(ANS – Vatican City) – As part of the General Audience on Wednesday, the participants in the course "Accompanying when trauma hits, 2024" were able to meet Pope Francis, thanks to the good work of Prof. Busnelli and Sister Alessandra Smerilli, who assured them a place of honour in the General Audience.

(ANS - Vatican City) - In the Paul VI hall, Pope Francis met over six thousand students from the national network of 137 institutes in 94 cities throughout Italy. During a lively speech in which he repeatedly called for responses from the children, Pope Francis made a special appeal to remember children who afflicted by war and conflict, especially the children of Ukraine “who have forgotten how to smile”, and for the children of Gaza, “gunned-down” and suffering from hunger. The Network of Schools of Peace was conceived after years of work at promoting the permanent education for peace and human rights in the curricula of all schools at every level. The Network is committed to educating young people about peace, justice, citizenship, human rights, and responsibility.

(ANS – Vatican City) – On 4 April 2024, Archbishop Edgar Peña Perra, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, communicated to Fr Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General for the Causes of Saints of the Salesian Family, that the Supreme Pontiff Francis has granted that the Rite of Beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Camillo Costa de Beauregard, Diocesan Priest; born in Chambéry (France) on 17 February 1841 and died there on 25 March 1910 – whose Cause is entrusted to the Salesian Postulation – will take place on Saturday, 17 May 2025 in Chambéry, France. The Holy Father's representative will be Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

(ANS – Vatican City) – Forty years ago, on 14 April 1984, the first gathering of young people took place in St Peter's Square with the Pope, which was the seed from which the World Youth Days (WYD) subsequently arose. On Palm Sunday of that year, as part of the Youth Jubilee, Saint John Paul II gave the cross to young people with the mission of carrying it throughout the world, as a sign and reminder that only in Jesus dead and risen is there salvation and redemption. To celebrate this significant anniversary, during the weekend just passed, the International San Lorenzo Youth Centre with the patronage of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and the John Paul II Foundation for Youth, organised a series of commemorative events.

(ANS – Vatican City) – 10 April  2024 is a special anniversary for the Vatican Apostolic Library (BAV). The institution of the Holy See which today has Salesian Fr Mauro Mantovani as its Prefect, celebrates the tenth anniversary of its collaboration with the Japanese technological services company NTT data in the field of the preservation of its digital heritage. In 2014, in fact, BAV undertook a joint project with the Japanese company within which the technological skills of NTT DATA were happily associated with the experience and humanistic mission of the Papal Library.

Vatican City, Vatican - 1 April 1934 - Pope Pius XI proclaimed John Bosco holy on 1 April 1934, on Easter Sunday, at the conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of the Redemption. The picture shows the large number of people who took part in the great event.