* * * Father Federico Lombardi : Holiness, welcome into the group of colleagues, we are about seventy of us who are preparing to live this journey with you. We do our best wishes and hope to accompany you with our service, so we do involving also many others in this adventure. As usual, we are grateful for the conversation which now gives us, we have prepared in recent days by collecting a number of questions from from colleagues, I have received about thirty-and then we chose some that could present a complete discourse on this trip and that might be of interest to all, and we're very grateful for the responses we give. The first question posed by our colleague Lucio Brunelli, Italian television, found here on our right:
Question: Good morning, Your Holiness, for some time - and, in particular, after last letter to the bishops of the world - many newspapers speak of the 'loneliness of the Pope. " Do you you think? And what feelings after the recent events, now flies to Africa with us?
Pope Indeed I must say I feel a little laughter this myth of my solitude: I am by no means alone. Every day I receive in the working visits to the closest collaborators, starting with the Secretary of State to the Congregation of Propaganda Fide , etc., I also see all the heads of dicasteries regularly, every day I get to visiting bishops ad Limina, lately all the bishops, one after another, from Nigeria, then the bishops of Argentina ... We had two plenary these days, one of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the other of the Congregation for the Clergy, and after meetings friendly, a network of friends, including my colleagues in Germany have come one day recently to chat with me .... So, therefore, loneliness is a problem, I'm really rodeador of friends in a wonderful collaboration with bishops, with partners, with lay people, and I am grateful for this. In Africa I with great joy: I love Africa, I have many African friends since the days when he was a professor until now, I love the joy of faith, this joyful faith which is in Africa. You know that the Lord's command to the Successor of Peter is "confirming his brothers in faith": I try to do it. But I'm sure myself again confirmed by the brothers, caught, so to speak, their joyful faith.
P. Lombardi: The second question presented to us John Thavis, head of the Roman section of the Catholic news agency in the U.S.:
Question: Holiness, you travel to Africa while there is an ongoing crisis global economy also has its reflections in poor countries. On the other hand, Africa is facing right now a food crisis. I would ask three things: Does this situation find an echo in your trip? And you, will address the international community to take charge the problems of Africa? And third, do you discuss these problems in preparing the encyclical?
Pope Thanks for the question. Naturally, I'm not going to Africa with a political-economic agenda, because I would not have the skills. I go with a religious, faith, morality, but precisely this is also an essential contribution to the problem of economic crisis that we live in now. We all know that a key element of the crisis is precisely a lack of ethics in economic structures, we understand that ethics is not something "outside" the economy, but "inside" and that the economy does not work if you wear the ethical element. Therefore, talking about God and talking about the great spiritual values \u200b\u200bwhich constitute the Christian life, try to also contribute to overcome this crisis, to renew the economic system from within, where the real center of the crisis. And of course, will appeal to international solidarity, the Church is catholic, ie universal, open to all cultures, all continents, is present in all political systems and so solidarity is an internal principle, fundamental to Catholicism. I would naturally lead to an appeal to all Catholic solidarity itself, but extending también a la solidaridad de todos aquellos que ven su responsabilidad en la sociedad humana de hoy. Obviamente hablaré de esto también en la encíclica: éste es un motivo del retraso. Estábamos a punto de publicarla, cuando se desencadenó esta crisis y hemos retomado el texto ara responder más adecuadamente, en el ámbito de nuestras competencias, en el ámbito de la Doctrina Social de la Iglesia, pero con referencias reales a la crisis actual. Así espero que la Encíclica pueda ser también un elemento, una fuerza para superar la difícil situación actual.
P. Lombardi: Santidad, la tercera pregunta la plantea nuestra colega Isabelle de Gaulmyn, "La Croix"
Question: Très Saint Père , bon jour. I ask the question in Italian, but if you can answer in French ... The Special Council for Africa of the Synod of Bishops has called for strong quantitative growth of the African Church also become qualitative growth. Sometimes church leaders are seen as a privileged group of wealthy, and their behaviors are not consistent with the Gospel. Do you invite the Church in Africa to an effort of self-examination and purification of the structures?
Pope try, if possible, speak in French. I have a very positive view of the Church in Africa is a church very close to the poor, a church with people who suffer with the people who need help and therefore I think the Church is truly an institution that still works unlike other institutions that no longer work, and with its educational system, hospitals, aid in all situations, is present in the world of the poor and suffering. Naturally, the original sin is also present in the Church there is no perfect society and therefore there are sins and shortcomings in the Church in Africa, and in this sense an examination of conscience, inner purification is always necessary, and I also will appeal to the sense of the Eucharistic liturgy: it always begins with a cleansing of conscience, and a new beginning in the presence of the Lord. And I would say more than a purification of the structures, which is always necessary, it is necessary to purify their hearts, because the structures are a reflection of hearts, and we will do everything possible to give new strength to the spirituality, presence of God in our hearts, is for the purification of the structures of the Church, it helps purify the structures of society.
P. Lombardi: Now, a question that comes from the German part of this group of journalists is Christa Kramer, representing the Sankt Ulrich Verlag , who asks the question:
Domanda: Heiliger Vater, gute Reise ! [Holy Father, great trip! Ndt.] Father Lombardi told me I have to speak Italian, so I ask the question in Italian. When you're traveling to Europe, often speak of a horizon in which God seems to disappear. In Africa it is not, but there is an aggressive presence of sects, there are the traditional African religions. What is therefore the specificity of the Catholic Church's message you want to present in this context?
Pope First of all we realize that in Africa the problem of atheism hardly arises because the reality of God is so present, so real in the hearts of Africans do not believe in God live without God does not seem a temptation. True, there is the problem of sects: we preach not, as some of them, a gospel of prosperity, but a Christian realism, do not advertise miracles, as some do, but the sobriety of the Christian life. We believe that all this simplicity, this realism that proclaims a God who became man, and therefore a God profoundly human, a God also suffers with us, gives meaning to our suffering to an ad with a wider horizon, which has more future. And we know that these sects are not very stable in its consistency: when the announcement can run prosperity, miracle cures, etc., But after a while you see that life is difficult, that a human God, a God who suffers with us is more convincing, more real, and offers a larger support for life. Another important thing is that we have the structure of the Catholic Church. Not advertise a small group that after a certain alienated and lost, but we in this great universal network of Catholicism, not only trans-temporal, but this mainly as a large network of friendship that unites us and helps us to overcome individualism to reach this unity in diversity, which is the true promise.
P. Lombardi: And now, we again call on a French voice: our colleague Philippe Visseyrias of France 2 :
Question: Holiness, among the many ills that afflict Africa, is in particular the spread of AIDS. The Catholic Church's position on how to fight it is often considered unrealistic and ineffective. Do you tackle this issue during the trip? Dear Holy Father, it would be possible to answer this question in French?
Pope I would say the opposite: I think actually more efficient, more present in the forefront of the fight against AIDS is just the Catholic Church, with their movements, with their diverse realities. I think the community of San Egidio which both visible and invisible, in the fight against AIDS, in Camillus, in all the nuns who are available to patients ... I would say you can not overcome the problem of AIDS only slogans. If you are the soul, if not help the Africans, not only can solve this scourge distributing condoms on the contrary, there is a risk of worsening the problem. The solution can be found only in a double commitment: first, a humanization of sexuality, ie, human and spiritual renewal that brings with it a new way of behaving with each other, and second, a true friendship and above all toward people who suffer, the availability even sacrifices, personal sacrifices, to be with the suffering. And these are factors that help and bringing visible progress. Therefore, I would say, this double strength to renew our inner man, to give spiritual and human strength for fair behavior towards one's body and one's neighbor y esta capacidad de sufrir con los que sufren, de permanecer en los momentos de prueba. Me parece que ésta es la respuesta correcta, y que la Iglesia hace esto y ofrece así una contribución grandísima e importante. Agradecemos a todos los que lo hacen.
P. Lombardi: Y ahora una última pregunta que viene desde Chile, porque nosotros somos muy internacionales: tenemos aquí a la corresponsal de la televisión católica chilena con nosotros. Y le damos la palabra para una última pregunta: María Burgos ...
Pregunta: Gracias, padre Lombardi. Santidad, ¿qué signos de esperanza ve la Church in the African continent? And: Do you think Africa can direct a message of hope?
Pope hope Our faith is by definition: what Scripture says. And so, who has faith believes also bring hope. I think, despite all the problems we know well that there are great signs of hope. New governments, new availability of cooperation, fight against corruption - a great evil that must be overcome! - And also the opening of traditional religions to Christianity, traditional religions because everybody knows God, one God, but there is a bit far. Expect to be approached. And in the proclamation of God made man these are recognized: God really brought us closer. In addition, the Catholic Church has much in common: say, ancestor worship finds its answer in the communion of saints, purgatory. Saints are not canonized only are all our dead. And so, at the Body of Christ, is done precisely what he sensed the worship of ancestors. Etc. So there is a profound encounter that really gives hope. And also growing inter-religious dialogue have talked to more than half of the African bishops, and relations with Muslims, despite the problems that can be verified, are very promising, as I have said, the growing dialogue on mutual respect and collaboration on common ethical responsibilities. And besides growing sense of the catholicity also helps to overcome tribalism, one of the great problems, and there is the joy of being Christian. One problem with traditional religions is the fear of spirits. One of the African bishops said, actually becomes a Christian, it is completely true Christian when he knows that Christ is stronger. Fear disappears. And this is also a growing phenomenon. So, I would say, with many features and problems that can not fail, grow the spiritual forces, economic, human, that give us hope y quisiera poner de manifiesto los elementos de esperanza.
P. Lombardi: Mil gracias, Santidad, por el tiempo que nos ha dado, por las cosas que nos ha dicho. Es una óptima introducción para seguir su viaje con mucho entusiasmo. Nos empeñaremos en extender su mensaje a todo el continente y a todos nuestros lectores y oyentes.
[Traducción del original italiano por Inma Alvarez]
The alleged fraudulent voting by the Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa de la Vega, uncovered by Time magazine has broken and the bodies responsible for regulating election procedures. In particular, the Central Electoral Board, which meets tomorrow in Congress, has received a document on the familiar as if De la Vega . Lanacion.es has been told, the agenda of that meeting, which was already expected, included a surprise this matter that relates to the vice president with a late registration which facilitated their right to vote in Beneixida (Valencia) . 
(Libertad Digital) First, from the web 
