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WASHINGTON (November 30, 2005)—The Holy See's Pontifical Council for Social Communications has released information for broadcasters regarding the coordination of worldwide telecasts of the Pope's Christmas ceremonies:
1) Saturday, December 24, 2005, Christmas Eve, 22:55-00:50 UTC (GMT): Midnight Mass, presided over by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Basilica.
2) Sunday, December 25, 2005, Christmas Day, 10:55-11:45 hours UTC (GMT) Christmas Message and Blessing "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City of Rome and to the World") of Pope Benedict XVI from St. Peter's Square.
Television coverage of these ceremonies, for worldwide distribution, will be provided by Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), in cooperation with the Vatican Television Center (CTV), and will be coordinated by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
These telecasts will be available:
--in Europe, through Eurovision – EBU (European Broadcasting Union)
--in the world, through INTELSAT/PanAmSat
--in Latin America, through OTI (Organizacion de la Television Iberoamericana)
Television networks and stations that want to take part in these global telecasts are asked to contact:
--in Europe, RAI, Eurovision Office, Mrs. Laura Maggiore, E-mail: newsprod@ rai.it, Tel. +39 06 3317 0053, Fax +39 06 3317 1151
--world, Telespazio, Mr. Giacomo Salucci, E-mail: customer_support@telespazio.it Tel. +39 06 4079 3487, Fax +39 06 407 1790
--Latin America, Mr. Dario de la Pena, E-mail: otiprogramas@oti.tv Tel. +52 55 5261 3610, Fax +52 55 5261 3607
Details concerning the exact satellites and frequencies will be posted on the Pontifical Council for Social Communications' website www.pccs.it (click on "Mondovisione"), in addition to texts and background information for television producers and commentators. For those who cannot receive the transmissions with the above services, alternative satellite reception possibilities can be explored upon request.
The Pontifical Council for Social Communications will make available, for those who request it, commentary for the celebrations in any one of the following languages: English, French, Spanish and Portuguese; RAI will make available commentary in Italian. In addition to the television images, the INTELSAT and PanAmSat satellites will carry international sound and commentary in the languages noted above.
Television networks and stations which, for technical reasons, cannot make use of satellite audio signals can use telephone circuits with the Vatican by contacting: Mr. Joseph Soureal of Telecom Italia, E-mail: youssef.soureal@telecomitalia.it, Fax + 39 06 3689 4506, Tel. +39 06 3689 4067.
For fully equipped positions for television commentators in the Braccio di Carlo Magno, next to St. Peter's Basilica, interested networks and stations are asked to contact Mrs. Laura Maggiore at RAI (above).
The Pontifical Council for Social Communications will cover the technical expenses for satellite uplink. For developing countries which find themselves in particular difficulty, on recommendation of the respective Papal Representative, the Council will cover downlink expenses, but not the expenses for local/national transmission of the programs.
For those requiring more information, please visit: www.pccs.it ("Mondovisione") or contact the Pontifical Council's satellite telecasts coordinator, Mr. Thaddeus Jones (telecast@pccs.va, Fax +39 06 6988 5373, Tel. + 39 06 6988 4622).
Archbishop John Foley is President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.