Participants in Monday’s conference include Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Msgr. Paul Tighe, council secretary, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, Professor Gian Maria Vian, editor of “L'Osservatore Romano,” and Greg Burke, Media Advisor to the Secretariat of State.

I have been enjoying Pope Benedict’s new book on Jesus of Nazareth, “The Infancy Years,” reading a bit each day. And I’ve finished reading “The New Evangelization: Responding to the Challenge of Indifference” by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, for an EWTN special with the archbishop on this topic. I’ve also been preparing this week’s edition of “Vatican Insider,” so the day has been another busy one.

But there’s still time to update you on several news stories:

IN BRIEF

SINGING FRIAR IS ITALY’S NEWEST TENOR: Assisi Friar Alessandro Brustenghi is Italy’s newest tenor and recording sensation, having recently launched his first CD, “Friar Alessandro, Voice from Assisi” on Decca records. Fortunately the 34-year old tenor only took a vow of poverty and not of silence, and he’ll keep the poverty vow by donating all proceeds from the sale of the CD to the Order of Friars Minor for its charitable work. In its May announcement of the record contract, Decca noted that Friar Alessandro has been singing all his life and, though music was always his passion, Alessandro received his “calling” as a teenager, and at the age of 21 he decided to become a friar. His day job of welcoming visitors to Assisi’s basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is safe. When he is not meeting and greeting the faithful, he works as a carpenter, restoring furniture and making wooden lecterns. Friar Alessandro grew up listening to Michael Jackson and Bach, loves electronic music, and his latest musical interest is Bjork. The Decca album is a mix of traditional and modern sacred songs, including an original track by composer Paul Mealor, set to a prayer written by St Francis of Assisi. Friar Alessandro uses all the new social media forms, and his website is: http://friaralessandro.com

CARDINAL TWEETS IN LATIN: Reuters did a story on November 22 on the tweet in Latin by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi that announced the inauguration of the new pontifical academy for Latin, established earlier in November by Pope Benedict. Cardinal Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Culture for Culture, tweeted: "Hodie una cum Ivano Dionigi novam aperiemus academiam pontificiam latinitatis a Benedicto conditam, hora XVII, via Conciliationis V.” Reuters translated as: "Today at 5 p.m., along with Ivano Dionigi, we will open the new Pontifical Academy for Latin Studies founded by Benedict. Via della Conciliazione, 5." Dionigi is a Latin scholar and was appointed the academy's first president. (Deo gratias! Gaudeamus hodie!)

NUNS RUN FOR CHARITY IN CHINA: Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, reported that on November 27, 80 religious women from 16 Chinese provinces participated in the Beijing International Marathon as they raced for 30 charity projects for the elderly, the poor, disabled children, orphans, and for all good works entrusted to them. Fides said the loudest voice heard among supporters of the 30,000 marathon participants was, "Come on nuns, run for the charitable works of the Church." The marathon website dedicated space to the "2012 Run for Charity,” noting that in 2009, only 10 nuns from two provinces participated in the marathon just out of curiosity. In 2010 there were 44 nuns for 13 charity projects and a year later when the initiative "Run for the charitable works of the Church" was officially launched, 52 nuns, 4 priests and 2 seminarians ran for 14 projects.

PILGRIMS SHARE THOUGHTS ON “FAITH SCROLL”: Pilgrims to Rome can now share their thoughts about what faith means to them on the “Faith Scroll,” an initiative of Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi for the Year of Faith. ORP says the “Faith Scroll” will become a memoir of individual thoughts from around the globe collected in one place, and shared with the world via its Jospers (Journeys of the Spirit) online community (http://jospers.travel/2012). It is also possible to leave a personal prayer intention that will be prayed over during a special monthly Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. Designed by Isabella Mancini, an American architect from New York, the “Faith Scroll” is located at ORP’s St. Peter’s Office at Pza, Pio XII, 9 (just off St. Peter’s Square), and will be accessible to pilgrims until November 24, 2012, the conclusion of the Year of Faith. ORP invites pilgrims to stop by and be part of this important initiative.

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