THE HOLY FATHER SIGNS THE SONG
OF PEACE PARCHMENT
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Placido Domingo, Mons. Edoardo Menichelli, Pope John Paul II
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The Vatican, 3rd July 2004, in the Library Hall, Pope
John Paul II received the organisers and stars of Song of Peace, which, on
the 28th April 2003 resounded in the world preview in the Muse
Theatre with the unforgettable performance by Placido Domingo.
It was an amazing meeting when His Holiness pleasantly
chatted with the delegation and signed the parchment (prepared by the scribe
from Recanati, Malleus) with the words of the Song of Peace, which
was based on the prayer pronounced by the Pope in January 2002 during the
multi-religious meeting that was held in Assisi. A Song that was placed
to music by Marco Tutino and performed by the Great Tenor, the “Vincenzo
Bellini” Lyrical Choir and the Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by
Renato Palumbo.
The delegation was formed
of 24 people including: the new Bishop of Ancona, Mons. Edoardo Menichelli; the
Mayor of Ancona and Chairman of the Muse Theatre Foundation, Fabio Sturani and
his wife; Placido Domingo with Marta Ornellas; the composer Marco Tutino, the
Orchestra conductor, Renato Palumbo; the General Vicar, Mons. Paolo Paolucci;
the coordinator of the event, Mons. Ermanno Carnevali; press office and RAI-TV
relations manager, Mons. Claudio Giuliodori; the P.R. manager for the curia,
Marcello Tedeschi; the Superintendent of the Verona Arena Foundation, artistic
director for the Opera Season in Ancona and brains behind the event, Claudio
Orazi and his wife; Giampaolo Giampaoli who represented UniCredit, the sole
sponsor for the event.
“(…) an intense emotion, as strong as the idea
of peace and the values that are behind it. The emotions that the Ancona
Delegation felt when they met with the Pontiff, John Paul II, will never be
forgotten. The Pope wrote the words for the Hymn of Peace and blessed the
initiative for the musical version, and he was visited by the Mayor, Fabio
Sturani, and his wife Pia, to receive the official imprimatur.
and it was Sturani in his
role as Chairman of the Muse Theatre Foundation, who delivered the parchment of
the Hymn of Peace into the holy hands of the Pope.
In the Vatican Library
Hall, where John Paul II receives the Heads of State (“Bush was here before you”,
the Pontiff told the Mayor), the Ancona delegation appeared before the Holy
Father, after passing through the Raffaello Hall, and the atmosphere was
immediately dense with the significance of the Catholic ritual – Sturani and
his wife, the Archbishop of Ancona, Edoardo Menichelli with Don Paolo Paolucci,
Monsignor Ermanno Carnevali, Monsignor Claudio Giuliadori, CEI press office
manager and Marcello Bedeschi, P.R. manager for Ancona Curia (…).
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Mons. Edoardo Menichelli, Pope
John Paul II
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Placido Domingo is now
rehearsing in Verona for Goya by Menotti, which will debut on the 19th July,
but he wished to take a day off and flew to the Vatican. “I would not have
missed this moment for anything in the world: I met the Pope and I sang for him
in Central Park and in Mexico, this is the third audience I have been honoured
with, but the emotions are enormous each time – the tenor stated – as intense
now as the first time. When he was elected I firmly believed that besides
Communism falling, Peace would have exploded”. During the Audience, the Pope
always had at his side the Archbishop of Ancona and Osimo Edoardo Menichelli,
who interpreted the Pope’s gesture as a good wish for the Muse, flywheel for
high culture and for the town.
After reading his speech of
two pages, John Paul II dedicated words of hope and affection to his guests,
remembering his last visit to Ancona and announcing his visit to Loreto in
September. He was moved remembering the death of his closest friend at the
gates of Ancona, back in 1944, under the command of General Anders.
The Silver medal forged by
Trebbiani and the volume dedicated to the Muse were given to the Pontiff by the
Mayor Sturani. To each of the Ancona representatives, messengers of the Muse,
Pope Wojtyla gave a blessed rosary. (Lucilla Niccolini,
Corriere Adriatico, 4 July 2004).
