Vatican, Jul. 15 (CWNews.com) - Vatican employees will lose one annual holiday under a work schedule set by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news).
In an internal memo to the offices of the Vatican, Cardinal Angelo Sodano (bio - news), the Secretary of State, has listed the holidays set by the new Pontiff.
As usual, the new Pope has set the anniversary of his election, April 19, as a holiday for Vatican employees. But Pope John Paul II (bio - news) also declared a holiday on the feast of his patron saint, St. Charles, on November 4. The March 19 feast of St. Joseph, the patron saint of the new Pontiff, is already a full holiday on the Vatican calendar.
Many Vatican employees had hoped that the new Pope would a holiday on July 11, the feast of St. Benedict, whose name he chose when he was elected to the papacy. But Pope Benedict held with tradition and left the holiday on the feast of the saint in whose name he was baptized. Born Joseph Ratzinger, he will celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, just as the previous Pope, born Karol Wojtyla, celebrated the feast of St. Charles. ("Karol" is a Polish form of "Charles.")
The anniversary of the current Pope's election, on April 19, will replace the previous annual holiday on October 16, the anniversary of Pope John Paul's election. Several new memorials have been added to the working calendar. Vatican employees will also be asked to commemorate April 2, the anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II; April 16, the birthday of Pope Benedict XVI; and April 24, the anniversary of the current Pope's installation. But those dates will not be full holidays, and Vatican offices will be open for business.
Read the complete article Vatican employees will lose one annual holiday from Catholic World News.
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