26 March 2008
Vatican News Update 26 March 2008
| 03.26.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 55 |
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SUMMARY: 19 - 26 MARCH
- Easter Triduum and Appeal for the Situation in Tibet - Holy Thursday: Chrism Mass and the Lord's Supper Mass - Good Friday: Lord's Passion, Way of the Cross at Colosseum - Egyptian Muslim Journalist Baptised by the Pope - Easter Saturday: Christ's Departure Is a New Return - Easter Sunday: the Resurrection Is an Event of Love - Missionary Martyrs and the Struggle against Tuberculosis - Telegram for the Death of Cardinal Suarez Rivera - Christ Gives Us the Certainty of Our Own Resurrection
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EASTER TRIDUUM AND APPEAL FOR THE SITUATION IN TIBET
VATICAN CITY, 19 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The general audience held this morning, 19 March and the Holy Father's name day, was divided into two parts. In the Vatican Basilica at 10.15 a.m. the Pope met with 3500 students who are participating in the international congress UNIV 2008; he then moved on to the Paul VI Hall where he delivered his catechesis and greeted pilgrims from various parts of the world.
Benedict XVI encouraged the young people of UNIV 2008 not to be afraid, "when necessary, to be nonconformist, at university, in college or anywhere else. ... Being friends with Christ and bearing witness to Him wherever we may be", he told them, "requires the strength to swim against the tide".
In the Paul VI Hall the Pope concentrated his remarks on the significance of the Easter Triduum in which, he said, "we relive the central event of our redemption".
On Easter Thursday, "the Church remembers the Last Supper during which the Lord, on the eve of His passion and death, established the Sacrament of the Eucharist and that of priestly ministry. On that same night, Jesus left us the new commandment ('mandatum novum'), the commandment of fraternal love".
Good Friday "is the day that recalls the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus", said the Pope. On that day Christians "meditate upon the great mystery of the evil and sin that oppress humanity" and "adore the cross".
Easter Saturday "is marked by profound silence" Pope Benedict explained. "As they await the great event of the resurrection, believers persevere expectantly with Mary, praying and meditating". The day "ends with the Easter vigil which leads into the most important Sunday in history, the Sunday of Christ's Easter. ... In the darkness of the night the new flame of the Easter candle is lit, a symbol of Christ arising in glory".
At the end of the audience, the Pope made an appeal concerning the situation in Tibet. He spoke of his "sadness and pain at the suffering of so many people. ... Problems are not solved with violence", he said, "but only get worse. I invite you to join me in prayer. Let us ask Almighty God, the source of light, to illuminate the minds of everyone and give each the courage to chose the way of dialogue and tolerance". AG/EASTER TRIDUUM TIBET/... VIS 080326 (400)
HOLY THURSDAY: CHRISM MASS AND THE LORD'S SUPPER MASS
VATICAN CITY, 20 MAR 2008 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at 9.30 a.m. today, Holy Thursday, the Holy Father presided at the Chrism Mass, which is celebrated on this day in churches and cathedrals throughout the world. Cardinals, bishops and priests present in Rome concelebrated with the Pope. Following the homily, there was the renewal of priestly vows and the blessing of the oil used for catechumens, the sick and those being confirmed.
In his homily, the Pope explained how the Chrism Mass "encourages us to revive that 'yes' to the call of God which we pronounced on the day of our ordination as priests".
The Old Testament describes the tasks that define the essence of priestly ministry as "standing before the Lord" and "serving", he said.
A priest "must be on his guard against the threatening powers of evil. He must awaken the world to God. He must remain standing upright against the currents of the times".
"To stand before the Lord must also mean, in the most profound sense, taking on responsibility for mankind before the Lord Who, in His turn, takes on responsibility for all of us before the Father. And this must mean accepting Him, Christ, accepting His word, His truth, His love".
Secondly, the Pope went on, a priest must serve. "What a priest does ... in celebrating the Eucharist is to serve, to accomplish a service to God and a service to mankind. Christ's worship of the Father was His total giving of Himself for mankind. The priest must become part of such worship, of such service.
"Thus", he added, "the word 'service' includes many dimensions". It implies "the correct celebration of the liturgy and of the Sacraments in general". In this context he highlighted how priests "are familiar with the Word, they love it and they live it; only then can they adequately explain it".
Service, the Holy Father proceeded, "also means closeness, it requires familiarity" such as that of the servant to his master. However, "such familiarity also brings a danger: that continual contact with the sacred may become a habit for us. Thus we lose our reverential awe. Conditioned by habit, we no longer perceive the great, new and surprising fact that He Himself is present, He speaks to us and gives Himself to us".
Service "means, above all, obedience" said Pope Benedict. "Humanity's temptation is always that of wanting to be completely autonomous, of following only their own will and of insisting that only thus will we be free, that only through such limitless freedom can mankind be fully realised and become divine. Yet it is precisely thus that we run counter to the truth". We are free, the Pope stated, if "we share our freedom with others, ... if we obey the will of God".
Benedict XVI concluded by highlighting how priests "announce not ourselves but Him and His Word. ... Our obedience is believing with the Church, thinking and talking with the Church, serving with her".
At 5.30 p.m. in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Benedict XVI presided at the Mass of the Lord's Supper. During the celebration, imitating the gesture of the Lord towards His Apostles, the Pope washed the feet of 12 priests. At the presentation of the gifts, he was given alms collected for the "Edad de oro" orphanage in Havana, Cuba.
Commenting in his homily on Jesus' gesture of washing His disciples' feet, the Pope dwelt on the need for interior purification as a necessary condition for living in communion with God and our fellows.
"Day after day", he said, "we are, as it were, covered with dirt, with empty words, with prejudices, with watered-down and adulterated wisdom; multiple forms of semi-falsity or open falseness continually infiltrate our inner being. This clouds and contaminates our soul, it threatens us with an incapacity for truth and goodness. If we accept the words of Jesus with an attentive heart, they wash and purify the soul".
The Gospel episode of the washing of the feet invites us "always to let ourselves be washed by that pure water, to allow ourselves to be capable of convivial communion with God and with our brothers and sisters".
"The gift and the example that we find in the story of the washing of the feet are characteristic of the nature of Christianity in general", said the Pope. "Christianity is not some kind of moralism, a system of ethics. ... It is, first and foremost, a gift: God gives Himself to us. He does not give something but gives Himself. ... For this reason, the central act of being Christian is the Eucharist".
We need the 'washing of the feet', the washing away of everyday sins. It is for this that we need the confession of sins". In the Sacrament of Penance "the Lord ever and anew washes our dirty feet so we can sit at table with Him".
Benedict XVI concluded his homily by highlighting how "Easter Thursday calls us to this: not to allow rancour towards others to become, deep down, a poisoning of the soul. It exhorts us to continual purification of memory, forgiving one another from the heart, washing one another's feet, thus to be able to go together to God's banquet". BXVI-HOLY WEEK/HOLY THURSDAY/... VIS 080326 (890)
GOOD FRIDAY: LORD'S PASSION, WAY OF THE CROSS AT COLOSSEUM
VATICAN CITY, 21 MAR 2008 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at 5 p.m. today, Good Friday, the Pope presided at the celebration of the Lord's Passion. Following the reading of the Passion, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa O.F.M. Cap., preacher of the Pontifical Household, pronounced his customary Good Friday homily. The ceremony continued with the universal prayer, veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion.
At 9.15 p.m., the Holy Father travelled to the Colosseum where he led the 'Via Crucis' or Way of the Cross. The meditations this year were prepared by Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun S.D.B., bishop of Hong Kong, China, and their central theme was the persecutions suffered by the Catholic Church in various parts of the world.
On a cold and rainy night, Benedict XVI oversaw the ceremony from the Palatine Hill and carried the cross for the last station. Over the other thirteen stations, it was carried by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, a religious from Burkina Faso, a Roman family, a woman on a wheelchair, two Franciscan friars from the Custody of the Holy Land and a young Chinese woman.
At the end of the ceremony, the Holy Father addressed some remarks to those present. "The cross", he said, "is the source of immortal life, it is a school of justice and peace, it is a universal legacy of forgiveness and mercy, it is permanent proof of the oblational and infinite love which brought God to make Himself a vulnerable man like us, and to die crucified".
"Unfortunately mankind does not always manage to perceive the profundity of this boundless love that God nourishes for His creatures" said Benedict XVI. "For Him there is no difference in race or culture. Jesus Christ died to liberate the entire human race from ignorance of God, from the cycle of hatred and revenge, from the slavery of sin. The cross makes us all brothers and sisters".
"Many people, even in our own time, do not know God and cannot find Him in the crucified Christ. Many are those who seek a form of love and freedom that excludes God, many believe they have no need of God. Dear friends, having experienced the passion of Jesus together, let us this evening allow His sacrifice on the cross to probe us; let us allow Him to put our human certainties in doubt; let us open our hearts to Him. Jesus is the Truth that makes us free to love. Let us not fear! By dying, the Lord saved sinners, in other words, all of us".
"This is the truth of Good Friday", the Holy Father concluded. "On the cross, the Redeemer gave us back the dignity that is ours, He made us adoptive children of God Who created us in His image and likeness". BXVI-HOLY WEEK/GOOD FRIDAY/... VIS 080326 (480)
EGYPTIAN MUSLIM JOURNALIST BAPTISED BY THE POPE
VATICAN CITY, 22 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Late this afternoon, Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. released the following declaration to journalists:
"During this evening's Easter vigil, the Holy Father will administer Baptism to seven people, five women and two men from various countries.
"As is known, the Holy Father normally administers the Sacrament of Baptism on two liturgical occasions. In the Sistine Chapel on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord he administers Baptism to a group of new-born infants. On the Easter vigil he administers Baptism and the other two Sacraments of Christian initiation (Confirmation and Communion) to a group of adults of varying nationalities and conditions who have followed the necessary spiritual and catechetical preparation, which Christian tradition calls the 'catechumenate'.
"The catechumens who will receive Baptism tonight come from Italy, Cameroon, China, the United States and Peru. Among them is Magdi Allam, a well-known journalist of Egyptian origin, vice-director 'ad personam' of the Italian newspaper 'Corriere della Sera'.
"For the Catholic Church, anyone who asks to receive Baptism - following a profound individual exploration, a free choice and adequate preparation - has the right to receive it.
"For his part, the Holy Father administers Baptism during the course of the Easter liturgy to the catechumens who have been presented to him, without making any 'distinction between people', in other words considering them all as equally important before the love of the Lord and welcome in the community of the Church". OP/BAPTISM/ALLAM VIS 080326 (260)
EASTER SATURDAY: CHRIST'S DEPARTURE IS A NEW RETURN
VATICAN CITY, 22 MAR 2008 (VIS) - At 9 o'clock this evening in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope presided at the solemn Easter vigil during which he administered the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation to a number of catechumens from various countries.
The celebration began in the atrium of the basilica where the Holy Father blessed the new fire and lighted the Easter candle. This was followed by the procession towards the altar with the singing of the "Exultet." Then came the Liturgy of the Word and the Baptismal and Eucharistic Liturgies which the Holy Father concelebrated with cardinals.
In his homily, the Pope recalled the words with which Jesus announced to the disciples His forthcoming death and resurrection: "'I go away, and I will come to you'. ... Dying is a 'going away'", he said. "Yet in Jesus' case, there is something utterly new, which changes the world. ... It is by going away that He comes. His going ushers in a completely new and greater way of being present. By dying He enters into the love of the Father. His dying is an act of love. Love, however, is immortal. Therefore, His going away is transformed into a new coming, into a form of presence which reaches deeper and does not come to an end".
"Jesus, Who is now totally transformed through the act of love, is free from ... barriers and limits. He is able not only to pass through closed doors in the outside world" but also "through the interior door separating the 'I' from the 'you', the closed door between yesterday and today, between the past and the future. ... His going away is transformed into a coming, in the Risen Lord's universal manner of presence, in which He is there yesterday, today and forever, in which He embraces all times and all places. Now He can even surmount the wall of otherness that separates the 'I' from the 'you'".
"The mysterious words spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper become present for you once more", the Holy Father told his audience. "In Baptism, the Lord enters your life through the door of your heart. We no longer stand alongside or in opposition to one another. He passes through all these doors. This is the reality of Baptism: He, the Risen One, comes; He comes to you and joins His life with yours, drawing you into the open fire of His love. You become one, one with Him, and thus one among yourselves".
"Believers, the baptised, are never truly cut off from one another. Continents, cultures, social structures or even historical distances may separate us. But when we meet, we know one another on the basis of the same Lord, the same faith, the same hope, the same love, which form us. Then we experience that the foundation of our lives is the same. We experience that in our inmost depths we are anchored in the same identity, on the basis of which all our outward differences, however great they may be, become secondary".
"The Church expresses the inner reality of Baptism as the gift of a new identity through the tangible elements used in the administration of the Sacrament" said Pope Benedict, explaining that the fundamental symbols in Baptism are water and light. Going on to comment on the readings of the Easter vigil, he noted how "Jesus appears as the new, definitive Shepherd who brings to fulfilment what Moses had done: He leads us out of the deadly waters of the sea, out of the waters of death. ... In Baptism He takes us, as it were, by the hand, He leads us along the path that passes through the Red Sea of this life and introduces us to everlasting life, the true and upright life".
"In the second place", he went on, "there is the symbol of light and fire". ... Jesus Christ truly took light from heaven and brought it to the earth - the light of truth and the fire of love that transform man's being. He brought the light, and now we know who God is and what God is like. Thus we also know what our own situation is: what we are, and for what purpose we exist. When we are baptised, the fire of this light is brought down deep within ourselves. Thus, in the early Church, Baptism was also called the Sacrament of Illumination".
The Holy Father concluded his homily by recalling that the early Church had a custom whereby "the bishop or the priest, after the homily, would cry out to the faithful: 'Conversi ad Dominum' - turn now towards the Lord. This meant in the first place that they would turn towards the east, towards the rising sun, the sign of Christ returning. ... Linked with this was the other exclamation that still today, before the Eucharistic prayer, is addressed to the community of the faithful: 'Sursum corda' - Lift up your hearts, high above the tangled web of our concerns, desires, anxieties and thoughtlessness - 'Lift up your hearts, your inner selves!'
"In both exclamations", the Holy Father added in conclusion, "we are summoned, as it were, to a renewal of our Baptism. ... We must turn ever anew towards Him Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We must be converted ever anew, turning with our whole life towards the Lord. And ever anew we must allow our hearts to be withdrawn from the force of gravity, which pulls them down, and inwardly we must raise them high: in truth and love". BXVI-HOLY WEEK/EASTER SATURDAY/... VIS 080326 (950)
EASTER SUNDAY: THE RESURRECTION IS AN EVENT OF LOVE
VATICAN CITY, 23 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI celebrated the Easter Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at 10.30 this morning in St. Peter's Square, which was decorated, as is traditional, with flowers, shrubs and flowering plants from Holland. At midday, from the central loggia of the basilica, he pronounced his Easter Message, delivered Easter greetings in various languages and imparted his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing.
In the words "I have risen, I am still with you" which ring out at the beginning of today's Mass, said the Pope, "the Church recognises the voice of Jesus Himself Who, on rising from death, turns to the Father filled with gladness and love, and exclaims: ... Your Spirit never abandoned me. ... The death and resurrection of the Word of God incarnate is an event of invincible love, it is the victory of that Love which has delivered us from the slavery of sin and death. It has changed the course of history, giving to human life an indestructible and renewed meaning and value".
"With His redeeming sacrifice, Jesus of Nazareth has made us adopted children of God, so that we too can now take our place in the mysterious dialogue between Him and the Father", said the Pope. "In this perspective, we note that the words addressed by the risen Jesus to the Father on this day ... apply indirectly to us as well, 'children of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him'".
"In this way we enter the depths of the Paschal mystery", he explained. "The astonishing event of the resurrection of Jesus is essentially an event of love. ... From today's solemnity, in which we relive the absolute, once-and-for-all experience of Jesus' resurrection, we receive an appeal to be converted to Love; we receive an invitation to live by rejecting hatred and selfishness, and to follow with docility in the footsteps of the Lamb that was slain for our salvation".
The Holy Father proceeded: "Dear Christian brothers and sisters in every part of the world, dear men and women whose spirit is sincerely open to the truth, let no heart be closed to the omnipotence of this redeeming love! Jesus Christ died and rose for all; He is our hope - true hope for every human being. Today, just as He did with His disciples in Galilee before returning to the Father, the risen Jesus now sends us everywhere as witnesses of His hope. ... Fixing the gaze of our spirit on the glorious wounds of His transfigured body, we can understand the meaning and value of suffering, we can tend the many wounds that continue to disfigure humanity in our own day".
The Pope indicated that in Christ's wounds "we recognise the indestructible signs of the infinite mercy of the God. ... It is He who heals the wounds of broken hearts, who defends the weak and proclaims the freedom of slaves, who consoles all the afflicted and bestows upon them the oil of gladness instead of a mourning robe. ... If with humble trust we draw near to Him, we encounter in His gaze the response to the deepest longings of our heart: to know God and to establish with Him a living relationship in an authentic communion of love, which can fill our lives, our interpersonal and social relations with that same love".
"How often", the Pope remarked "relations between individuals, between groups and between peoples are marked not by love but by selfishness, injustice, hatred and violence! These are the scourges of humanity, open and festering in every corner of the planet, although they are often ignored and sometimes deliberately concealed; wounds that torture the souls and bodies of countless of our brothers and sisters. They are waiting to be tended and healed by the glorious wounds of our Risen Lord and by the solidarity of people who, following in His footsteps, perform deeds of charity in His name, make an active commitment to justice, and spread luminous signs of hope in areas bloodied by conflict and wherever the dignity of the human person continues to be scorned and trampled. It is to be hoped that these are precisely the places where gestures of moderation and forgiveness will increase!"
Benedict XVI noted how on the morning of the resurrection, he could not "fail to remember certain African regions, such as Darfur and Somalia, the tormented Middle East, especially the Holy Land, Iraq, Lebanon, and finally Tibet, all of whom I encourage to seek solutions that will safeguard peace and the common good!" The Pope concluded by invoking "the fullness of His Paschal gifts, through the intercession of Mary who, after sharing the sufferings of the passion and crucifixion of her innocent Son, also experienced the inexpressible joy of His resurrection". BXVI-HOLY WEEK/EASTER SUNDAY/... VIS 080326 (830)
MISSIONARY MARTYRS AND THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS
VATICAN CITY, 24 MAR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Easter Monday, the Pope prayed the Regina Coeli with pilgrims at the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo and, through television linkup, with faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. The Pope travelled to his Castelgandolfo residence yesterday evening to rest after the Easter celebrations.
Before the Marian prayer, the Pope remarked upon the signing of Hallelujah, the word that in the wake of Lent and the Passion passes "from mouth to mouth, from heart to heart". It "echoes forth", he said, "from an absolutely new event: the death and resurrection of Christ".
"This experience", said the Holy Father, "has forever inscribed the word 'Hallelujah' in the heart of the Church". Therefrom "derives also the prayer we recite today and on every day of the Easter period, ... the Regina Coeli. Its text is brief and has the direct form of an announcement. It is like a new 'annunciation' to Mary, this time not by an angel but by Christians who invite the mother to joy because her Son ... rose again as He promised".
"Let us allow this Easter Hallelujah to impress itself deeply within us", said the Pope, "so that it becomes not just a word but the expression of our very lives: the lives of people who invite everyone to praise the Lord, and who do so through their own behaviour as 'people who have risen'".
After the Marian prayer, the Holy Father recalled that today marks the Day of Prayer and Fasting for Missionary Martyrs. "Remembering and praying for these our brothers and sisters (bishops, priests, religious and lay people), who fell during the year 2007 while undertaking their missionary service, is a duty of gratitude for the whole Church and a stimulus for each of us to bear witness ever more courageously to our own faith and hope in Him Who on the cross overcame, once and for all, the power of hatred and violence with the omnipotence of His love".
The Pope concluded by remarking that today also marks World Tuberculosis Day. He expressed his own "special closeness" to the sick and to their families, and the hope for "an increase in international efforts to combat this sickness". ANG/HALLELUJAH MISSIONARIES TUBERCULOSIS/... VIS 080326 (380)
TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL SUAREZ RIVERA
VATICAN CITY, 24 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, archbishop of Monterrey, Mexico, for the death on 22 March at the age of 81 of Cardinal Adolfo Antonio Suarez Rivera, archbishop emeritus of the same archdiocese.
In his telegram, the Pope associates himself with the "fervent prayers" of those mourning the loss of the cardinal, and asks "that the Lord may grant His peace to one who so intensely and generously served the Church during his pastoral ministry", first as bishop of the dioceses of Tepic and Tlalnepantla, and later as archbishop of Monterrey. TGR/DEATH SUAREZ RIVERA/ROBLES ORTEGA VIS 080326 (120)
CHRIST GIVES US THE CERTAINTY OF OUR OWN RESURRECTION
VATICAN CITY, 26 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Today in St. Peter's Square, more than 30,000 people participated in the weekly general audience. The Pope, who arrived at the Vatican by helicopter from his Castelgandolfo residence, dedicated his catechesis to the period of Easter.
"The entire liturgy of the Easter period proclaims the certainty and joy of Christ's resurrection", he said. This is "the central truth of Christian faith in all its doctrinal richness and its inexhaustible vitality".
Christ's Easter, he went on, "is also our Easter because in the risen Christ we are given the certainty of our final resurrection. ... The death of the Lord shows the immense love with which He loved us, even to the point of sacrificing Himself for us. But only His resurrection is 'certain proof' ... that what He says is true".
"It is important to reiterate this fundamental truth of our faith", explained the Holy Father, "the historical truth of which is amply documented, even if today as in the past there is no lack of people who put it in doubt or even deny it. The weakening of faith in the resurrection of Jesus leads to the weakening of the testimony of believers. ... Whereas adhesion to Christ, dead and risen, changes lives and illuminates the entire life of individuals and peoples".
"The liturgy invites us - and especially in this octave of Easter - to encounter the Risen One personally and to recognise His life-giving action in the events of history and in our daily lives".
As with the disciples of Emmaus who figure in today's Gospel, "the Lord is walking with us and he explains the Scripture to us. He brings us to understand this mystery in which everything speaks of Him. This should make our hearts burn so that our eyes may also be opened. The Lord is with us, He shows us the true path".
The disciples of Emmaus recognised Christ "as He broke the bread. ... We too", the Holy Father concluded, "can meet and know Jesus Christ in the celebration of the Eucharist, ... on the double altar of the announced Word and the consecrated Bread and Wine. Each Sunday the community relives the Lord's Easter and draws from the Saviour its witness of love and fraternal service". AG/EASTER/... VIS 080326 (400)
VATICAN CITY, 26 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop Thomas Kwaku Mensah of Obuasi, Ghana, as archbishop of Kumasi (area 5,118, population 1,579,000, Catholics 363,000, priests 79, religious 127), Ghana. The archbishop-elect was born in Assamang, Ghana in 1935, he was ordained a priest in 1973 and consecrated a bishop in 1995. He succeeds Archbishop Peter Kwasi Sarpong, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Port Moresby, Papua new Guinea, presented by Archbishop Brian James Barnes O.F.M., upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop John Ribat M.S.C.
- Appointed Bishop Ramon Alfredo Dus, auxiliary of Reconquista, Argentina, as bishop of the same diocese (area 35,000, population 267,500, Catholics 235,000, priests 42, religious 58).
- Appointed Bishop Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Kumasi, Ghana, as bishop of Obuasi (area 6,350, population 1,004,790, Catholics 100,243, priests 48, religious 44), Ghana.
On Tuesday 25 March it was made public that the Holy Father appointed Fr. Augustine Tochukwu Ukwouma of the clergy of the diocese of Orlu, Nigeria, pastor of the parish of St. Teresa at Uli, as bishop of Orlu (area 929, population 996,000, Catholics 571,015, priests 287, religious 168). The bishop-elect was born in Amucha, Nigeria in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1983. He succeeds Bishop Gregory O. Ochiagha, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
On Thursday 20 March it was made public that the Holy Father:
- Appointed Fr. John Niyiring O.S.A. provincial superior of the Augustinians in Nigeria, as bishop of Kano (area 43,178, population 9,504,000, Catholics 139,353, priests 38, religious 19), Nigeria. The bishop-elect was born in Zonkwa, Nigeria in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1992. He succeeds Bishop Patrick Francis Sheehan O.S.A., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Fr. Giuseppe Fiorini Morosini O.M., former superior general of the Minim Fathers, as bishop of Locri-Gerace (area 1,248, population 130,779, Catholics 117,701, priests 80, permanent deacons 5, religious 163), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Paola, Italy in 1945 and ordained a priest in 1969.
On Wednesday 19 March, it was made public that the Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop Dominic Ryoji Miyahara of Oita, Japan, as bishop of Fukuoka (area 14,808, population 7,729,183, Catholics 31,065, priests 78, religious 442), Japan.
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Rio do Sul, Brazil, presented by Bishop Jose Jovencio Balestieri S.D.B., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Augustinho Petry.
- Appointed Msgr. Oswaldo Brenes Alvarez of the clergy of the diocese of Tilaran, Costa Rica, vicar general and pastor of the parish of "Inmaculada Concepcion" in Bocas de Nosara, as bishop of Ciudad Quesada (area 9,838, population 270,321, Catholics 216,257, priests 43, religious 28), Costa Rica. The bishop-elect was born in Liberia, Costa Rica in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1966.
- Appointed Fr. Adam Balabuch, vicar general and rector of the major seminary of the diocese of Swidnica, Poland, as bishop of the same diocese (area 4,060, population 679,600, Catholics 671,699, priests 371, religious 558). The bishop-elect was born in Scinawka Srednia, Poland in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1986. NER:RE:NEA/.../... VIS 080326 (600) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
24 March 2008
Vatican News Update 18 March 2008
| 03.18.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 54 |
| SUMMARY:
- Notice
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VATICAN CITY, 18 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Wurzburg, Germany, presented by Bishop Helmut Bauer, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Fr. Etienne Ung'eyowun of the clergy of Mahagi-Nioka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, adjunct secretary general of the national episcopal conference, as bishop of Bondo (area 75,600, population 395,370, Catholics 82,017, priests 20, religious 18), Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bishop-elect was born in Nyalebbe, Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1988. RE:NER/.../BAUER:UNG'EYOWUN VIS 080318 (100)
VATICAN CITY, 18 MAR 2008 (VIS) - As previously advised, the VIS bulletin will be suspended tomorrow Wednesday 19 March, Solemnity of St. Joseph and the Holy Father's name day, then from Thursday 20 March to Tuesday 25 March, the holy days of Easter and holidays in the Vatican. Service will resume on Wednesday 26 March. .../.../... VIS 080318 (60) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
17 March 2008
Vatican News Update 17 March 2008
| 03.17.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 53 |
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SUMMARY: 15 - 17 MARCH
- Rediscover the Treasure of Hellenism and Christianity - Decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints - Purifying Our Hearts in Order to Recognise God - Pope Appeals for an End to Violence in Iraq - Archbishop Rahho Was a Man of Peace and Dialogue - Programme of Pope's Trip to the United States - Agreement between Holy See and Principality of Andorra
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REDISCOVER THE TREASURE OF HELLENISM AND CHRISTIANITY
VATICAN CITY, 15 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Miltiadis Hiskakis, the new ambassador of Greece to the Holy See.
In his English-language address to the diplomat, the Pope recalled the "valiant efforts" made by the recently deceased Christodoulos, archbishop of Athens and all Greece, "to mend the breach between Christians in the East and West". He also gave assurances of his constant prayers for the "fruitful ministry and good health" of Christodoulos' successor, His Beatitude Ieronymos.
After reiterating his "eagerness to work together as we travel the road towards Christian unity", the Holy Father recalled that "honesty and trust will be required from all parties if the important questions raised by this dialogue are to continue to be addressed effectively".
Referring to the forthcoming Jubilee Year marking the bi-millennial anniversary of the birth of St. Paul, the Pope indicated that it "will be a particularly auspicious occasion to intensify our ecumenical endeavours. ... This brilliant 'Apostle to the Gentiles' dedicated his energies to preaching the wisdom of the cross of Christ amidst the people of Greece, who were formed by the highly sophisticated Hellenistic culture".
"The vibrant exchange between Hellenistic culture and Christianity allowed the former to be transformed by Christian teaching and the latter to be enriched by Greek language and philosophy. ... Even today, visitors to Athens can contemplate Paul's words - now etched on the monument overlooking the Areopagus - which he proclaimed to the learned citizens of the 'polis'. He spoke of the one God in whom 'we live and move and have our being'".
St. Paul's words, said Pope Benedict, "still resound in the hearts of men and women today. They can help our contemporaries to appreciate more deeply their human dignity, and thus promote the good of the entire human family. It is my hope that the Pauline Year will become a catalyst that will spark reflection upon the history of Europe and stir its inhabitants to rediscover the inestimable treasure of values they have inherited from the integral wisdom of Hellenistic culture and the Gospel".
Benedict XVI went on to thank the ambassador "for the assurance of your government's resolve to address administrative issues concerning the Catholic Church in your nation. Among these, the question of its juridical status is of particular significance. The Catholic faithful, though few in number, look forward to the favourable results of these deliberations. Indeed, when religious leaders and civil authorities work together to formulate fair legislation in regard to the life of local ecclesial communities, the spiritual welfare of the faithful and the good of all society are enhanced".
Turning to consider the international arena, the Pope commended "Greece's efforts to promote peace and reconciliation, especially in the surrounding area of the Mediterranean basin".
In conclusion the Pope recalled "the devastation caused by the wildfires that raged through Greece last summer. I continue to remember in my prayers those who were affected by this disaster", he said. CD/CREDENTIALS/GREECE:HISKAKIS VIS 080317 (510)
DECREES OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE CAUSES OF SAINTS
VATICAN CITY, 15 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in private audience Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins C.M.F., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorised the promulgation of decrees concerning the following causes:
MIRACLES
- Blessed Gertrude Comensoli (nee: Caterina), Italian foundress of the Institute of Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (1847-1903).
- Servant of God Francesco Pianzola, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Queen of Peace (1881-1943).
- Servant of God Jose Olallo Valdes, Cuban professed religious of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God (1820-1889).
HEROIC VIRTUES
- Servant of God Aurelio Bacciarini, Swiss bishop, apostolic administrator of Lugano (1873-1935).
- Servant of God Michael McGivney, American diocesan priest and founder of the Knights of Columbus (1852-1890).
- Servant of God Joaquim Alves Bras, Portuguese diocesan priest and founder of the Secular Institute of Co-operators of the Family (1899-1966).
- Servant of God Giocondo Pio Lorgna, Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Preachers and founder of the Dominican Sisters of Blessed Imelda (1870-1928).
- Servant of God Michelangelo Longo da Marigliano (ne: Michelangelo), Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor (1811-1886).
- Servant of God Mariano Roasenda da Torino (ne: Paolo), Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins (1906-1972).
- Servant of God Francisco de la Pasion Gondra Muruaga (ne: Victoriano), Spanish professed priest of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (1910-1974).
- Servant of God Clemente Vismara, Italian priest of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (1897-1988).
- Servant of God Gemma Giannni (nee: Eufemia), Italian foundress of the Missionary Congregation of Sisters of St. Gemma Galgani (1884-1971).
- Servant of God Tarsilla del Crocefisso Osti (nee: Tarsilla), Italian professed religious of the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1895-1958).
- Servant of God Leopoldo Sanchez Marquez de Alpandeire (ne: Francisco Tomas), Spanish professed layman of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins (1864-1956).
- Servant of God Serafino Riminucci da Pietrarubbia (ne: Pietro), Italian professed layman of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins (1875-1960).
- Servant of God Margarita Amengual Campaner, Spanish laywoman (1888-1919).
- Servant of God Luigia Mazzotta, Italian laywoman (1900-1922). CSS/DECREES/SARAIVA VIS 080317 (390)
VATICAN CITY, 15 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins C.M.F., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
- Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.
- Fr. Alvaro Corcuera Martinez del Rio, superior general of the Legion of Christ.
- Mario Morcone, extraordinary prefect commissioner for the local authorities of Rome. AP/.../... VIS 080317 (80)
VATICAN CITY, 15 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop Martin Pablo Perez Scremini, auxiliary of Montevideo, Uruguay, as bishop of Florida (area 22,6000, population 124,100, Catholics 91,300, priests 29, permanent deacons 1, religious 80), Uruguay. He succeeds Bishop Raul Horacio Scarrone Carrero, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Fr. Charles Edward Tamba of the clergy of Kenema, Sierra Leone, rector of St. Paul's Major Seminary in Freetown, as archbishop of Freetown and Bo (area 20,251, population 1,396,494, Catholics 80,000, priests 59, religious 29), Sierra Leone. The archbishop-elect was born in Kainkordu, Sierra Leone in 1956 and ordained a priest in 1986.
- Appointed Fr. Henry D'Souza, executive secretary of the media office of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, as bishop of Bellary (area 24,973, population 4,590,000, Catholics 26,328, priests 79, religious 317), India. The bishop-elect was born in Kinnigoly, India in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1976.
- Appointed Archbishop Mario Giordana, apostolic nuncio to Haiti, as apostolic nuncio to Slovakia.
- Appointed Msgrs. Jorge Raigosa Alzate and James Anthony McDaid, officials at the Congregation for the Clergy, as bureau chiefs at the same congregation. NER:RE:NN:NA/.../... VIS 080317 (210)
PURIFYING OUR HEARTS IN ORDER TO RECOGNISE GOD
VATICAN CITY, 16 MAR 2008 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square at 9.30 a.m. today, the Holy Father presided at a solemn liturgical celebration for Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. The Pope blessed the palms and the olives, then walked in procession with cardinals, bishops and 270 young people from the obelisk in the square to the altar where he celebrated the Eucharist.
The Eucharistic liturgy was attended by 50,000 pilgrims, most of them young people from Rome and other dioceses currently celebrating 23rd diocesan World Youth Day (WYD) which has as its theme this year: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses". Diocesan WYD is a prelude to international WYD, due to be held in Sydney, Australia, from 15 to 20 July.
In his homily, the Holy Father commented on today's Gospel reading concerning Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His arrival at the Temple to find it full of traders, animals and money changers "who occupied the place of prayer with their stalls".
"This must also make us, as Christians, think today", said the Holy Father. "Is our faith open and pure enough, so that on the basis of that faith even 'pagans' - people who are currently searching and posing questions - may see the light of the one God, come together in the atria of faith to join our prayer and, perhaps, become worshippers themselves?
"Does," the Holy Father added, "an awareness that greed is idolatry penetrate to our hearts and our way of life? Do we not in various ways actually let idols enter even the world of our faith? Are we ready to let ourselves be purified anew by the Lord, allowing Him to remove from us and from the Church everything that is contrary to Him?"
"In the place of cruel sacrifices and offers of food, comes the body of Christ", said Pope Benedict. "He Himself comes to replace them. Only 'endless love', only the love which, for man, gives itself totally to God, is true worship and true sacrifice".
"Against the trade in animals and the exchange of money, Christ places His own healing goodness. This is the true purification of the Temple. He does not come as destroyer, He does not come with the revolutionary's sword, He comes with the gift of healing".
Christ "dedicates Himself to those who, through their infirmity, are forced to the extremes of life and to the margins of society. Jesus reveals God as the One Who loves, and His power as the power of love. And thus He informs us what will always remain part of the true worship of God: healing, service, curative goodness".
The Pope went on to recall the children who acclaimed Jesus on His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and said: "He, Who embraces the world entire, made Himself small to meet us, to direct our steps towards God".
He went on: "To recognise God we must abandon the pride that blinds us, that pushes us away from God as if He were our competitor. To meet God we must become capable of seeing with the heart. We must learn to see with a young heart that is not encumbered by prejudice or obscured by interests".
Benedict XVI concluded his homily by encouraging those present to join "the procession of young people of that time, a procession that crosses all of history. Together with the youth of the whole world let us go and meet Jesus. Let us be guided by Him towards God, to learn from God Himself the right way to be human". HML/PALM SUNDAY/... VIS 080317 (630)
POPE APPEALS FOR AN END TO VIOLENCE IN IRAQ
VATICAN CITY, 16 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Following this morning's solemn liturgical celebration for Palm Sunday, the Pope prayed the Angelus with thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
"At the end of this solemn celebration during which we have meditated upon the Passion of Christ", said the Holy Father, "I wish recall the lamented Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, who died so tragically a few days ago. His beautiful witness of faithfulness to Christ, to the Church, and to his people whom he chose never to abandon despite numerous threats, compel me to raise a strong and heartfelt cry: stop the massacres, stop the violence, stop the hatred in Iraq! At the same time I make an appeal to the Iraqi people who for five years have been suffering the consequences of a war that has provoked the breakdown of civil and social life: Dear Iraqi people, raise your heads and yourselves become the primary rebuilders of your national life! May reconciliation, forgiveness, justice and respect for civil coexistence among tribes and ethnic and religious groups be the solidary path to peace in God's name!"
Finally, the Holy Father addressed a special greeting to young people gathered in St. Peter's Square and invited them to participate in the forthcoming World Youth Day, which will be held in Sydney, Australia, from 15 to 20 July. ANG/IRAQ WYD/... VIS 080317 (250)
ARCHBISHOP RAHHO WAS A MAN OF PEACE AND DIALOGUE
VATICAN CITY, 17 MAR 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican's "Redemptoris Mater" Chapel, the Pope presided at a Mass for the soul of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, who died in tragic circumstances following his kidnapping on 29 February.
The Pope spoke of his closeness to the members of the "beloved Church which suffers, believes and prays in Iraq" and expressed the hope that "in the faith they may find the strength not to lose heart in the difficult situation they are experiencing".
The Holy Father then went on to recall the liturgy of Holy Week which presents the last days of Jesus' earthly life. "Those hours", he said, were marked by a clear "contrast between truth and lies, between the mildness and rectitude of Christ and the violence and dishonesty of His enemies". The Lord "felt the approach of His violent death, He felt the net of His persecutors tightening around Him, ... the anguish and fear, up to the crucial moment in Gethsemane". But Christ "experienced all this immersed in communion with the Father and comforted by the 'anointing' of the Holy Spirit".
The Pope mentioned today's Gospel reading on the anointing of Christ in Bethany, then enumerated Archbishop Rahho's own "anointings" during his life, from Baptism and Confirmation to his Ordination as a priest and then bishop. "But I am also thinking", he went on, "of the many 'anointings' of filial affection and spiritual friendship ... which his faithful gave him and which accompanied him in the terrible hours of his kidnapping and his painful detention (where perhaps he was already wounded when he arrived), and even unto his agony, his death and that unworthy grave where his mortal remains were found.
"Those sacramental and spiritual anointings were a guarantee of resurrection, a guarantee of the true and full life that the Lord Jesus came to give us", he added.
Benedict XVI also remarked on the reading from the Prophet Isaiah on the Servant of the Lord who will bring, proclaim and establish justice. "The insistence on this term", said the Pope, "cannot pass unobserved". The Servant "faced with an unjust condemnation bears witness to the truth, remaining faithful to the law of love".
The Holy Father went on: "On this path, Archbishop Rahho took up his cross and followed the Lord Jesus, thus he contributed to bringing justice to his martyred country and to the whole world, bearing witness to the truth. He was a man of peace and dialogue ... with a particular fondness for the poor and the disabled. ... May his example sustain all Iraqis of good will, Christians and Muslims, to build peaceful coexistence founded on human fraternity and mutual respect".
He concluded: "Over these days, in profound union with the Chaldean community in Iraq and abroad, we have wept his death and the inhuman way in which he was compelled to end his earthly life. But today in this Eucharist ... we wish to give thanks to God for all the good He achieved in Archbishop Rahho. ... At the same time, we hope that, from heaven, he may intercede with the Lord to obtain for the faithful in that sorely-tried land the courage to continue to work for a better future". HML/FUNERAL/RAHHO VIS 080317 (560)
PROGRAMME OF POPE'S TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES
VATICAN CITY, 17 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Th Holy See Press Office today published the programme of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic trip to the United States of America, including his visit to the headquarters of the United Nations, due to take place from 15 to 21 April.
The Pope will depart from Rome's Fiumicino airport at midday on Tuesday 15 April and land at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington at 4 p.m. local time, where he will be greeted by U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife.
The welcome ceremony will be held at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday 16 April, after which the Pope will make a courtesy visit to the U.S. president at the White House. That afternoon he will preside at the celebration of Vespers and hold a meeting with U.S. bishops at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
Benedict XVI will celebrate Mass at 10 a.m. on Thursday 17 April in the Nationals Stadium in Washington. At 5 p.m. on the same day he will participate in a meeting with representatives from Catholic universities at the Catholic University of America, also in Washington, then meet with representatives of other religions in the city's Pope John Paul II Cultural Centre.
On the morning of Friday 18 April, the Holy Father will travel from Washington to New York where, at 10.45 a.m., he is scheduled to address the General Assembly of the United Nations. That evening he is due to participate in an ecumenical meeting at the church of St. Joseph in New York.
At 9.15 a.m. on Saturday, 19 April, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass with priests and religious in St. Patrick's Cathedral. He will then lunch with bishops of the archdiocese of New York and, at 4.30 p.m., preside at a meeting with young people and seminarians at the seminary of St. Joseph.
On Sunday 20 April, Benedict XVI is to visit "Ground zero" where he will pray for the victims of the attacks of 11 September 2001. At 2.30 p.m. he will celebrate Mass at New York's Yankee Stadium.
The departure ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. on the same day, at New York's John Fitzgerald Kennedy international airport. The papal plane is due to land at the Roman airport of Ciampino at 10.45 a.m. local time on Monday 21 April. OP/PROGRAMME U.S. VISIT/... VIS 080317 (410)
AGREEMENT BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND PRINCIPALITY OF ANDORRA
VATICAN CITY, 17 MAR 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Holy See and the Principality of Andorra signed an agreement that "further consolidates the traditional ties of collaboration that exist between the two parties", according to a communique made public today.
The note recalls that Andorra "has always maintained a special relationship with the Catholic Church" and that "in 1993 the principality adopted a Constitution that maintains the system of co-principality dating back to 1278. ... The co-princes - who are the bishop of Urgell and the president of the French Republic - together and indivisibly perform the functions of head of State".
The agreement is made up of a preamble and 16 articles divided into six parts that cover the following subjects: the bishop of Urgell, the juridical status of the Catholic Church in Andorra, canonical marriage, the teaching of religions in schools, the economic system of the Catholic Church in Andorra.
For the Holy See, the document was signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., and for Andorra by Albert Pintat, head of government. The agreement will come into force following the exchange of instruments of ratification. .../AGREEMENT HOLY SEE ANDORRA/BETONE:PINTAT VIS 080317 (210) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
14 March 2008
Vatican News Update 14 March 2008
| 03.14.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 52 |
|
SUMMARY:
- Young People: Be Bearers of the Joy of the Holy Spirit - Bolivia: Harmony to Overcome Adversity - Telegram for the Death of Chiara Lubich - Archbishop Tomasi Addresses U.N. Session on Human Rights
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YOUNG PEOPLE: BE BEARERS OF THE JOY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
VATICAN CITY, 14 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon in the Vatican Basilica Benedict XVI presided at a penitential liturgy with young people from Rome in preparation for the 23rd World Youth Day. The Day is due to be held in Sydney, Australia from 15 to 20 July on the theme: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses".
"At the roots of being Christian", the Holy Father told the young people, "is an encounter with an event, with a Person. This opens a new horizon and, with it, a decisive sense of direction". In order "to favour this encounter you are preparing to open your hearts to God, confessing your sins and - by the action of the Holy Spirit and through the ministry of the Church - receiving forgiveness and peace.
"Thus", he added, "we make room in ourselves for the presence of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity which is the 'soul' and the 'vital breath' of Christian life. The Spirit helps us to grow 'in an understanding of Jesus that becomes ever deeper and more joyful and, at the same time, to put the Gospel into practice'", he said.
On this subject, Pope Benedict recalled one of his own meditations on the Pentecost when he was archbishop of Munich and Freising, inspired by the film "Seelenwanderung" in which one of the characters sells his soul in exchange for worldly success. "From the moment he freed himself of his soul he no longer had any scruples or humanity", said the Pope, "providing striking evidence of how the facade of success often hides an empty life".
"A human being cannot throw away his own soul, because it is the soul that makes him human. ... Yet he does have the frightening possibility of being inhuman, of remaining a person but at the same time selling or losing his own humanity.
"The distance between the human person and the inhuman being is immense, yet it cannot be demonstrated; it is what is truly important, yet it is apparently without importance". Likewise, the Holy Spirit "cannot be seen with the eyes. Whether it enters into a person or not, it cannot be seen or demonstrated; but it changes and renews all the perspectives of human life. The Holy Spirit does not change the exterior situations of life, but the interior".
"Let us then", the Holy Father continued, "prepare ourselves, with a sincere examination of conscience, to present ourselves before the people to whom Christ entrusted the ministry of reconciliation. ... Thus will we experience true joy, the joy that derives from the mercy of God, flows into our hearts and reconciles us to Him. ... Be bearers of this joy, which comes from welcoming the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and witness its fruits in your own lives".
"Always remember that you are 'temples of the Spirit'. Allow Him to dwell in you and humbly obey His commands, in order to make your own contribution to the building of the Church and to discern the type of vocation to which the Lord calls you. ... Be generous, allow yourselves to be helped by using the Sacrament of Confession and by the practice of spiritual guidance".
Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by recalling how 25 years ago John Paul II inaugurated the San Lorenzo Youth Centre near the Vatican "to facilitate the welcome of young people, the sharing of experiences and the witness of faith and, above all, the prayer that helps us to discover the love of God".
On that 13 March 1983, John Paul II said: "Where can we go in this world, with sin and guilt, without the Cross? The Cross takes upon itself all the misery of the world, which is born of sin. It is the sign of grace. ... It encourages us to sacrifice ourselves for others".
"May this experience be renewed for you today", said Benedict XVI. "Look to the Cross now, and let us accept God's love which is given to us by the Cross, by the Holy Spirit which comes from the pierced side of the Lord and, as John Paul II said: 'Yourselves become redeemers of the young people of the world'".
During the ceremony, many of the thousands of young people present confessed with the Holy Father and with the hundreds of priests and penitentiaries from the four papal basilicas. HML/PENANCE YOUTH/... VIS 080314 (760)
BOLIVIA: HARMONY TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY
VATICAN CITY, 14 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Carlos Federico de la Riva Guerra, the new ambassador of Bolivia to the Holy See.
At the beginning of his address to the diplomat, the Holy Father recalled how "Bolivia's deep Christian roots have sustained its people, accompanied the vicissitudes of its history and promoted a sense of respect and reconciliation, so necessary in the difficult moments the nation has had to face".
Bolivia, the Pope noted, "is experiencing a process of profound change which is producing difficult and at times worrying situations. ... We cannot remain indifferent when social tension is increasing and a climate unfavourable to understanding is spreading", he said.
In this context, he indicated that "the authorities ... and the leaders of political, social and civil organisations" must seek "to promote ... the conditions necessary for dialogue and agreement. This praiseworthy aim will be facilitated if all Bolivians contribute the best of themselves with openness and diligence and, at times, not without abnegation and sacrifice".
"In this way", he continued, "sincere and altruistic collaboration among individuals and institutions contributes to eradicating the evils afflicting the noble Bolivian people" who, he added, "have also often been affected by natural catastrophes which call for efficient measures and fraternal sentiments to help resolve their serious consequences".
"Rebirth", said Pope Benedict, "civil and social, political and economic rebirth always calls for disinterested effort and generous commitment in support of a people who are appealing for material, moral and spiritual assistance. The attainment of peace must be based on justice, truth and freedom, and on mutual co-operation, love, and reconciliation among everyone".
The Church, "faithful to her mission, is always ready to collaborate in pacification and in the human and spiritual development of the country, proclaiming her doctrine and publicly expressing her opinion on questions concerning the social order. Hence, while recognising the areas of responsibilities that are proper to the State, she sees her own duty as that of guiding the faithful, calling on them and on all of society to reject racial hatred, revenge and vendetta". Definitively, she calls on people to avoid "division, and to start down the path of solidarity of mutual trust and of respect for diversity".
Benedict XVI went on: "It is necessary for the defence and safeguarding of human rights to be firmly supported by ethical values such as justice, desire for peace, honesty and transparency, as well as by effective solidarity to correct unjust social inequalities.
"For this reason", he added, "instruction in what is morally right, in what is just and unjust (without which no society could survive), is incumbent upon education from earliest infancy. The family plays a decisive role in this task and hence must be given the necessary assistance to accomplish its mission and become the 'principal agency for peace', for the benefit of everyone".
The Pope concluded by appealing to God that Bolivia may witness the triumph of "the truth that seeks respect for others, even those who do not share the same ideas; the peace that joins with justice and opens the doors to harmonious and stable development; the good sense that strives to find balanced and reasonable solutions to problems; and the harmony that unites wills in overcoming adversity and achieving the common good". CD/LETTERS OF CREDENCE/BOLIVIA:DE LA RIVA VIS 080314 (570)
TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CHIARA LUBICH
VATICAN CITY, 14 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram to Fr. Oreste Basso, co-president of the Focolari Movement, for the death at the age of 88 of the movement's founder Chiara Lubich. The text of the telegram is given below.
"With deep emotion I learned the news of the pious death of Ms Chiara Lubich, which came at the end of a long and fruitful life marked by her tireless love for the abandoned Jesus. At this moment of painful separation I remain affectionately and spiritually close to her relatives and to the entire Work of Mary - the Focolari Movement which began with her - and to those who appreciated her constant commitment for communion in the Church, for ecumenical dialogue and for fraternity among all peoples. I thank the Lord for the witness of her life, spent in listening to the needs of modern man in complete faithfulness to the Church and to the Pope. And, as I commend her soul to divine goodness that she may be welcomed in the bosom of the Father, I hope that those who knew and met her, admiring the wonders that God achieved through her missionary ardour, may follow her footsteps and keep her charism alive. With such sentiments, I invoke the maternal intercession of Mary and willingly impart my apostolic blessing to everyone". TGR/LUBICH DEATH/BASSO VIS 080314 (240)
ARCHBISHOP TOMASI ADDRESSES U.N. SESSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
VATICAN CITY, 14 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi C.S., Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations at Geneva, participated on 5 and 11 March in the seventh ordinary session of the Human Rights Council which is being held in Geneva as of 28 February.
On 5 March, speaking in English on the subject of "the dignity of each person, root of the rights attributed to the community", Archbishop Tomasi noted how "it becomes important to clarify and identify where the source and foundation of human rights are found. In reality the very expression 'human rights' offers the key for an appropriate understanding because it deals exactly with what is 'human', that is the common link among every person and the foundation of human rights".
On 11 March, the prelate turned his attention to the question of "special healthcare assistance to the weakest: unborn children and the seriously ill", highlighting how "no compromise can be made with a person's right to life itself, from conception to natural death, nor with that person's ability to enjoy the dignity which flows from that right". DELSS/HUMAN RIGHTS/TOMASI VIS 080314 (200)
VATICAN CITY, 14 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
- Three prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Haiti on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Guire Poulard of Jacmel.
- Bishop Joseph Willy Romelus of Jeremie.
- Bishop Jean Alix Verrier of Les Cayes.
This evening, he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. AP:AL/.../... VIS 080314 (90) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
13 March 2008
Vatican News Update 13 March 2008
| 03.13.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 51 |
|
SUMMARY:
- Haiti: Promoting Change and Reconciliation - Telegram for the Death of John Paul I's Brother - Pain of Pope for Death of Archbishop of Mossul - Communique: Meeting on Church Life in China
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HAITI: PROMOTING CHANGE AND RECONCILIATION
VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Haiti. They have just completed their "ad limina" visit during which, said the Pope, they have been able to share with the Roman Curia "the joy and hope, as well as the concerns, being experienced by the people of God entrusted to your pastoral care".
The Holy Father mentioned John Paul II's visit to Haiti 25 years ago for the country's national Eucharistic congress entitled "Something has to change here". But, Pope Benedict asked, "have things changed?" And he recalled how the country has known "painful moments: ... divisions, injustice, poverty, unemployment, factors that are a source of profound concern to people".
"I ask the Lord to give all Haitians, especially those who bear social responsibility, the courage to promote change and reconciliation so that all the inhabitants of the country may enjoy dignified living conditions, and benefit from the fruits of their land in an ever-increasing solidarity".
"I cannot forget those people who find themselves obliged to travel to the neighbouring State in order to satisfy their needs", said Pope Benedict, and he called upon the international community "to continue and to intensify its aid to the Haitian people so that they can take the reins of their own future and development".
Referring to the concerns expressed by the prelates in their individual meetings with him, the Pope mentioned "the instability of the family structure" which is "due to the crisis the country is experiencing, but also to the evolution of behaviour and to the progressive loss of a sense of marriage and the family" which comes about "when other forms of union are placed on the same level".
Because "society and the Church largely develop from the family" Benedict XVI told the prelates, attention to this area of pastoral activity is "vital because it is the primordial place for the education of the young. I encourage you, then, to support married couples and young families with adequate formation, also teaching them respect for life".
The Holy Father then turned his attention to priests, encouraging the bishops "to look to their permanent formation and to maintain fraternal relations with them" in order "to help them exercise a fruitful ministry". Bishops should also invite priests "to avoid political compromise" and "to base their apostolate on a relationship with Christ, and on the Eucharistic mystery which reminds us how He gave Himself for the salvation of the world".
On the subject of seminarians, Benedict XVI called on the prelates "to work with the episcopates of other countries to identify experienced formators, who lead exemplary priestly lives and may accompany over the various stages of their formation ... the future priests needed for the dioceses in your country. Upon this the future of the Church in Haiti depends. May the local Churches", he exclaimed, "hear this call and undertake to send you priests to help you in the formation of seminarians!"
"Despite their limited means, Catholic schools play an important role and are appreciated by the authorities and by the people" said the Pope, noting that "the personality matures through education, just as it does through the recognition of essential values and the practice of virtue. Also in this way, a concept of the human being and of society is handed down", he said.
Finally, the Holy Father praised the work of religious and volunteers "who work with the poorest, the disinherited of society, demonstrating that, by fighting poverty, we also fight the numerous social problems that depend upon it". AL/.../HAITI VIS 080313 (610)
TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF JOHN PAUL I'S BROTHER
VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has sent a telegram of condolence to Bishop Giuseppe Andrich of Belluno Feltre, Italy, for the death on Tuesday 11 March at the age of 91 of Edoardo Luciani, brother of Servant of God John Paul I.
In the telegram, the Pope recalls his "cordial meeting" with Edoardo in Lorenzago di Cadore in July last year, and dwells on the deceased's "great human and Christian qualities, particularly his exemplary dedication to his family, his generous service to the Church, and his intense social commitment.
"I pray fervently", the Holy Father adds, "that the deceased may - alongside his wife and his brother Pontiff whom he loved dearly - share in endless peace and joy with the Risen Lord". TGR/DEATH EDOARDO LUCIANI/ANDRICH VIS 080313 (140)
PAIN OF POPE FOR DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP OF MOSSUL
VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has sent a telegram to Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq, for the death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, who was kidnapped on 29 February.
In his telegram the Pope expresses his closeness "to the Chaldean Church and to the entire Christian community", reaffirming his "condemnation for an act of inhuman violence which offends the dignity of human beings and seriously damages the cause of the fraternal coexistence of the beloved Iraqi people".
Benedict XVI gives assurances of his prayers for the archbishop "who was kidnapped just after he had completed the Way of the Cross" and invokes the Lord's mercy "that this tragic event may serve to build a future of peace in the martyred land of Iraq".
Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. also released the following declaration today:
"We had all continued to hope and pray for his release, something the Pope had requested on a number of occasions in his appeals.
"Unfortunately the most senseless and unjustified violence continues to be inflicted on the Iraqi people, and especially on the small Christian community to which the Pope and all of us are particularly close in prayer and solidarity at this moment of great suffering.
"It is to be hoped that this tragic event may once more - and more powerfully - underline the responsibility of everyone, and especially of the international community, for the pacification of so troubled a country". OP/DEATH ARCHBISHOP MOSSUL/LOMBARDI VIS 080313 (270)
COMMUNIQUE: MEETING ON CHURCH LIFE IN CHINA
VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today released the following communique:
"The Commission established by Pope Benedict XVI to study the most important questions concerning the life of the Church in China met in the Vatican from 10 to 12 March.
"The meeting had as its theme the Letter which the Holy Father sent to Chinese Catholics on 27 May 2007. Participants first examined the reaction to the pontifical document both inside and outside China. They reflected on the theological principles that inspired the Letter in order to comprehend the future prospects they bring for the Catholic community in China. In concrete terms, in the light of the papal text consideration was given to certain important aspects regarding the Church's mission as 'instrument of salvation' for the Chinese people: evangelisation in a world experiencing globalisation; the application, in China's current situation, of the Vatican Council II doctrine on the nature and structure of the Church; forgiveness and reconciliation within the Catholic community; the requirements of truth and charity; the government of dioceses, which has great relevance for pastoral activity and for the formation of priests, seminarians, religious and lay faithful. In line with the indications expressed by the Pope in His Letter, the will for a respectful and constructive dialogue with the authorities was reiterated. Finally, and still in the light of the pontifical document, the participants exchanged information and experiences concerning the life and activity of the Church in China.
"The meeting concluded with a meeting with the Holy Father. He listened to a brief report of the work accomplished over the three days and encouraged the participants to continue their commitment in favour of the Catholic community in China. He also mentioned the forthcoming event of 24 May, the Universal Day of Prayer for the Church in China". OP/MEETING CHURCH CHINA/... VIS 080313 (320)
VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Cardinal Angelo Scola, patriarch of Venice, Italy.
- Eight prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Haiti on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Chibly Langlois of Fort-Liberte.
- Bishop Yves-Marie Pean C.S.C. of Les Gonaives accompanied by Bishop emeritus Emmanuel Constant.
- Bishop Pierre-Antoine Paulo O.M.I. of Port-de-Paix.
- Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of Port-au-Prince, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Joseph Lafontant, Pierre-Andre Dumas and Simon Saint-Hillien C.S.C. AP:AL/.../... VIS 080313 (90)
VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:
- Msgr. Camille Perl, secretary of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", as vice-president of the same commission.
- Msgr. Mario Marini, adjunct secretary of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", as secretary of the same commission. NA/.../PERL:MARINI VIS 080313 (50) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
12 March 2008
Vatican News Update 12 March 2008
| 03.12.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 50 |
|
SUMMARY:
- Boethius and Cassiodorus: Great Figures of Roman Culture
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BOETHIUS AND CASSIODORUS: GREAT FIGURES OF ROMAN CULTURE
VATICAN CITY, 12 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Prior to this morning's general audience, which was celebrated in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope received a large group of Italian students in the Vatican Basilica.
"Schools today", the Pope told them, "face significant challenges in the field of educating new generations. For this reason, schools cannot just be places for imparting ideas but are called to offer pupils the opportunity to fathom cultural, social, ethical and religious messages.
"Teachers", he added, "cannot fail to perceive the moral dimension of all human knowledge, because man knows in order to act and action is the fruit of his knowledge. In modern society which is marked by profound changes, you, dear young people who wish to follow Christ, must take care to update your spiritual formation, seeking an ever greater understanding of the contents of faith. Thus you will be able to respond without hesitation to those who ask you the reasons for your adherence to the Lord".
The Holy Father then moved on to the Paul VI Hall where thousands of faithful from all over the world were awaiting his arrival. He dedicated his catechesis today to two early Christian writers: Boethius and Cassiodorus.
Benedict XVI recalled how Boethius was born to a noble family in Rome in the year 480, and became a senator at the age of 25. "Despite his dedication to public life he did not neglect his studies", said the Pope, "dedicating himself in particular to a profound examination of philosophical-religious themes. In this field ... he used the categories of Greek philosophy to present the Christian faith, investigating the possibility of a synthesis between the Hellenistic-Roman legacy and the evangelical message. Precisely for this reason, Boethius has been called the last great representative of ancient Roman culture and the first of the mediaeval intellectuals.
"His best-known work is the 'De consolatione philosophiae', which he wrote to give a meaning to his unjust imprisonment. In fact, having defended his friend the senator Albinus, who was on trial, Boethius was accused of plotting against King Theodoric. ... Tried and condemned to death, he was executed on 23 October 524.
"Precisely because of his dramatic end" said the Pope, Boethius can, "from within his own experience, also speak to modern man, and above all to the vast numbers of people who suffer his same fate as a result of the injustice that exists in such a large part of 'human justice'".
"For Boethius philosophy is the true medicine of the soul, he says that man can experience true happiness only in his own interior. And in any case God remains the supreme good towards which all human beings tend, even without knowing it".
Returning to consider Boethius' time as a prisoner, the Pope defined as "particularly absurd" the situation of people who, like the philosopher, suffer torture and death "for no other reason than that of their political and religious ideals. Boethius, symbol of the vast numbers of people unjustly imprisoned in all times and all places is, in fact, a means of access to the contemplation of the ... Crucified Christ of Golgotha".
The Holy Father then turned his attention to Marcus Aurelius Cassiodorus, a Calabrian who was born in 485 and died around 580. He was "a contemporary of Boethius" and "a man of high social standing who dedicated himself to political and cultural life like few others in the Western Roman world of his time".
With the intention of "recovering, conserving and handing down the immense cultural patrimony of the ancients" Cassiodorus "founded 'Vivarium', a monastic community organised in such a way that the intellectual life of the monks was seen as precious and indispensable" yet without neglecting "the monastic and Christian commitment to spiritual values and to charitable activity among the poor".
In Cassiodorus' teachings, said the Pope, "especially in the treatise 'De anima' and in 'Institutiones divinarum litterarum', prayer ... has a central position as a form of nourishment necessary for everyone. ... The search for God with the aim of contemplating Him - says Cassiodorus - remains the permanent objective of monastic life. He adds, however, that with the help of divine grace, it is possible to draw greater benefit from the revealed Word by using scientific advancements and the 'profane' tools of culture".
"We", the Pope concluded, "live in a time of meeting between cultures, of the danger of violence that destroys cultures, and of the necessary commitment to transmit the great values and to teach new generations the path to reconciliation and peace. We find this path by turning to the God with a human face, the God Who revealed Himself to us in Christ". AG/BOETHIUS CASSIODORUS/... VIS 080312 (800)
VATICAN CITY, 12 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed
- Fr. Guido Zendron of the clergy of the archdiocese of Trento, Italy, "fidei donum" priest of the archdiocese of Sao Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, as bishop of Paulo Afonso (area 28,328, population 359,000, Catholics 264,000, priests 29, religious 43), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Lisignago, Italy in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1978.
- Fr. Fernando Jose Monteiro Guimaraes C.Ss.R., bureau chief at the Congregation for the Clergy, as bishop of Garanhuns (area 8,734, population 612,000, Catholics 551,000, priests 41, religious 123), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Recife, Brazil, in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1971. NER/.../ZENDRON:GUIMARAES VIS 080312 (120) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
11 March 2008
Vatican News Update 11 March 2008
| 03.11.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 49 |
|
SUMMARY:
- Cardinal Bertone Returns from Armenia and Azerbaijan - Exhibition of Masterpieces from Fabric of St. Peter's
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CARDINAL BERTONE RETURNS FROM ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
VATICAN CITY, 11 MAR 2008 (VIS) - On 9 March Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. concluded his visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan, countries visited by John Paul II in 2001 and 2002 respectively. The cardinal's visit to Armenia was postponed for two days because of a state of emergency declared in that country in the wake of recent protests.
Cardinal Bertone met with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, in his see of Etchmiadzin, and consigned him a Letter from Benedict XVI in which the Pope expresses his hopes for peace in the country and for continuation along the path of ecumenism. The cardinal subsequently went on to meet representatives of the Catholic community of Armenia, which is a minority in the country.
On 6 March, Cardinal Bertone began the second stage of his journey, travelling to Azerbaijan where, in the capital city of Baku, he inaugurated in the new Catholic church of the Immaculate Conception, a sign, the cardinal said, "of true religious tolerance" in a land with a Muslim majority.
One of the most symbolic moments of the cardinal's visit to this former Soviet republic (in which 94.3 percent of the population is Muslim) was his visit to the mosque of Baku. Allashukur Pashazade, head of Muslims in the Caucasus, recevied the cardinal in his residence in the presence of religious leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church and of the Jewish community.
After visiting the mosque, Cardinal Bertone participated in a prayer of welcome at the Russian Orthodox cathedral where he expressed the hope that, as soon as possible, "the visible unity of the Church may be expressed". He then went on to visit the synagogue of Baku.
The final event of the secretary of State's visit to Azerbaijan was his celebration of Mass on 9 March in Baku's new Catholic church of the Immaculate Conception, where he addressed words of encouragement to the Catholic community of the country. The church has been built on land donated to John Paul II on his 2002 visit by President Heydar Aliyev, father of the current head of State. .../TRIP ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN/BERTONE VIS 080311 (370)
EXHIBITION OF MASTERPIECES FROM FABRIC OF ST. PETER'S
VATICAN CITY, 11 MAR 2008 (VIS) - "'Magnificenze Vaticane'. Masterpieces of Art from the Collections of the Fabric of St. Peter's" is the title of an exhibition due to be inaugurated this afternoon at Palazzo Incontro in Rome. It will remain open until 25 May.
The exhibition is being promoted by the Province of Rome and by the European Centre for Tourism. It includes more than 130 works on display for the first time, recovered from storage in the Vatican Basilica, restored and examined by experts. "Magnificenze Vaticane" is divided into various interrelated but autonomous sections including architecture, painting and sculpture.
"The aim of such a meticulous distinction", says a communique announcing the initiative, "is to show the plurality of interventions on a single site (the basilica of St. Peters) and to bear witness to the quality of workmanship even in fields usually held to be of lesser importance". Above all, the communique continues, the aim is to reveal "the variety and creative ability of the main figures on the Roman artistic scene who in all times - from the 14th to the 20th century - aspired to leave their mark on the Vatican Basilica".
"The papal basilica of St. Peter's in the Vatican, universally known as the centre of Christianity, houses a vast number of important monuments, the fruit of the abilities and creativity of the greatest artists of all ages. Yet before their sparks of genius were immortalised in stone or bronze, there was a phase in which the work of art was planned and assessed. The rediscovery of traces of this precious heritage of the past ... is the theme of this great and unique exhibition". The communique also recalls that the Fabric of St. Peter's was established by Julius II in 1506 to oversee the various phases of the building of the new basilica and to guarantee its subsequent maintenance.
Among the little-known works on display will be a roll of damask with the arms of Pope Alexander VII, pyramidal reliquaries by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, candelabra and crosses purchased by Pope Pius IX from the king of Naples, and a series of eighteenth-century altar hangings in silk and gold.
The 1400s are represented in the sculpture section with the Four Evangelists by Mino da Fiesole and Giovanni Dalmata, while the Baroque is present in the form of works attributed to Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Alessandro Aligardi. In the painting section, fragments and frescoes from the interior of the basilica of St. Peter's will be on display for the first time. Documents from the General Historical Archive of the Fabric signed by Benevenuto Cellini, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno, Bernini and others will also be on show. .../MAGNIFICENZE VATICANE/... VIS 080311 (460)
VATICAN CITY, 11 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Erected the new diocese of Fajardo-Humacao (area 574, population 293,000, Catholics 97,869, priests 22) Puerto Rico, with territory taken from the archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico and from the diocese of Caguas, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of San Juan de Puerto Rico. He appointed Fr. Eusebio Ramos Morales of the clergy of Caguas, pastor of the parish of "Santisimo Redentor" at Fajardo as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Maunabo, Puerto Rico in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1983.
- Appointed Fr. Xolelo Thaddaeus Kumalo, bursar of the diocese of Bethlehem, South Africa, as bishop of Eshowe (area 26,364, population 2,200,000, Catholics 76,095, priests 57, religious 131), South Africa. The bishop-elect was born in Gogela, South Africa in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1991.
- Appointed Msgr. Felipe Salazar Villagrana, diocesan administrator of San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico, as bishop of the same diocese (area 12,000, population 974,000, Catholics 951,000, priests 315, religious 519). The bishop-elect was born in Amatlan de Canas, Mexico, in 1940 and ordained a priest in 1968. ECE:NER/.../RAMOS:KUMALO:SALAZAR VIS 080311 (200) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
Vatican News Update 10 March 2008
| 03.10.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 48 |
|
SUMMARY: 8 - 10 MARCH
- Exalted Values of Life to Counteract Secularisation - Telegram for the Death of Cardinal Dery - Fighting Poverty in All Its Dimensions - Meeting to Examine the Life of the Church in China - Man Maintains His Dignity, Even in Coma or Embryonic State - Christ: the Hope for Life after this Life - Fresh Appeals for Peace in the Middle East
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EXALTED VALUES OF LIFE TO COUNTERACT SECULARISATION
VATICAN CITY, 8 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received participants in the plenary session of the Pontifical Council for Culture who have been meeting to study the question of "the Church and the challenge of secularisation".
"Today more than ever", the Holy Father told them, "reciprocal openness between cultures is an important field for dialogue between men and women committed to seeking authentic humanism, over and above the differences that separate them".
Secularisation, he said, "invades all aspects of daily life and causes the development of a mentality in which God is effectively absent, entirely or in part, from human life and conscience". This "is not just an external threat to believers, but has for some time been evident in the bosom of the Church herself".
Benedict XVI expressed the view that believers are being conditioned by a "culture of images which imposes contradictory models and impulses, with the effective negation of God". Hence people come to believe "there is no longer any need for God, to think of Him or to return to Him", said the Pope. "Furthermore, the predominant hedonistic and consumer mentality favours, in the faithful as in pastors, a drift towards superficiality and selfishness which damages ecclesial life".
The Holy Father warned of "the risk of falling into spiritual atrophy and emptiness of heart", and highlighted the need to react to such a situation by re-appropriating "the exalted values of existence which give meaning to life and can satisfy the disquiet of the human heart in its search for happiness". These include "the dignity and freedom of the person, the equality of all mankind, and the sense of life and death and of what awaits us at the end of earthly existence".
"The phrase 'etsi Deus non daretur' [as if there were no God] is becoming a way of life which has its roots in a kind of 'arrogance' of reason", he said. Reason "was actually created and loved by God" but is now "held to be sufficient unto itself and closes itself off from contemplating and seeking a Truth that lies beyond it".
Benedict XVI indicated that the Pontifical Council for Culture must remain committed to "fruitful dialogue between science and faith", respecting the ambit and methodology of each of them, in order "to serve man and humanity, favouring the integral development and growth of each and of all.
"Above all", he added in conclusion, "I exhort pastors of the flock of God to a tireless and generous mission to counteract - in the field of dialogue and meeting between cultures, of announcement and testimony of the Gospel - the worrying phenomenon of secularisation which weakens man and hinders his innate longing for the entire Truth". AC/CHURCH SECULARISATION/... VIS 080310 (470)
TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL DERY
VATICAN CITY, 8 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Pope has sent a telegram of condolence to Archbishop Gregory Ebo Kpiebaya of Tamale, Ghana, for the death of Cardinal Peter Poreku Dery, archbishop emeritus of the same archdiocese. He also sent a telegram to the late cardinal's brother. Cardinal Dery died on 6 March at the age of 89.
"This devoted pastor", writes the Pope, "has left behind a shining legacy of prayer, humble obedience to the will of God and love of neighbour. He gave himself with generous heart to his priestly and episcopal ministry at the service of the faithful of the diocese of Wa and the archdiocese of Tamale for many years, preaching the Gospel in difficult conditions with the love of a father, great zeal and simplicity of heart, constantly attentive to the needs of the poor". TGR/DEATH CARDINAL DERY/KPIEBAYA VIS 080310 (150)
FIGHTING POVERTY IN ALL ITS DIMENSIONS
VATICAN CITY, 8 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a statement given by Msgr. Renato Volante, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations Organisation for Food and Agriculture (FAO), during the 29th FAO Regional Conference for the Near East held in Cairo, Egypt from 1 to 5 March.
In his English-language address, which was entitled "Promoting food security with particular attention for the situation of smallholders", Msgr. Volante indicated that the Holy See "pays a particular attention to those initiatives that are carried out at international level trying to solve situations of hunger, food deficiencies, malnutrition, especially when in some areas of the earth an increase of needs occur".
"The situation of food security in the Near East is not without preoccupation even in presence of a general development also on account of food availability destined to people nutrition. Water shortage, besides conditioning the agricultural production, involves the standards of living, with an evident opposition between the real potentialities and the will to take those measures that grant not only nutritional standard and food consumptions but, in a broad sense, social conditions, people health, especially in those areas which are naturally risking desertification.
"This could mean to give better attention to the small farmers, often neglected by the institutions and by the co-operation activities. In the same way, some environmental conditions, human-induced factors and animal disease compel nomadic populations to eradicate themselves from their habitat thus forcing them to food production and livelihoods different from their traditions".
"That of the Holy See delegation is an invitation to focus the results obtained during this conference in a perspective that involves the human being as a whole, recalling those fundamental values of history, different cultures, religious experiences and social life in the Near East Region. These aspects easily express concepts of justice and solidarity to be put into practice in politics, rules and actions to fight poverty in all its material and spiritual dimensions". DELSS/NEAR EAST/FAO:VOLANTE VIS 080310 (340)
MEETING TO EXAMINE THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN CHINA
VATICAN CITY, 8 MAR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy See Press Office released the following communique:
"The commission established by Pope Benedict XVI to study the most important questions concerning the life of the Church in China will meet in the Vatican from 10 to 12 March. The commission is composed of superiors of dicasteries of the Roman Curia who have responsibilities in this field, and of certain members of the Chinese episcopate and religious congregations.
"This first meeting will examine the reactions to the Letter which the Holy Father sent to Chinese Catholics on 27 May 2007. The rich contents of the pontifical document will be analysed in-depth and, in the light thereof, the principal aspects of the life of the Church in China will be considered". OP/MEETING CHURCH CHINA/... VIS 080310 (150)
VATICAN CITY, 8 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:
- As members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches: Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples; and William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
- Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the 1350th anniversary of the birth of St. Willibrord, due to be held in Luxembourg from 11 to 13 May. NA/.../... VIS 080310 (100)
MAN MAINTAINS HIS DIGNITY, EVEN IN COMA OR EMBRYONIC STATE
VATICAN CITY, 9 MAR 2008 (VIS) - This morning the Pope celebrated the Eucharist in the Roman church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus, which is part of the San Lorenzo International Youth Centre located very near St. Peter's Square. The centre is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Mass was attended by around 200 young people from various continents who collaborate in the activities of the youth centre.
The Holy Father read out only the beginning of his prepared homily, then continued with improvised remarks on the meaning of life and death in the light of the Gospel reading of this fifth Sunday of Lent, on the raising of Lazarus.
"Human beings, though part of this cosmos, transcend it", he said. "Of course man always remains man in all his dignity, even if in a coma or in the embryonic state, yet if he lives only biologically he does not realise and develop all the potential of his being. Man is called to open himself to new dimensions".
The first dimension, said the Pope, is that of knowledge. In this context he noted how, unlike the animals, "man wishes to know everything, all of reality. ... He thirsts for knowledge of the infinite, he wishes to arrive at the font of life and to drink therefrom, to find life itself".
This, he continued, leads to the second dimension: "Man is not just a being who knows, he also lives in relationships of friendship and of love. Beyond the dimension of knowledge of truth and of being, there also exists, inseparable from it, the dimension of relationships, of love. And it is here that man comes close to the source of life from which he wishes to drink in order to have life in abundance, to have life itself".
Science, and medicine in particular, he went on, "are a great struggle for life", yet even if medicine were to find "the prescription against death, the prescription of immortality" it would still "be confined within this biosphere.
"It is easy to imagine what would happen if man's biological life were endless, if he were immortal", the Holy Father added. "We would find ourselves in an aged world, a world full of old people, a world that would leave no space for the young, for the renewal of life. Thus we understand that this cannot be the kind of immortality to which we aspire. ... Drinking from the font of life is to enter into communion with this infinite love which is the source of life".
After recalling how the Fathers of the Church called the Eucharist "medicine of immortality", Benedict XVI explained that in this Sacrament "we enter into communion with the body [of Christ] which is animated by immortal life and thus we enter, now and always, into the space of life itself". HML/LIFE DEATH/SAN LORENZO CENTRE VIS 080310 (490)
CHRIST: THE HOPE FOR LIFE AFTER THIS LIFE
VATICAN CITY, 9 MAR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square below.
Commenting on today's Gospel reading of the raising of Lazarus, the Pope affirmed that "this was the last great 'sign' accomplished by Jesus, after which the chief priests summoned the Sanhedrin and planned to kill Him; and they also decided to kill Lazarus, who was the living proof of the divinity of Jesus, Lord of life and death".
In this Gospel passage, Christ describes Lazarus as having "fallen asleep" thus using the metaphor of sleep to express "God's point of view on physical death: ... a sleep from which it is possible to awake. Jesus showed an absolute power over such death" said Benedict XVI. Yet "this lordship over death did not prevent Jesus feeling sincere compassion for the pain of separation" for, seeing Lazarus' sisters and friends weeping, He too 'was greatly disturbed' and 'began to weep'".
The Holy Father continued: "Christ's heart is divine-human. In Him God and man came together perfectly, without separation and without confusion. He is the image, indeed the incarnation, of God Who is love, mercy, paternal and maternal tenderness, of God Who is Life".
Jesus asks Lazarus' sister Marta is she believes that He is the resurrection and the life, "a question that Jesus addresses to each one of us - a question that is certainly beyond us, that is beyond our capacity to understand - asking us to entrust ourselves to Him as He entrusted Himself to the Father".
Marta's answer is "exemplary" said the Pope: "'I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world'. ... We too believe despite out doubts", he concluded, "we believe in You because You have words of eternal life; we wish to believe in You Who give us a dependable hope of life after life, of authentic and full life in Your Kingdom of light and peace". ANG/RESURRECTION/... VIS 080310 (350)
FRESH APPEALS FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
VATICAN CITY, 9 MAR 2008 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today, the Pope again launched an appeal for peace in the Middle East.
"Over the last few days, violence and horror have once again bloodied the Holy Land, nourishing the spiral of destruction and death which seems to have no end. While inviting you to ask the Almighty Lord insistently for the gift of peace in that region, I wish to entrust the many innocent victims to His mercy, and to express my solidarity with the families and the injured.
"I also encourage the Israeli and Palestinian authorities in their intention to continue building, through negotiation, a peaceful and just future for their peoples. And I ask everyone, in God's name, to abandon the tortuous paths of hatred and revenge, and responsibly to follow the ways of dialogue and trust.
"This is also my hope for Iraq", he added, "while our uneasiness persists over the fate of Archbishop Rahho, and of so many Iraqis who continue to be subject to blind and meaningless violence which is certainly contrary to the wishes of God".
Finally, the Pope recalled that in St. Peter's Basilica at 5.30 p.m. on Thursday 13 March he will preside at a penitential liturgy for young people of the diocese of Rome in preparation for 23rd World Youth Day, which will be held in Sydney, Australia in July. "Dear young people", said Benedict XVI, "I invite you all to this appointment with the mercy of God". ANG/MIDDLE EAST WYD/... VIS 080310 (260)
VATICAN CITY, 10 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic and apostolic delegate to Puerto Rico.
- Frere Alois, prior of the community of Taize.
- Archbishop Louis Kebreau S.D.B. of Cap-Haiten, Haiti on his "ad limina" visit, accompanied by Archbishop emeritus Hubert Constant O.M.I.
- Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg in Breisgau, Germany, president of the German Episcopal Conference.
On Saturday 8 March he received in separate audiences:
- Archbishop Ivo Scapolo, apostolic nuncio to Rwanda.
- Five prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Mario Alberto Molina Palma O.A.R. of Quiche.
- Bishop Gonzalo de Villa y Vasquez S.J. of Solola-Chimaltenango.
- Bishop Pablo Vizcaino Prado of Suchitequepez-Retalhuleu.
- Bishop Gabriel Penate Rodriguez, apostolic vicar of Izabal.
- Fr. Octavio Sassu O.P., pro-vicar of the apostolic vicariate of El Peten. AP:AL/.../... VIS 080310 (170) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
Vatican News Update 7 March 2008
| 03.07.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 47 |
|
SUMMARY:
- Historical Sciences Are of Great Interest for Church Life - In Confession We Experience the Joy of God's Forgiveness - Holy Father Receives Prime Minister of Luxembourg - Sharing Clean Technologies with Developing Countries
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HISTORICAL SCIENCES ARE OF GREAT INTEREST FOR CHURCH LIFE
VATICAN CITY, 7 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican Benedict XVI received members of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences who work, the Pope said in his address to them "in a field that is of great interest for the life of the Church".
The Holy Father noted how during the pontificate of Leo XIII, "historiography was guided by the spirit of the times and hostile to the Church". Hence, that Pope "opened the archives of the Holy See to researchers ... in the conviction that the study and description of the true history of the Church could not but be favourable to her".
Today "it is no longer just a question of tackling a historiography hostile to Christianity and to the Church", he went on. "Today it is historiography itself that is going through a serious crisis, having to fight for its very existence in a society ruled by positivism and materialism. These two ideologies have led to a boundless enthusiasm for progress which ... influences the view of life of large sectors of society. The past thus appears as a dark backdrop against which the present and future glitter with misleading promise".
"Typical of this mentality is a lack of interest in history", said Benedict XVI, "which translates into the marginalisation of the historical sciences". This in turn leads to "a society which, heedless of its own past and hence lacking criteria acquired through experience, is no longer capable of harmonious coexistence or joint commitment in realising future aims. Such a society is particularly vulnerable to ideological manipulation.
"This danger is becoming ever greater because of an excessive emphasis given to modern history", he added, "especially when research in this field is conditioned by a methodology which draws inspiration from positivism and sociology", ignoring "other important aspects of historical reality, even entire epochs".
"Even when its does not specifically concern ecclesiastical history, historical analysis nonetheless contributes to describing the life context in which the Church has carried out and continues to carry out her mission. ... There can be no doubt that Church life and activity have always been determined (facilitated or made more difficult) by the various historical contexts. The Church is not of this world, but she lives in it and for it". AC/.../PONTIFICAL COMMITTEE HISTORICAL SCIENCES VIS 080307 (400)
IN CONFESSION WE EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS
VATICAN CITY, 7 MAR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Pope received participants in a course on the "internal forum" organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary.
In his remarks, the Holy Father reflected on the administration of the Sacrament of Penance in our own day "which unfortunately", he said, "is losing the notion of sin. What is needed today is to ensure that people who confess experience that divine tenderness for penitent sinners which so many Gospel episodes express with intense emotion".
Referring to the episode of the sinful woman in the Gospel of Luke, the Pope highlighted "the eloquent message that emerges from this Gospel passage: to those who love much God forgives everything. Those who trust in themselves and in their own merits are, as it were, blinded by their own 'I' and their hearts harden in sin. On the other hand, those who recognise themselves as weak and sinful entrust themselves to God and from Him obtain grace and forgiveness. ... What is most important is to make it clear that in the Sacrament of Penance - whatever the sin committed - if sinners recognise it humbly and entrust themselves to the priest confessor, they will always experience the soothing joy of God's forgiveness".
Noting how there currently exists "a certain disaffection" with the Sacrament of Penance, the Pope indicated that "when we insist only on the accusation of sin (although this must exist, and it is necessary to help the faithful understand its importance), we run the risk of relegating to second place what is, in fact, essential, in other words the personal meeting with God, Father of goodness and mercy".
Pastors, and especially confessors, must, said the Holy Father, "emphasise the close link between the Sacrament of Penance and an existence decisively oriented to conversion", so that "the grace of the Sacrament may support and nourish the commitment to be faithful disciples of the Lord".
"If this incessant longing is lost", he concluded, "the celebration of this Sacrament unfortunately risks becoming a formality which does not penetrate the fabric of everyday life. On the other hand, if people (though animated by a desire to follow Jesus) do not confess regularly, little by little they risk slowing spiritual rhythm until it weakens and perhaps even stops". AC/SACRAMENT PENANCE/... VIS 080307 (390)
HOLY FATHER RECEIVES PRIME MINISTER OF LUXEMBOURG
VATICAN CITY, 7 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:
"This morning, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, who subsequently went on to meet with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
"The cordial discussions provided an opportunity to evoke the good relations that exist between the Catholic Church and the Grand Duchy and to examine a number of questions of mutual interest concerning the current situation of the country. Specific reference was made to the defence of human life and to the ongoing legislative process aimed at the liberalisation of euthanasia.
"Attention also turned to the international situation, in particular to the future of Europe, to the Middle East and the presence of Christians, to conflicts in various parts of the world and to inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue". OP/AUDIENCE/LUXEMBOURG:JUNCKER VIS 080307 (160)
SHARING CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES WITH DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
VATICAN CITY, 7 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of an address delivered by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, during the 62nd U.N. General Assembly which met on 11 and 12 February to consider the theme: "Addressing Climate Change: the United Nations and the World at Work".
"The use of 'clean technologies'", said the archbishop speaking English, "is an important component of sustainable development. To help industrialising countries avoid the errors that others committed in the past, highly industrialised countries should share with the former their more advanced and cleaner technologies".
"Moreover, markets must be encouraged to patronise 'green economics' and not to sustain demand for goods whose very production causes environmental degradation. Consumers must be aware that their consumption patterns have direct impact on the health of the environment".
"Indeed, the challenge of climate change is at once individual, local, national and global. Accordingly, it urges a multilevel co-ordinated response, with mitigation and adaptation programmes simultaneously individual, local, national and global in their vision and scope. ... It demands a global alliance for the adoption of a co-ordinated international political strategy towards a healthy environment for all". DELSS/CLIMATE CHANGE/U.N.:MIGLIORE VIS 080307 (210)
VATICAN CITY, 7 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences three prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Oscar Julio Vian Morales S.D.B. of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango-Totonicapan.
- Bishop Rodlofo Francisco Bobadilla Mata C.M. of Huehuetenango.
- Bishop Alvaro Leonel Ramazzini Imeri of San Marcos.
This evening, he is scheduled to receive in audience Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. AP:AL/.../... VIS 080307 (90) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
Vatican News Update 6 March 2008
| 03.06.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 46 |
|
SUMMARY:
- Evangelisation of Cultures, a Priority Task - Pope Receives Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
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EVANGELISATION OF CULTURES, A PRIORITY TASK
VATICAN CITY, 6 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict received prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.
"Your pastors' hearts", the Pope told the bishops, "are filled with concern for the increase in violence and poverty that affects large numbers of the population and causes extensive emigration to other countries, with grave repercussions on personal and family life. This situation is an invitation for you to renew your efforts to show everyone the merciful face of the Lord, of Whom the Church is called to be the image, accompanying and serving with generosity and dedication, especially those who suffer and are most in need".
The Holy Father then went on to refer to the Guatemalan people's "profound religious sentiment, rich in forms of popular expression which must mature into solid Christian communities". And he reminded bishops that "firmness in the faith and participation in the Sacraments strengthens your faithful against the risk posed by sects or by supposedly charismatic groups, which create disorientation and can even endanger ecclesial communion".
"The tradition of your cultures sees in the family the basic nucleus of existence and of transmission of faith and values", said the Pope. However, given the "serious pastoral and human challenges" which the institution of the family is facing, "the Church remains dedicated ... to the solid formation of people who are preparing for marriage, constantly infusing faith and hope into homes and praying that, with the necessary help, they may fulfil their responsibilities".
Benedict XVI also reminded bishops that their priests "need constant encouragement to continue along the path of true priestly sanctity, ... as well as the means necessary to increase their human and theological formation".
Finally, the Holy Father turned his attention to the impact on evangelisation of the Second American Missionary Congress, held in Guatemala in 2003, and of the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, celebrated in Brazil in 2007. He invited the bishops "to continue with renewed energy the Church's evangelising mission in the context of modern cultural movements and globalisation, giving fresh vigour to preaching and catechesis, and proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the foundation and raison d'etre for all believers".
"The evangelisation of cultures", he concluded, "is a priority task to ensure that the Word of God remains accessible to everyone and, absorbed into the mind and heart, becomes the light that illuminates those cultures and the water that purifies them with the message of the Gospel which brings salvation for all humankind". AL/GUATEMALA/... VIS 080306 (440)
POPE RECEIVES ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE
VATICAN CITY, 6 MAR 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Pope received the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. At the end of their meeting, the two men prayed together in the Urban VIII Chapel of the Apostolic Palace.
This is the third meeting between the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch. They first met when Benedict XVI visited Istanbul for the Feast of St. Andrew in November 2006, then when Bartholomew travelled to Naples in October last year to participate in an International Meeting for Peace.
This afternoon, Patriarch Bartholomew is scheduled to preside at an academic function at Rome's Pontifical Oriental Institute, where he himself gained his doctorate, for the 90th anniversary of its foundation.
On 4 March he received a doctorate "honoris causa" in international and diplomatic affairs granted by the University of Trieste in northern Italy.
Bartholomew I is being accompanied on his visit by His Eminence Gennadios, metropolitan-archbishop of the Greek Orthodox in Italy and Malta, exarch for southern Europe; His Eminence Athanasios of Helioupolis and Thiera; and His Eminence Ioannis of Pergamo, Orthodox president of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. .../MEETING/BARTHOLOMEW VIS 080306 (210)
VATICAN CITY, 6 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences three prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Rodolfo Valenzuela Nunez of Vera Paz-Coban, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Gerardo Humberto Flores Reyes.
- Msgr. Rodrigo Humberto Garza Vela, diocesan administrator of Zacapa y Santo Cristo de Esquipulas. AL/.../... VIS 080306 (60)
VATICAN CITY, 6 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Vienna, Austria, presented by Bishop Helmut Kratzl, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Fr. Stephan Turnovszky of the clergy of Vienna, Austria, pastor at Baden San Giuseppe, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 9,100, population 2,519,795, Catholics 1,337,062, priests 1,141, permanent deacons 171, religious 2,399). The bishop-elect was born in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1998.
- Appointed Carlos Augusto de Oliveira Camargo as a consultor of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum".
- Appointed Msgr. Pascal Ide, official of the Congregation for Catholic Education as bureau chief in the same congregation. RE:NEA:NA/.../... VIS 080306 (130) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
05 March 2008
Vatican News Update 5 March 2008
| 03.05.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 45 |
|
SUMMARY:
- Leo The Great, Tireless Promoter of Roman Primacy - Seminar of Catholic-Muslim Forum to be Held in November
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LEO THE GREAT, TIRELESS PROMOTER OF ROMAN PRIMACY
VATICAN CITY, 5 MAR 2008 (VIS) - St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church, was the subject of Benedict XVI's catechesis during this morning's general audience. The Holy Father greeted pilgrims gathered in the Vatican Basilica before going on to the Paul VI Hall where more than six thousand people were waiting to hear him speak.
St. Leo the Great, "as implied by the epithet tradition soon accorded to him", was one of the greatest incumbents of the See of Rome, the authority and prestige of which he strengthened. "He is also the earliest Pope whose sermons have come down to us, sermons he would address to the people who gathered around him during celebrations", said the Pope.
"It is natural we should think of him also in the context of these Wednesday general audiences, which have over recent decades become a customary way for the Bishop of Rome to meet with the faithful and with many visitors from all over the world".
St. Leo the Great was elected as Pope in the year 440. His pontificate lasted more than two decades and included "difficult times" during which "repeated barbarian invasions, the progressive weakening of imperial authority in the West and a lengthy social crisis forced the Bishop of Rome ... to take on an important role also in civil and political affairs", said Pope Benedict.
For example, in 452 Leo the Great met with Attila the Hun in Mantua to dissuade him from continuing the invasion which had devastated parts of northern Italy. In 455 he similarly sought to dissuade Genseric the Vandal and, though he did not prevent him invading and sacking Rome, he did convince him not to raze the city and to respect the basilicas of St. Peter's, St. John Lateran and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, where part of the population had taken refuge.
In his numerous sermons and letters, St. Leo appears to us "in all his greatness, dedicated to the service of truth in charity through the assiduous exercise of the word which reveals him, at one and the same time, as theologian and pastor. ... Constantly concerned for his faithful and for the people of Rome, but also for communion between the various Churches and for their needs, he tirelessly supported and promoted Roman primacy".
The Holy Father explained how during Leo's pontificate the Council of Chalcedon took place, "the most important assembly in the history of the Church up to that time", which "affirmed the union in the one Person, without confusion and without separation, of the two natures, human and divine".
"It is clear", Benedict XVI went on, "that this Pope felt particularly acutely his responsibility as Peter's Successor, whose role in the Church is unique because 'just one Apostle is entrusted with what is communicated to all the Apostles'". Leo the Great "showed himself capable of exercising this responsibility in both West and East, intervening prudently, firmly and coherently in various circumstances, both through his writings and by his legates. Thus he showed how the exercise of Roman primacy was necessary then, as it is now, as an effective service to communion, which is a characteristic of the one Church of Christ.
"Conscious of the historical moment in which he lived and of the move that was taking place - in a period of profound crisis - from a pagan to a Christian Rome, Leo the Great remained close to the people and to the faithful with pastoral activity and prayer". He also "related the liturgy to the daily life of Christians", showing how "Christian liturgy is not a recollection of past events but the realisation of invisible truths that act upon the life of each individual". AG/LEO THE GREAT/... VIS 080305 (630)
SEMINAR OF CATHOLIC-MUSLIM FORUM TO BE HELD IN NOVEMBER
VATICAN CITY, 5 MAR 2008 (VIS) - In the light of the open letter "A Common Word" signed by 138 Muslim scholars, and of Benedict XVI's response through Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., a delegation of five signatories of that letter met with five representatives of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue in the Vatican on 4 and 5 March.
A communique made public today and signed by the heads of the two delegations, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad, states that, "in order to further develop Catholic-Muslim dialogue, the participants agreed to establish the 'Catholic-Muslim Forum' and to organise the first seminar of the forum in Rome from 4 to 6 November 2008".
That meeting will be attended by 24 religious leaders and scholars from each side. The theme will be "Love of God, Love of Neighbour" and the sub-themes "Theological and Spiritual Foundations" and "Human Dignity and Mutual Respect". The seminar will conclude with a public session on 6 November and the participants will be received by Pope Benedict XVI.
The participants in this month's meeting were, on the Catholic side, Cardinal Tauran, Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata and Msgr. Khaled Akasheh, respectively president, secretary and head officer for Islam of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue; Fr. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot M.C.C.J., president of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies; and Fr. Christian W. Troll S.J., visiting professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
On the Muslim side, the meeting was attended by Sheikh Murad, president of the Muslim Academic Trust, UK; Professor Aref Ali Nayed director of the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Amman, Jordan; Dr. Ibrahim Kalin of the SETA Foundation, Ankara, Turkey; Imam Yahya Pallavicini, vice-president of CO.RE.IS. (Comunità Religiosa Islamica), Italy; and Sohail Nakhooda, editor-in-chief of "Islamica" Magazine, Amman, Jordan. CON-DIR/CATHOLIC MUSLIM MEETING/TAURAN VIS 080305 (320) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
Vatican News Update 4 March 2008
| 03.04.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 44 |
|
SUMMARY:
- Cardinal Bertone Departs for Armenia - San Lorenzo International Youth Centre Marks 25 Years
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CARDINAL BERTONE DEPARTS FOR ARMENIA
VATICAN CITY, 4 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today announced that Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., departed this morning for Armenia where he will today begin his planned visit, though with some variations to the programme. As previously announced, his scheduled visit to Azerbaijan is confirmed. OP/TRIP ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN/BERTONE VIS 080304 (60)
SAN LORENZO INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CENTRE MARKS 25 YEARS
VATICAN CITY, 4 MAR 2008 (VIS) - On the morning of Sunday 9 March, the Pope will celebrate the Eucharist in the Roman church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus. The church is part of the San Lorenzo International Youth Centre which is located very near St. Peter's Square. The centre is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
The San Lorenzo International Youth Centre was inaugurated by John Paul II on 13 March 1983. During a Eucharistic celebration held that day, the then Pope expressed the hope that the centre may become "a forge for the formation of authentic young Christians who are capable of bearing coherent witness to the Gospel in today's world".
According to a press communique released this morning, the "house for young people", supported by the Pontifical Council for the Laity and located next to the Holy See, is "a place of welcome, prayer, formation and encounter for young people from all over the world who are in Rome on pilgrimage". It is also "the site where the World Youth Day cross is kept".
The Eucharistic celebration presided by Benedict XVI will inaugurate a series of initiatives planned to mark the 25th anniversary. Because the church is so small, the celebration will only be attended by the young people from various countries who work in the centre, and by a number of guests.
On Thursday 13 March, another Eucharistic celebration will be held, this time presided by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. It will be followed by a prayer vigil and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, due to last until midnight.
On Friday 14 March, another vigil will take place, organised by the community of Taize and presided by Frere Alois, prior of the community. On Saturday 15 March a meeting of reflection and witness will be held on the theme of "the history and mission of the San Lorenzo International Centre" to be attended by Cardinal Rylko and by Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical council "Cor Unum", who promoted the foundation of the centre 25 years ago.
The events will come to an end on Palm Sunday 16 March with the Mass presided by the Pope in St. Peter's Square.
The San Lorenzo International Youth Centre, which welcomes all young people, remains open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. Mass is celebrated every evening, followed by Eucharistic adoration. .../SAN LORENZO CENTRE/... VIS 080304 (430)
VATICAN CITY, 4 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:
- Bishop Nicola Agnozzi O.F.M. Conv., emeritus of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia, Italy, on 17 February at the age of 96.
- Archbishop Emilio Benavent Escuin, military ordinary emeritus of Spain, on 4 January at the age of 93.
- Bishop Paul Michael Boyle C.P., emeritus of Mandeville, Jamaica, on 10 January at the age of 81.
- Bishop Paul-Louis Carriere, emeritus of Laval, France, on 20 February at the age of 99.
- Bishop Ramon Daumal Serra, former auxiliary of Barcelona, Spain, on 10 February at the age of 95.
- Archbishop Vincenzo Maria Farano, emeritus of Gaeta, Italy, on 17 January at the age of 86.
- Bishop Jose Higinio Gomez Gonzalez O.F.M., emeritus of Lugo, Spain, on 8 January at the age of 75.
- Bishop Daniel Anthony Hart, emeritus of Norwich, U.S.A., on 14 January at the age of 80.
- Bishop Sebastian Krauter, emeritus of Timisoara, Romania, on 29 January at the age of 85.
- Bishop Paulino Fernandes Madeca, emeritus of Cabinda, Angola, on 9 January at the age of 80.
- Bishop Darius Nggawa S.V.D., emeritus of Larantuka, Indonesia, on 8 January at the age of 78.
- Archbishop Marijan Oblak, emeritus of Zadar, Croatia, on 15 February at the age of 88.
- Bishop Candido Padin O.S.B., emeritus of Bauru, Brazil, on 25 January at the age of 92.
- Archbishop Franc Perko, emeritus of Beograd, Serbia, on 20 February at the age of 78.
- Archbishop Oskar Saier, emeritus of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, on 3 January at the age of 75.
- Bishop Vittorio Tomassetti, emeritus of Fano-Fossombrone-Cagli-Pergola, Italy, on 6 January at the age of 77.
- Archbishop Elias Zoghbi, emeritus of Baalbek of the Greek Melkites, Lebanon, on 17 January at the age of 95. .../DEATHS/... VIS 080304 (320) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
03 March 2008
Vatican News Update 3 March 2008
| 03.03.2008 - Eighteenth Year - Num. 43 |
|
SUMMARY: 1 - 3 MARCH
- Pope Appeals for Release of Archbishop of Mossul - Holy Father to Canonise Four Blesseds on 12 October - Young People: Witnesses to the Gospel, Builders of Peace - In Healing Man Jesus Achieves a New Creation - Papal Appeals for Iraq, Holy Land and Childhood - Cardinal Bertone Postpones Armenia Visit - Salesian General Chapter: Unity of Spiritual Life
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POPE APPEALS FOR RELEASE OF ARCHBISHOP OF MOSSUL
VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique late yesterday afternoon:
"The Holy Father Benedict XVI was immediately informed of the kidnapping of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, which took place yesterday afternoon during an attack in which the prelate's two bodyguards and his driver were killed. Archbishop Rahho had just completed the Way of the Cross, a religious rite which the faithful in Iraq hold very dear. This suggests that the criminal action was premeditated.
"Saddened by this latest deplorable act, which is a powerful blow to the whole Church in the country and especially the Chaldean Church, the Pope feels close to Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, and to the entire sorely-tired Christian community, as well as to the relatives of the victims. The Supreme Pontiff invites the Universal Church to join his fervent prayer that reason and humanity may prevail in the perpetrators of the kidnapping and that Archbishop Rahho may be returned as soon as possible to his flock. He also renews his hope that the Iraqi people rediscover the path to reconciliation and peace".
For his part Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, who is currently visiting Amman, Jordan, has made an urgent appeal for the immediate release of the Iraqi prelate.
During a Eucharistic celebration held on 29 February in the Church of St. Mary of Nazareth in the Latin Vicariate of the Jordanian capital, the cardinal expressed his own closeness to and solidarity with the Catholic community in Iraq. OP/KIDNAP ARCHBISHOP MOSSUL/... VIS 080303 (280)
HOLY FATHER TO CANONISE FOUR BLESSEDS ON 12 OCTOBER
VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2008 (VIS) - During the ordinary public consistory held this morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI declared that the following Blesseds will be canonised in a ceremony to be held on Sunday 12 October: Gaetano Errico, Maria Bernarda Butler (nee Verena), Alfonsa of the Immaculate Conception (nee: Anna Muttathupandathu), and Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran.
A number of cardinals then expressed to the Pope their desire to pass from the order of deacons to the order of priests. The College of Cardinals is divided into three orders: of bishops, of priests and of deacons. Cardinals in the order of bishops are each assigned one of the seven suburbicarian churches or suffragan dioceses (Ostia, Albano, Frascati, Palestrina, Porto-Santa Rufina, Sabina-Poggio Mirteto, Velletri); cardinal patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches are also members of the order of bishops. Cardinals of the order of priests receive a title or church within the city of Rome; the order of priests includes cardinal diocesan archbishops and bishops, as well as others. The order of deacons includes cardinals who are not diocesan bishops.
At the request of Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, the diaconate of San Saba has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal.
At the request of Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, the diaconate of the Most Holy Name of Mary at the Forum of Trajan has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal.
At the request of Cardinal Lorenzo Antonetti, the diaconate of St. Agnes in Agone has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal.
At his request, Cardinal James Francis Stafford has relinquished the diaconate of Jesus the Good Shepherd at Montagnola and been assigned the presbyteral title of San Pietro in Montorio.
At the request of Cardinal Giovanni Cheli, the diaconate of Sts. Cosmas and Damian has been elevated "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title and assigned to the same cardinal.
Finally, in the wake of Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos' move to the order of priests, the Holy Father confirmed Cardinal Agostino Caccavillan, deacon of Holy Guardian Angels at Citta Giardino, in the office of proto-deacon. OCL/ORDINARY PUBLIC CONSISTORY/... VIS 080303 (380)
YOUNG PEOPLE: WITNESSES TO THE GOSPEL, BUILDERS OF PEACE
VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2008 (VIS) - A prayer vigil was held in the Paul VI Hall at 5 p.m. today for the occasion of the sixth European Day for Universities. The initiative has been being promoted by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE) and the vicariate of Rome's office for pastoral care in universities on the theme: "Europe and the Americas together to build a civilisation of love".
During the gathering there were satellite linkups with university students in the cities of Naples, Italy; Bucharest, Romania; Toledo, Spain; Avignon, France; Minsk, Belarus; Washington DC, U.S.A.; Mexico City, Mexico; Havana, Cuba, Aparecida, Brazil, and Loja, Ecuador.
At 6 p.m. the Holy Father arrived to pray the Rosary. He then extended greetings in various languages, both to the young people present in the Paul VI Hall and to those following events from the European and American cities.
"Christianity", said the Pope, "is a profound and powerful link between the so-called old continent and what has been called the 'new world'". In this context he recalled "the fundamental position that Holy Scripture and Christian liturgy occupy in the culture and art of European and American peoples.
"Unfortunately", he added, "so-called 'western civilisation' has also partly betrayed its Gospel inspiration. What is needed, then, is an honest and sincere reflection, an examination of conscience. It is necessary to discern between what serves to build the 'civilisation of love' according to the design that God revealed in Jesus Christ, and what runs counter to it".
Addressing young Europeans and Americans, Benedict XVI said: "God calls you to co-operate, alongside your peers all over the world, so that the lifeblood of the Gospel may renew the civilisation of these two continents and of humanity entire.
"The great European and American cities are becoming more and more cosmopolitan, but they often lack this lifeblood, which is capable of ensuring that differences do not become the cause of division and conflict but of mutual enrichment.
"The civilisation of love", said the Pope, "is 'conviviality', in other words a respectful and peaceful coexistence that finds joy in its differences in the name of a shared vision which the Blessed Pope John XXIII founded on the four columns of love, truth, freedom and justice".
He went on: "This, dear friends, is the duty I consign to you today: be disciples of and witnesses to the Gospel, because the Gospel is the good seed of the Kingdom of God, in other words the civilisation of love! Be builders of peace and of unity!"
The Holy Father concluded his remarks by identifying one "sign of this Catholic unity" in the initiative of giving each of the students present a CD copy of his recent Encyclical "Spe salvi" in five languages. AC/EUROPEAN DAY UNIVERSITIES/... VIS 080303 (480)
VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, presented by Archbishop Francois Marie-Wolff Ligonde, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, apostolic administrator "sede plena" of the same archdiocese.
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Port-de-Paix, Haiti, presented by Bishop Frantz Colimon S.M.M., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Pierre-Antoine Paulo O.M.I.
- Appointed Bishop Louis Kebreau S.D.B. of Hinche, Haiti, as metropolitan archbishop of Cap-Haitien (area 2,200, population 1,463,520, Catholics 778,110, priests 72, religious 135), Haiti. The archbishop-elect was born in Jeremie, Haiti in 1938, he was ordained a priest in 1974 and consecrated a bishop in 1987. He succeeds Archbishop Hubert Constant O.M.I., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Msgr. Leon Kalenga Badikebele, nunciature counsellor in the apostolic nunciature to Japan, as apostolic nuncio to Ghana, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Kamina, Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1956 and ordained a priest in 1982.
- Appointed Daniele Dalvai as counsellor of Vatican City State.
- Appointed Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the New Christian Millennium in Ethiopia, due to be held in Addis Ababa from 2 to 4 May on the occasion of the Ethiopian National Eucharistic Congress. RE:NER:NN:NA/.../... VIS 080303 (280)
IN HEALING MAN JESUS ACHIEVES A NEW CREATION
VATICAN CITY, 2 MAR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter's Square.
The Sunday liturgies of Lent, the Pope remarked "take us on a true Baptismal journey". If last Sunday Jesus promised the Samaritan woman the gift of "living water", today with the healing of the blind man He shows Himself as "light of the world" and next Sunday, with the raising of Lazarus, as "the resurrection and the life".
He continued: "Water, light and life are symbols of Baptism, the Sacrament that 'immerses' believers in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, freeing them from the slavery of sin and giving them eternal life".
The Pope noted how in today's Gospel reading the disciples, in keeping with the mentality of the time, believe the man is blind as a consequence of his sins or those of his parents, but "Jesus rejects this prejudice" and His words enable us to hear "the living voice of God, which is wise and providential Love".
The Holy Father explained: "Faced with a man debilitated by his limitations and his suffering, Jesus does not think of any possible sins but of the will of God Who created the man for life. ... He enters into immediate action: mixing dust with His own saliva to make mud which He spreads over the blind man's eyes. This gesture alludes to the creation of man, which the Bible recounts with the symbol of dust moulded and animated with the breath of God".
"In healing man, Jesus achieves a new creation. But that episode of healing gives rise to animated discussion because Jesus performs it on the Sabbath and thus, according to the Pharisees, breaks the precept of the feast day. Thus, at the end of the narrative, Jesus and the blind man both find themselves 'driven out' by the Pharisees: the One because He violated the law, the other because, despite the cure, he was still branded as a sinner since birth".
"To the blind man Jesus reveals that He has come into the world for judgement, to separate the curable blind from those who will not let themselves be healed because they believe they are healthy. Indeed, in man there is a strong temptation to build a system of ideological security, even religion itself can become an element of this system, as can atheism or laicism, but by doing so he remains blinded by his own selfishness".
The Holy Father concluded his remarks: "Let us allow ourselves to be healed by Jesus Who can and wants to give us the light of God! Let us confess our blindness, our short-sightedness and, especially, what the Bible calls the 'great sin': pride". ANG/LENT BAPTISM/... VIS 080303 (480)
PAPAL APPEALS FOR IRAQ, HOLY LAND AND CHILDHOOD
VATICAN CITY, 2 MAR 2008 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today, Benedict XVI launched an appeal for the release of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, who was kidnapped last Friday.
"I join the appeal made by the patriarch, Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, and his collaborators", said the Pope, "that the beloved prelate, who is also in delicate health, may be promptly released. At the same time I raise a pray for the souls of the three young men who were with him at the moment of his kidnapping and were killed. Furthermore, I express my closeness to all the Church in Iraq and in particular to the Chaldean Church, which has suffered another serious blow, as I encourage pastors and faithful to remain strong and firm in hope. May those who control the destiny of the beloved people of Iraq increase their efforts ... to ensure that [Iraqis] may rediscover peace and security and not be denied the future to which they have the right".
The Pope then went on to recall how over the last few days "tension between Israel and the Gaza Strip has reached very serious levels.
"I renew my urgent appeal to the authorities, both Israeli and Palestinian, to stop this spiral of violence, unilaterally and unconditionally. Only by showing absolute respect for human life, even that of the enemy, can we hope to give a future of peace and coexistence to the young generations of those peoples who both have their roots in that Holy Land. I invite the entire Church to raise prayers to the Almighty for peace in the land of Jesus and to show attentive and effective solidarity to both peoples, Israeli and Palestinian".
Finally, the Holy Father referred to the recent discovery of the corpses of two young Italian brothers who disappeared from their home more than a year ago. "A very sad end", he said, "that affected me deeply as it did many people. I wish to take this opportunity to launch a cry in support of childhood: Let us look after our little ones! We must love them and help them to grow. I say this to parents, but also to institutions. In launching this appeal, my thoughts go to children all over the world, and especially to the most defenceless, exploited and abused. I entrust each child to the heart of Jesus Who said: 'Let the little children come to me'". ANG/IRAQ HOLY LAND CHILDHOOD/... VIS 080303 (420)
CARDINAL BERTONE POSTPONES ARMENIA VISIT
VATICAN CITY, 2 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today released a communique announcing that Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. has postponed his visit to Armenia, which was scheduled to have taken place from 2 to 6 March.
"Considering the situation that has arisen in Armenia following protests there and the state of emergency declared by the government, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., secretary of State, will not travel to Yerevan today as had been planned.
"The visit, still not cancelled, may take place over coming days with a different programme. His visit to Azerbaijan remains unchanged". OP/POSTPONEMENT ARMENIA TRIP/BERTONE VIS 080303 (110)
SALESIAN GENERAL CHAPTER: UNITY OF SPIRITUAL LIFE
VATICAN CITY, 3 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Pope to Fr. Pascual Chavez Villanueva, rector major of the Salesians, and to participants in the 26th general chapter of the congregation which begins today in Rome.
In his Message, dated 1 March, the Holy Father writes that the theme chosen for this general chapter - "Da mihi animas, cetera tolle" (Give me souls, take away all else) - expresses "that same programme of spiritual and apostolic life which Don Bosco made his own".
"It is vitally important for the Salesians to draw continual inspiration from Don Bosco, to know him, study him, love him, imitate him, invoke him and make their own that apostolic passion which flows from the heart of Christ".
The theme to be studied over coming days "expresses in synthesis the mysticism and asceticism of Salesians" writes the Pope, indicating that "it is necessary to overcome the dispersive effects of activism and to cultivate the unity of spiritual life by acquiring a profound mysticism and a solid asceticism. This nourishes apostolic commitment and is a guarantee of effectiveness in pastoral activity. It is in this that each Salesian's path to sanctity must consist, and on this that the formation of new vocations to Salesian consecrated life must concentrate".
The Holy Father expresses the view that "evangelisation must be the principal and priority frontier" in the Salesian mission. "In pluri-religious settings and in secularised ones, it is necessary to find new ways to make the figure of Jesus known, especially to the young, so they may become aware of His perennial attraction".
"It is important to help young people to turn their interior resources to account as dynamism and positive desire; to bring them into contact with ideas rich in humanity and evangelical values; to encourage them to become active members of society through work and participation in the common good".
Benedict XVI thanks the congregation "for the research and educational activities of the Pontifical Salesian University". Going on to refer to the "educational emergency" that exists in many parts of the world, he writes: "The Church needs the contribution of scholars to study the methodology of educational and formative processes, the evangelisation of the young and their moral education, together finding answers to the challenges of post-modernity and inter-culturality, and of social communications, while at the same time seeking to come to the help of families".
In this context, the Pope affirms that "education is one of the key points of the modern anthropological problem, to the solution of which I am sure that the Pontifical Salesian University will not fail to make a precious contribution".
At the end of the Message, Benedict XVUI recalls that 2015 will mark the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco, and expresses the hope that the anniversary may stimulate Salesians "to be ever more 'credible signs of God's love for the young', and to ensure that the young truly do become the hope of the Church and society". MESS/SALESIAN GENERAL CHAPTER/CHAVEZ VIS 080303 (520)
VATICAN CITY, 3 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy, and president of the Italian Episcopal conference.
- Eight prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruno, archbishop of Guatemala, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Jose Ramiro Pellecer Samayoa, Mario Enrique Rios Mont C.M., Gustavo Rodolfo Mendoza Hernandez, and Raul Antonio Martinez Paredes.
- Bishop Victor Hugo Palma Paul of Escuintla.
- Bishop Julio Edgar Cabrera Ovalle of Jalapa en Guatemala.
- Bishop Bernanbe de Jesus Sagastume Lemus O.F.M. Cap. of Santa Rosa de Lima.
This evening he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. AP:AL/.../... VIS 080303 (130) |
| You can find more information at: www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net |
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