to your work for so many weeks, the attention of the whole world has been fixed on the basilica, on St. Peter's Square, and on the Apostolic Palace, inside of which my predecessor, the unforgettable John Paul II, serenely ended his earthly existence," he added.
The pope did not take questions. His meeting with the media is "seen as setting a personal tone to his reign that Vatican watchers say will be marked by openness," according to the Associated Press.
Germany
Armin Meiwes, 43, will face a retrial for slaughtering and eating another man. Meiwes was placed in prison in January 2004. The prosecution contends Meiwes deserves a life sentence. Meiwes' lawyers stated they believe his eight-and-a-half-year sentence should be lessened because the person he ate consented to be eaten. He is a computer technician who placed an Internet advertisement in 2001 to find a person who wanted to be eaten.
