Madrid, Spain, Jun 13, 2006 / 22:00 pm
The director of the Holy See’s Press Office, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said this week Pope Benedict XVI hopes to “recover the essence of the family” in his upcoming visit to Valencia for the World Meeting of Families. The Vatican spokesman said to expect an “intense, very rich” discourse from the Pontiff that “will be much discussed afterwards.”
Speaking before a ceremony in which he was given an honorary doctorate by the San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia in Spain, Navarro-Valls said Pope Benedict XVI is looking forward to coming to Spain in July for the meeting of families.
Navarro-Valls also announced that the Holy Father would meet with the King and Queen of Spain upon arriving and that as is customary he would extend courtesy greetings to civil leaders.