Pope Francis sends message to Bose Liturgical Conference

The 17th International Liturgical Conference "ALTAR - Recent acquisitions, new problems", opens Thursday at the Monastery of Bose in Northern Italy.

The Conference is being organized by the Monastery along with the National Office for Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage of the Italian Episcopal Conference, in collaboration with the National Council of Architects.

The altar was the theme of the International Liturgical Conference in Bose in 2003 and the symposium is returning to this subject to present the latest results of historical studies in the past fifteen years and to discuss new questions that have arisen.

Particular attention will be given to New Testament foundations of the Christian altar and to its image today.

Marking the opening of the event Pope Francis sent a message Thursday signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

In it, the Pope sends his greetings to the participants and expresses the hope that reflections during this symposium will lead to a more mature understanding of “the liturgy as the source and culmination of an ecclesial and personal life full of fraternity.”