Benedict XVI to Meet With Movements in '06

During a meeting with representatives of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the Pope expressed his interest in holding a meeting similar to that of May 30, 1998, which gathered new ecclesial movements for the first time around Pope John Paul II, according to sources.

Next year's meeting will not be "an identical copy" of the 1998 event, which took place in St. Peter's Square and attracted more than 100,000 people, said the Vatican sources.

This Saturday a meeting is scheduled in the Pontifical Council for the Laity with representatives of the ecclesial movements and communities, to discuss aspects of and preparations for the 2006 event.

At the end of last year, the Pontifical Council for the Laity published a 300-page "List of International Associations of the Faithful," which includes 123 associations that enjoy ecclesial recognition.