Vatican News Update

 

SUMMARY:

 

- Letters of Credence of Nine New Ambassadors

- Evangelisation and Education of the New Generations

- Plenary of Working Commission between Holy See, Israel

- Vatican Museums Present Exhibition on Matilda of Canossa

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

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LETTERS OF CREDENCE OF NINE NEW AMBASSADORS

 

VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of nine new ambassadors to the Holy See: Ahmada Rweyemamu Ngemera of Tanzania; Nyine S. Bitahwa of Uganda; Wesley Momo Johnson of Liberia, Hissein Brahim Taha of Chad; Debapriya Bhattacharya of Bangladesh; Sergei F. Aleinik of Belarus; Alexandre Cece Loua of Guinea, Tikiri Bandara Maduwegedera of Sri Lanka, and Obed Wadzani of Nigeria.

 

  Addressing the diplomats as a group, the Pope expressed the view that "the primordial gauge in political matters is the search for justice, so as to ensure that the dignity and rights of human beings are always respected and that all the inhabitants of a country may share in the wealth of their nation. The same holds true for the international sphere".

 

  "The international community", he continued, "is also called to act - over and above simple justice - by showing its solidarity with the poorest and ensuring a better distribution of wealth, enabling especially those countries whose wealth resides in the soil or under the soil to be the primary beneficiaries thereof. Rich countries cannot appropriate what comes from other lands".

 

  "Justice and solidarity must mean that the international community oversees the distribution of resources", said the Holy Father, highlighting how "it is also necessary to develop ... fraternal relations in order to create well-balanced societies where harmony and peace can reign, and to regulate any problems that may arise through dialogue and negotiation, without using any form of violence which always affects the weakest and poorest people".

 

  Benedict XVI explained how "solidarity and fraternity are a definitive expression of the fundamental love which we must show our brothers and sisters, because all people with responsibility in public life are primarily called to make their mission one of service to their compatriots and, in a broader sense, to all the inhabitants of the planet".

 

  The Holy Father concluded his remarks by indicating that, "for their part, the local Churches will not fail to do everything possible to make their contribution to the wellbeing of their compatriots, sometimes in difficult situations. Their desire is tirelessly to continue serving human beings, all human beings, without discrimination of any kind".

 

  In his speech, delivered in written form, to the ambassador of Tanzania, the Pope recalls how the country, "is also held in esteem for the important role undertaken by its political leaders in the process of pacification of the Great Lakes Region" and for its "generous hospitality to refugees fleeing from hostilities in neighbouring countries". The Holy Father also notes certain negative trends such as "an increase in the regional traffic of arms and interruptions in important initiatives of dialogue and reconciliation", and affirms that the Holy See "continues to exhort all who hold responsibility in the region not to loose confidence in the value of dialogue, but to explore with an open mind and follow all possibilities that may lead to the conclusion of a lasting peace".

 

  In his discourse to the Ugandan representative, the Pope notes the country's achievements "in the fields of education, development and health care, especially in the struggle against HIV/AIDS with dedicated attention to those affected and a successful policy of prevention based on continence and the promotion of faithfulness in marriage". He also praises "the culmination of efforts to formalise peace agreements and to bring to a conclusion the long years of warfare marked by cruel and senseless violence", expressing the hope that all displaced people may "return to their homes and resume a peaceful and productive existence".

 

  Benedict XVI informs the ambassador of Liberia of his satisfaction over "the decision by the International Monetary Fund ... to take steps towards cancelling Liberia's debt". He also underlines the importance of the "educational apostolate", noting how "many of your children and young people have been traumatised by the experience of war, some of them forced to become soldiers and to abandon their education, resulting in low levels of literacy across the population. The Church in such circumstances seeks to offer the people hope, to give them faith in the future".

 

  The Pope tells the ambassador of Chad that "the quality of relations between religious communities living in Chad, especially between Christians and Muslims, is an important element on the country's path to reconciliation".

 

  "I am confident that your country's active participation in bodies such as the United Nations Organisation will contribute to the 'culture of peace' which Bangladesh desires to build at home and abroad", writes the Pope in his speech to the Bangladeshi ambassador.

 

  "Considered as an integral part of the life and destiny of Belarus", Pope Benedict says to that country's representative, "the Catholic Church looks forward to continuing to exercise her role in society through her various structures and institutions", which "seek only to serve men and women and all of society through the transmission of universal values inspired by the Gospel. In this regard the Catholic Church in Belarus, from both the Latin and Byzantine traditions, does not ask for special privileges but only to contribute to the growth and development of the country. All she requests is the freedom to be able to fulfil serenely the mandate received from the divine Founder in service of His creation. In this same spirit and with the same sense of mutual responsibility, the Catholics of Belarus are committed to moving forward in the area of ecumenical dialogue, especially with the Orthodox Church in your country".

 

  To the ambassador of Guinea, the Pope expresses the hope that "following the painful trials the nation has been through, active co-operation may consolidate stability and encourage fraternity among the people". He also makes clear his hope that the international community may support such efforts.

 

  To the diplomat from Sri Lanka, Benedict XVI notes how "Catholics in Sri Lanka, together with other Christians, are united with many Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims in the ardent longing for lasting peace in the country and a definitive end to long-standing grievances. Sadly, violence continues to take its toll on the populace, causing grave concern to the Holy See and the international community". He also mentions the government's decision to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate cases of human rights violations, making particular reference to "Fr. Jim Brown and his assistant, whose whereabouts are still unknown, almost two years after their disappearance".

 

  Finally, the Holy Father praises Nigeria for the dynamism it "has introduced into the struggle against corruption and crime and the strengthening of the rule of law. ... I pray that politicians and social workers, professional people in the fields of economy, medicine and law, police officers and judges, and all involved in combating crime and corruption will work together diligently for the protection of life and property, supported by the loyal co-operation of all citizens. The Church will not fail to make her specific contribution by offering an integral education based on honesty, integrity and love of God and neighbour".

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EVANGELISATION AND EDUCATION OF THE NEW GENERATIONS

 

VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Pope met with members of the Italian Episcopal Conference, who are currently holding their general assembly in the Vatican's Synod Hall. The central theme of their deliberations has been evangelisation and education among the new generations.

 

  The Pope opened his address to them by affirming that the "educational emergency" he has referred to on a number of previous occasions "assumes a very specific form: that of the transmission of the faith to the new generations". In this field "we must negotiate the obstacles placed in our way by relativism, by a culture that puts God within parenthesis and discourages all truly committed choices, and in particular definitive choices, rather privileging ... self-affirmation and immediate satisfaction".

 

  To face these difficulties, said the Pope, bishops have at their disposal "many charisms and forms of evangelising energy" which they must "accept with joy". Particularly important, he went on, "are personal relationships, especially sacramental confession and spiritual guidance. Each of these moments represents an opportunity given to us to help our young people see the face of the God Who is the true friend of mankind".

 

  "The current educational emergency raises the question of an education that is truly educational", an education that "re-establishes full and integral formation of the person as the centre of its focus. ... It is, in fact, fair to ask whether the quality of teaching would not be improved by a simulating comparison between educational centres established - while respecting universally valid teaching programmes - by popular groups concerned with interpreting the educational choices of individual families".

 

  Benedict XVI indicated that Italy "needs to overcome a difficult period in which economic and social dynamism seemed to weaken, faith in the future diminished, and the poverty of many families led to a growing sense of insecurity". In this context, he also noted "signs of a new climate" due to "a more serene relationship between political forces and the institutions" which has been inspired by "a more acute sense of a shared responsibility for the future of the nation. ... There exists, in fact, a widespread desire to resume the journey, to face and resolve at least the most urgent and pressing problems, to open a new season of economic (but also civic and moral) growth".

 

  "As bishops we cannot fail to make our own specific contribution, so that Italy may see a period of progress and harmony", he said. "To this end we must first of all bear frank witness to the fact that ... the fundamental problem of mankind today remains the problem of God. No other human and social problem can truly be solved if God does not return to the centre of our lives".

 

  "Within the framework of a healthy and well-understood laicism, it is important to resist all tendencies to consider religion, and in particular Christianity, as a purely private matter", said the Holy Father.

 

  He laid particular emphasis on the prelates' concern for "the family founded on marriage, ... in order to encourage a culture favourable, and not hostile, to the family and to life, and to ask public institutions for coherent policies that recognise the central role families play in society, especially in generating and educating children". Furthermore, he added, "our commitment to the dignity and protection of human life in all moments and conditions must remain strong and constant".

 

  "We cannot close our eyes and remain silent in the face of the poverty, discomfort and social injustice that afflict such a large part of humankind, and that require generous commitment from everyone. ... Of course, our readiness to help must come about while respecting the laws which undertake to ensure the well-ordered progress of social life, both within a State and towards those who come from outside".

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PLENARY OF WORKING COMMISSION BETWEEN HOLY SEE, ISRAEL

 

VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday in the Vatican, the Permanent Bilateral Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel held its plenary meeting for the purpose of advancing negotiations concerning article 10 para. 2 of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel of 30 December 1993.

 

  According to a communique released yesterday afternoon, the Holy See delegation was headed by Msgr. Pietro Parolin, under-secretary for Relations with States, and the Israeli delegation by Aaron Abramovich, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

  The work of the plenary meeting of the commission "took place in a climate of great cordiality and good will, and accomplished significant progress towards the shared goal, both substantially and in terms of putting in place procedures to improve desired effectiveness and on-going negotiations", says the communique.

 

  The next meeting of the plenary will be held in Israel in the first half of December this year, "in the meantime the commission will continue upon its task at the 'working level'".

.../PLENARY BILATERAL COMMISSION/ISRAEL                 VIS 080529 (190)

 

VATICAN MUSEUMS PRESENT EXHIBITION ON MATILDA OF CANOSSA

 

VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Matilda of Canossa, the Papacy and the Empire (history, art and culture at the origins of the Romanesque) is the title of a forthcoming exhibition, which was presented this morning in the Vatican Museums.

 

  The exhibition will be inaugurated on 31 August and run until 11 January 2009, and will have two separate sites: the Casa di Mantegna in Mantua and the abbey of San Benedetto Po. It focuses on the biographical and political events of Matilda's life as a starting point to examine and interpret a period of confrontation between Popes and Emperors which led to the demarcation and separation of the two powers (religious and secular) and thus laid the foundations of the modern conception of power in the West.

 

  Countess Matilda of Canossa (1046-1115), a powerful feudal landowner and ardent supporter of the Papacy in the controversy over investitures, dominated the area of Italy immediately north of the Papal States.

 

  The exhibition - using works of art, documents and artefacts from various museums in Italy and Europe - reveals a world undergoing a profound transformation. Matilda's fame and the need to make her a symbol of support for the Papacy created a myth that has lasted down until our own time, and over history has inspired such figures as Dante, Giulio Romano and Gianlorenzo Bernini who recreated her figure in masterpieces of literature, painting and sculpture.

.../MATILDA OF CANOSSA/VATICAN MUSEUMS                 VIS 080529 (250)

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences two prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Francis Daw Tang of Myitkyina.

 

    - Archbishop Matthias U Shwe of Taunggyi.

AL/.../...                                                                                             VIS 080529 (50)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 29 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Gerardo Alimane Alminaza of the clergy of the diocese of Bacolod, Philippines, rector of the Sacred Heart Seminary, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Jaro (area 5,303, population 2,333,141, Catholics 2,125,446, priests 228, religious 710), Philippines. The bishop-elect was born in San Jose, Philippines in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1986.

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SUMMARY:

 

- New Edition of the Statistical Yearbook of the Church

- Restoration Work Complete on Valerii Mausoleum

 

___________________________________________________________

 

NEW EDITION OF THE STATISTICAL YEARBOOK OF THE CHURCH

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Vatican Publishing House has recently released a new edition of the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, comprising information on the main aspects of Catholic Church activity in various countries for the period 2000-2006.

 

  Over these seven years, the Catholic presence in the world has remained stable at around 17.3 percent of the total population. In Europe, despite the fact that 25 percent of all Catholics live there, the growth in the number of faithful was less than one percent. In the Americas and in Oceania their numbers grew, respectively, by 8.4 percent and 7.6 percent; in Asia they remained more or less stable with respect to population growth, whereas in Africa they increased from 130 million in 2000 to 158.3 million in 2006.

 

  The number of bishops in the world went up from 4,541 in 2000 to 4,898 in 2006, an increase of 7.86 percent.

 

  The number of priests also increased slightly over this seven-year period, passing from 405,178 in 2000 to 407,262 in 2006, an overall rise of around 0.51 percent. In Africa and Asia their numbers increased (respectively, by 23.24 percent and 17.71 percent), in the Americas they remained stable, while they fell by 5.75 percent in Europe and 4.37 percent in Oceania.

 

  The number of diocesan priests increased by two percent, going from 265,781 in 2000 to 271,091 in 2006. By contrast, the number of regular priests showed a constant decline, down by 2.31 percent to 136,000 in 2006. Of the continents, only in Europe was there a clear reduction in priests: in 2000 they represented 51 percent of the world total, in 2006 just 48 percent. On the other hand, Asia and Africa together represented 17.5 percent of the world total in 2000 and 21 percent in 2006. The Americas remained steady at around 30 percent, and Oceania a little more than one percent.

 

  Non-ordained religious numbered 55.057 in the year 2000 and 55,107 in 2006. Comparing this data by continent, Europe showed a strong decline (down by 12.01 percent), as did Oceania (16.83 percent), the Americas remained stable, while Asia and Africa increased (respectively, by 30.63 percent and 8.13 percent).

 

  Female religious are almost double the number of priests, and 14 times that of non-ordained male religious, but their numbers are falling, from 800,000 in 2000 to 750,000 in 2006. As for their geographical distribution, 42 percent reside in Europe, 28.03 percent in America and 20 percent in Asia. The number of female religious has increased in the most dynamic continents: Africa (up by 15.45 percent) and Asia (up by 12.78 percent).

 

  The Statistical Yearbook of the Church also includes information on the number of students of philosophy and theology in diocesan and religious seminaries. In global terms, their numbers increased from 110.583 in 2000 to more than 115.000 in 2006, a growth of 4.43 percent. In Africa and Asia their numbers went up whereas Europe saw a reduction of around 16 percent.

.../STATISTICAL YEARBOOK 2007/LEV                                   VIS 080527 (510)

 

RESTORATION WORK COMPLETE ON VALERII MAUSOLEUM

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 MAY 2008 (VIS) - During a press conference held this morning, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the papal basilica of St. Peter's in the Vatican, presented the results of the recently-completed restoration of the Valerii Mausoleum, one of the most important monuments of the Roman necropolis located under the Vatican Basilica.

 

  The mausoleum, which dates from the 2nd century AD and is famous for its stucco decorations, is located in the middle of the route through the old necropolis that leads to the tomb of St. Peter. The stuccowork was in need of restoration because it had been damaged by the instability of the microclimate in the necropolis and by earlier restoration using inappropriate materials.

 

  The operation, which lasted ten months and was undertaken by a team of experts specialising in underground restorations, was carried out using scalpels, mini drills and, for the most delicate areas, laser equipment. Furthermore, by studying stucco fragments conserved in the storerooms of the Fabric of St. Peter's, it was also possible to recompose three hermae.

 

  Finally, the monument was enclosed within a glass cover, so it may be viewed without affecting the delicate balance of the internal microclimate, which is constantly monitored by a high-precision computerised system. New illumination, using fibre optic cables, makes it possible to admire the coloured surfaces, frescoed to imitate polychrome marble, and the white stucco decorations, modelled to replicate marble statues.

 

  The restoration work was made possible thanks the help of the "Fondazione pro Musica e Arte Sacra". Present at the press conference alongside Cardinal Comastri were Bishop Vittorio Lanzani, delegate of the Fabric of St. Peter's; Maria Cristina Carlo Stella, bureau chief of the Fabric; Pietro Zander, head of conservation for the Vatican necropolis; Adele Cecchini, restorer, and Hans-Albert Courtial, president of the "Fondazione pro Musica e Arte Sacra".

.../RESTORATION VALERII MAUSOLEUM/COMASTRI        VIS 080527 (320)

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SUMMARY: 24 - 26 MAY

 

- Importance of Rediscovering Christian Roots

- Special Envoy to Anniversary of the Virgin of the Poor

- Communique Concerning Director of Bambino Gesu Hospital

- The Eucharist Is a School of Charity and Solidarity

- May the Virgin Mary Support Christians in China

- Co-operation to Tackle Problem of Cluster Munitions

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

IMPORTANCE OF REDISCOVERING CHRISTIAN ROOTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 24 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Benedict XVI received in separate audiences Nikola Gruevski, prime minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, then Ivajlo Kalfin, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of the Republic of Bulgaria. Both men, leading delegations from their respective countries, have come to Rome for the commemoration of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.

 

  In his address to the Macedonian delegation, the Pope indicated that the "shining spiritual witness" of Sts. Cyril and Methodius "points to a perennial truth which must be rediscovered to an ever greater degree: only when hope comes from God, is it trustworthy and secure".

 

  "This hope becomes tangible reality when people of good will in all parts of the world, like the brothers Cyril and Methodius, imitating Jesus' example and faithful to His teaching, tirelessly dedicate themselves to laying the foundations of friendly coexistence among peoples, respecting the rights of each and seeking the good of everyone".

 

  In his audience with the delegation from the Republic of Bulgaria, the Holy Father told them that the memory of the two saints "stimulates believers, both Orthodox and Catholics, in their desire to spur the country to probe more deeply into its rich Christian heritage, the origins of which go back to the tireless initiative of these two great evangelisers from Salonika".

 

  "The work of evangelisation, undertaken with apostolic zeal by Sts. Cyril and Methodius in the lands inhabited by the Slav peoples" is still important today, said Pope Benedict, because "it represents a model for the inculturation of faith" valid "even for the post-modern age. The Gospel does not undermine the authentic elements it finds in the various cultural traditions, but helps mankind of all times to recognise and achieve the real good, illuminated by the splendour of truth".

 

  Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by highlighting how "the rediscovery of Christian roots is important for building a society in which the spiritual and cultural values arising from the Gospel remain present", values that "draw nourishment from constant union with God, as is evident from the lives of Sts. Cyril and Methodius who strove relentlessly to weave relationships of mutual understanding and cordiality between different peoples, and between diverse cultures and ecclesial traditions".

AC/ CYRIL METHODIUS/BULGARIA:MACEDONIA              VIS 080526 (390)

 

SPECIAL ENVOY TO ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIRGIN OF THE POOR

 

VATICAN CITY, 24 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from the Pope, written in Latin and dated 27 March, to Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, appointing him as special papal envoy to celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin of the Poor, due to be held at the shrine of Banneux, Belgium on 31 May.

 

  Cardinal Danneels will be accompanied on his mission by Fr. Karl Gatzweiler and Fr. Joseph Bodeson, members of the cathedral chapter of Liege, Belgium.

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COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING DIRECTOR OF BAMBINO GESU HOSPITAL

 

VATICAN CITY, 24 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a communique released by the Holy See Press Office on the afternoon of Friday 23 May, concerning the position of Giuseppe Profiti, director of the "Bambino Gesu" paediatric hospital in Rome.

 

  "While making clear its total faith in, and desire to collaborate with, the Italian investigating authorities, the Property of the 'Bambino Gesu' paediatric hospital expresses its complete solidarity with the incumbent president, Professor Giuseppe Profiti, who is currently the subject of an enquiry concerning the Italian province of Liguria and the public offices he held in the past.

 

  "Professor Giuseppe Profiti, who last January assumed responsibility for directing the 'Bambino Gesu' hospital, internationally recognised in the field of paediatric research and treatment, has given daily proof of dedication and great professionalism, also garnering the support of his staff, all of them dedicated in a joint effort to respond with excellence to the request for health from their young patients who, from Italy and abroad, come trustingly to the paediatric hospital, property of the Holy See.

 

  "The solidarity of individuals and of institutions translates on the ground into continuing daily efforts ... in support of those who suffer, following Professor Profiti's organisational and methodological guidelines, in the hope that the activity of the magistrates will soon clarify the professor's position and enable him to resume his work".

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THE EUCHARIST IS A SCHOOL OF CHARITY AND SOLIDARITY

 

VATICAN CITY, 25 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Feast of the Eucharist, as celebrated at Corpus Christi, was the theme of remarks that Benedict XVI addressed to faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, before praying the Angelus today.

 

  "The Lord and Creator of all things became a 'grain of wheat' to be sown in our land, in the furrows of our history", said the Pope. "He became bread in order to be .... shared; ... He became our food in order to give us life, His own divine life".

 

  "The Eucharist is a school of charity and solidarity", he went on. "Those who nourish themselves on the bread of Christ cannot remain indifferent before people who, even in our own time, are without daily bread. Many parents have great difficulty in feeding themselves and their children. It is an ever more serious problem which the international community struggles to resolve. The Church not only prays to 'give us this day our daily bread' but, following the example of her Lord, seeks in all ways 'to multiply the five loaves and the two fish', through countless initiatives of human promotion and participation so that no-one may lack what they need to live".

 

  "May the Feast of Corpus Christi be an occasion to increase this authentic concern for our brothers and sisters, especially the poor", said Benedict XVI and he concluded by calling upon the Virgin Mary "from whom the Son of God drew flesh and blood", to intercede to this end.

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MAY THE VIRGIN MARY SUPPORT CHRISTIANS IN CHINA

 

VATICAN CITY, 25 MAY 2008 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today, the Pope addressed a special greeting to Chinese pilgrims present in St. Peter's Square, who have come to Rome from all over Italy for the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which was celebrated yesterday 24 May.

 

  "I entrust to the merciful love of God those of your fellow citizens who died as a consequence of the earthquake that struck a vast area of your county", the Holy Father told them.

 

  He then went on to renew his "personal closeness to those who are living through a period of anguish and tribulation. With the fraternal concern of everyone, may the people of those areas soon return to the normality of daily life.

 

  "Together with you, I ask Mary Help of Christians, Our Lady of Sheshan, to support the 'commitment of those within China who, amid their daily labours, continue to believe, to hope and to love, that they may not be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of the world to Jesus', always being 'credible witnesses' of His love and remaining 'united to the rock of Peter upon which the Church is built'".

ANG/PRAYER CHINA/...                                                             VIS 080526 (210)

 

CO-OPERATION TO TACKLE PROBLEM OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS

 

VATICAN CITY, 26 MAY 2008 (VIS) - On 19 May, Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi C.S., Holy See permanent observer to the Office of the United Nations and Specialised Institutions in Geneva, delivered an address during a diplomatic conference on cluster munitions being held in Dublin, Ireland.

 

  Speaking English Archbishop Tomasi, head of the Holy See delegation to the conference which is being held from 19 to 30 May, underlined the Holy See's insistence on "the priority of human dignity, of the interests of the victims, the priority of prevention and stability, and on the concept of security based on the lowest level of armament. Peace transcends by far the framework of military considerations. Peace is not just the absence of war".

 

  "In a globalised and more inter-dependent world, the problems of some are the problems of all" said the archbishop, warning that "what is not done today, will have to be done tomorrow with a supplement of suffering, of economic costs, and of deeper wounds to heal".

 

  He referred to moves underway to resolve the problem of cluster munitions, indicating that that "such efforts should be considered by the political and military leadership, and by the people of their countries, as a necessary but quite rewarding participation in the construction of a more peaceful and more secure world, where everyone enjoys greater security".

 

  "In this as in other contexts", he added, "co-operation and partnership are essential for success. A partnership between States, United Nations, international organisations, the Committee of the Red Cross and NGOs, is the secret to a common success and an indispensable element to reach the object of the future instrument. Victims should have a privileged place in this plan, their role should be an active one from start to finish".

 

  Archbishop Tomasi concede that "States have a right to defend peace, security and the stability of peoples under their responsibility" but, he said, "this can be better achieved without recourse to the arms race and to war".

 

  After recalling Paul VI's 1965 address to the U.N. General Assembly when the then Pope had said "one cannot love with offensive arms in hand", the head of the Holy See delegation reminded his listeners that "the eyes of peoples, of victims, of affected countries, are focused on this diplomatic conference, and all wait from us a courageous decision, as Pope Benedict XVI reminded the world" during the Angelus prayer of 18 May.

 

  "The world awaits an act of faith in the human person and his highest aspirations to live in peace and security, a commitment to make solidarity the most splendid expression of the unity of the human family and of its common destiny".

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 26 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

 

 - Five prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Paul Zinghtung Grawng of Mandalay.

 

    - Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam of Banmaw.

 

    - Bishop Nicholas Mang Thang of Hakha, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Felix Lian Khen Thang.

 

    - Bishop Philip Lasap Za Hawng of Lashio.

 

  On Saturday 24 May, he received in separate audiences:

 

 - Four prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Albania, on their ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Rrok K. Mirdita of Tirane-Durres, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop George Frendo O.P.

 

    - Bishop Cristoforo Palmieri C.M. of Rreshen.

 

    - Bishop Hil Kabashi O.F.M., apostolic administrator of southern Albania.

 

 - Archbishop Luciano Suriani, apostolic nuncio to Bolivia, accompanied by members of his family.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 26 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Albert Thevenot M. Afr., provincial superior for Canada of the White Fathers, as bishop of Prince-Albert (area 118,834, population 186,400, Catholics 49,942, priests 55, permanent deacons 1, religious 102), Canada. The bishop-elect was born in Treherne, Canada in 1945 and ordained a priest in 1980. He succeeds Bishop Blaise-Ernest Morand, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 

  On Saturday 24 May, it was made public that the Holy Father:

 

 - Appointed Fr. Ghaleb Moussa Abdalla Bader of the clergy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, president of the ecclesiastical tribunal of first appeal of Ammam, Jordan, as metropolitan archbishop of Alger (area 54,927, population 9,663,000, Catholics 3,000, priests 41, permanent deacons 2, religious 100), Algeria. The archbishop-elect was born in Khirbeh, Jordan in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1975. He succeeds Archbishop Henri Teissier, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 

 - Appointed Archbishop Henryk Hoser S.A.C., adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and president of the Pontifical Missionary Works, as bishop of Warszawa-Praga (area 3,300, population 1,113,000, Catholics 1,088,000, priests 650, religious 1,623), Poland. He conserves his personal title of archbishop.

 

 - Appointed Msgr. Piergiuseppe Vacchelli of the clergy of the diocese of Cremona, Italy, under secretary of the Italian Episcopal Conference and president of the committee for charitable initiatives in support of the Third Word, as adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and president of the Pontifical Missionary Works, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Longardore di Sospiro, Italy in 1937 and ordained a priest in 1961.

 

 - Appointed Archbishop Janusz Bolonek, apostolic nuncio to Uruguay, as apostolic nuncio to Bulgaria.

 

 - Appointed Archbishop Anselmo Guido Pecorari, apostolic nuncio, as apostolic nuncio to Uruguay.

 

 - Elevated Msgr. Paolo De Nicolo, regent of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, to the dignity of bishop.

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Please do not reply to this e-mail.For address changes, cancellations  use the links or visit our web.
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SUMMARY: 22 - 23 MAY

 

- The Eucharist Unites Over and Above All Differences

- Participate Actively in Political and Social Life

- Albanian Bishops: Face Problems of the Church Together

- Encourage a Passion for Truth among Communicators

- Cardinal Gantin: Affable Readiness to Serve God

- Rites of Beatification Approved by the Holy Father

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

THE EUCHARIST UNITES US OVER AND ABOVE ALL DIFFERENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 22 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At 7 p.m. today, Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on the square in front of Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran, then presided at the Eucharistic procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

 

  In his homily, the Pope spoke of the significance of today's Solemnity through the three fundamental gestures of the celebration. Firstly "our coming together around the altar of the Lord to be together in His presence", secondly "the procession, walking with the Lord", and finally "kneeling before the Lord in adoration".

 

  Explaining the first of these gestures, the Holy Father quoted St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians, where it is written that "there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus'. ... In these words", said the Pope, "we feel the truth and the power of the Christian revolution, the most profound revolution in human history, which we may experience in the Eucharist where people of different ages, sexes, social conditions and political ideas come together in the presence of the Lord. The Eucharist can never be a private matter. ... The Eucharist is public worship, which has nothing esoteric or exclusive about it. ... We remain united, over and above our differences, ... we open to one another in order to become a single thing in Him".

 

  Concerning the second of these gestures, that of "walking with the Lord", Benedict XVI affirmed that "with the gift of Himself in the Eucharist, the Lord Jesus ... raises us up again ... and puts us on the journey with the power of this Bread of life. ... The procession of Corpus Christi teaches us that the Eucharist wants to free us from all distress and discomfort ... so that we can resume the journey with the strength God gives us in Jesus Christ".

 

  "Without the God-with-us, the God Who is near, how can we sustain the pilgrimage of life, either individually or as a society or a family of peoples?" asked the Pope. "The Eucharist is the Sacrament of the God Who does not leave us to journey alone, but puts Himself at our side and shows us the way. Indeed, it is not enough to keep going, it is important to see where we are going! Progress is not enough if there are no criteria of reference".

 

  Finally, the third element of Corpus Christi, that of "kneeling in adoration before the Lord", is "the most valuable and radical remedy against the idolatries of yesterday and today, ... it is a profession of freedom: those who bow to Jesus cannot and must not prostrate themselves before any earthly power, however strong", said the Pope.

 

  As Christians "we prostrate ourselves before God, Who first bowed down towards man ... to save him and give him life, Who knelt before us to wash our dirty feet. Adoring the Body of Christ means believing that there, in that piece of bread, Christ is truly present and gives real meaning to life, to the vast universe as to the smallest of creatures, to the whole of human history as to the briefest of lives".

 

  Following Mass, the Pope presided at a Eucharistic procession that passed along Rome's Via Merulana to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Along the way, thousands of faithful prayed and sang, accompanying the Blessed Sacrament. An open vehicle transported the Sacrament in a mostrance, before which the Holy Father prayed.

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PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY IN POLITICAL AND SOCIAL LIFE

 

VATICAN CITY, 22 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was the Holy Father's Message for the 97th "Deutscher Katholikentag" ecclesial meeting, which was inaugurated yesterday in the German city of Osnabruck. The event, attended by some 50,000 people, is due to come to an end on Sunday.

 

  Commenting on the theme chosen for the meeting - "He brought me out into a broad place" - the Pope writes that "no small number of people today ... are afraid that the faith may limit their lives, that they may be constrained in the web of the Church's commandments and teachings, and that they will no longer be free to move in the 'broad space' of modern life and thought".

 

  However, "only when our lives have reached the heart of God will they have found that 'broad space' for which we were created. A life without God does not become freer and broader. Human beings are destined for the infinite", he explains.

 

  "The heart that has opened itself to God", writes Benedict XVI, has become "generous and broad in its turn". Such a one does not need to seek happiness and success "or to give weight to the opinions of others". He is "free and generous, open to the call of God" and "can give all of himself faithfully because he knows - wherever he goes - that he is safe in God's hands".

 

  "We trust that the meeting with God, in His word and in the celebration of the Eucharist, may open our hearts and transform us into gushing fonts of faith for others".

 

  The Holy Father particularly asks the lay faithful to ensure "that the future not be moulded exclusively by others; intervene with imagination and persuasive ability in the debates of the present time. ... Using the Gospel as your parameter, participate actively in the political and social life of your country. As lay Catholics, dare to participate in creating the future, in unison with priests and bishops!"

 

  In closing his Message, the Pope addresses the young people present at the meeting, telling them that he hopes to see many of them at World Youth Day, due to be held in Sydney, Australia in July.

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ALBANIAN BISHOPS: FACE PROBLEMS OF THE CHURCH TOGETHER

 

VATICAN CITY, 23 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father received prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Albania, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

 

  In his address to them the Holy Father recalled how, "following the dark night of the communist dictatorship", the Church in Albania "was providentially able to recover, thanks also to the apostolic strength" of Servant of God John Paul II who visited the country in 1993, "reconstituting the Catholic hierarchy for the good of believers and of the Albanian people".

 

  The Pope told the prelates "to promote in your actions and initiatives that unity which must express the basic and life-giving mystery of the one Body of Christ, in communion with Peter's Successor. ... The shared responsibility of bishops" is essential "in order to face the problems and difficulties of the Church in Albania", he said.

 

  "I encourage you all to evangelical prudence", he went on, "while maintaining an attitude of authentic charity and recalling that the ecclesial cannons are a means to the orderly promotion of communion in Christ and the higher good of the one flock of the Redeemer. This concerns evangelising and catechistic activity and may also be expressed through commitment in the social field". In this context, Pope Benedict mentioned healthcare, education, and factors "which favour positive collaboration among the various elements of society and their respective religious traditions".

 

  Faced with the phenomenon of emigration, both within and outside the country, the Pope highlighted the need to engage in dialogue with bishops from other countries, "in order to offer necessary and urgent pastoral assistance. I understand the difficulties of a lack of clergy. I am also aware of the generosity of many of your priests, who work in precarious situations, committed to offering their ministry to the Catholic faithful of Albanian origin in foreign lands".

 

  "Among your priorities, may the promotion of vocations always be a primary concern. On this the future of the Church in Albania depends".

 

  Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by congratulating the prelates on the agreements signed recently with the Republic of Albania. "I trust that these provisions may help towards the spiritual reconstruction of the country, given the positive role the Church plays in society", he said.

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ENCOURAGE A PASSION FOR TRUTH AMONG COMMUNICATORS

 

VATICAN CITY, 23 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received participants in a congress promoted by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, who have been meeting to reflect upon the identity and mission of communications faculties in Catholic universities.

 

  "It is self-evident that at the heart of any serious reflection on the nature and purpose of human communications there must be an engagement with questions of truth. ... The art of communication is by its nature linked to an ethical value, to the virtues that are the foundation of morality. In the light of that definition, I encourage you, as educators, to nourish and reward that passion for truth and goodness that is always strong in the young".

 

  Benedict XVI exhorted his listeners "to promote truth in information, bringing our peers to reflect upon events, with the aim of being educators of human beings and builders of a better world. It is also necessary to promote justice and solidarity, and at all times to respect the value and dignity of individuals, who have the right not to be injured in matters concerning their private life".

 

  "It would be a tragedy for the future of humanity if the new instruments of communication, which allow us to share knowledge and information more rapidly and efficiently, were not to be accessible to people who are already socially and economically marginalised"; or if such instruments were "used to increase the distance that separates those people from the new networks being developed at the service of social life, information and learning".

 

  "It would also be a serious matter", said the Holy Father "if the globalising tendency in the world of communications were to weaken or eliminate traditional customs and local cultures, especially those that have managed to strengthen family and social values, love, solidarity and respect for life". In this context, he expressed his appreciation to religious communities which, "despite the high financial cost and the vast human resources required, have opened Catholic universities in developing countries".

 

  Recalling how, during the course of the congress, attention had turned to the matter of the identity of Catholic universities and schools, the Pope pointed out that "such identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students; it is above all a question of conviction, of truly believing that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man become clear".

 

  "As experts in the theory and practice of communication, and as educators who are training a new generation of communicators, yours is a privileged role, not only in your students' lives, but also in the mission of your local Churches ... to make the Good News of God's love known to everyone".

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CARDINAL GANTIN: AFFABLE READINESS TO SERVE GOD

 

VATICAN CITY, 23 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Today, in a homily he pronounced in St. Peter's Basilica following a Mass for the soul of Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, Benedict XVI recalled the figure of the late prelate, dean emeritus of the College of Cardinals, who died on 13 May at the age of 86.

 

  The Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, and by other members of the college.

 

  "The truth, of which the Word of God powerfully reminds us, is that nothing and no-one, not even death, can resist the omnipotence of His faithful and merciful love. This is our faith, founded on Christ's resurrection; this is the constant assurance which the Lord repeats, today as always".

 

  "It is in this perspective of faith and hope in the resurrection that we recall the venerable Cardinal Bernardin Gantin" who "to the end dedicated himself with affable willingness to the service of God and his fellows, maintaining faith in the motto he chose at the moment of his episcopal ordination: 'In tuo sancto servitio'".

 

  The Holy Father spoke of the character of the cardinal, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops, which he described as "a marvellous blend of the characteristics of the African soul with those of the Christian spirit, of African culture and identify with evangelical values. He was the first African prelate to occupy roles of great responsibility in the Roman Curia".

 

  Benedict XVI then went on to speak of the experiences he had shared with Cardinal Gantin "which enabled me to gain ever greater appreciation of his prudent wisdom, as well as his solid faith and sincere adherence to Christ and to His Vicar on earth, the Pope. Fifty-seven years of priesthood, 51 years of episcopate and 31 as cardinal: this is the summary of a life spent for the Church".

 

  The Pope enumerated the various stages of the cardinal's life: his priestly ordination in 1951; his consecration as bishop in 1957 at the age of just 34; the period he spent as archbishop of Cotonou, capital of his native country of Benin, when he was the first metropolitan of Africa. In 1971, called by Pope Paul VI, he came to Rome as adjunct secretary to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. A few years later he became secretary of that Congregation and, in 1976, also became president of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace". Paul VI made him a cardinal in 1977, and in 1984 John Paul II appointed him as prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

 

  "This friend and brother of ours to whom we today pay homage", said Benedict XVI, "was permeated with love for Christ ... which made him affable and ready to listen and talk to everyone". Christ's love "encouraged him to look, as he used to say, always to the essentials of the life that lasts, without losing himself in the side issues which quickly pass". It "made him see his role in the various offices of the Curia as a service devoid of human ambitions".

 

  "In Cardinal Gantin's pastoral ministry there emerges a constant love for the Eucharist, source of individual sanctity and of solid ecclesial communion, which has its visible foundation in Peter's Successor. And it was in this very basilica, celebrating his last Mass before leaving Rome, that he highlighted the unity the Eucharist creates in the Church. In his homily he quoted the famous phrase of the African bishop St. Cyprian of Carthage: ... 'From here the one faith shines out through the world; from here arises the unity of the priesthood'. This", the Pope concluded, "could be the message we draw from Cardinal Gantin, as his spiritual testament".

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RITES OF BEATIFICATION APPROVED BY THE HOLY FATHER

 

VATICAN CITY, 23 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff today announced four beatification ceremonies due to take place over coming days:

 

  Marta Wiecka, virgin, Polish professed sister of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. At 11 a.m. on Saturday 24 May in Lviv, Ukraine.

 

  Servant of God Maria Giuseppina di Gesu Crocefisso Catanea (nee Giuseppina), virgin, Italian professed nun of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. At 5 p.m. on Sunday 1 June in the cathedral of Naples, Italy.

 

  James Ghazir Haddad (ne Khalil), Lebanese professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins and founder of the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters of the Cross in Lebanon. At 10 a.m. on Sunday 22 June in the Centre Ville of Beirut, Lebanon.

 

  Josepha (nee Hendrina Stenmanns), virgin, German religious and co-foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit At 10.30 a.m. on Sunday 29 June in Steyl Telegen, Netherlands.

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 23 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This evening, the Holy Father is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 23 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 

 - Erected the new ecclesiastical province of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, separating it from the ecclesiastical province of Kuching and raising the diocese of Kota Kinabalu to the status of metropolitan archdiocese with the suffragan dioceses of Keningau and Sandakan . He appointed Bishop John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw of Kota Kinabalu as first metropolitan archbishop of Kota Kinabalu. The archbishop-elect was born in Kota Kinabalu in 1933, he was ordained a priest in 1964 and consecrated a bishop in 1987.

 

  On Thursday 22 May, it was made public that he gave his assent to the canonical election carried out by the Synod of Bishops of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church of Fr. Taras Senkiv O.M., spiritual director of the major seminary of Ivano-Frankivsk, as auxiliary of Stryj of the Ukrainians (area 4,100, population 418,000, Catholics 372,307, priests 212, permanent deacons 2, religious 63), Ukraine. The bishop-elect was born in Bilobozhytsia, Ukraine in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1982.

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Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

 

SUMMARY:

 

- Romanus the Melodist: Faith Creates Beauty

- Investing in Sustainable Agriculture Programmes

- Other Pontifical Acts

- Notice

 

___________________________________________________________

 

ROMANUS THE MELODIST: FAITH CREATES BEAUTY

 

VATICAN CITY, 21 MAY 2008 (VIS) - During this morning's general audience, Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis to Romanus the Melodist, a Syrian "theologian, poet, composer and permanent deacon who resided in a monastery on the outskirts of Constantinople in the sixth century". Before delivering his catechesis in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father visited the Vatican Basilica to greet faithful gathered there.

 

  Romanus, the Pope explained, belongs to "that sizeable group of theologians who transformed theology into poetry" and whose numbers include "St. Ephrem the Syrian, ... St. Ambrose, ... St. Thomas Aquinas, ... and St. John of the Cross. Faith is love and so creates poetry and music. Faith is joy and so creates beauty".

 

  The Melodist "has gone down in history as one of the most characteristic authors of liturgical hymns" at a time in which "homilies were practically the only occasion for the faithful to receive catechistic guidance". His was "a lively and original way of presenting the catechesis. ... Through his compositions we get an idea of the creativity ... the theology, the aesthetics and the sacred hymns of that time".

 

  In his musical homilies, known as "kontakia", Romanus "did not use the solemn Byzantine Greek of the court, but a simple Greek closer to the language of the people. ... The power of conviction of his preaching was founded on the great coherence between his words and his life".

 

  Benedict XVI then went on to examine some of the focal points of the poet-theologian's teaching: "the unity of God's actions in history, ... the unity between creation and the history of salvation, the unity between the Old and New Testaments".

 

  Another aspect the Pope highlighted was Romanus' "doctrine on the Holy Spirit". On the subject of the Pentecost, he said, the poet "underlined the continuity that exists between the ascended Christ and His Apostles, in other words the Church, and he exalted missionary activity in the world". In the Christological field, "he did not enter into the conceptual problem ... which so lacerated the unity not only of theologians but also of the Church". Instead, he preached "the Christology of the great Councils, remaining close to popular piety. ... The concepts of the Councils arose from popular piety, from the knowledge of the Christian heart. Hence he underlined the fact that Christ is true God and true man, ... a single person".

 

  Romanus' moral teachings, the Holy Father observed, "were particularly concerned with the Final Judgement. He led us to that moment of truth of our lives - the meeting with the righteous Judge - and so advised conversion through penance, fasting and charity, which for him was the most important of all the virtues".

 

  "Vibrant humanity, ardent faith and profound humility impregnate the music of Romanus the Melodist", said Pope Benedict. "This great poet and composer reminds us of all the wealth of Christian culture which was born of faith, born of hearts that encountered Christ. From this contact with the Truth that is love ... all great Christian culture came into being".

 

  "If faith remains alive, this cultural heritage does not die, ... it remains. Icons also speak today to hearts that believe. They are not just things of the past. Cathedrals are not medieval monuments, but places where we can meet God and one another. Great music, Gregorian chants, Bach, Mozart, are not things of the past. They exist with the vitality of our liturgy and our faith. If faith is alive, Christian culture does not become a thing of the past".

 

  "And if faith remains alive", the Holy Father concluded, "we too can respond to the constantly-repeated imperative: ... 'Sing to the Lord a new song!' Creativity, innovation, new song, new culture and the presence of all cultural heritage", he concluded, "are not things that exclude one another but a single reality. They are the presence of God's beauty, the joy of being His children".

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INVESTING IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROGRAMMES

 

VATICAN CITY, 21 MAY 2008 (VIS) - On 16 May, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, pronounced a discourse during the 16th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development of the U.N. Economic and Social Council.

 

  "Investing in long-term and sustainable agriculture programmes at the local and international levels remains central to the development prospects of so many", he said in his English-language remarks. "This investment must be done in a way that addresses the prices of food commodities as well as the distribution and production of food around the world, in particular in Africa".

 

  Noting the fact that "seventy percent of the world's poor live in the same rural areas where widespread chronic malnourishment continues to persist" archbishop Migliore explained that this "illustrates that in addressing sustainable development we must continue to focus not merely upon those who consume food commodities but also upon those who produce it.

 

  "Greater investment in small-holder farmers which enables them to increase production in a sustainable manner would provide an important element to addressing the continued presence of chronic hunger and malnourishment in certain regions", he concluded.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 21 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 

 - Fr. Jorge Alves Bezerra S.S.S., vice-provincial and master of novices in the diocese of Tres Lagoas, Brazil, as bishop of Jardim (area 69,972, population 370,000, Catholics 254,000, priests 17, permanent deacons 1, religious 37), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Sao Joao de Meriti, Brazil in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1985.

 

 - Fr. Philip Dickmans of the clergy of the diocese of Hasselt, Belgium, fidei donum priest in the archdiocese of Palmas, Brazil, as bishop of Miracema do Tocantins (area 45,985, population 193,194, Catholics 140,350, priests 16, religious 26), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Herk-de-Stad, Belgium in 1963 and ordained a priest in 1990.

 

 - Fr. Theirry Scherrer of the clergy of the archdiocese of Aix, France, pastor of the Saint-Sauveur cathedral in Aix-en-Provence, as bishop of Laval (area 5,175, population 285,338, Catholics 270,000, priests 195, permanent deacons 12, religious 564), France. The bishop-elect was born in Versailles, France in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1988.

 

 - Fr. Eric de Moulins-Beaufort of the clergy of the archdiocese of Paris, France, private secretary to the cardinal archbishop of Paris and professor at the "Faculte Notre-Dame"; and Fr. Renauld de Dinechin, also of the clergy of Paris, pastor of the "Bl. Frederic Ozanam" parish in Cergy, as auxiliaries of Paris (area 105, population 2,144,700, Catholics 1,286,820, priests 1,206, permanent deacons 91, religious 3,195). Bishop-elect Moulins-Beaufort was born in Landau, Germany in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1991. Bishop-elect Dinechin was born in Lille, France in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1988.

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NOTICE

 

VATICAN CITY, 21 MAY 2008 (VIS) - As previously advised, tomorrow, Solemnity of Corpus Christi and a holiday in the Vatican, no VIS bulletin will be transmitted. Service will resume on Friday 23 May.

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You can find more information at:  www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net
VIS sends its news service only to those who have requested it.
Please do not reply to this e-mail.For address changes, cancellations  use the links or visit our web.
The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

 

SUMMARY:

 

- Catholic Universities Hold Congress on Communication

- Cardinals Take Possession of Diaconate, Titular Churches

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

- In Memoriam

 

___________________________________________________________

 

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITIES HOLD CONGRESS ON COMMUNICATION

 

VATICAN CITY, 20 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for Social Communications is promoting the First Congress of Faculties of Communication of Catholic Universities, which is due to be held from 22 to 24 May in Rome's Pontifical Urban University.

 

  The conference, which will be attended by professors in communication from Catholic universities in various countries, aims, according to communique on the event, "to strengthen and expand the co-operative relationship" between the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and representatives of Catholic universities, and "to give the council a fuller understanding of the range of activities taking place in these institutions and a greater appreciation of the qualifications, talents and skills of those who work within them".

 

  "The opening speech of the congress will outline the changing world of communications and the challenges that face all those dedicated to the academic formation of future professional communicators", reads the communique.

 

  Subsequent sessions of the congress will be dedicated to such themes as: "The identity and mission of communications faculties in Catholic universities in various geographical and ecclesiastical contexts"; "The ethical formation of communicators"; and "Preparing the study programme; how can study programmes in Catholic university faculties reflect the specific mission of universities?"

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CARDINALS TAKE POSSESSION OF DIACONATE, TITULAR CHURCHES

 

VATICAN CITY, 20 MAY 2008 (VIS) - According to a note published today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, at 6 p.m. on Saturday 24 May, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the papal basilica of St. Peter's in the Vatican, vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican City and president of the Fabric of St. Peter's, will take possession of the new diaconate of San Salvatore in Lauro, in Piazza di San Salvatore in Lauro 15, Rome.

 

  At midday on Sunday 25 May, Cardinal James Francis Stafford, major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary, will take possession of the title of San Pietro in Montorio, in Piazza di San Pietro in Montorio 2, Rome.

 

  The communique further announces that at 7 p.m. on Friday 30 May, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, will take possession of the diaconate of the Sacred Heart of Christ the King, in Viale Mazzini 32, Rome.

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 20 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This evening, the Holy Father is scheduled to receive in separate audiences four prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Albania, on their ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Angelo Massafra O.F.M. of Shkodre-Pult, accompanied by former Auxiliary Bishop Zef Simoni.

 

    - Bishop Ottavio Vitale R.C.I. of Lezhe.

 

    - Bishop Lucjan Avgustini of Sape.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 20 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 

 - Fr. Neil Tiedemann C.P., provincial consultor of the Passionist Fathers, as bishop of Mandeville (area 3,282, population 582,000, Catholics 8,800, priests 43, religious 34), Jamaica. The bishop-elect was born in New York in 1948 and ordained a priest in 1975.

 

 - Bishop Christophe Dufour of Limoges, France, as coadjutor archbishop of Aix (area 4,580, population 861,000, Catholics 691,000, priests 175, permanent deacons 14, religious 381), France. The archbishop-elect was born in Armentieres, France in 1947, he was ordained a priest in 1975 and consecrated a bishop in 2001.

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IN MEMORIAM

 

VATICAN CITY, 20 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

 

 - Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, dean emeritus of the College of Cardinals, on 13 May at the age of 86.

 

 - Bishop Jorge Mario Avila del Aguila C.M., emeritus of Jalapa, Guatemala, on 3 May at the age of 84.

 

 - Bishop Donald William Montrose, emeritus of Stockton, U.S.A., on 7 May at the age of 84.

 

 - Bishop Ignacio Prieto Vega I.E.M.E., emeritus of Hwange, Zimbabwe, on 9 May at the age of 85.

.../DEATHS/...                                                                                 VIS 080520 (90)

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SUMMARY OF PASTORAL VISIT TO SAVONA AND GENOA: 17 - 18 MAY

 

- Mercy, the Essence of Christianity

- Visit to Genoa's "Gaslini" Paediatric Hospital

- Young People: Cultivate Spiritual Life and Formation

- Angelus: Appeal for Success of Dublin Conference

- Consecrated People, "Specialists" in Listening to God

- Church Is Called to Offer Witness of Communion

 

OTHER NEWS: 17 - 19 MAY

 

- Respecting the Charisms of Ecclesial Movements

- The Mission Is a Duty of All Churches

- Mass for Cardinal Gantin

- Holy See Pavilion at "Expo Zaragoza 2008"

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

MERCY, THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIANITY

 

VATICAN CITY, 17 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This afternoon, the Holy Father began his pastoral visit to the Italian cities of Savona and Genoa, departing from Rome's Ciampino airport at 3.30 p.m. and landing at Christopher Columbus airport in Genoa at 4.20 p.m. From there he travelled by helicopter to Savona and thence to the nearby shrine of Our Lady of Mercy.

 

  On his arrival at the shrine Benedict XVI was greeted by the religious authorities. He then entered the building, pausing in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and praying before the image of the Virgin, at whose feet he laid a golden rose in memory of his visit. Subsequently he was taken in an open-top car to Savona's Piazza del Popolo where he celebrated Mass and pronounced a homily.

 

  In his remarks, the Pope commented on the day's readings where, in a passage from Exodus, God reveals His name to Moses. "The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness", said the Pope quoting the biblical text. "These are human words", he added, "they tell us the truth about God. They were true yesterday, they are true today and they will be true always. They cause us to see the face of the Invisible with the eyes of the mind. They tells us the name of the Ineffable. That name is Mercy, Grace, Faithfulness".

 

  He then recalled how the Virgin Mary had appeared to a local peasant in the year 1536, and how she is still venerated today with the name of Virgin of Mercy. "This is the essence of Christianity because it is the essence of God Himself", he exclaimed. "God is One in that He is entirely and solely Love, but precisely because He is Love He is openness, acceptance, dialogue. And in His relations with us, sinful mankind, He is mercy, compassion, grace, forgiveness. God created everything for existence, and He always and exclusively wills life".

 

  "During the history of the Church, the Virgin Mary has always invited her children to return to God, to entrust themselves to Him in prayer, to knock with trusting insistence at the door of His merciful Heart. ... My visit to Savona on the day of the Blessed Trinity is above all a pilgrimage, through Mary, to the font of faith, of hope and of love".

 

  Benedict XVI then recalled the figure of his predecessor Pius VII. "Two centuries on", he said, "I have come to renew the recognition of the Holy See and of the Church for the faith, the love, and the courage with which your fellow citizens supported the Pope during the exile imposed upon him here by Napoleon Bonaparte".

 

  "That dark page of European history has, by the power of the Holy Spirit, become a rich source of grace and education, even for our own time. It teaches us the courage to face the challenges of the world (materialism, relativism, laicism), never giving way to compromise but ready to pay in person in order to remain faithful to the Lord and His Church".

 

  Those events, and the apparition of the Virgin at a tragic moment in the history of Savona, "come together to transmit a message of hope to the Christian generations of our own day. They encourage us to have faith in the instruments of Grace which the Lord places at our disposal in all situations".

 

  Among these "instruments of Grace", the Holy Father highlighted "individual, family and community prayer". In this context he also recalled how "Sunday needs to be rediscovered in its Christian roots, beginning with the celebration of the Risen Lord", and how "the Sacrament of Penance" represents a "fundamental means of spiritual development".

 

  "Works of charity are other indispensable means of growth", he continued. "In the modern world, which often makes beauty and physical efficiency an ideal to be pursued in every possible way, we are called as Christians to discover the face of Jesus Christ, 'the most handsome of men', in the suffering and the excluded".

 

  In this context, the Holy Father then greeted "prisoners and staff in the St. Augustine penitentiary of Savona" and the sick people of the city.

 

  Turning to address members of the clergy, the Pope invited them "to trust in the effectiveness of your daily priestly service", and to "go out and seek people, as the Lord Jesus did, ... making your presence felt in all areas of work and life". To religious he reiterated the fact that "the world has need of your witness and your prayer".

 

  Finally, Pope Benedict called upon young people "to put your youth at the service of God and your fellows. ... Give this city the passion and enthusiasm that derive from your living experience of faith, an experience that does not dampen the expectations of human life but exalts them by sharing in Christ's own experience".

 

  Following the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope travelled by car to the port of Savona whence he was taken by helicopter to Genoa where he spent the night at the shrine of Our Lady of Guard.

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VISIT TO GENOA'S "GASLINI" PAEDIATRIC HOSPITAL

 

VATICAN CITY, 18 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning the Pope visited the shrine of Our Lady of Guard in Genoa. He then travelled to the city's "Giannina Gaslini" paediatric hospital where he greeted sick children and their parents, as well as the directors and medical personnel of the institution.

 

  In his address to them the Holy Father recalled how the hospital was founded on 15 May 1938 and how, "with understandable pride, the Genoese look upon it as a precious heritage".

 

  After thanking the hospital staff "for the professionalism and dedication of their service" which "covers almost all areas of paediatric specialisation", the Pope noted that "the hope cultivated here has, then, good foundations. Nonetheless, in order to face the future effectively, it is vital that this hope be upheld by an exalted vision of life, one that enables scientists, doctors, professionals, assistants, parents themselves, to use all their capacities, sparing no effort to obtain the best results that science and technology can offer in both prevention and cure".

 

  Turning to address the hospital's young patients, Benedict XVI told them: "The Pope loves you. Next to you I see your relatives, who share these moments of trepidation and hope with you. Be sure that God never abandons us. Remain united to Him and you will never lose your serenity, not even in the darkest and most difficult moments".

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YOUNG PEOPLE: CULTIVATE SPIRITUAL LIFE AND FORMATION

 

VATICAN CITY, 18 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Following his visit to Genoa's "Giannina Gaslini" paediatric hospital this morning, the Pope met with a group of young people in the city's Piazza Matteotti.

 

  "You are the youth of Genoa!" he exclaimed in opening his address. "Youth", he told his audience, "real youth, is not a question of years and physical vigour. ... There are, unfortunately, people young in years but old within. ... Being young means having discovered the things that do not pass with the swift passage of the years. If young people discover the real and great values, they never grow old, despite the fact that the body follows its own laws".

 

  "Only people who are good and generous are truly young", he said. "I hope you will remain young; not fashionable, for fashions disappear in the winking of an eye, hurtling by in a frenetic career. Youth, on the other hand, the youth of goodness, remains forever. Indeed, it will be perfect and resplendent in heaven with God".

 

  "Youth still has all its future ahead. ... The future is full of promise. Today however, for many, it is also full of threats, especially the threat of a great void. Hence many people want to hold back time for fear of a future in emptiness". Faced with such a situation, "it is important to choose real promises that open to the future, even by making sacrifices. ... And the first fundamental choice must be God".

 

  The Holy Father invited the young people "to cultivate spiritual life. ... The life of the soul", he explained, "is meeting with Him, the real Face of God, it is silent and persistent prayer, it is sacramental life, it is meditating upon the Gospel, it is spiritual accompaniment, it is cordial membership of the Church and of your ecclesial communities.

 

  "Yet how", he added, "can one love what one does not know? ... Hence the need to delve more deeply into the mystery of Jesus, the truth of His thought that resounds in the Gospel and in the Church's Magisterium. Without a solid formation", he went on, "how will it be possible to explain the faith to your peers, so full of questions about life, about themselves, about Christian faith, and the Church?"

 

  The Holy Father encouraged the young people to announce the Gospel "in the various areas of life, in your parishes, in the most difficult neighbourhoods, in the streets. Announce Christ the Lord, hope of the world. The more man distances himself from God (Who is his Source) the more he loses himself; human coexistence becomes difficult and society crumbles. Remain united to one another, help one another to live and grow in faith and Christian life, in order to become intrepid witness of the Lord".

 

  "If you remain united to Christ and the Church, you can achieve great things. This is the hope I consign to you" he concluded. "Goodbye until we meet again in Sydney!"

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ANGELUS: APPEAL FOR SUCCESS OF DUBLIN CONFERENCE

 

VATICAN CITY, 18 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Following this morning's meeting with young people Benedict XVI prayed the Angelus. In remarks before the prayer he invoked the "maternal assistance" of Our Lady of Guard upon the city of Genoa and the entire region of Liguria, especially upon "the sick and the suffering".

 

  "Liguria, and especially Genoa", he said, "has always been a land open to the Mediterranean and to the entire world. How many missionaries have left from this port for the Americas and other distant lands! How many people emigrated from here for other countries, perhaps poor in material resources but rich in faith and in human and spiritual values which they transplanted into their countries of destination! May Mary Star of Hope continue to guide the path of the Genoese!"

 

  After the Angelus, the Pope recalled the fact that a diplomatic conference on cluster bombs is due to begin in Dublin, Ireland, tomorrow, "called to create a treaty that prohibits these lethal devices.

 

  "I hope", he added, "that it may be possible to arrive at a strong and credible international instrument. It is necessary, indeed, to remedy the errors of the past and prevent their being repeated in the future. With my prayers I accompany the victims of cluster munitions and their families, as well as those who will participate in the conference, and I give my best wishes for its success".

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CONSECRATED PEOPLE, "SPECIALISTS" IN LISTENING TO GOD

 

VATICAN CITY, 18 MAY 2008 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today in Genoa's Piazza Matteotti, Benedict XVI went to the city's cathedral of St. Lawrence where he met with the cathedral chapter and a group of consecrated people.

 

  On his arrival at the cathedral, he was welcomed by Bishop Luigi Ernesto Palletti, auxiliary of Genoa. Msgr. Mario Grone, dean of the cathedral, and Fr. Domenico Rossi O.C.D., diocesan delegate for consecrated life, then addressed a greeting to the Holy Father.

 

  "This cathedral, surrounded by so many alleyways", said the Holy Father in his address, "seems to be the place of convergence and arrival of all roads, as if from the shade of the narrow lanes men wish to come out into the light of their cathedral, ... into the light of God which welcomes, embraces, illuminates and restores everyone".

 

  "In past centuries the Church in Genoa has had a rich tradition of holiness and generous service to others. ... And even today, despite the difficulties society is undergoing, evangelising passion remains strong in your communities. In particular, there has been a growing and shared desire to create ever more fraternal understanding in order to collaborate in missionary activity throughout the archdiocese. Indeed, following the guidelines of the Italian Episcopal Conference, you wish to place yourselves in a permanent state of mission, as a form of witness to the joy of the Gospel and an explicit invitation to everyone to meet Jesus Christ".

 

  In order to cultivate such missionary spirit, the Holy Father proceeded, it is important "to become 'specialists' in listening to God and credible examples of a holiness that translates into faithfulness to the Gospel, without surrender to the spirit of the world". He then went on to quote the late Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, archbishop of Genoa, to the effect that "religious life moves around God ... and hence it becomes a witness of God and a call to God".

 

  The Pope invited those present to continue their good works, especially their presence near "the poor, the sick, families, children, parishes". All this, he added, "is a precious field of service and of giving, in order to build the Church and serve mankind".

 

  "Genoa's long spiritual tradition includes six Popes, among whom I particularly mention Benedict XV, ... the Pope of peace. In his 'Humani generis redemptionem' he wrote that 'what makes the human word capable of benefiting souls is the grace of God'. Let us never for get this. ... In order to be witnesses and heralds of the message of salvation we cannot rely only on our human energy. It is the faithfulness of God that stimulates and conforms our own faithfulness to Him. Hence let us allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit of truth and love".

 

  After the meeting, Benedict XVI paused for a few moments prayer before the tomb of Cardinal Siri before being taken by car to the archiepiscopal Benedict XV Seminary where he greeted the seminarians and had lunch with local bishops.

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CHURCH IS CALLED TO OFFER WITNESS OF COMMUNION

 

VATICAN CITY, 18 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At 4.30 p.m. today in Genova's Piazza della Vittoria, the Pope presided at a Eucharistic celebration attended by some 40,000 people.

 

  Commenting on the readings of the Mass, Benedict XVI affirmed that today's Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity, "invites us to contemplate Him, the Lord, it invites us, in a certain sense, to climb up 'the mountain' as Moses did. Although at first sight this may seem to take us away from the world and its problems, in reality we discover that it is precisely by knowing God more closely that we also receive precious practical guidelines for life".

 

  "Human beings", he said, "do not achieve fulfilment in absolute autonomy, by fooling themselves that they are God but, on the contrary, by recognising themselves as children, creatures open to and reaching out towards God and towards their fellows, in whose faces they see the image of the common Father.

 

  "It is clear", he added, "that this concept of God and man lies at the foundations of a corresponding model of human community, and hence of society. As a model it predates any form of normative, juridical or institutional regulation and, I would say, any kind of cultural specification. It is a transversal model of the human family common to all civilisations; something which, from childhood, we Christians are wont to express by affirming that men are all children of God and, hence, brothers".

 

  "In a society torn between globalisation and individualism, the Church is called to offer her witness of 'koinonia', of communion. This reality does not come 'from the roots' but is a mystery that, so to say, has its 'roots in heaven', in the One and Triune God".

 

  Benedict XVI encouraged the faithful to take an interest in "spiritual and catechistic formation", which he described as "a 'substantial' formation, more necessary than ever in order to live a Christian vocation well in today's world". Addressing adults and young people, he said: "Cultivate a well-thought-out faith, one capable of engaging in profound dialogue with everyone, with our non-Catholic brethren, with non-Christians, with non-believers".

 

  "With particular affection, I encourage seminarians and young people following vocational journeys: do not be afraid; rather, feel the attraction of definitive choices, of a serious and demanding formative journey".

 

  The Pope concluded his homily by calling on the Church in Genoa to remain "united and missionary, so as to announce to everyone the joy of the faith and the beauty of being God's family. ... Look to the future with trust and seek to build it together, avoiding factional disputes".

 

  Following Mass, the Holy Father travelled to Genoa's Christopher Columbus airport where he boarded his flight for Rome.

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RESPECTING THE CHARISMS OF ECCLESIAL MOVEMENTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 17 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience a group of bishops, participants in a seminar promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Laity to reflect on the question of pastoral solicitude towards ecclesial movements and new communities. The seminar was held from 15 to 17 May at Rocca di Papa near Rome.

 

  "Ecclesial movements and new communities", said the Pope, "are one of the most important novelties the Holy Spirit has generated in the Church in order to put Vatican Council II into effect. ... Paul VI and John Paul II were able to welcome and discern, to encourage and promote, the unexpected emergence of the new lay groups which, in various and surprising ways, restored vitality, faith and hope to the entire Church".

 

  Although "no small amount of prejudice, resistance and tension has been overcome", said the Holy Father, "there remains the important task of promoting more mature communion among the components of the Church, so that all charisms, while respecting the specific nature of each, may fully and freely contribute to constructing the one Body of Christ".

 

  Pope Benedict then turned to consider the theme of the seminar - "I ask you to reach out to the movements with great love" - an exhortation he himself had addressed to a group of German bishops on their "ad limina" visit in 2006. "Reaching our with great love to movements and new communities", he said, "impels us to an adequate knowledge of their situation, avoiding superficial impressions and reductive judgements". This helps us to understand that such movements "are not a problem, ... they are a gift from the Lord, a precious resource to enrich the entire Christian community with their charisms".

 

  "Difficulties and misunderstandings on particular points do not justify [an attitude] of closure", said the Pope. And he told the prelates that they must "closely accompany" the movements and new communities "with paternal solicitude" so as to put to good use "the many gifts they bear, gifts we have learned to know and appreciate: their missionary drive, their effective courses of Christian formation, their witness of faithfulness and obedience to the Church, their sensitivity to the needs of the poor, and their wealth of vocations.

 

  "The authenticity of the new charisms is guaranteed by their willingness to submit to the discernment of ecclesiastical authority", the Holy Father added. In this context he indicated that bishops "must examine and test the charims in order to recognise and evaluate that which is good, true and beautiful, that which contributes to increasing the sanctity of individuals and of the community. And when it is necessary to intervene in order to correct", he concluded, "such interventions must also be expressions of 'great love'".

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THE MISSION IS A DUTY OF ALL CHURCHES

 

VATICAN CITY, 17 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received 150 representatives of the Pontifical Missionary Works (POM), a group of organisations at the service of the Pope and bishops "to put into effect the missionary mandate to evangelise people unto the ends of the earth". The POM is currently celebrating its plenary assembly.

 

  Having greeted Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, the Pope began his remarks by recalling how the POM "was an important tool in the hands of my predecessors, who elevated it to the rank of 'Pontifical' and urged bishops to establish it in their own dioceses". He also reminded his listeners that Vatican Council II "had delved deeply into the nature and mission of particular Churches, recognising their full dignity and missionary responsibility.

 

  "The mission", the Pope added, "is a task and duty of all Churches, which ... share staff and resources in order to achieve it. ... It is a mission of communion. To counter the seeds of the fragmentation of humanity, which daily experience shows to be so deep-rooted in mankind because of sin, the local Church opposes the unifying power of the Body of Christ".

 

  "Thanks to the ideas it has developed over these decades, the Pontifical Missionary Works has become part of ... the new paradigms of evangelisation, and of the ecclesiological model of communion between Churches. Clearly the POM is Pontifical but it is, by right, also episcopal, in as much as it is an instrument in the hands of bishops to achieve Christ's missionary mandate".

 

  As the Church prepares to commemorate the 2000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul, Benedict XVI affirmed that the Apostle "understood on the road to Damascus, then experienced in the course of his later ministry, that redemption and mission are acts of love. It was love of Christ that impelled him to follow the roads of the Roman empire as a herald ... of the Gospel. ... It is love that must impel us to announce to all mankind, frankly and courageously, the truth that saves. ... Mankind awaits Christ".

 

  The Holy Father concluded: "Jesus' words: 'go therefore and make disciples of all nations' ... still represent an obligation for the whole Church and for each individual member of Christ's faithful. This apostolic commitment is a duty and an indispensable right, an expression of religious freedom which has its corresponding ethical-social and ethical-political dimensions. The Pontifical Missionary Works is called to make the 'Missio ad Gentes' the model for all pastoral activity".

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MASS FOR CARDINAL GANTIN

 

VATICAN CITY, 17 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At 11 a.m. on Friday 23 May, at the altar of the Cathedra in the Vatican Basilica, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, accompanied by other members of the College, will celebrate Mass for the soul of Cardinal Bernardin Gantin.

 

  Cardinal Gantin died in Paris, France, on 13 May at the age of 86. He was the former dean of the College of Cardinals and held the title of the suburbicarian church of Palestrina.

 

  At the end of Friday's Eucharistic celebration, Benedict XVI will pronounce a discourse and impart his apostolic blessing.

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HOLY SEE PAVILION AT "EXPO ZARAGOZA 2008"

 

VATICAN CITY, 19 MAY 2008 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at midday today a press conference was held to present the Holy See's Pavilion in "Expo Zaragoza 2008", an international exposition due to be held in the Spanish city of Zaragoza from 14 June to 14 September on the theme: "Water and sustainable development".

 

  Among those participating in the press conference were Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace"; Archbishop Manuel Urena Pastor of Zaragoza; Francisco Vazquez Vazquez, Spanish ambassador to the Holy See; Juan Alberto Belloch Julbe, mayor of Zaragoza, and Emilio Fernandez-Castano commissioner general of the Expo.

 

  In his remarks, Cardinal Martino expressed the hope that the forthcoming exposition "will provide an opportunity to explore and raise awareness of water in the life of the world. This will be important for two reasons. First, the Social Doctrine of the Church recognises the nature of water as life-giving. ... Satisfying the needs of all, especially of those who live in poverty, must guide the use of water and of the services connected with it", he said.

 

  "The second reason takes us back to our faith. At our Baptism, water was used as a sign of cleansing and new life. ... Water is life giving - both physical and spiritual; it is through water that we are invited to share in the life of Christ".

 

  After recalling that one of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals is to halve, by the year 2015, the number of people unable to access safe drinking water, the cardinal concluded by highlighting the fact that "clean water and safe sanitation are acknowledged as essential elements in the lives of every human being".

 

  The Holy See pavilion, then, aims to invite reflection upon this dual dimension of water: the divine and the human.

 

  Visitors will follow a guided tour divided into three stages. The first presents water as the source of life; the second contains a collection of works of art associated with water and its role in the history of salvation; and the third is dedicated to the importance of solidarity, recalling that many people have only limited access to this vital element and underlining the need to work together to solve the problem.

 

  The Holy See will also participate in other activities promoted by Expo Zaragoza 2008, her main contribution being an international ecological congress to be held from 10 to 12 July on the theme: "The ecological question: the life of man in the world". It has been organised by the archdiocese of Zaragoza and the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace", and will be attended by numerous international experts on the subject.

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 19 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

 

 - Jean-Pierre Razafy-Andriamihaingo, ambassador of Madagascar, on his farewell visit.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 19 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 

 - Appointed Msgr. Miguel Maury Buendia, nunciature counsellor, as apostolic nuncio to Kazakhstan, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Madrid, Spain in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1980.

 

 - Appointed Bishop Jose Rojas Rojas, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Caceres, Philippines, as bishop-prelate of Libmanan (area 1,862, population 530,000, Catholics 488,000, priests 35, religious 15), Philippines. He succeeds Bishop Prospero N. Arellano, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same territorial prelature the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

 

  On Saturday, 17 May, it was made public that he appointed Fr. Johannes Maria Trilaksyanta Pujasumarta, vicar general of the archdiocese of Semarang, Indonesia, as bishop of Bandung (area 24,449, population 40,000,000, Catholics 100,000, priests 81, religious 165), Indonesia. The bishop-elect was born in Solo/Surakarta, Indonesia in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1977.

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You can find more information at:  www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net
VIS sends its news service only to those who have requested it.
Please do not reply to this e-mail.For address changes, cancellations  use the links or visit our web.
The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

 

SUMMARY:

 

- Thai Bishops: Education and Inter-religious Co-operation

- A Common Commitment to Support Families

- Prayer of the Pope to Our Lady of Sheshan

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

THAI BISHOPS: EDUCATION AND INTER-RELIGIOUS CO-OPERATION

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

 

  Speaking to them in English, the Pope pointed out that the mission of their country's small Catholic community "is undertaken within a context of relationships, most especially with Buddhists. In fact, you have readily expressed to me your great respect for the Buddhist monasteries and the esteem you have for the contribution they make to the social and cultural life of the Thai people.

 

  "The coexistence of different religious communities today unfolds against the backdrop of globalisation", he added, noting how "on the one hand there is the growing multitude of economic and cultural bonds which usually enhance a sense of global solidarity and shared responsibility for the well-being of humanity, on the other there are disturbing signs of a fragmentation and a certain individualism, ... pushing the transcendent and the sense of the sacred to the margins and eclipsing the very source of harmony and unity within the universe.

 

  "The negative aspects of this cultural phenomenon, which cause dismay to yourselves and other religious leaders in your country, ... point to the importance of inter-religious co-operation", In this context, the Pope called on the prelates to promote, "in concordance with Buddhists, ... mutual understanding concerning the transmission of traditions to succeeding generations, the articulation of ethical values discernible to reason, reverence for the transcendent, prayer and contemplation".

 

  "The outpouring of the Spirit is both a gift and a task, ... the presentation of Christ and His love to the world", said Pope Benedict, indicating that, "in Thailand, that gift is encountered particularly through the Church's medical clinics and social works as well as through her schools".

 

  "Catholic schools and colleges make a remarkable contribution to the intellectual formation of numerous young Thais. They should also make an outstanding contribution to the spiritual and moral education of the young," Benedict XVI told the bishops. He also appealed "to the many men and women religious who diligently serve in Catholic institutions of learning in your dioceses. Theirs should not primarily be a role of administration but of mission. ... It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that religious remain close to the students and their families, most especially through their classroom teaching of the catechism for Catholics and others interested, and through moral formation and care for the spiritual needs of all in the school community". He also called on religious congregations to ensure that schools "become increasingly accessible to the poor who so often long for the faithful embrace of Christ".

 

  The Holy Father pointed out that the task of spreading the Word of God cannot be left to catechists alone. "It is the ministry of your priests", he told the prelates, "to 'announce the divine word to all' and to 'labour in preaching and teaching'".

 

  The Pope expressed his appreciation "for the efforts of the entire Catholic community of Thailand to uphold the dignity of every human life, especially the most vulnerable. Of particular concern to you is the scourge of the trafficking of women and children, and prostitution. Undoubtedly poverty is a factor underlying these phenomena, and in this regard I know much is being achieved through the Church's development programmes.

 

  "But there is a further aspect which must be acknowledged and collectively addressed if this abhorrent human exploitation is to be effectively confronted. I am speaking", the Holy Father concluded, "of the trivialisation of sexuality in the media and entertainment industries which fuels a decline in moral values and leads to the degradation of women, the weakening of fidelity in marriage and even the abuse of children".

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A COMMON COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT FAMILIES

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received representatives from the Forum of Family Associations and from the European Federation of Catholic Family Associations, who are in Rome to participate in a conference entitled: "Alliance for the Family in Europe, associations in the leading role".

 

  In his comments, the Pope recalled how the conference aims "to compare the experiences of various types of family association, and has the objective of raising the awareness of political leaders and public opinion on the central and irreplaceable role that the family plays in our society".

 

  The Holy Father recalled the fact that this year marks the 40th anniversary of Paul VI's Encyclical "Humanae vitae", and the 25th anniversary of the promulgation of the "Charter of the Rights of the Family", presented by the Holy See in 1983.

 

  "The Charter of the Rights of the Family is principally addressed to political leaders", said the Pope, and it "offers those invested with responsibility for the common good a model and a point of reference upon which to base appropriate political legislation for the family. At the same time, it is addressed to all families, encouraging them to come together in the defence and promotion of their rights".

 

  Benedict XVI then quoted John Paul II, "the Pope of the family", who used to say that "the future of humanity passes by way of the family" and he added: "Biblical revelation is above all an expression of a story of love, a story of alliance with God and with mankind. This is why the story of love and union between a man and a woman in the alliance of marriage was taken up by God as a symbol of the history of salvation".

 

  Turning to consider the difficulties facing families in the modern world, the Pope said: "From so many families, in a worryingly precarious state, we hear a cry for help, often an unconscious one, which clamours for a response from civil authorities, from ecclesial communities and from the various educational agencies. Accordingly, there is an increasingly urgent need for a common commitment to support families by every means available, from the social and economic point of view".

 

  Among the proposals to emerge from the conference, the Holy Father praised that of "the laudable commitment to mobilise citizens in support of the initiative for 'family-friendly fiscal policy'", which aims to urge "governments to promote family-related policies that give parents a real possibility of having children and bringing them up in the family".

 

  "For believers, the family (cell of communion at the very foundations of society) is like a 'small domestic church' called to reveal God's love to the world. ... Help families to be a visible sign of this truth, to defend the values which are written in human nature itself and which are therefore common to all humanity: life, the family and education. These are not principles deriving from a [particular] confession of faith but from the application of a justice respectful of the rights of each human being. This", he concluded, "is your mission, dear Christian families".

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PRAYER OF THE POPE TO OUR LADY OF SHESHAN

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has composed a prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan to mark the Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which is due to be celebrated on 24 May.

 

  In a Letter written to the faithful of the Catholic Church in China in May 2007, the Holy Father expressed the hope that 24 May, liturgical memorial of Our Lady Help of Christians who is venerated with such devotion at the Marian shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai, would become a day of prayer for the Church in China.

 

  The full text of the English-language version of the Holy Father's prayer is given below:

 

  "Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother,

venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title 'Help of Christians',

the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection.

We come before you today to implore your protection.

Look upon the People of God and, with a mother's care, guide them

along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be

a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

 

  "When you obediently said 'yes' in the house of Nazareth,

you allowed God's eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb

and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption.

You willingly and generously co-operated in that work,

allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul,

until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary,

standing beside your Son, Who died that we might live.

 

  "From that moment, you became, in a new way,

the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith

and choose to follow in His footsteps by taking up His Cross.

Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed

with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.

Grant that your children may discern at all times,

even those that are darkest, the signs of God's loving presence.

 

  "Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China,

who, amid their daily trails, continue to believe, to hope, to love.

May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world,

and of the world to Jesus.

In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high,

offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.

Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love,

ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built.

Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!"

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Four prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Louis Chamniern Santisukniran of Thare and Nonseng.

 

    - Bishop Joseph Chusak Sirisut of Nakhon Ratchasima.

 

    - Bishop Philip Banchong Chaiyara C.SS.R. of Ubon Ratchathani, accompanied by Bishop emeritus of Michael Bunluen Mansap.

 

  This evening he is scheduled to receive in separate audiences:

 

 - Archbishop Mario Giordana, apostolic nuncio to Slovakia.

 

 - Two prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop George Yod Phimphisan C.SS.R. of Udon Thani.

 

    - Msgr. Joseph Haelom Wutthilert, vicar general of Chiang Mai.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday it was made public that the Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Basse-Terre and Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, presented by Bishop Ernest Mesmin Lucien Cabo, upon having reached the age limit.

RE/.../CABO                                                                                    VIS 080516 (50)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Human Mobility: a Frontier for New Evangelisation

- Consecrated Virginity: a Luminous and Fruitful Charism

- Holy See Adheres to Ozone Protection Treaties

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

HUMAN MOBILITY: A FRONTIER FOR NEW EVANGELISATION

 

VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Pope received participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, who have been meeting over the last few days to reflect upon the theme: "The emigrant and itinerant family".

 

  Benedict XVI recalled how during his recent visit to the United States, he had encouraged people "to continue their commitment to welcoming those brothers and sisters who arrive there, usually from poor countries", and had given particular emphasis to "the serious problem of the reunification of families".

 

  "The Church's solicitude towards emigrant families does not diminish her concern for itinerant families", he noted, highlighting how families of whatever condition "represent the original cell of society which must not be destroyed but courageously and patiently defended". The family is "the community in which, from infancy, we are formed to adore and love God, learning the grammar of human and moral values, and discovering how to make good use of freedom in truth. Unfortunately, in no small number of situations this is difficult to achieve, and especially in cases of people affected by the phenomenon of human mobility".

 

  Pope Benedict then went on to examine the "profound bond" between the Sacrament of the Eucharist and that of Marriage, noting how "the liturgy places the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage at the heart of the celebration of the Eucharist. ... In their daily lives, couples must draw inspiration for their behaviour from the example of Christ Who 'loved the Church and gave Himself up for her'", he said. "This supreme gesture of love is presented anew in each celebration of the Eucharist; and it is appropriate for the pastoral care of families to refer back to this sacramental fact as a reference point of fundamental importance.

 

  "People who go to Mass - and the celebration of Mass must also be facilitated for migrants and itinerant peoples - find in the Eucharist a powerful allusion to their own family, their own marriage; and they are encouraged to live their lives from the point of view of faith, seeking in divine grace the strength to succeed", the Pope added.

 

  The Holy Father concluded by pointing out that "human mobility represents, in today's globalised world, an important frontier for new evangelisation". In this context, he encouraged the members and consultors of the pontifical council "to continue your pastoral commitment with renewed zeal".

AC/EMIGRANT ITINERANT FAMILY/CON-SM                       VIS 080515 (420)

 

CONSECRATED VIRGINITY: A LUMINOUS AND FRUITFUL CHARISM

 

VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Five hundred women, members of the "Ordo Virginum" who have come to Rome on pilgrimage to participate in an international congress being held by their order, were received in audience this morning by Benedict XVI.

 

  In his remarks to them the Pope, quoting the theme chosen for the congress, pointed out that consecrated virginity is "a gift in the Church and for the Church". And he invited the women "to develop, from day to day, their understanding of a charism which is as luminous and fruitful in the eyes of the faith as it is obscure and futile in the eyes of the world".

 

  "The Order of Virgins represents a particular form of consecrated life which flowered anew in the Church after Vatican Council II", the Holy Father explained. "However, it has ancient roots that go back to the beginnings of evangelical life when, in an unprecedented novelty, the hearts of certain women began to open to a desire for consecrated virginity: in other words, the desire to give one's entire being to God, which had had its first extraordinary fulfilment in the Virgin of Nazareth and her 'yes'".

 

  "Your charism must reflect the intensity, but also the freshness, of its origins", said Benedict XVI noting how, "when it came into being, the charism did not involve a particular way of life. Little by little, however, it was institutionalised, finally becoming a full public and solemn consecration conferred by the bishop through an inspirational liturgical rite that made the consecrated woman 'sponsa Christi', an image of the Church as bride".

 

  "Your vocation", he told the women, "is profoundly rooted in the particular Church to which you belong. ... From the diocese, with its traditions, its saints, its values, limits and difficulties, you open up to the scope of the Universal Church, sharing particularly in her liturgical prayer. ... In this way your prayerful 'I' progressively broadens out, until in the prayer there is nothing more than a great 'we'. ... In your dialogue with God, open yourselves to dialogue with all creatures".

 

  "The choice of virginal life", the Pope concluded, "is an allusion to the transitory nature of earthly things and an anticipation of future good. Be witnesses of vigilant and industrious hope, of joy, of the peace that belongs to those who abandon themselves to the love of God. Be present in the world, yet pilgrims on the journey to the Kingdom".

AC/ORDO VIRGINUM/...                                                              VIS 080515 (420)

 

HOLY SEE ADHERES TO OZONE PROTECTION TREATIES

 

VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See has adhered to the Convention of Vienna for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, and to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

 

  Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, deposited the document of adherence before the U.N. Secretary General on 5 May.

 

  In English-language remarks, Archbishop Migliore explained that with this gesture "the Holy See desires to encourage the entire international community to be resolute in promoting authentic co-operation between politics, science and economics. Such co-operation, as has been shown in the case of the ozone regime, can achieve important outcomes, which make it simultaneously possible to safeguard creation, to promote integral human development and to care for the common good, in a spirit of responsible solidarity and with profound positive repercussions for present and future generations".

 

  "The Holy See, by means of the solemn act of accession, intends to give its own moral support to the commitment of States to the correct and effective implementation of the treaties in question and to the attaining of the mentioned objectives. To this end, it expresses the wish that by recognising 'the signs of [an economic growth] that has not always been able to protect the delicate balances of nature', all actors will intensify the aforesaid co-operation and strengthen 'the alliance between man and the environment, which must mirror the creative love of God'".

DELSS/OZONE CONVENTION/U.N.:MILGIORE                    VIS 080515 (260)

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Three prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu, archbishop of Bangkok.

 

    - Bishop Lawrence Thienchai Samanchit of Chanthaburi.

 

    - Bishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij of Nakhon Sawan.

 

 - Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller of Regensburg, Germany, accompanied by an entourage.

 

  This evening he is scheduled to receive in separate audiences two prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop John Bosco Panya Kritcharoen of Ratchaburi.

 

    - Bishop Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil S.D.B. of Surat Thani.

AL:AC/.../...                                                                                      VIS 080515 (110)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 

 - Appointed Msgr. Alceste Catella of the clergy of the diocese of Biella, Italy, vicar general, as bishop of Casale Monferrato (area 970, population 103,000, Catholics 99,000, priests 115, permanent deacons 12, religious 172), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Tavigliano, Italy in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1966.

 

 - Appointed Fr. Adolfo Bittschi Mayer, pastor of Incahuasi, Bolivia, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Sucre (area 49,975, population 604,292, Catholics 527,016, priests 96, permanent deacons 1, religious 275), Bolivia. The bishop-elect was born in Ingolstadt, Germany, in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1977.

 

SUMMARY:

 

- Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite: Mediation and Dialogue

- Pope Express His Closeness to Chinese Earthquake Victims

- Telegram for the Death of Cardinal Gantin

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE: MEDIATION AND DIALOGUE

 

VATICAN CITY, 14 MAY 2008 (VIS) - In today's general audience, held in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father resumed his series of catecheses on the Fathers of the Church, concentrating his remarks on the figure of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite whose aim, said the Pope, was "to place Greek wisdom at the service of the Gospel".

 

  Benedict XVI explained how, during a period marked by "harsh disputes following the Council of Chalcedon", this sixth-century author affirmed the fact that "the light of truth ... eradicates error and brings the good to shine forth. With this principle he purified Greek thought, bringing it into relation with the Gospel".

 

  The Pseudo-Dionysius used Greek polytheism "to show the truth of Christ and transform the polytheistic world into a cosmos created by God" in which "all creatures together reflect the truth of God".

 

  "Because the creature is a glorification of God, the Pseudo-Dionysius' theology becomes a theological liturgy. God is found, above all, by praising Him and not just through reflection".

 

  This Father of the Church created the first "great mystical theology. ... With him the word 'mystical' took on a more personal and intimate meaning: it expresses the soul's journey towards God. ... The Pseudo-Dionysius shows that at the end of the road to God is God Himself, Who comes close to us in Jesus Christ".

 

  "Today Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite assumes fresh relevance", said the Holy Father. "He appears as a greater mediator in the modern dialogue between Christianity and the mystical theologies of Asia, the well-known characteristic of which lies in their conviction that it cannot be said who God is, that He can be spoken of only in negative terms, ... and that only by entering this experience of 'no' can He be reached".

 

  Dialogue, said Benedict XVI "does not accept superficiality. It is when we enter deeply into the encounter with Christ that a vast area for dialogue opens before us. When one meets the light of truth, one realises that it is a light for everyone: disputes disappear and it becomes possible to understand one another, or at least to speak to and approach one another".

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POPE EXPRESS HIS CLOSENESS TO CHINESE EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

 

VATICAN CITY, 14 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Following his catechesis in this morning's general audience, Benedict XVI launched an appeal for "the people of Sichuan and adjoining provinces in China, so harshly affected by the earthquake which has provoked serious loss of human life, left large numbers missing and caused incalculable damages.

 

  "I invite you to join me in fervent prayer for those who have lost their lives. I remain spiritually close to the people suffering from such a devastating calamity; and we implore God to grant them relief in their suffering". The Pope concluded his appeal by asking the Lord "to give support to all those involved in meeting the immediate needs" of the victims.

AG/CHINA APPEAL/...                                                                 VIS 080514 (130)

 

TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL GANTIN

 

VATICAN CITY, 14 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI sent the following telegram to Archbishop Marcel Honorat Leon Agboton of Cotonou, Benin, for the death of Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, dean emeritus of the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Gantin died in Paris, France, yesterday at the age of 86.

 

  "Having learned the sad news of the death of Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, dean emeritus of the College of Cardinals, I unite myself in prayer to the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Benin, to the faithful of the archdiocese of Cotonou and of all Benin, to the family of the deceased and to all those who mourn. I ask God the Father, from Whom all mercy comes, to welcome into His light and peace this eminent son of Benin and of Africa who, universally esteemed, was animated by a profound apostolic spirit and by an exalted sense of the Church and her mission in the world. I give thanks to the Lord for his fruitful ministry, first as archbishop of Cotonou then, for many years, at the Holy See which he served faithfully and generously, especially in the Congregation for Bishops and as a member of the College of Cardinals, of which he was also a much-respected dean. In sign of consolation, I send an affectionate apostolic blessing to the priests, religious, catechists and all the faithful of Benin, and to those who will participate in his funeral".

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 14 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Romulo T. de la Cruz of San Jose de Antique, Philippines, as bishop of Kidapawan (area 5,199, population 783,179, Catholics 418,803, priests 42, religious 64), Philippines.

NER/.../DE LA CRUZ                                                                    VIS 080514 (50)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Plenary Assembly on Emigrant and Itinerant Families

- Holy See Website Now Available in Latin

- Calendars with Photos of John Paul II And Benedict XVI

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

PLENARY ASSEMBLY ON EMIGRANT AND ITINERANT FAMILIES

 

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAY 2008 (VIS) - "The emigrant and itinerant family" is the theme of the 18th plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, which was inaugurated this morning by Cardinal Renato Martino, president of that dicastery.

 

  In his opening address, the cardinal drew from the most recent documents published by the pontifical council, in order to illustrate the pastoral guidelines it follows in the various areas in which it undertakes its mission.

 

  A communique released by the council explains that the plenary - which is being held in the Vatican from 13 to 15 May - is to be attended by 26 members, including cardinals, archbishops and bishops from various countries, and by 14 consultors, also of various nationalities, specialists in the various aspects of human mobility with which the council concerns itself. These aspects, listed by the communique, are: emigrants, refugees and displaced persons, foreign students, nomads, circus workers, tourists and pilgrims, seafarers, airport workers, drivers, women and children who live on the streets, and people of no fixed abode.

 

  Over these days the plenary assembly is also scheduled to include testimonies from people who work directly with families in certain sectors of human mobility, from various countries: Australia, U.S.A., Colombia, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany.

CON-SM/MIGRANT FAMILIES/...                                                 VIS 080513 (230)

 

HOLY SEE WEBSITE NOW AVAILABLE IN LATIN

 

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAY 2008 (VIS) - As of 9 May, the Holy See website may also be accessed in Latin, the official language of the Catholic Church.

 

  Alongside the other languages in which the website (www.vatican.va) has been available for many years (Italian, German, Spanish, French, English and Portuguese), a new option, "Sancta Sedes Latine", has now been added. Clinking on that link, users reach the "Documenta Latina" page where they may chose from a menu including: biographies of Popes ("Summi Pontifices"), the Bible ("Biblia Sacra"), the Catechism ("Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae"), the documents of Vatican Council II ("Concilium Vaticanum II"), and the Code of Canon Law ("Codex Iuris Canonici"). There is also a section entitled "Romana Curia" where documents concerning the activities of the dicasteries of the Holy See may be consulted.

 

  Also under "Romana Curia" is a subsection dedicated to "Latinitas", a foundation created in 1976 by Pope Paul VI with the Chirograph "Romani sermonis" and dedicated to the study of the Latin language, of classical and Christian literature and medieval Latin, and to the promotion of Latin through the publishing of books in the language, and through other means.

.../HOLY SEE LATIN WEBSITE/...                                                VIS 080513 (210)

 

CALENDARS WITH PHOTOS OF JOHN PAUL II AND BENEDICT XVI

 

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The photographic service of the "Osservatore Romano" newspaper has produced two versions of a calendar for 2009, each containing 13 photos. One version has photos from the pontificate of Benedict XVI, the other from that of Servant of God John Paul II.

 

  The photographs (42 x 30 cm) are not associated with particular events or identified by a specific time and place. Rather they represent - according to a communique accompanying the release of the calendars - a small gallery of the finest available close-up images of the two Popes, which may even be cut out and framed.

 

  The calendars have been produced by the Vatican Publishing House, they cost five euros each and may be purchased in the offices of the photographic service of the "Osservatore Romano", in the Vatican, or in the main newspaper kiosks and bookshops nearby. They may also be ordered by e-mail by contacting the address: photo@ossrom.va.

.../PAPAL CALENDAR/OSSERVATORE ROMANO              VIS 080513 (180)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Pierre Nguyen Van Tot, apostolic nuncio to the Central African Republic and Chad, as apostolic nuncio to Costa Rica.

NN/.../VAN TOT                                                                              VIS 080513 (40)

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SUMMARY: 10 - 12 MAY

 

- Catholic Church: a Point of Reference in Hungary

- Technology Cannot Substitute the Act of Marital Love

- Plenary Indulgence for Bi-Millennium of St. Paul

- Other Pontifical Acts

- The Church Is a Sign and Instrument of the Peace of God

- Rediscovering the Beauty of Baptism in the Holy Spirit

- Call for Peace in Lebanon

- Rome and Jerusalem: Faith and Wisdom for the World

- Respect for Life, the Foundation of Civil Coexistence

- Audiences

 

___________________________________________________________

 

CATHOLIC CHURCH: A POINT OF REFERENCE IN HUNGARY

 

VATICAN CITY, 10 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received prelates from the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference, at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

 

  "The people entrusted to your care", he told them, "now stand before us spiritually, with their joys, their plans, their suffering, their problems and their hopes. ... The long period of communist rule left a deep mark on the Hungarian people, and even today its consequences are evident, particularly in the difficulty many find in trusting others, a typical trait of people who have long lived in an atmosphere of suspicion.

 

  "The sense of insecurity is accentuated by the difficult economic situation, which thoughtless consumerism does nothing to improve", the Pope added. "People, including Catholics, suffer from that 'weakness' of thought and will which is so common in our times". Hence, "profound theological and spiritual reflection becomes difficult because ... of the lack, on the one hand, of intellectual preparation and, on the other, of an objective reference to the truths of faith.

 

  "In such a situation the Church must certainly be a teacher, but always and above all a mother, so as to favour the development of reciprocal trust and the promotion of hope".

 

  The Holy Father then went on to speak of the effects of secularisation in the country, highlighting the crisis of the family which includes among its symptoms "a notable drop in the number of marriages and an astonishing increase in divorces", as well as a growth "in so-called 'de facto' couples".

 

  "You have rightly criticised public recognition of homosexual unions, because it runs counter not only to the teaching of the Church but also to the Hungarian Constitution itself", the Holy Father told the prelates, recalling how "the lack of subsidies for large families has led to a drastic drop in the birth-rate, made even more dramatic thanks to the widespread practice of abortion".

 

  Benedict XVI emphasised the fact that the crisis of values is also affecting young people, and he expressed his appreciation for "the many initiatives the Church promotes, though with the limited means at her disposal, to animate the world of youth with formational activities ... that stimulate their sense of responsibility".

 

  He praised the bishops' initiatives to "take advantage of and modernise such traditional activities as pilgrimages and expressions of veneration to Hungarian saints, especially St. Elisabeth, St. Emeric, and of course St. Stephen". Pope Benedict then told the prelates that he shared their concern "for the lack of priests and the consequent overburden of pastoral work on the current ministers of the Church". In this context, he invited them to ensure the clergy "do not lose the focus of their lives and their ministry and, as a consequence, remain able to discern the essential from the secondary, identifying the right priorities for everyday life".

 

  "Despite secularisation the Catholic Church remains, for many Hungarians, the religious community of choice or, at least, an important point of reference. It is therefore to be hoped that relations with State authorities remain characterised by respectful collaboration, thanks also to bilateral agreements", the Holy Father said. Finally, in closing, he noted how the unity characterising the Hungarian prelates "in following the teachings of the Church is for me a cause of serenity and comfort".

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TECHNOLOGY CANNOT SUBSTITUTE THE ACT OF MARITAL LOVE

 

VATICAN CITY, 10 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI received participants in an international congress being promoted by the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome to mark the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of the Encyclical "Humanae vitae".

 

  Recalling that the Encyclical was published by Pope Paul VI on 25 July 1968, the Pope highlighted how "the document soon became a sign of contradiction", and pointed out that "it constitutes a significant show of courage in reiterating the continuity of the Church's doctrine and tradition".

 

  "The truth expressed in 'Humanae vitae 'does not change", he said, "quite the contrary, in the light of new scientific discoveries its teaching becomes more relevant and stimulates reflection on the intrinsic values it possesses".

 

  The Holy Father affirmed that "in a culture suffering from the prevalence of having over being, human life risks losing its value. If the practice of sexuality becomes a drug that seeks to enslave the partner to one's own desires and interests without respecting the times of the beloved, then what must be defended is no longer just the concept of love but, primarily, the dignity of the person. As believers we could never allow the power of technology to invalidate the quality of love and the sacredness of life".

 

  Natural law, he said, "deserves to be recognised as the source inspiring the relationship between a married couple in their responsibility to generate children. The transmission of life is inscribed in nature and its laws stand as an unwritten norm to which everyone must refer".

 

  Nascent life, said the Pope, "is the fruit of a love capable of thinking and choosing in complete freedom, without allowing itself to be overly conditioned by the sacrifice this may require. From here emerges the miracle of life which parents experience in themselves as they sense the extraordinary nature of what is achieved in them and through them. No mechanical technique can substitute the act of love that husband and wife exchange as a sign of the greater mystery, in which they are protagonists and co-participants of creation".

 

  After recalling the sad episodes that sometimes involve adolescents "whose reactions display their incorrect appreciation of the mystery of life and of the dangerous implications of their actions", the Holy Father expressed the hope that young people "may learn the true meaning of love and prepare for it with appropriate sexual education, not allowing themselves to be distracted by superficial messages that prevent them appreciating the essence of the truth at stake".

 

  "Freedom must join with truth, and responsibility with strength of dedication to others, also through sacrifice. Without these principles the community of man does not develop and there is a risk of being trapped in oppressive selfishness".

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PLENARY INDULGENCE FOR BI-MILLENNIUM OF ST. PAUL

 

VATICAN CITY, 10 MAY 2008 (VIS) - According to a decree made public today and signed by Cardinal James Francis Stafford and Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv., respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Benedict XVI will grant the faithful Plenary Indulgence for the occasion of the two-thousandth anniversary of the birth of the Apostle Paul. The Plenary Indulgence will be valid throughout the Pauline Year which is due to run from 28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009.

 

  "With the imminence of the liturgical Solemnity of the Prince of the Apostles", says the decree, "the Supreme Pontiff ... wishes, in good time, to provide for the faithful with spiritual treasures for their own sanctification, that they may renew and reinforce ... their purpose of supernatural salvation from the moment of the First Vespers of the aforementioned Solemnity, principally in honour of the Apostle of the Gentiles the two-thousandth anniversary of whose earthly birth is now approaching.

 

  "In fact, the gift of indulgences which the Roman Pontiff offers the Universal Church, facilitates the way to interior purification which, while rendering honour to the Blessed Apostle Paul, exalts supernatural life in the hearts of the faithful and spurs them on ... to produce fruits of good works".

 

  The means to obtain the Plenary Indulgence are as follows:

 

  "All Christian faithful - truly repentant, duly purified by the Sacrament of Penance and restored with Holy Communion - who undertake a pious visit in the form of a pilgrimage to the papal basilica of St. Paul on Rome's Via Ostiense and pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff, are granted and imparted Plenary Indulgence for the temporal punishment of their sins, once they have obtained sacramental remission and forgiveness for their shortcomings.

 

  "Plenary Indulgence may be gained by the Christian faithful, either for themselves or for the deceased, as many times as the aforementioned acts are undertaken; it remains the case, however, that Plenary Indulgence may be obtained only once a day.

 

  "In order that the prayers pronounced on these holy visits may lead and draw the souls of the faithful to a more intense veneration of the memory of St. Paul, the following conditions are laid down: the faithful, apart from pronouncing their own prayers before the altar of the Blessed Sacrament, ... must go to the altar of the Confession and pray the 'Our Father' and the 'Creed', adding pious invocations in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Paul; and such acts of devotion must remain closely linked to the memory of the Prince of the Apostles St. Peter".

 

  "Christian faithful from the various local Churches, under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion, prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff) and completely unattached to any form of sin, may still obtain the Plenary Indulgence if they participate devotedly in a religious function or in a pious exercise held publicly in honour of the Apostle of the Gentiles: on the days of the solemn opening and closing of the Pauline Year in any place of worship; on other days determined by the local ordinary, in holy places named for St. Paul and, for the good of the faithful, in other places designated by the ordinary".

 

  The document concludes by recalling how the faithful who, "through sickness or other legitimate or important reason", are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain the Plenary Indulgence if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions, "spiritually unite themselves to a Jubilee celebration in honour of St. Paul, offering their prayers and suffering to God for the unity of Christians".

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 10 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 

 - Promoted Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. to the order of bishops, assigning him the suburbicarian see of Frascati.

 

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith, Canada, presented by Bishop Denis Croteau O.M.I., upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Murray Chatlain.

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THE CHURCH IS A SIGN AND INSTRUMENT OF THE PEACE OF GOD

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 MAY 2008 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at 10 a.m. today, the Pope presided at a Eucharistic celebration for the Solemnity of Pentecost.

 

  In his homily, the Holy Father indicated that on the day of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Church received a "Baptism of fire", and he continued: "At Pentecost the Church was constituted not by human will but by the power of the Spirit of God. And it immediately became clear how this Spirit gave life to a community that is, simultaneously, one and universal, thus overcoming the curse of Babel.

 

  "Only the Holy Spirit, which creates unity in love and in mutual acceptance of diversity, can free humanity from the constant temptation to seek earthly power which wishes to dominate and standardise everything".

 

  The Pope referred to that "particular aspect of the action of the Holy Spirit" which is "the interweaving of multiplicity and unity", and he pointed out that with "the event of Pentecost it became clear that the Church has multiple languages and diverse cultures. In the faith they can understand and fecundate one another".

 

  "In the very act of its foundation, the Church was already 'catholic' and universal", said Benedict XVI. "From the beginning she spoke all languages because the Gospel entrusted to her is destined for all peoples, in accordance with the will and command of the Risen Christ. The Church that came into being at Pentecost was not above all a particular community - the Church of Jerusalem - but the Universal Church which speaks the languages of all peoples.

 

  "From her, other communities would be born in every part of the world", he added, "particular Churches all of which are realisations of the one Church of Christ. The Catholic Church is not, then, a federation of Churches, but a single unit; ontological priority belongs to the Universal Church. A community not catholic in this sense would not even be Church".

 

  The Pope highlighted how "the path of the Word of God which began in Jerusalem reached its goal, because Rome represents the whole world and therefore incarnates St. Luke's idea of catholicism".

 

  The word pronounced by the Risen Christ when He appeared before His disciples in the Cenacle: "Shalom - peace be with you" is not, said the Holy Father, "a simple greeting, it is much more. It is the gift of the promised peace, conquered by Jesus at the cost of His blood, it is the fruit of His victory in the struggle against the spirit of evil".

 

  Pope Benedict then called people to a renewed awareness of the responsibility this gift brings with it, "the responsibility of the Church to be ... a sign and instrument of God's peace for all people". In this context, he recalled how he had sought to transmit this message during his recent visit to U.N. headquarters, "but it is not only with such events 'at the summit' that we must concern ourselves", he said. "The Church accomplishes her service to Christ's peace above all in her ordinary presence and activity among men and women, by preaching the Gospel, and with the signs of love and mercy that accompany it".

 

  Of these signs, he particularly mentioned the Sacrament of Penance. "How important and, unfortunately, insufficiently understood is the gift of Reconciliation which brings peace to hearts", he said.

 

  "The peace of Christ is spread only through the renewed hearts of men and women who have become reconciled, servants of justice, ready to spread peace in the world using only the power of truth, without making compromises with the mentality of the world, because the world cannot give the peace of Christ: this is how the Church can be a leavening for the reconciliation that comes from God".

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REDISCOVERING THE BEAUTY OF BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, following this morning's Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost held in the Vatican Basilica, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Regina Coeli with the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square below.

 

  "In a special way", he said, "Pentecost is the Baptism of the Church which embarks on her universal mission, beginning on the streets of Jerusalem, with her prodigious preaching in the various languages of humankind. In this Baptism of Holy Spirit the personal dimension is inseparable form the community dimension, the 'I' of the disciple and the 'us of the Church.

 

  "The Spirit", added the Holy Father, "consecrates the person and at the same time makes him a living member of the mystical Body of Christ, a participant in the mission of bearing witness to His love. And this comes about through the Sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism and Confirmation". Pope Benedict concluded his remarks by calling on everyone to rediscover "the beauty of being baptised in the Holy Spirit" and to rediscover "an awareness of our Baptism and our Confirmation, ever present sources of grace".

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CALL FOR PEACE IN LEBANON

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 MAY 2008 (VIS) - After today's Regina Coeli prayer, the Holy Father launched an appeal for peace in Lebanon.

 

  "Over recent days I have followed events in Lebanon with great concern", he said. "There the stalled political initiative was followed first by verbal violence then by armed clashes which have left many dead and injured. Although in the last few hours tension has eased, I feel it incumbent upon me today to exhort the Lebanese to abandon the logic of aggressive confrontation, which would lead their dear country to irreversible consequences.

 

  "Dialogue, mutual understanding and the search for reasonable compromise are the only way to give Lebanon back its institutions and its people back the security necessary for a dignified daily life, rich in hope for tomorrow.

 

  "May Lebanon, by the intercession of Our Lady of Lebanon, respond courageously to its vocation to be, for the Middle East and for the entire world, a sign of the real possibility of peaceful and constructive coexistence among mankind. The country's various communities are, ... at one and the same time, 'an element of originality, of richness, and of difficulty. But making Lebanon live is the shared duty of all its inhabitants'".

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ROME AND JERUSALEM: FAITH AND WISDOM FOR THE WORLD

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Mordechay Lewy, the new ambassador of Israel to the Holy See.

 

  Addressing the diplomat in English, Benedict XVI expressed his "cordial good wishes on the occasion of Israel's celebration of 60 years of statehood. The Holy See joins you in giving thanks to the Lord that the aspirations of the Jewish people for a home in the land of their fathers have been fulfilled, and hopes soon to see a time of even greater rejoicing when a just peace finally resolves the conflict with the Palestinians".

 

  The Pope also highlighted areas of mutual interest shared by the Holy See and the Sate of Israel, highlighting how "Judeo-Christian heritage should inspire us to take a lead in promoting many forms of social and humanitarian action throughout the world, not least by combating all forms of racial discrimination". He also referred to "the cultural and academic exchanges that are taking place between Catholic institutions worldwide and those of the Holy Land" and recalled how dialogue between Jews and Christians "is bearing much fruit and needs to be continued with commitment and generosity.

 

  "The holy cities of Rome and Jerusalem", he added, "represent a source of faith and wisdom of central importance for Western civilization, and in consequence, the links between Israel and the Holy See have deeper resonances than those which arise formally from the juridical dimension of our relations".

 

  Turning to consider the question of "the alarming decline in the Christian population of the Middle East, including Israel, through emigration" the Holy Father observed that "of course Christians are not alone in suffering the effects of insecurity and violence as a result of the various conflicts in the region, but in many respects they are particularly vulnerable at the present time".

 

  Invoking the "the growing friendship between Israel and the Holy See", Benedict XVI expressed the hope that "ways will be found of reassuring the Christian community, so that they can experience the hope of a secure and peaceful future in their ancestral homelands, without feeling under pressure to move to other parts of the world in order to build new lives.

 

  "Christians in the Holy Land have long enjoyed good relations with both Muslims and Jews. Their presence in your country, and the free exercise of the Church's life and mission there, have the potential to contribute significantly to healing the divisions between the two communities".

 

  "I do realise that the difficulties experienced by Christians in the Holy Land are also related to the continuing tension between Jewish and Palestinian communities. The Holy See recognizes Israel's legitimate need for security and self-defence and strongly condemns all forms of anti-Semitism. It also maintains that all peoples have a right to be given equal opportunities to flourish. Accordingly, I would urge your Government to make every effort to alleviate the hardship suffered by the Palestinian community, allowing them the freedom necessary to go about their legitimate business, including travel to places of worship, so that they too can enjoy greater peace and security.

 

  " Clearly, these matters can only be addressed within the wider context of the Middle East peace process", said the Pope and, recalling the recent negotiations at Annapolis, indicated that the Holy See "prays that the hopes and expectations raised there will not be disappointed. ... When all the people of the Holy Land live in peace and harmony, in two independent sovereign states side by side, the benefit for world peace will be inestimable, and Israel will truly serve as 'light to the nations', a shining example of conflict resolution for the rest of the world to follow".

 

  Pope Benedict also mentioned negotiations on economic and fiscal matters between the Holy See and Israel. "I know that I speak on behalf of many when I express the hope that these agreements may soon be integrated into the Israeli internal legal system and so provide a lasting basis for fruitful co-operation", he said.

 

  Finally, referring to the situation of Christians in the Holy Land and "the difficulties caused by continuing uncertainties over their legal rights and status, especially with regard to the question of visas for church personnel", he concluded: "Only when these difficulties are overcome, will the Church be able to carry out freely her religious, moral, educational and charitable works in the land where she came to birth".

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RESPECT FOR LIFE, THE FOUNDATION OF CIVIL COEXISTENCE

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father received members of the Italian organisation Movement for Life, led by their president Carlo Casini.

 

  Opening his address to them, Benedict XVI recalled how the year 2008 marks the 30th anniversary of the legalisation of abortion in Italy. "It is your intention", he told his audience, "to suggest profound reflections on the human and social effects the law has produced in the civil and Christian community during that period".

 

  "We cannot but recognise", he went on, "that, in practical terms, defending human life has become more difficult today, because a mentality has been created that progressively devalues human life and entrusts it to the judgement of individuals. A consequence deriving therefrom is lessened respect for the human person, a value that lies at the foundation of any form of civil coexistence, over and above the faith a person may profess".

 

  Abortion "not only has not resolved the problems afflicting many women and no small number of families, but it has opened another wound in our societies" said the Holy Father. He also called for combined efforts to ensure that "institutions once again focus their activities on defence of human life and priority concern for families. ... Families must be helped, using all legislative means to facilitate their formation and their educational work in the difficult social context of today".

 

  "It is necessary to bear concrete witness to the fact that respect for life is the first form of justice that must be applied. For those who have the gift of faith this becomes an imperative that cannot be deferred. ... Only God is the Lord of life. Each human being is known, loved, wanted and guided by Him, ... and each has his origins in God's creative plan".

 

  The Pope pointed out that this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and he praised the Movement for Life's commitment "in the political sphere, assisting and encouraging the institutions to ensure that correct recognition is given to the words 'human dignity'.

 

  "Your initiative in the European Parliament's Commission for Petitions, in which you affirm the fundamental values of the right to life from the moment of conception, of the family founded on the marriage of a man and a woman, of the right of all conceived human beings to be born and educated in a family of parents, is further confirmation of the solidity of your commitment and your full communion with the Church's Magisterium which has always proclaimed and defended such values as 'non negotiable'".

 

  Benedict XVI concluded by thanking his audience for their service "to the Church and to society. How many human lives have you saved from death! Continue along this path and do not be afraid, so that the smile of life may triumph on the lips of all children and their mothers".

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, Peru.

 

 - Cardinal Julio Terrazas Sandoval C.SS.R., archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.

 

 - Four prelates from the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Miklos Beer of Vac, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Lajos Varga.

 

    - Bishop Laszlo Kiss-Rigo of Szeged-Csanad.

 

    - Bishop Szilard Keresztes, emeritus of Hajdudorog for Catholics of Byzantine Rite.

 

  On Saturday 10 May he received in separate audiences:

 

 - Three prelates from the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Bela Balas of Kaposvar.

 

    - Bishop Andras Veres of Szombathely.

 

    - Bishop Imre Asztrick Varszegi O.S.B., abbot of the territorial abbey of Pannonhalma.

 

 - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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SUMMARY:

 

- Asking the Holy Spirit for Unity of the Church

- Audiences

 

___________________________________________________________

 

ASKING THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR UNITY OF THE CHURCH

 

VATICAN CITY, 9 MAY 2008 (VIS).- This morning the Pope received His Holiness Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. He then met with the bishops in the patriarch's delegation who were from many diverse countries.

 

  At noon in the Clementine Hall, the Holy Father presided over the celebration of the Middle Hour (hora media), which was attended by Karekin II,  the Armenian bishops, and a group of faithful apostolic Armenians from a number of countries in the East and West.

 

 After the Patriarch's greeting, the Pope addressed the assembly. Referring to tomorrow's solemnity of Pentecost, Benedict XVI affirmed that, on this day, "we will pray in a particular way for the unity of the Church. (...) If our hearts and minds are open to the Spirit of communion, God can work miracles again in the Church, restoring the bonds of unity. Striving for Christian unity is an act of obedient trust in the work of the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church to the full realization of the Father's plan, in conformity with the will of Christ".

 

 Continuing, the Holy Father pointed out that "the recent history of the Armenian Apostolic Church has been written in the contrasting colors of persecution and martyrdom, darkness and hope, humiliation and spiritual re-birth". However, he added, "the restoration of freedom to the Church in Armenia has been a source of great joy for us all. An immense task of rebuilding the Church has been laid on your shoulders," mentioning the "remarkable pastoral results that have been achieved in such a short time".

 

 "Thanks to your pastoral leadership," the Pope assured, "the glorious light of Christ shines again in Armenia and the saving words of the Gospel can be heard once more. Of course, you are still facing many challenges on social, cultural, and spiritual levels. In this regard," he added, "I must mention the recent difficulties suffered by the people of Armenia, and I express the prayerful support of the Catholic Church in their search for justice and peace and the promotion of the common good".

 

 Benedict XVI emphasized that in ecumenical dialogue "important progress has been made in clarifying the doctrinal controversies that have traditionally divided us, particularly over questions of Christology. During the last five years, much has been achieved by the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, of which the Catholicosate of All Armenians is a full member".

 

 In conclusion, the Holy Father added that "we pray that its activity will bring us closer to full and visible communion, and that the day will come when our unity in faith makes possible a common celebration of the Eucharist. (...) Only when sustained by prayer and supported by effective cooperation, can theological dialogue lead to the unity that the Lord wishes for his disciples".

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 9 MAY 2008 (VIS).- This morning, the Holy Father received in separate audiences two prelates of the Hungarian Bishop's Conference on their ad limina visit:

 

-Bishop Mihály Mayer, of Pécs.

 

-Archbishop Gyula Márfi, of Veszprém.

 

  This afternoon he will receive Archbishop Angelo Amato, Secretary of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.

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Please do not reply to this e-mail.For address changes, cancellations  use the links or visit our web.
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Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

 

SUMMARY:

 

- Pope at Concert of Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra

- Holy Father Praises Vitality of the Melkite Church

- Schedule of Pope's Pastoral Visit to Genoa and Savona

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

POPE AT CONCERT OF CHINESE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, the Holy Father attended a concert offered by the Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus who presented Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem Mass.

 

 The Pope affirmed that this concert "puts us in touch, as it were, with the living reality of the world of China," recognizing that "in a group of such accomplished artists, we see represented the great cultural and musical tradition of China, and this performance helps us to understand better the history of the Chinese people, their values, and their noble aspirations".

 

 "Music, and art in general," he continued, "can serve as a privileged instrument for encounter and reciprocal knowledge and esteem between different populations and cultures, a means attainable by all for valuing the universal language of art".

 

 Benedict XVI emphasized the orchestra and choir's interest in "European religious music. This shows that it is possible, in different cultural settings, to enjoy and appreciate sublime manifestations of the spirit such as Mozart's Requiem which we have just heard, precisely because music expresses universal human sentiments, including the religious sentiment, which transcends the boundaries of every individual culture."

 

 Referring to the "great hall", the Paul VI audience hall in which "the Pope receives his guests", he said: "It is like a window opening onto the world, a place where people from all over the world often meet, with their own personal stories and their own culture, all of them welcomed with esteem and affection".

 

 "In greeting you this evening, dear Chinese artists," he added, "the Pope intends to reach out to your entire people, with a special thought for those of your fellow citizens who share faith in Jesus and are united through a particular spiritual bond with the Successor of Peter."

 

 The Pope pointed out that "the Requiem came into being through this faith as a prayer to God, the just and merciful judge, and that is why it touches the hearts of all people, as an expression of humanity's universal aspirations".

 

 In closing, the Pope extended his greetings, through the artists, "to all the people of China as they prepare for the Olympic Games, an event of great importance for the entire human family" and added, speaking in Chinese, "I thank you all and I offer you my best wishes".

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HOLY FATHER PRAISES VITALITY OF THE MELKITE CHURCH

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received 300 members of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate, headed by His Beatitude, Patriarch Gregorios III Laham, who are on pilgrimage to Rome.

 

  The Pope praised "the vitality of the Melkite Church, despite the difficulties of the region's social and political situation", affirming that "on drawing near to the beginning of the year dedicated to St. Paul, I cannot forget that the seat of your patriarchy is established in the city of Damascus, on the road to which the apostle lived the event that transformed his existence and opened the doors of Christianity to all the nations".

 

  The Holy Father used the occasion of the Pauline Year to invite the patriarch to carry out "an intense pastoral outreach" to awaken in the faithful "a new impetus to know ever more closely the person of Christ, thanks to a renewed reading of Paul's writings". This focus," he emphasized, "will also guarantee a thriving future for the Melkite Church".

 

  "In order to ensure the evangelical dynamism and unity of the communities, as well as the proper functioning of the ecclesial work in the patriarchal Churches," Benedict XVI observed, "the role of the Bishops' Synod is of primary importance. That is why it is necessary, every time the right allows for it, above all when it has to do with questions related to those same bishops, to give this venerable institution and not only the Permanent Synod, the standing it merits".

 

  Referring to ecumenical outreach, the Pope recalled that "the commitment to the search for unity of all Jesus' disciples is an urgent obligation" and therefore "everything possible must be done to tear down the walls of division and mistrust that prevent us from achieving it. Nevertheless, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the search for unity is a task that concerns not only a particular Church but the entire Church, in respect of its nature".

 

  "I also appreciate," he added, "your good relations with the Muslims (...) as well as your efforts to resolve, with a sincere and objective spirit of fraternal dialogue, problems that may arise. (...) In line with Vatican Council II, the Melkite Church has sincerely sought mutual understanding and the promotion and a shared defense of social justice, moral values, peace, and freedom with the Muslims to the benefit of all".

 

  On achieving its mission in the troubled and at times dramatic context of the Middle East," he concluded, "the Church finds itself faced with situations where politics plays a role that is not indifferent to its life. That is why it is important to maintain contacts with the political authorities and institutions and the different political parties. Nevertheless, it does not fall to the clergy to dedicate themselves to a political life. That is the duty of the laity. The Church, however, should propose the light of the Gospel to all so that all may dedicate themselves to serve the common good and so that justice may always prevail, so that the path to peace for all peoples in this much loved region may be opened".

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SCHEDULE OF POPE'S PASTORAL VISIT TO GENOA AND SAVONA

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Today, the Holy See's Press Office publicized the schedule for Benedict XVI's pastoral visit to Savona and Genoa (Italy) that will take place this 17-18 May.

 

 The Pope will depart from Ciampino Airport on Saturday, 17 May, at 3:30pm and will land an hour later at Christopher Columbus Airport of Genoa-Sestri where he will be taken by helicopter to the shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Savona.

 

 After visiting the shrine, Benedict XVI will be taken by car to the Piazza del Popolo in Savona where, at 5:45pm, he will concelebrate Holy Mass and give the homily. After the celebration he will go to the bishop's palace to privately visit the rooms of Pope Pius VII. At around 8:15pm he will be taken by helicopter from the old dock of the port of Savona to Genoa where he will land a half hour later at the shrine of the Virgin of the Watch in Ceranesi, the Genoese municipality where he will spend the night.

 

 On Sunday, 18 May, at 9:00am, the Pope will make a private visit to the shrine and will then be taken by helicopter to Genoa where he will arrive at the Villa Gentile Sports Center around 9:40am. From there will be taken by car to the Gaslini Children's Hospital where he will meet the medical staff and the children who are patients and their families. He will then be taken by car to Piazza Matteotti where, at 11:15am, he will meet with the youth of the area, addressing them and praying the Angelus with them.

 

 From Piazza Matteotti, the Pope will travel to the Genoese Cathedral of St. Lawrence where, at 12:20pm, he will meet with the cathedral's chapter and consecrated men and women, addressing them. He will then be taken to the Benedict XV Seminary where he will lunch with the Ligurian bishops.

 

 At 4:30pm he will arrive at the Piazza della Vittoria to concelebrate Holy Mass and give the homily. Afterward, Benedict XVI will be taken to Christopher Columbus Airport where his flight will leave at 7:00pm, returning to Rome around 7:50pm.

OP/TRAVEL SCHEDULE/SAVONA:GENOA                          VIS 080508 (350)

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 MAY 2008 (VIS).- Today, the Holy Father received in separate visits:

 

-Five prelates of the Hungarian Bishop's Conference on their ad limina visit:

 

    -Archbishop Csaba Ternyák, of Eger, with Auxiliary Bishop István Katona.

 

    -Bishop Nándor Bosák, of Debrecen-Nyíregyháza.

 

    -Archbishop Balázs Bábel, of Kalocsa-Kecskemét, with Auxiliary Bishop László Bíro.

 

   -Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis, of Aparecida (Brazil), President of the Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM), with Bishop Víctor Sánchez Espinosa, Auxiliary Bishop of Mexico (Mexico) and secretary general of the same organization.

 

-His Beatitude Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Syria).

 

  This afternoon, the Holy Father will receive in audience Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

AL:AP/.../...                                                                                       VIS 080508 (110)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 MAY 2008 (VIS).- The Holy Father named:

 

-Monsignor Ambrose Madtha, in charge of internal affairs at the apostolic nunciature in China, as apostolic nuncio of Ivory Coast, elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The new nuncio was born in Belthangady (India) in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1982.

 

-Monsignor Bernardito C. Auza, First Counsellor of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York, as apostolic nuncio of Haiti, elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The new nuncio was born in Talibon (Philippines) in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1985

NN/.../MADTHA:AUZA                                                                  VIS 080508 (110)

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SUMMARY:

 

- The Church Is Always in a State of Pentecost

- Myanmar: Generous Assistance to Victims of Cyclone

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

THE CHURCH IS ALWAYS IN A STATE OF PENTECOST

 

VATICAN CITY, 7 MAY 2008 (VIS) - In the general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 20,000 faithful, the Holy Father used the occasion of the visit to Rome of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, to focus his remarks on ecumenical dialogue. The Patriarch, who was present at the audience, also made a brief address in which he reflected on the same theme, also dwelling upon the history of the Armenian people.

 

  Greeting the Patriarch in English, Benedict XVI referred to the statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator, founder of the Armenian Church, which is located in a niche of the Vatican Basilica and "serves to remind us of the severe persecutions suffered by Armenian Christians, especially during the last century. Armenia's many martyrs are a sign of the power of the Holy Spirit working in times of darkness, and a pledge of hope for Christians everywhere".

 

  The Patriarch's presence, said the Pope, "revives our hope for the full unity of all Christians", and he noted the well-known "commitment of the Armenian Apostolic Church to ecumenical dialogue".

 

  "These days of preparation that immediately precede the Solemnity of Pentecost stimulate us to renew our hope in the help of the Holy Spirit to advance along the path of ecumenism. We have the certainty that the Lord Jesus never abandons us in our search for unity, because His Spirit is tirelessly at work to support the efforts we make to overcome all forms of division".

 

  Benedict XVI went on: The Holy Spirit is "a power for the forgiveness of sins, for the renewal of our hearts and our lives. It renews the earth and creates unity where before there was division". When it descended upon the Apostles they spoke in tongues, a sign that "the Babylonian dispersion, fruit of the pride which divides mankind, was overcome in the Spirit, which is charity and gives us unity in diversity".

 

  "Since the first moment of her existence the Church, thanks to the power of the Holy Spirit, has spoken in all tongues and lived in all cultures. She destroys nothing of their history and gifts, but assumes them all in a great and new unity, which reconciles unity with the multiplicity of forms. With its power, the Holy Spirit ... unites divided man in divine charity and thus creates ... the great community which is the Church in all the world".

 

  Pope Benedict then went on to highlight how "the Church is always, so to say, in a state of Pentecost. Gathered in the Cenacle, she prays incessantly to obtain ever new effusions of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, ... and is not afraid to announce the Gospel to the furthest confines of the earth. This is why, faced with difficulties and divisions, Christians cannot resign themselves or give way to discouragement.

 

  "This is what Christ asks of Christians: to persevere in prayer in order to keep alive the flame of faith, hope and charity, and the longing for full unity", the Pope added. He then went on to mention his recent apostolic trip to the United States during which he had made reference "to the centrality of prayer in the ecumenical movement. In this period of globalisation and, at the same time, of fragmentation, 'without prayer ecumenical structures, institutions and programs would be deprived of their heart and soul'", he said.

 

  Finally, the Holy Father quoted St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians where it is written that "the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Today", he concluded, "we too invoke these gifts of the Spirit for all Christians, so that in the joint and generous service of the Gospel they may be a sign in the world of God's love for humanity".

AG/ECUMENISM PENTECOST/KAREKIN                              VIS 080507 (660)

 

MYANMAR: GENEROUS ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS OF CYCLONE

 

VATICAN CITY, 7 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, the Pope reiterated his closeness to people affected by the cyclone that struck southern Myanmar recently.

 

  "I make my own the cry of pain and the call for assistance of the dear people of Myanmar", he said, "who without warning saw so many lives, and so much property and means of sustenance destroyed by the terrifying violence of the cyclone Nargis.

 

  "As I already said in the message of solidarity I sent to the president of the episcopal conference, I remain spiritually close to the people affected. I would also like to repeat to everyone my call to open their hearts to pity and generosity so that, thanks to the collaboration of people who can and wish to bring help, the suffering caused by such an immense tragedy may be relieved".

AG/CYCLONE/MYANMAR                                                          VIS 080507 (160)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 7 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Joao Evangelista Pimentel Lavrador, pro-vicar general of the diocese of Coimbra, Portugal, as auxiliary of the diocese of Porto (area 3,010, population 2,086,900, Catholics 1,889,000, priests 531, permanent deacons 16, religious 1,464), Portugal. The bishop-elect was born in Seixo de Mira, Portugal in 1956 and ordained a priest in 1981.

NEA/.../PIMENTEL                                                                        VIS 080507 (70)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Telegram for Victims of Cyclone in Myanmar

- Official Visit of Catholicos Karekin II

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

- In Memoriam

 

___________________________________________________________

 

TELEGRAM FOR VICTIMS OF CYCLONE IN MYANMAR

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. has sent a telegram, in the Pope's name, to Archbishop Paul Zinghtung Grawng of Mandalay, and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar, for the cyclone which struck the country recently, leaving thousands of victims in its wake. The text of the English-language telegram is given below:

 

  "Deeply saddened by news of the tragic aftermath of the recent cyclone, the Holy Father expresses his heartfelt sympathy. With prayers for the victims and their families, he invokes God's peace upon the dead and divine strength and comfort upon the homeless and all who are suffering. Confident that the international community will respond with generous and effective relief to the needs of your countrymen, His Holiness asks you to convey his solidarity and concern to the civil authorities and to all the beloved people of Myanmar".

TGR/CYCLONE MYANMAR/BERTONE:GRAWNG               VIS 080506 (160)

 

OFFICIAL VISIT OF CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 MAY 2008 (VIS) - His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, will make an official visit to the Church of Rome and to the Holy Father from 6 to 9 May.

 

  According to a communique released by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the patriarch will be accompanied by 18 bishops of the Catholicosate of all Armenians and by a group of 75 Armenian Apostolic faithful, from Armenia and other countries in east and west. They will participate in the main events of the visit.

 

  Karekin II, who was elected as the 132nd Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians in October 1999, is due to arrive in Rome this evening.

 

  Tomorrow, 7 May, having prayed at the tomb of St. Peter and visited the statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator, patron saint of Armenia, which is located in the north patio of the Vatican Basilica, the Pope will welcome him at the beginning of the general audience in St. Peter's Square. In the afternoon, the Catholicos is to receive a doctorate "honoris causa" in "the theology of youth pastoral care" from the Pontifical Salesian University.

 

  On Thursday 8 May, the Patriarch will visit the Pontifical Armenian College and, during the afternoon, participate in an academic congress being held at the Pontifical Oriental Institute on "holy sacrifice in the Armenian tradition".

 

  On the morning of Friday 9 May, His Holiness Karekin II and his entourage will visit the offices of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, after which Benedict XVI will receive the Catholicos in the Vatican Apostolic Palace. Following a private meeting between the two, the Pope will also receive the bishops accompanying the Patriarch. A celebration of the Word is due to take place, jointly presided by the Pope and Karekin II, at which the Armenian Apostolic faithful of the Patriarch's entourage will also participate.

 

  On the evening of 9 May, the Catholicos and his entourage will participate in the celebration of Vespers at the papal basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, the final event of the Patriarch's visit to Rome.

 

  In November 2000, scarcely a year after his election, His Holiness Karekin II visited the Church of Rome and John Paul II. During that visit the Pope and the Patriarch presided at a Liturgy of the Word in the Vatican Basilica during which John Paul II gave the Catholicos a relic of St. Gregory the Illuminator which had been conserved for many years at the Convent of St. Gregory the Armenian in Naples, Italy.

 

  In September 2001, John Paul II made a visit to Armenia and to the See of Etchmiadzin where the Catholicos resides. The Patriarch also came to Rome for the Polish Pontiff's funeral on 8 April 2005.

 

  The communique concludes by explaining that, on the occasions of the various meetings between Bishops of Rome and the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, joint declarations have been signed on questions of great ecumenical importance in the historical, theological and pastoral fields.

OP/VISIT POPE ROME/KAREKIN II                                          VIS 080506 (520)

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, Germany.

AP/.../...                                                                                            VIS 080506 (160)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 

 - As members of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts: Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples; Lluis Martinez Sistach, archbishop of Barcelona, Spain; Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, India; William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches; Archbishops John Joseph Myers of Newark, U.S.A., and Raymond Leo Burke of Saint Louis, U.S.A.

 

 - As members of the Congregation for the Clergy: Cardinals Polycarp Pengo, archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; Marc Ouellet P.S.S., archbishop of Quebec, Canada, and Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino, archbishop of Caracas, Venezuela; Archbishops Tomash Peta of Maria Santissima in Astana, Kazakhstan; Raymond Leo Burke of Saint Louis, U.S.A., and Willem Jacobus Eijk of Utrecht, Netherlands.

NA/.../...                                                                                             VIS 080506 (160)

 

IN MEMORIAM

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The following prelates died recently:

 

 - Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, on 19 April at the age of 72.

 

- Bishop Alphonsus Maria H. A. Castermans, former auxiliary of Roermond, Netherlands, on 21 April at the age of 84.

 

- Bishop Benedito Domingos Coscia O.F.M., emeritus of Jatai, Brazil, on 30 April at the age of 85.

 

- Bishop Lucien Monsi-Agboka, emeritus of Abomey, Benin, on 27 April at the age of 81.

 

- Bishop Paul Marie Nguyen Minh Nhat, emeritus of Xuan Loc, Vietnam, on 17 January 2007 at the age of 80.

.../DEATHS/...                                                                                 VIS 080506 (110)

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SUMMARY: 3 - 5 MAY

 

- Building the Common Good, Working for Peace and Justice

- Cardinal Danneels, Special Envoy to Luxembourg

- Rosary Is Not a Pious Practice Relegated to the Past

- Christian Hope Is a Sure and Steadfast Anchor

- Catholic Action Commemorates 140th Anniversary

- Pope Thanks Swiss Guard for Their Service

- Thirty-Three New Swiss Guards to Be Sworn in Tomorrow

- Cardinals Take Possession of Titular Church, Diaconate

- Audiences

 

___________________________________________________________

 

BUILDING THE COMMON GOOD, WORKING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

 

VATICAN CITY, 3 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, who are meeting to study the theme: "Pursuing the common good: how solidarity and subsidiarity can work together".

 

  Addressing them in English, the Holy Father told the participants that the "heart of the matter" facing them was "how can solidarity and subsidiarity work together in the pursuit of the common good in a way that not only respects human dignity, but allows it to flourish?"

 

  "Solidarity", he said, "refers to the virtue enabling the human family to share fully the treasure of material and spiritual goods, and subsidiarity is the co-ordination of society's activities in a way that supports the internal life of the local communities".

 

  The Holy Father highlighted the relationship between the four main principles of Catholic social doctrine (human dignity, the common good, subsidiarity and solidarity), explaining that "we can initially sketch the interconnections between these four principles by placing the dignity of the person at the intersection of two axes: one horizontal, representing 'solidarity' and 'subsidiarity', and one vertical, representing the 'common good'. This creates a field upon which we can plot the various points of Catholic social teaching that give shape to the common good".

 

  Solidarity and subsidiarity, he went on, "have the potential to place men and women on the path to discovering their definitive, supernatural destiny. ... The responsibility of Christians to work for peace and justice, their irrevocable commitment to build up the common good, is inseparable from their mission to proclaim the gift of eternal life to which God has called every man and woman".

 

  The Pope assured participants in the plenary assembly that their discussions "will be of service to all people of good will, while simultaneously inspiring Christians to embrace more readily their obligation to enhance solidarity with and among their fellow citizens, and to act upon the principle of subsidiarity by promoting family life, voluntary associations, private initiative, and a public order that facilitates the healthy functioning of society's most basic communities".

 

  "When those responsible for the public good attune themselves to the natural human desire for self-governance based on subsidiarity, they leave space for individual responsibility and initiative, but most importantly, they leave space for love, which always remains 'the most excellent way'".

 

  The Holy Father concluded his remarks with words of encouragement to members of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences "to survey both the 'vertical' and 'horizontal' dimensions of solidarity and subsidiarity. In this way, you will be able to propose more effective ways of resolving the manifold problems besetting mankind at the threshold of the third millennium, while also bearing witness to the primacy of love, which transcends and fulfils justice as it draws mankind into the very life of God".

AC/SOLIDARITY SUBSIDIARITY/ACAD-SS                           VIS 080505 (490)

 

CARDINAL DANNEELS, SPECIAL ENVOY TO LUXEMBOURG

 

VATICAN CITY, 3 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from the Pope to Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, appointing him as special papal envoy to celebrations marking the 1350th anniversary of the birth of St. Willibrord, due to be held in Luxembourg from 11 to 13 May.

 

  Cardinal Danneels will be accompanied on his mission by Msgr. Mathias Schiltz, vicar general of the archdiocese of Luxembourg and by Fr. Andre Heiderscheid, provost of the cathedral chapter of Luxembourg.

BXVI-LETTER/.../DANNEELS                                                     VIS 080505 (90)

 

ROSARY IS NOT A PIOUS PRACTICE RELEGATED TO THE PAST

 

VATICAN CITY, 3 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This evening Benedict XVI presided at the praying of the Rosary in the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major, "Marian temple par excellence" in which, as the Holy Father recalled, the image of Mary "Salus Populi Romani" is venerated.

 

  "In the experience of my generation", he said, "May evenings evoke pleasant memories of vespertine appointments to pay homage to the Virgin Mary. ... Today we together confirm that the holy Rosary is not some pious practice relegated to the past, a prayer of distant times to be thought of nostalgically. Indeed, the Rosary is experiencing what is almost a new springtime".

 

  "In the modern world which is so dispersive, this prayer helps us to place Christ at the centre, as did the Virgin who meditated upon everything that was said about her Son and upon what He Himself did and said. When we recite the Rosary we relive important monuments of the history of salvation, we again go over the various stages of Christ's mission. With Mary we turn our hearts to the mystery of Jesus".

 

  "May Mary help us to welcome within ourselves the grace that emanates from these mysteries, so that through us this grace can 'irrigate' society, starting with our everyday relationships, purifying it from many negative forces and opening it to the novelty of God.

 

  "The Rosary", the Pope added, "when it is prayed in an authentic manner - not mechanically and superficially, but profoundly - brings peace and reconciliation. It contains the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the heart of each Hail Mary".

 

  Benedict XVI then called on those present to ensure they remained united to Mary during these days leading up to Pentecost, "invoking a renewed effusion of the Holy Spirit for the Church". He also entrusted them with "the most urgent intentions" of his ministry: "the needs of the Church, the great problems of humanity, peace in the world, the unity of Christians, and dialogue between cultures", as well as the pastoral objectives of the diocese of Rome, and the "solidary development" of Italy.

BXVI-ROSARY/.../ST. MARY MAJOR                                       VIS 080505 (370)

 

CHRISTIAN HOPE IS A SURE AND STEADFAST ANCHOR

 

VATICAN CITY, 4 MAY 2008 (VIS) - On today's Solemnity of the Ascension, Benedict XVI prayed the Regina Coeli from the atrium of the Vatican Basilica with thousands of faithful from Italian Catholic Action and other pilgrims who filled St. Peter's Square.

 

  The Pope recalled how following the Ascension "the first disciples remained together in the Cenacle around the Mother of Jesus, fervently awaiting the gift of the Holy Spirit which Jesus had promised".

 

  "In His farewell discourses to His disciples, Jesus had given great emphasis to the importance of His 'return to the Father', as the coronation of His mission. He, in fact, came into the world to bring man back to God, not theoretically - like a philosopher or a sage - but in a real sense, as a shepherd leading his sheep to the fold. And it was entirely for us that Jesus experienced in His own person this 'exodus' towards the heavenly homeland".

 

  "It is for this reason that the Father was pleased with Him and 'highly exalted' Him, restoring Him to the fullness of His glory, but now with our humanity. God in man - man in God: this is now a real not a theoretical truth. Hence Christian hope, founded in Christ, is not an illusion but, as the Letter to the Hebrews says, 'a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul'".

 

  "And what", the Pope asked, "does man in all times need if not this: a solid anchor for his existence? Here again, then, is the stupendous sense of Mary's presence among us. Turning our gaze to her, as the first disciples did, we are immediately transported to the reality of Jesus. The Mother leads back to the Son, Who is no longer among us physically but awaits us in the house of the Father. Jesus invites us not to remain gazing upwards, but to stay together, united in prayer, invoking the gift of the Holy Spirit".

ANG/ASCENSION/...                                                                    VIS 080505 (340)

 

CATHOLIC ACTION COMMEMORATES 140TH ANNIVERSARY

 

VATICAN CITY, 4 MAY 2008 (VIS) - After praying the Regina Coeli today, the Pope addressed some remarks to 150,000 members of Catholic Action: adults, young people and children from Italy and 40 other countries around the world who were gathered in St. Peter's Square to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the foundation of their organisation. Before the papal audience, they had participated in a Eucharistic celebration presided by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

 

  Opening his address, the Holy Father mentioned the Saints, Blesseds, Venerables and Servants of God "who grew up in the ranks of Catholic Action" and whose images bedecked the colonnade of St. Peter's Square.

 

  "Is it not perhaps possible, even today", Benedict XVI asked the young people and adults, "to make your lives a testimony of communion with the Lord, one that becomes a real masterpiece of saintliness? Is that not the goal of your association? This will be possible if Catholic Action continues to remain faithful to its own profound roots of faith, nourished by full adhesion to the Word of God, by unconditional love for the Church, by judicious participation in civic life, and by a constant commitment to education".

 

  "Respond generously to this call to sanctity, using the forms most in keeping with your condition as lay people!" cried the Pope. "Continue to allow yourselves to be inspired by the three great 'commissions' that my venerated predecessor Servant of God John Paul II entrusted to you at Loreto, Italy, in 2004: contemplation, communion and mission".

 

  The Pope then recalled how Catholic Action came into being as an "association of faithful marked by a special and direct link with the Pope, soon becoming a precious form of 'collaboration of the laity in the apostolate of the hierarchy'. ... This vocation still remains valid today", he said. "I encourage you, then, generously to continue your service to the Church".

 

  Italy, said the Holy Father, "has always been able to rely on men and women who, formed by your association, are willing to provide disinterested service to the cause of the common good, in order to create a just ordering of society and the State". And he went on: "Always be 'citizens worthy of the gospel' and 'ministers of Christian wisdom for a more human world'. This is the theme of your assembly and the commitment you assume today before the Italian Church, which is here represented by you, by the priests that assist you, by the bishops and by their president".

 

  Benedict XVI also highlighted the "educational emergency" facing the Church in Italy, and called upon his audience to be "tireless heralds and well-prepared and generous educators. In a Church called to face demanding trials of faithfulness, and tempted to adaptation, be courageous witnesses and prophets of evangelical radicalism; in a Church that daily faces a relativist, hedonist and consumer mentality, make room for rationalism under the banner of a faith that befriends intelligence, both in the area of popular mass culture and of more elaborate and more profound research; in a Church which calls people to the heroism of sanctity, respond without fear, trusting always in the mercy of God".

AC/.../CATHOLIC ACTION                                                          VIS 080505 (540)

 

POPE THANKS SWISS GUARD FOR THEIR SERVICE

 

VATICAN CITY, 5 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received 33 new recruits to the Pontifical Swiss Guard accompanied by their families and by other members of the Corps. In keeping with tradition, the new recruits will swear their oath of allegiance tomorrow, 6 May, in a ceremony to be held in the Vatican.

 

  In his talk to them, delivered in German, French and Italian, the Pope pointed out how, five centuries after the foundation of the Corps, "the spirit of faith remains unchanged which encourages young Swiss to leave their beautiful land to come and serve the Pope in the Vatican. The love for the Catholic Church remains the same", he said, "to which you bear witness, rather than with words, with your bodies which, thanks to the characteristic uniforms, are easily recognisable at the entrance to the Vatican and to pontifical audiences. Your historic uniforms speak ... of your commitment to serve God by serving the 'servant of His servants'".

 

  Benedict XVI called on the new recruits "above all to assimilate this Christian and ecclesial spirit which is the foundation and the motor of all the activities you will undertake. Always cultivate prayer and spiritual life, also by taking advantage of the crucial presence of your chaplain. Be open, straightforward and loyal. Learn how to appreciate the differences of personality and character that exist among you, because under the uniform each one is a unique and irreplaceable person called by God to serve His Kingdom of love and peace".

 

  The Swiss Guard, said the Pope, "is also a school of life", and he explained to the recruits how during their period of service in the Vatican "many of your predecessors were able to discover their own vocation: to Christian marriage, to the priesthood, to consecrated life. This is a reason to praise God, but also to appreciate your Corps".

 

  The Holy Father concluded by thanking all members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard for the "generosity and dedication with which you work in the service of the Pope. May the Lord reward you and fill you with abundant heavenly fruits".

AC/FAITHFULNESS/SWISS GUARD                                       VIS 080505 (370)

 

THIRTY-THREE NEW SWISS GUARDS TO BE SWORN IN TOMORROW

 

VATICAN CITY, 5 MAY 2008 (VIS) - At 5 p.m. tomorrow May 6 in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, 33 new recruits will be sworn in as members of the Pontifical Swiss Guards in the presence of members of the Roman Curia, diplomatic representatives and civil and religious authorities from Switzerland.  Twenty will take their oath in German, 11 in French, one in Italian and one in Romansch.

 

  The Pontifical Swiss Guard was founded by Pope Julius II in 1506 as a stable corps, directly dependant on the Holy See. Its main duties were to guard the person of the Roman Pontiff and the Apostolic Palaces.

 

  The day will start at 7:30 a.m. with Mass in St. Peter's Basilica celebrated by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. for the Swiss Guards, their families and friends. At 9 a.m., Archbishop Fernando Filoni, substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, will confer military decorations on members of the corps, and the commander of the guards will place a laurel wreath at the monument honouring the fallen members of the corps.

 

  May 6, in fact, is the date chosen for the swearing-in ceremony of the new guards because on that day in 1527, 147 members of the Swiss Guards lost their lives during the Sack of Rome protecting Pope Clement VII and the Church from the onslaught of the troops of Emperor Charles V.

 

  To become a guard, one must be a Swiss Catholic male under the age of 30, unmarried, over 174 cm (5' 8") in height and with a professional diploma or high school degree. The candidate must have attended Swiss military school. Guards live inside Vatican City. The minimum term of service is 25 months.

GS/OATH-TAKING RECRUITS/...                                                          VIS 080505 (310)

 

CARDINALS TAKE POSSESSION OF TITULAR CHURCH, DIACONATE

 

VATICAN CITY, 5 MAY 2008 (VIS) - According to a note published today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, at 6.30 p.m. on Saturday 10 May, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, India, will take possession of the title of St. Paul of the Cross a "Corviale", in Via Poggio Verde 319, Rome.

 

  The communique also announces that at 5.30 p.m. on Sunday 11 May, Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" will take possession of the new diaconate of St. Lawrence in Piscibus, Via Padre Pancrazio Pfeiffer, Rome.

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 5 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Six prelates from the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Gyorgy Udvardy, Ferenc Cserhati and Janos Szekely.

 

    - Bishop Lajos Papai of Gyor.

 

    - Bishop Antal Spanyi of Szekesfehervar.

 

 - His Grace Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury.

 

  On Saturday, 3 may, he received in separate audiences:

 

 - Cardinal Camillo Ruini, His Holiness' vicar general for the diocese of Rome.

 

 - Three prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Emilio Aranguren Echeverria of Holguin, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Hector Luis Lucas Pena Gomez.

 

    - Bishop Alvaro Julio Beyra Luarca of Santismo Salvador de Bayamo y Manzanillo.

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SUMMARY:

 

- Cuban Church Called to Offer the Only True Hope: Christ

- Plenary Academy Social Sciences: Pursuing Common Good

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

CUBAN CHURCH CALLED TO OFFER THE ONLY TRUE HOPE: CHRIST

 

VATICAN CITY, 2 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, who have recently completed their quinquennial "ad limina" visit.

 

  The Holy Father began his address to the bishops by underlining "the vitality of the Church in Cuba, as well as its unity and its commitment to Jesus Christ". He also remarked upon the "profound change" in ecclesial life in Cuba "especially since the celebration of the Cuban National Ecclesial Meeting, now more than 20 years ago, and above all following the historic visit to Cuba in 1998 by my venerated predecessor Pope John Paul II".

 

  "At this historic moment, the Church in Cuba is called to offer all Cuban society the only true hope: Our Lord Jesus. ... This means that the fomentation of ecclesial life must be given a central role in your aspirations and your pastoral projects".

 

  After thanking priests for "their faithfulness and tireless service to the Church and the faithful", the Holy Father expressed the hope that "an increase in vocations and the simultaneous adoption of appropriate measures in this field, may soon enable the Cuban Church to have a sufficient number of priests, as well as the churches and places of worship necessary to accomplish her strictly pastoral and spiritual mission".

 

  "It is necessary", he went on, "to continue promoting a specific form of vocational pastoral care, one that is not afraid of encouraging the young to follow the footsteps of Christ, Who alone is capable of satisfying their longing for love and happiness". At the same time he encouraged the prelates to ensure seminarians have "the best possible spiritual, intellectual and human formation" so that, "identifying themselves with the Heart of Christ", they can shoulder "the commitment to the priestly ministry".

 

  Benedict XVI highlighted "the exemplary efforts of so many male and female religious", whom he encouraged to continue "enriching the whole of ecclesial life with the wealth of their charisms and their generous commitment". He also thanked "the numerous missionaries who offer the gift of their consecration to all the Church in Cuba".

 

  He then turned to focus on "one of the main objectives of the pastoral plan", the promotion of "a committed laity", and he invited the prelates to encourage "an authentic process of education in the faith at various levels, with the help of well-trained catechists". He also asked them to facilitate "reading and prayerful meditation upon the Word of God", for the faithful, "as well as their frequent attendance at the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist".

 

  The Pope also stressed how, with an "intense spiritual life and the support of a solid religious education", the laity "will be able to offer convincing testimony of their faith in all areas of society, illuminating them with the light of the Gospel. In this context, it is my hope that the Church in Cuba, in keeping with her legitimate aspirations, may enjoy normal access to the social communications media".

 

  On the subject of the pastoral care of marriage and the family, the Holy Father encouraged the prelates "to redouble their efforts so as to ensure that everyone, and especially the young, gains a better understanding of - and feels ever more attracted by - the beauty of the true values of marriage and the family. At the same time, it is necessary to encourage and offer the appropriate means so that families can exercise their responsibilities, and their fundamental right to a religious and moral education for their children".

 

  The Pope spoke of his joy at realising "the generosity with which the Church in your beloved nation is committed to serving the poorest and the most disadvantaged, for which she receives the appreciation and recognition of all the Cuban people. I give you my heartfelt encouragement to continue bringing a visible sign of God's love to those in need, the sick, the elderly and the imprisoned".

 

  Benedict XVI concluded by expressing the hope that the forthcoming beatification of Servant of God Fr. Jose Olallo Valdes "may give fresh impulse to your service to the Church and the people of Cuba, always being a leavening for reconciliation, justice and peace".

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PLENARY ACADEMY SOCIAL SCIENCES: PURSUING COMMON GOOD

 

VATICAN CITY, 2 MAY 2008 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at midday today, a press conference was held to present the 14th plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, which is to take place in the Vatican from 2 to 6 May on the theme: "Pursuing the common good: how solidarity and subsidiarity can work together".

 

  Participating in the press conference were Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; Margaret Archer of the University of Warwick, England; and Pierpaolo Donati of the University of Bologna, Italy.

 

  The goal of the assembly, explains an English-language note released for the press conference, "is to give new meaning and application to the concept of common good in this age of globalisation, which in certain fields is leading to growing inequalities and social injustice, laceration and fragmentation of the social fabric, in short, to the destruction of common goods throughout the world".

 

  "The main hypothesis on which scholars are called to exchange their views is that the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity can, unlike the compromises between socialism and liberalism, mobilise new social, economic and cultural forces of civil society which, within politically-shared fundamental values, can generate those common goods on which the future of humanity depends.

 

  "The programme", the note adds, "envisages a careful inspection of the current processes of radical change in the light of the four fundamental principles of the Catholic social doctrine (dignity of the human person, common good, solidarity and subsidiarity) to understand how and in what measure these principles are effectively applied, and to suggest new solutions where they are misconstrued, misunderstood, disobeyed or distorted".

 

  Explaining how these principles "are very often interpreted in ways that are very far from the meanings and intentions that attain to social doctrine," the note refers to the family. "The common good of the family is identified with its assets", it says, "family solidarity with sentiments of pure affection, subsidiarity with leaving each 'actor' to define the family as he/she likes".

 

  "At the practical-operational level, some case studies on good practices will be presented", such as "new forms of solidary and subsidiary economy (the 'economy of communion' and the 'Food Bank'); shared access (peer to peer) to information goods on communication networks (the Internet); the new 'Local Alliances for the Family' (born in Germany and spreading throughout Europe); subsidiary educational activities in developing countries; third sector organisations using the instrument of micro-credit for social, economic and human development".

 

  The note concludes by underlining how "the fundamental challenge" facing the assembly is that "once we acknowledge that the great deficit of modernity, which is nevertheless responsible for many social conquests, has been and still is social solidarity (at all levels, from local to global), it is a matter of seeing whether and how this deficit can be overcome by a new way of intending and practising subsidiarity as a pro-active, promotional principle, not only as a defensive, protective one. In short, the challenge is for a new combination of subsidiarity and solidarity to become the key to activate those social circuits on which common goods depend, the key to turn globalisation into a 'civilisation of the common good'".

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 2 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

 - Five prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Manuel Hilario de Cespedes Garcia-Menocal of Matanzas.

 

    - Bishop Jorge Enrique Serpa Perez of Pinar del Rio.

 

    - Archbishop Dionisio Guillermo Garcia Ibanez of Santiago de Cuba, accompanied by Archbishop emeritus Pedro Claro Meurice Estiu.

 

    - Bishop Wilfredo Pino Estevez of Guantanamo-Baracoa.

 

 - Archbishop Leon Kalenga Badikebele, apostolic nuncio to Ghana, accompanied by members of his family.

 

 - Bishop Frans Daneels O. Praem., secretary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, accompanied by members of his family.

 

 - Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, accompanied by members of his family.

 

  This evening, he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 2 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, U.S.A., presented by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop John C. Neinstedt.

 

 - Appointed Fr. Byran Bayda C.SS.R., pastor and superior of the Redemptorist Fathers at Yorkton, Canada, as bishop of the eparchy of Saskatoon of the Ukrainians (Catholics 8,422, priests 11, permanent deacons 3, religious 27), Canada. The bishop-elect was born in Saskatoon in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1987. He succeeds Bishop Michael Wiwchar C.SS.R., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same eparchy the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 210 para. 1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

 

 - Appointed Fr. Fulop Kocsis, a monk of Damoc, Hungary, as bishop of the eparchy of Hajdudorog (Catholics 270,000, priests 227, permanent deacons 2, religious 22), Hungary and apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the apostolic exarchate of Miskolc (Catholics 20,000, priests 38), Hungary. The bishop-elect was born in Szeged, Hungary in 1963 and ordained a priest in 1989.

 

  On Thursday 1 May, the Holy Father:

 

 - Appointed Fr. Anibal Saldana Santamaria O.A.R., pastor of Totonicapan in the archdiocese of Guatemala, Guatemala, as bishop-prelate of Bocas del Toro (area 8,115, population 126,000, Catholics 63,000, priests 11, religious 20), Panama. The bishop-elect was born in Puerto Armuelles, Panama in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1982. He succeeds Jose Agustin Ganuza Garcia O.A.R., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same territorial prelature the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 

 - Appointed Msgr. Gerardo Melgar Viciosa, vicar general of Palencia, Spain, as bishop of Osma-Soria (area 10,287, population 93,503, Catholics 75,500, priests 160, permanent deacons 1, religious 269), Spain. The bishop-elect was born in Cervatos de la Cueza, Spain in 1948 and ordained a priest in 1973.

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