The Vatican Priests Meeting, in Photos

An inside look at the international gathering of priests in Rome.

Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, addresses priests Wednesday at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, addresses priests Wednesday at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. (photo: Fr James Mulford, LC)

Thousands of priests have responded to Pope Benedict’s call to join him in Rome to celebrate the closing of the Year for Priests.

The international meeting of priests began on Wednesday and will conclude tomorrow, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart, with a Mass concelebrated by the Holy Father and more than 9,000 priests. During the Mass the clergy will renew their vows.

On Thursday evening a vigil will be held in St. Peter’s Square, linked by television with Ars, the Cenacle in Jerusalem, Buenos Aires and Hollywood. In the course of the event, a number of priests will tell their stories, the Pope will hold a dialogue with priests, and there will be adoration of the Eucharist.

The Register commissioned Father James Mulford, LC, to give readers an ongoing priest’s-eye view of the festivities. Click on the photo gallery below to advance from photo to photo.