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Vatican City, 30 March 2013 (VIS) – From 5:15pm until 6:40 this afternoon, there will be an extraordinary exposition of the Holy Shroud in the Cathedral of Turin, Italy. The initiative is part of the Year of Faith that was proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI and will be broadcast by the Italian television channel, RAI1.

Pope Francis, elected in the conclave Wednesday evening, made his first and officially unscheduled visit to the Rome Basilica of Saint Mary Major early Thursday, surprising residents and children on their way to a nearby school.

The Pope was accompanied by Prefect of the Papal Household, Msgr. George Gaenswein and Vice Prefect Leonardo Sapienza.

In his address to the tens of thousands of people gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for his election Wednesday evening, Pope Francis called for prayers to Our Lady and said he was going to “go pray to the Madonna so that she may protect Rome”. 
Pope Francis remained about half an hour in prayer at the basilica’s altar of the Virgin Mary. The Basilica is one of Rome’s most important Marian shrines.

The Concert and La Bella from Palazzo Pitti, Flora from the Uffizi, the Gozzi Altarpiece from Ancona, Danaë and the Shower of Gold from Capodimonte, Charles V with a Dog and theSelf-portrait from the Prado, or the Flaying of Marsyas from Kromeriz are some of the most celebrated works of the great Venetian painter Titian (Pieve di Cadore, circa 1485 - Venice, 1576).  These and many more are to go on display at the Quirinale in an exhibition designed to stand as the ideal conclusion to the sweeping overview of Venetian painting and the debate on the crucial role that it played in the renewal of culture in Italy and in Europe, promoted by the Scuderie del Quirinale in an analysis of the work of the leading players in the modern revolution in painting, from Antonello da Messina to Giovanni Bellini, Lorenzo Lotto and Tintoretto, of which Titian is the last and loftiest witness in his role as the European artist par excellence.

Please alloow Zeffirelli, Monica Bellucci and Bocelli be of true inspiration for those that have never been on a holiday to Rome and for those whishing to return one more time.

Pope Benedict XVI is to step down as head of the Catholic church at the end of this month, the Vatican has announced. The move, which came without warning, will take place on February 28th 2013 and leave the papacy vacant until a successor is chosen. The pope announced his decision in Latin on Monday, February 11th  during a meeting of cardinals. He informed them of "a decision of great importance for the life of the church". According to a Vatican statement, Benedict, 85, said he was resigning due to his age and declining strength.

Below please find his annoucenment:

Tiziano’, Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome

March 1st – June 16th 2013

Eagerly awaited, this exhibition is one of the grandest to grace Rome in recent years and pulls in masterpieces from across the globe: ‘Concert’ and ‘La Bella’ from the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Flora (above) from the the Uffizi, the Gozzi Altarpiece from Ancona, Danaë and the Shower of Gold from Capodimonte, Charles V with a Dog and the Self-portrait from the Prado.

Read more: Rome, 2013 Titian exhibition