Vatican News Update

 

SUMMARY:

 

- Christmas: Opportunity to Reflect on Meaning of Existence

- Final Communique on the 11th Catholic-Muslim Colloquium

- Archbishop Tomasi: The Risks of "New" Rights

- Audiences

 

___________________________________________________________

 

CHRISTMAS: OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON MEANING OF EXISTENCE

 

VATICAN CITY, 17 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI dedicated the last general audience of 2008, celebrated in the Paul VI audience hall, to Christmas, "a universal festivity".

 

 "Even non-believers", he said, "perceive something extraordinary and transcendental, something intimate that touches our hearts in this yearly Christian event. It is the festivity that sings of the gift of life. The birth of a child should always be a joyful occurrence".

 

 "Christmas is the encounter with a new-born baby, wailing in a wretched grotto", the Holy Father added. "Contemplating Him in this crèche how can we not think of all the children who still today, in many regions of the world, are born amidst such poverty? How can we not think of those newborns who have been rejected, not welcomed, those who do not survive because of a lack of care and attention? How can we not think of the families who desire the joy of a child and do not have this hope fulfilled?"

 

 "Unfortunately, under the drive of a hedonist consumerism, Christmas runs the risk of losing its spiritual meaning, reduced to a mere commercial occasion to buy and exchange gifts. Actually, however, the difficulties, uncertainty, and the economic crisis that many families are living in these months, and which affects all humanity, can truly serve as a stimulus for rediscovering the warmth of the simplicity, friendship, and solidarity that are the typical values of Christmas. Stripped of its materialist and consumerist trappings, Christmas can become the opportunity to welcome, as a personal gift, the message of hope that emanates from the mystery of Christ's birth".

 

 "Nevertheless, all of this does not suffice to capture the value of this celebration we are preparing for in all its fullness. We know that it celebrates the central event of history: the Incarnation of the Divine Word for the redemption of humanity. ... 'Thus the recurring annual cycle of the mystery of our salvation is renewed that, promised at the beginning and given to the end of time, is destined to last without end'".

 

 "At Christmas, therefore, we do not limit ourselves to commemorating the birth of a great person. We do not celebrate, simply and in the abstract, the mystery of the birth of humanity or, in general, the mystery of life. ... At Christmas we recall something that is quite concrete and important for human beings, something essential to the Christian faith, a truth that St. John summarizes in these few words: 'The Word became flesh': This is a historical fact that St. Luke the evangelist is careful to place in a particular historical context: during the days of the decree of the first census of Caesar Augustus".

 

 "In the darkness of the night in Bethlehem a great light was lit: the Creator of the universe became flesh, indissolubly and eternally joining himself to human nature, to the point of being 'God from God, light from light' and at the same time truly human. By 'the Word' ... John also intends the 'Meaning'" and "the 'Meaning' that became flesh is not just a general idea inherent in the world; it is a Word addressed to us".

 

 "The Meaning has power: it is God. A good God who cannot be confused with some being on high and far away who cannot be reached, but God who made Himself our neighbor and who is very near to us", "God reveals Himself to us as a poor 'infant' in order to conquer our pride. ... He made Himself small in order to free us from the human delusion of grandeur that arises from pride; He freely became flesh so that we might be truly free, free to love Him".

 

 "Christmas", the Pope concluded, "is the privileged opportunity to contemplate the meaning and value of our existence. The nearness of this solemnity helps us to reflect, on the one hand, on the dramatic nature of a history in which human beings, wounded by sin, are perennially seeking happiness and a reason for living and dying; on the other hand, it exhorts us to contemplate the merciful goodness of God, who has come to meet humanity that He might communicate the saving Truth to us directly and make us to participate in His friendship and His life".

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FINAL COMMUNIQUE ON THE 11TH CATHOLIC-MUSLIM COLLOQUIUM

 

VATICAN CITY, 17 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Today was made public the final communique on the 11th Colloquium organized by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), which took place in Rome from 15 to 17 December.

 

  The Catholic and Muslim participants, who briefly met with the Pope after today's general audience, agreed on the following:

 

1) The first and most important responsibility of religious leaders is one of a religious nature, according to their respective religious traditions, to faithfully fulfill them through teaching, good deeds and example, thus   serve their communities for the glory of God.

 

2) Considering the role religions can and should have in society, religious leaders also have a cultural and social role to play in promoting fundamental ethical values, such as justice, solidarity, peace, social harmony and the common good of society as a whole, especially the needy, the weak, migrants and the oppressed.

 

3) Religious leaders have a special responsibility towards youth, who require particular attention so that they do not fall victim to religious fanaticism and radicalism, receiving rather, a sound education thereby helping them to become bridge builders and peace makers.

 

4) Taking into consideration that crises of diverse nature, including in interreligious relations, are possible, on a national or international level, religious leaders should learn to prevent, cope with and remedy these particular situations, avoiding their degeneration into confessional violence. This requires a mutual respect and reciprocal knowledge, both cherishing personal relations and building confidence and mutual trust, so as to be able to confront together crises when they occur.

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ARCHBISHOP TOMASI: THE RISKS OF "NEW" RIGHTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 17 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Today was published the address of Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

 

 Archbishop Tomasi affirmed that "when a breach is caused between what is claimed and what is real through the search of so-called 'new' human rights, a risk emerges to reinterpret the accepted human rights vocabulary to promote mere desires and measures that, in turn, become a source of discrimination and injustice and the fruit of self-serving ideologies".

 

 "By speaking of the right to life, of respect for the family, of marriage as the union between a man and a woman, of freedom of religion and conscience, of the limits of the authority of the State before fundamental values and rights, nothing new or revolutionary is said and both, the letter and the spirit of the Declaration are upheld, and coherence with the nature of things and the common good of society is preserved".

 

 After noting that this anniversary of the Declaration, "leads us also to reflect on its implementation", Monsignor Tomasi said that "in a world of too many hungry people, too many violent conflicts, too many persons persecuted for their beliefs, there remains a long road to walk and the duty to eliminate every discrimination so that all persons can enjoy their inherent equal dignity".

 

 Archbishop Tomasi encouraged the UN and its specialized agencies "to faithfully translate the principles of the Declaration into action by supporting States in the adoption of effective policies truly focused on the rights and sense of responsibility of everyone".

 

 "Every human being", he concluded, "has the right to an integral development and 'the sacred right' to live in peace. On such premises, human rights are not just entitlement to privileges. They are rather the expression and the fruit of what is noblest in the human spirit: dignity, aspiration to freedom and justice, search for what is good, and the practice of solidarity. In the light of the tragic experiences of the past and of today, the human family can unite around these values and essential principles, as a duty toward the weakest and needier and toward future generations".

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 17 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in audience Bishop Wilhelm Schraml of Passau, Germany.

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SUMMARY:

 

- Responsibility of Religious Leaders in Times of Crisis

- Themes of the Next Three World Youth Days

- In Memoriam

 

___________________________________________________________

 

RESPONSIBILITY OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN TIMES OF CRISIS

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 DEC 2008, (VIS) - Yesterday the XI Colloquium organized by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), a Muslim organization headquartered in Tripoli, Libya, began in Rome.

 

  In a communique made public yesterday afternoon it was stated that "this initiative forms part of a series of events held in various places, in 1976 and then regularly from 1989 to the present".

 

  The theme of the meeting in these days, which will culminate tomorrow morning, 17 December, with an audience with Benedict XVI is: "The Responsibility of Religious Leaders, Especially in Times of Crisis".

 

  The colloquium's five sessions are dedicated to presentations, part Catholic and part Muslim, and the development of three themes of reflection: "Religious Responsibility", "Cultural and Social Responsibility", and "Times of Crisis on the Path of Interreligious Dialogue".

 

  Twelve Catholic and twelve Muslim dignitaries and experts from various countries are participating in the event, which is presided over by, respectively, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the Secretary General of WICS, Mohamed Ahmed Sherif.

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THEMES OF THE NEXT THREE WORLD YOUTH DAYS

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father has chosen the themes for the next three World Youth Days so as to help build a spiritual itinerary that will culminate in the World Youth Day celebrations scheduled to take place in Madrid, Spain from 16 to 21 August, 2011.

 

- 24th World Youth Day (2009): "We Have Set Our Hope on the Living God" (1 Tim 4:10)

 

- 25th World Youth Day (2010): "Good Teacher, What Must I do to Inherit Eternal Life?" (Mk 10:17)

 

- 26th World Youth Day (2011): "Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith" (cf Col 2:7).

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IN MEMORIAM

 

VATICAN CITY, 16 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Following is list of prelates who have died in recent weeks:

 

- Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., of the U.S.A. on 12 December at the age of 90.

 

- Bishop Elie Amsini Kiswaya, emeritus of Sakania-Kipushi, Democratic Republic of the Congo on 11 December at the age of 80.

 

- Bishop George Martin Kuzma, emeritus of Van Nuys of the Ruthenians, U.S.A. on 7 December at the age of 83.

 

- Bishop Jose Maria Larrauri Lafuente, emeritus of Vitoria, Spain on 9 December at the age of 90.

 

- Bishop Ivan Semedi, emeritus of Mukacevo of the Byzantine Rite, Ukraine on 6 December at the age of 87.

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SUMMARY: DECEMBER 13-15

 

- Pope Visits Italian Embassy to the Holy See

- United States Cardinal Avery Dulles Dies

- The Nearness of the Lord, Reason for Our Joy

- Audiences

 

___________________________________________________________

 

POPE VISITS ITALIAN EMBASSY TO THE HOLY SEE

 

VATICAN CITY, 13 DEC 2008, (VIS) - This morning at 10:45, The Holy Father travelled to the Italian Embassy to the Holy See, arriving there a quarter of an hour later.

 

  The Pope met with the embassy staff and their families in the St. Charles Borromeo Chapel, which had recently been restored. The saint, who received the palace that currently houses the embassy as a gift from his uncle Pope Pius IV, actively worked with that Pope in governing the Church, as Benedict XVI recalled.

 

  The saint's life, the Holy Father said, "shows the dedication with which he carried out his episcopal ministry, promoting Church reform in the spirit of the Council of Trent, whose directives he carried out in an exemplary manner, always being close to the people, above all during the years of the plague, to the point of being named the 'Protector of Plague Victims' for his generous dedication".

 

  "St. Charles Borromeo's personal and spiritual experience", said the Pope, "demonstrates how divine grace transforms the heart of persons and makes them capable of a love for their brothers and sisters that can even become self-sacrifice".

 

  After blessing those present the Holy Father left the chapel to meet with representatives of the diplomatic corps to the Holy See who were accompanied by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

 

  Over the years, the Pope noted, the embassy has been visited by three pontiffs: Pius XII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. "The singular attention shown by the pontiffs for this diplomatic site", Benedict XVI affirmed, "would be sufficient to indicate the recognition of the important role that the Italian embassy has and continues to carry out in the intense and unique relations between the Holy See and the Italian Republic, as in the relations of mutual collaboration between the Church and the State in Italy".

 

  The Holy Father then referred to the Lateran Treaty that regulates the relationship between both institutions in Italy and whose 80th anniversary will be celebrated this coming 11 February.  "It is a very important and meaningful accord in the current world situation in which conflicts and tension among the peoples make it ever more necessary for all those who share the same ideals of justice, solidarity, and peace to work together".

 

  "This brief visit allows me to reaffirm that the Church is very aware that the distinction between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God, that is to say, the distinction between State and Church, is a part of the fundamental structure of Christianity. ... This distinction and autonomy are respected and recognized by the Church which is happy with them, considering them a great progress for humanity and a fundamental condition for its freedom and for fulfilling its universal mission of salvation among the peoples".

 

  "At the same time", he concluded, "the Church feels the duty, following the dictates of her social doctrine founded 'on the basis of what is in accord with the nature of every human being', of reawakening moral and spiritual forces in society, helping to make the will receptive to the demands of what is good. This is why, when the Church recalls the value that fundamental ethical principles have, not just for private but also and above all public life, she is in fact contributing to the guarantee and promotion of the dignity of the person and the well-being of society and in this sense fulfils the true and proper co-operation that is sought between State and Church".

 

  On finishing his visit the Pope returned to the Vatican shortly after 12:15.

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UNITED STATES CARDINAL AVERY DULLES DIES

 

VATICAN CITY, 13 DEC 2008, (VIS) - Benedict XVI sent a telegram to Cardinal Edward Egan, Archbishop of New York, USA, on hearing that the United States Jesuit Cardinal Avery Dulles had died yesterday. He was 90 years old.

 

  The Holy father asked Cardinal Egan to convey his condolences "to his family, his confreres in the Society of Jesus, and to the academic community of Fordham University", where Fr. Dulles taught.

 

  "I join you in commen­ding the late cardinal's noble soul to God, the Father of Mercies, with immense gratitude for the deep learning, serene judgment and unfailing love of the Lord and His Church which marked his entire priestly ministry and his long years of teaching and theological research".

 

  "At the same time I pray that his convincing personal testimony to the harmony of faith and reason will continue to bear fruit for the conversion of minds and hearts and the progress of the Gospel for many years to come".

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THE NEARNESS OF THE LORD, REASON FOR OUR JOY

 

VATICAN CITY, 14 DEC 2008, (VIS) - At noon today the Pope appeared at the window of his private study to pray the Angelus with thousands of persons who had gathered in St. Peter's Square. Among those gathered were many children who, as is traditional on the third Sunday of Advent, brought with them images of the Christ Child, which they place in their homes, schools, and churches at Christmastime, for the Pope to bless.

 

  The Holy Father recalled that this third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete Sunday" because, "returning to an expression of St. Paul's in his Letter to the Philippians", the Apostle says, "'The Lord is near'. This is the reason for our joy. But what does it mean that 'the Lord is near'? How are we to understand this 'nearness' of God? The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians of Phillippi, clearly thought of Christ's return and called them to be joyful as it was certain".

 

  "Nevertheless", he continued, "Paul himself, in his Letter to the Thessalonians, tells us that nobody can know the moment of the Lord's coming and warns us against any alarm that Christ's return might be at hand. In this way the Church, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, already understood that the 'nearness' of God is not a question of space and time but rather a question of love: love draws near! This Christmas will come to remind us of this fundamental truth of our faith and, standing before the crèche, we will be able to taste Christian joy, contemplating in the new-born Jesus the face of God who out of love made himself close to us".

 

  Addressing the Roman boys and girls who had come with figures of the Christ Child, Benedict XVI invited them to join him in reciting the following prayer:

 

  "God, our Father, you so loved us even to the point of sending us your only son Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, to save us and bring us to you".

 

  "We ask that you bless these images of Jesus, who will soon come among us, as a sign of your presence and of your love in our homes".

 

  "Good Father, bless us as well, and our parents, our families, and our friends".

 

  "Open our hearts so that we might know how to receive Jesus with joy, doing always what he asks, and seeing him in all those who are in need of our love".

 

"We ask you in the name of Jesus, your beloved Son, who came to bring peace to the world. He lives and reigns with you forever and ever. Amen".

 

  After the Marian prayer the Pope said that "today in the diocese of Rome we celebrate the day of building new churches. In the past years new parishes have been established but there are still communities that have to deal with provisional and inadequate buildings. I give my heart-felt thanks to those who have supported this very important commitment of the diocese and I renew the invitation for us to help the Roman parishes build their church".

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AUDIENCES

 

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

 

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

 

- Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

 

- Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris and President of the Bishops' Conference of France with Vice Presidents Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, Bishop of Lille, and Archbishop Hippolyte Simon of Clermont, and the General Secretary, Monsignor Antoine Herouard.

 

- Fr. Julian Carron, President of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation.

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SUMMARY:

 

- Letter to the Romans, A Living Message for the Church

- Taiwanese Bishops: United with the Faithful of the Mainland

- Reception and Future of Ecumenical Dialogue

- Teaching on Some Bioethical Questions

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

 LETTER TO THE ROMANS, A LIVING MESSAGE FOR THE CHURCH

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon in the Vatican basilica, after the traditional Eucharistic celebration for the Roman universities in preparation for Christmas  presided over by Agostino Vallini, Vicar General of Rome, Benedict XVI met with the students.

 

  The Holy Father affirmed that "the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of the Apostle to the Gentiles is helping the entire Church to rediscover its proper and fundamental missionary vocation and, at the same time, to make full use of the inexhaustible theological and spiritual treasure of the Pauline letters".

 

  "I am convinced that for you, from a personal as well as the communal and apostolic point of view of the university, studying the person and message of St. Paul is a very enriching opportunity. This is why I will soon be presenting his Letter to the Romans to you," he said.

 

  Benedict XVI highlighted that this text "is without a doubt one of the most important cultural texts of all time. It is and continues to be principally a living message for the living Church". In this context, he expressed the desire that "it be substantial nourishment for your faith, leading you to believe more and better and also to reflect upon yourselves so that you might come to a 'mature' faith and, at the same time live this faith, putting it into practice according to the truth of Christ's commandment. Only in this way can the faith that one professes become 'credible' for others as well, who are conquered by the eloquent testimony of our deeds".

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TAIWANESE BISHOPS: UNITED WITH FAITHFUL OF THE MAINLAND

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father received the bishops of the Taiwanese Episcopal Conference this morning at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

 

  In the speech addressed to them the Pope emphasized that the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Catholic Evangelization in Taiwan represented "an occasion to manifest ever more eagerly your oneness with each other and with our Lord as you together promote the Church's common apostolate".

 

    "This unity of mind and heart", he continued, "is evidenced by your desire to cooperate more closely in spreading the Gospel among non-believers and forming those already initiated into the Church through Baptism and Confirmation. I am pleased to note that you continue to coordinate a variety of institutions for this purpose, with due emphasis on the parish, the 'prime mover and pre-eminent place for catechesis'".

 

  Speaking then of the needs of priests and catechists, the Pope recalled that the programs of priestly formation should be "designed with due consideration for the variety of ages, life conditions and duties found among your clergy" and asked that the catechists be furnished '"with the necessary resources so that they may follow the example of Jesus in speaking the truth straightforwardly and in a way readily accessible to all".

 

  "Effective catechesis inevitably builds stronger families, which in turn give birth to new priestly vocations.  ...  Parents, pastors, teachers, parish leaders, and all the members of the Church must set before young people the radical decision to follow Christ, so that in finding him, they find themselves".

 

  Benedict XVI referred to the recent pastoral letter of his episcopate, "Social Concern and Evangelization", which "underscores the Church's need to engage actively in the promotion of family life". "Your deep concern for the good of families and society as a whole", he said, "moves you to assist couples in preserving the indissolubility of their marital promises. Never tire in promoting just civil legislation and policies that protect the sacredness of marriage. Safeguard this sacrament from all that can harm it, especially the deliberate taking of life in its most vulnerable stages".

 

  "The Church's solicitude for the weak similarly compels her to give special attention to migrants.  In several recent pastoral letters, you have indicated the essential role of the parish in serving migrants and raising awareness of their needs. I am also pleased to note that the Church in Taiwan has been actively advocating laws and policies that protect the human rights of migrants. As you know, many of those who arrive on your shores not only share in the fullness of the Catholic communion, but also carry with them the unique cultural heritage of their respective places of origin. I encourage you to continue welcoming them with affection so that they may receive the assiduous pastoral care that will assure them of their belonging to the 'family of the faith'".

 

  "Your apostolic bond with the Successor of Peter entails a pastoral responsibility for the universal Church across the globe. This particularly means, in your case, a loving concern for Catholics on the mainland, whom I constantly hold in prayer. You and the Christian faithful in Taiwan are a living sign that, in a justly ordered society, one need not fear to be a faithful Catholic and a good citizen. I pray that as part of the great Chinese Catholic family, you will continue to be spiritually united with your brethren on the mainland".

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RECEPTION AND FUTURE OF ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican the Holy Father received the participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and its president, Cardinal Walter Kasper. The session is dedicated to the theme "The Reception and Future of Ecumenical Dialogue".

 

  This topic, the Pope said, "presents two essential dimensions: on the one hand the discernment of the path taken up to now and, on the other, the identification of new paths to follow, seeking to overcome together the differences that unfortunately persist in the relationships between the disciples of Christ".

 

  "Without a doubt, theological dialogue constitutes an essential ingredient for re-establishing the full communion that we all aspire to and, therefore, it must be sustained and encouraged. This dialogue is developed more in the context of ecclesial relations that ... broaden it and involve not only pastors but the entire People of God".

 

    The Holy Father, with respect to the progress made, mentioned "relations with the Orthodox Churches and the ancient Eastern Orthodox Churches, both for what they bring to theological dialogue as well as for the consolidation and growth of ecclesial fraternity" and spoke of the last document of the International Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches entitled "Ecclesial Communion: Conciliar Character and Authority", affirming that "it safely opens a positive perspective of reflection on the relationship between the primate and sinodality in the Church, a crucially important point in the relations with our Orthodox brothers and sisters".

 

  In conclusion, Benedict XVI recalled that the plenary session had given special attention to the "Harvest Project" (ecumenical consensus/convergence on some fundamental aspects of the Christian faith identified in the papers of the first four international bilateral dialogues to those who participated in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council). The results of the dialogue with "the Lutheran World Federation, the World Methodist Council, the Anglican Communion, and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches are found 'in an intermediate stage of the journey and it is useful and opportune to objectively analyze the results obtained'".

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TEACHING ON SOME BIOETHICAL QUESTIONS

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office the Instruction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "Dignitas Personae" on certain bioethical questions was presented. It was published in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish.

 

  Archbishops Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, S.J., Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life; Bishop Elio Sgreccia, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Academy for Life; and Maria Luisa Di Pietro, associate professor of Bioethics at the Sacred Heart University, Rome and President of the "Science and Life" Association took part in the press conference.

 

  Archbishop Ladaria affirmed that this instruction is the fruit of study that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith undertook in 2002 on new questions in bioethics with the goal of bringing the same dicastery's instruction "Donum vitae" (1987) up to date. The document, approved by the Pope, "forms part of the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter" and "is of a doctrinal nature".

 

  This instruction "encourages biomedical investigation that respects the dignity of all human beings and of procreation. ... At the same time, it does not exclude diverse biomedical technology as ethically illicit and", he said, "will probably be accused of containing too many prohibitions. Nevertheless, faced with this possible accusation it is necessary to emphasize that the Church feels the duty of making those without voices heard".

 

  Archbishop Fisichella noted that the document "attempts to express the Church's proper, authorized contribution to the formation of conscience, not only of believers but also of those who try to hear the arguments presented and to debate them. This is", he said, "an intervention that forms part of the Church's mission and should be listened to not only as legitimate but also as necessary in a pluralist, secular, and democratic society".

 

  For her part, Professor Di Pietro noted that before examining the questions dealt with in the document, such as techniques of assisting fertility, in vitro fertilization, the freezing of embryos and eggs, embryo reduction, and pre-implant diagnosis, "it is necessary to remember the three fundamental goods that govern each of the decisions":

 

- The recognition of the dignity of the person of each human being from conception to natural death, with the consequent subjectivity of the right to life and physical integrity.

 

- The unity of marriage, which carries with it the reciprocal respect of the right of the spouses to become father and mother only through one another.

 

- The specifically human values of sexuality that "demand that the procreation of a human person be desired as the fruit of the conjugal act specific to the love between spouses".

 

  Bishop Sgreccia referred to the third part of the document that speaks of newly proposed therapies that involve the manipulation of the embryo or the human genetic patrimony.

 

  "The text holds that it is necessary", he said, "to keep in mind one fundamental distinction: theoretically, genetic therapy can be applied to somatic cells with directly therapeutic ends or to germinal cells". As regards the latter, "it is not possible to intervene as there still does not exist a safe technique", he stressed, "because it could entail the risk of deformation in the hereditary genetic patrimony of future generations".

 

 The former president of the Pontifical Academy for Life affirmed that "the distinction between reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning is untenable and thus also always presupposes a reproduction".

 

  Click here to read the summary of the document  

 

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Today in separate audiences the Holy Father received:

 

- Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun of Hong Kong, China.

 

- A delegation of the Principality of Andorra after the ceremony of the exchange of instruments of ratification of the agreement between the Holy See and the Principality signed this past 17 March.

 

- Erwin Pröll, the governor of Lower Austria.

 

- Pilgrims from Lower Austria arriving with the gift of the Christmas tree for St. Peter's Square.

 

  This afternoon he is scheduled to receive three prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Taiwan on their "ad limina" visit.

 

- Bishop Thomas Chung An-zu of Kiayi.

 

- Bishop Martin Su Yao-wen of Taichung.

 

-Bishop Bosco Lin Chi-nan of Tainan.

AP: AL/.../...                                                                          VIS 081212 (100)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father named:

 

- Bishop Jean-Pierre Blais, previously Auxiliary Bishop of Quebec, as Bishop of Baie-Comeau (area 148,750, population 90,907, Catholics 90,041 priests 36, permanent deacons 9, religious 64) in Canada.

 

- Archbishop Antonio Arcari, previously Apostolic Nuncio to Honduras, as Apostolic Nuncio to Mozambique.

NER: NN/.../BLAIS: ARCARI                                           VIS081212 (40)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Human Rights Have Their Basis in God

- Fight Poverty, Build Peace

- Message for the World Day of Peace

- Audiences

 

___________________________________________________________

 

HUMAN RIGHTS HAVE THEIR BASIS IN GOD

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 DEC 2008, (VIS) - Yesterday in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican a concert organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was given with the Pope in attendance. The Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester of Frankfurt presented pieces by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Ponchielli, and Manuel de Falla, directed by the Spaniard Inman Shara.

 

  At the end of the concert the Holy Father affirmed that "the dignity of all persons is only truly guaranteed when all the fundamental rights are recognized, defended, and promoted".

 

  Continuing he said that "the Church has always emphasized that the fundamental rights, beyond their various formulations and the distinct weight that they might have in the cultural sphere, are a universal given, since they form part of the very nature of humanity. Natural law, inscribed by the Creator in human consciousness, is the common denominator of all persons and all people; it is a universal guide that all can understand and in virtue of which all can understand themselves".

 

  Benedict XVI stressed that "human rights are ultimately based on God the Creator who has given intelligence and freedom to all. Disconnected from this solid ethical basis, human rights weaken and lose their concrete foundation".

 

  The Pope affirmed that the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Declaration "is an opportunity to verify to what point the ideals, accepted by the majority of the community of nations in 1948, are respected today in the different national legislatures and, further, in the consciousness of individuals and communities".

 

  "They have undoubtedly come a long way but there still remains much to do: the rights to life, liberty and safety for hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters remain threatened; the equality of all and the dignity of each are not always respected while new barriers tied to race, religion, political opinions, and other convictions are being raised".

 

  The Holy Father concluded asking that "the common task to better promote and define human rights not cease and that the effort to guarantee their respect intensify".

AC/HUMAN RIGHTS/...                                                    VIS 081211 (350)

 

FIGHT POVERTY, BUILD PEACE

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 DEC 2008 (VIS) - This morning Cardinal Renato Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, presented Benedict XVI's Message for the XLII World Day of Peace in the Press Office of the Holy See. The theme of this World Day of Peace, which will be celebrated 1 January 2009, is "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace".

 

  Benedict XVI's Message, said Cardinal Martino, "returns to and develops the Message of John Paul II for the World Day of Peace 1993, which explained the reciprocal connections and conditions existing between poverty and peace". This time the Holy Father "shows us how peace and the fight against poverty intersect: a given that constitutes one of the most stimulating assumptions, giving a proper cultural, social, and political focus to the complex themes tied to the achievement of peace in our day, which is characterized by the phenomenon of globalization".

 

  Regarding globalization, the Pope emphasized "the methodological meaning and the content with which to face the theme of the fight against poverty in a broad and concrete manner" and to "analyze in depth these aspects in order to identify the multiple faces of poverty today".

 

  "The Holy Father above all", the cardinal continued, "is taking into consideration the role of the social sciences to measure the phenomenon of poverty ... which provide quantitative data and, if poverty were merely a material problem, they would suffice to explain its characteristics. However, we know that that is not the case: there are non-material forms of poverty that are not the direct and automatic consequence of material deprivation".

 

  "In advanced wealthy societies, the phenomenon of affective, moral and spiritual poverty is wide-spread: many persons feel marginalized and live with various forms of malaise despite their economic prosperity. This is what is known as 'moral underdevelopment'".

 

  "The Pope's message", concluded the cardinal, "establishes two parts in the theme of the fight against poverty ... it ties in with the diverse aspects promoting peace. The first deals with the moral implications tied to poverty; in the second, the fight against poverty is tied to the need the need for a greater global solidarity".

OP/PRESENTATION PEACE MESSAGE/MARTINO      VIS 081211 (360)

 

MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Today Benedict XVI's message for the celebration of the XLII World Day of Peace (1 January 2009) on the theme "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace" was published in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.

 

  Below follow some extracts of the message:

 

  "Poverty is often a contributory factor or a compounding element in conflicts, including armed ones. In turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic situations of poverty".

 

  "Fighting poverty requires attentive consideration of the complex phenomenon of globalization. ... The reference to globalization should also alert us to the spiritual and moral implications of the question, urging us, in our dealings with the poor, to set out from the clear recognition that we all share in a single divine plan: we are called to form one family in which all - individuals, peoples and nations - model their behaviour according to the principles of fraternity and responsibility".

 

  "We know that other, non-material forms of poverty exist which are not the direct and automatic consequence of material deprivation. For example, in advanced wealthy societies, there is evidence of marginalization, as well as affective, moral and spiritual poverty, seen in people whose interior lives are disoriented and who experience various forms of malaise despite their economic prosperity. On the one hand, I have in mind what is known as 'moral underdevelopment', and on the other hand the negative consequences of 'superdevelopment'. Nor can I forget that, in so-called 'poor' societies, economic growth is often hampered by cultural impediments which lead to inefficient use of available resources".

 

  "Poverty is often considered a consequence of demographic change. ... The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings. And yet it remains the case that in 1981, around 40% of the world's population was below the threshold of absolute poverty, while today that percentage has been reduced by as much as a half, and whole peoples have escaped from poverty despite experiencing substantial demographic growth. This goes to show that resources to solve the problem of poverty do exist, even in the face of an increasing population".

 

  "Another area of concern has to do with pandemic diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Insofar as they affect the wealth-producing sectors of the population, they are a significant factor in the overall deterioration of conditions in the country concerned. .... . It also happens that countries afflicted by some of these pandemics find themselves held hostage, when they try to address them, by those who make economic aid conditional upon the implementation of anti-life policies".

 

  "It is especially hard to combat AIDS, a major cause of poverty, unless the moral issues connected with the spread of the virus are also addressed. First and foremost, educational campaigns are needed, aimed especially at the young, to promote a sexual ethic that fully corresponds to the dignity of the person; initiatives of this kind have already borne important fruits, causing a reduction in the spread of AIDS. Then, too, the necessary medicines and treatment must be made available to poorer peoples as well".

 

  "Almost half of those living in absolute poverty today are children. ... When the family is weakened, it is inevitably children who suffer. If the dignity of women and mothers is not protected, it is the children who are affected most".

 

  "The relationship between disarmament and development. The current level of world military expenditure gives cause for concern. ... an excessive increase in military expenditure risks accelerating the arms race, producing pockets of underdevelopment and desperation, so that it can paradoxically become a cause of instability, tension and conflict".

 

  "States are therefore invited to reflect seriously on the underlying reasons for conflicts, often provoked by injustice, and to practise courageous self-criticism. If relations can be improved, it should be possible to reduce expenditure on arms".

 

  "The current food crisis ... places in jeopardy the fulfilment of basic needs. This crisis is characterized not so much by a shortage of food, as by difficulty in gaining access to it and by different forms of speculation: in other words, by a structural lack of political and economic institutions capable of addressing needs and emergencies. ... All the indicators of relative poverty in recent years point to an increased disparity between rich and poor. ... the majority of the population in the poorest countries suffers a double marginalization, through the adverse effects of lower incomes and higher prices".

 

  "In order to govern globalization, however, there needs to be a strong sense of global solidarity between rich and poor countries, as well as within individual countries, including affluent ones. A 'common code of ethics' is also needed, consisting of norms based not upon mere consensus, but rooted in the natural law inscribed by the Creator on the conscience of every human being".

 

  "Effective means to redress the marginalization of the world's poor through globalization will only be found if people everywhere feel personally outraged by the injustices in the world and by the concomitant violations of human rights".

 

  "Much of this global trade has involved countries that were industrialized early, with the significant addition of many newly-emerging countries which have now entered onto the world stage. Yet there are other low-income countries which are still seriously marginalized in terms of trade. Their growth has been negatively influenced by the rapid decline, seen in recent decades, in the prices of commodities, which constitute practically the whole of their exports. In these countries, which are mostly in Africa, dependence on the exportation of commodities continues to constitute a potent risk factor".

 

  "Objectively, the most important function of finance is to sustain the possibility of long-term investment and hence of development. Today this appears extremely fragile: it is experiencing the negative repercussions of a system of financial dealings - both national and global - based upon very short-term thinking, which aims at increasing the value of financial operations and concentrates on the technical management of various forms of risk. The recent crisis demonstrates how financial activity can at times be completely turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good. ... Finance limited in this way to the short and very short term becomes dangerous for everyone, even for those who benefit when the markets perform well".

 

  "The fight against poverty requires cooperation both on the economic level and on the legal level, so as to allow the international community, and especially poorer countries, to identify and implement coordinated strategies to deal with the problems discussed above, thereby providing an effective legal framework for the economy. Incentives are needed for establishing efficient participatory institutions, and support is needed in fighting crime and fostering a culture of legality. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that policies which place too much emphasis on assistance underlie many of the failures in providing aid to poor countries. Investing in the formation of people and developing a specific and well-integrated culture of enterprise would seem at present to be the right approach in the medium and long term. ... In a modern economy, the value of assets is utterly dependent on the capacity to generate revenue in the present and the future. Wealth creation therefore becomes an inescapable duty, which must be kept in mind if the fight against material poverty is to be effective in the long term".

 

  "If the poor are to be given priority, then there has to be enough room for an ethical approach to economics on the part of those active in the international market, an ethical approach to politics on the part of those in public office, and an ethical approach to participation capable of harnessing the contributions of civil society at local and international levels. ... Civil society in particular plays a key part in every process of development, since development is essentially a cultural phenomenon, and culture is born and develops in the civil sphere".

 

  "Globalization ... needs to be managed with great prudence. This will include giving priority to the needs of the world's poor, and overcoming the scandal of the imbalance between the problems of poverty and the measures which have been adopted in order to address them. ... The problems of development, aid and international cooperation are sometimes addressed without any real attention to the human element, but as merely technical questions - limited, that is, to establishing structures, setting up trade agreements, and allocating funding impersonally".

 

  "In the Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, John Paul II warned of the need to 'abandon a mentality in which the poor - as individuals and as peoples - are considered a burden, as irksome intruders trying to consume what others have produced'. ... In today's globalized world, it is increasingly evident that peace can be built only if everyone is assured the possibility of reasonable growth: sooner or later, the distortions produced by unjust systems have to be paid for by everyone. ... Globalization on its own is incapable of building peace ... it points to a need: to be oriented towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all. In this sense, globalization should be seen as a good opportunity to achieve something important in the fight against poverty, and to place at the disposal of justice and peace resources which were scarcely conceivable previously".

 

  "The Church's social teaching has always been concerned with the poor. At the time of the Encyclical Letter 'Rerum Novarum', the poor were identified mainly as the workers in the new industrial society; in the social Magisterium of Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II, new forms of poverty were gradually explored, as the scope of the social question widened to reach global proportions. ... For this reason, while attentively following the current phenomena of globalization and their impact on human poverty, the Church points out the new aspects of the social question, not only in their breadth but also in their depth, insofar as they concern man's identity and his relationship with God".

 

  "'In regard to the Church, her cooperation will never be wanting, be the time or the occasion what it may'. ... The Christian community will never fail, then, to assure the entire human family of her support through gestures of creative solidarity, not only by 'giving from one's surplus', but above all by 'a change of life-styles, of models of production and consumption, and of the established structures of power which today govern societies'".

MESS/WORLD PEACE 2009/...                                      VIS 081211 (1750)

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 11 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

- Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster (Great Britain).

 

Five prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Taiwan on their "ad limina" visit:

 

- Archbishop John Hung Shan-chuan, S.V.D., of Taipei, Apostolic Administrator of Kinmen and Matzu Islands.

 

- Bishop John Baptist Lee Keh-mien of Hsinchu.

 

- Bishop Philip Huang Chao-ming of Hwalien with Auxiliary Bishop John Baptist Tseng Chien-tsi.

 

- Bishop Peter Liu Cheng-chung of Kaohsiung.

AP:AL/.../...                                                                           VIS 081211 (80)

 

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SUMMARY:

 

- St. Paul and the Sacraments

- Vatican Christmas Tree, a Gift from Lower Austria

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

ST. PAUL AND THE SACRAMENTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 10 DEC 2008 (VIS) - In his general audience this morning, held in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of 5,000 people, Benedict XVI spoke on St. Paul's teaching concerning the Sacraments.

 

  The Holy Father indicated how "from St. Paul we have learned that there is a new beginning of history in Jesus Christ, ... Who is man and God. With Him, Who comes from God, a new history begins, formed by the 'yes' He pronounced to the Father, ... out of love and truth".

 

  "How can we enter", the Pope asked, "into this new beginning, this new history? ... How can Jesus reach my own life, my own being? The fundamental response of St. Paul, of all the New Testament, is: by the Holy Spirit" which "at the Pentecost created the beginning of a new humanity, a new community: the Church, the body of Christ".

 

  The spirit of Christ "touches me within ... using two visible elements: the Word of announcement and the Sacraments, in particular Baptism and the Eucharist. ... Faith comes not from reading but from listening. It is not only an interior experience but a relationship".

 

  "The Word became flesh in Jesus to create a new humanity. For this reason, the Word of announcement becomes Sacrament. ... No-one can baptise himself; ... no-one can become Christian by himself. ... We can only become Christian through the meditation of others, and this gives us the gift of faith. ... Autonomous Christianity is a self-contradiction. ... These 'others' are, in the first place, the community of believers, the Church. ... Only Christ can constitute the Church, Christ is the true giver of the Sacraments".

 

  "Being Christian is more than a cosmetic operation that embellishes life, ... it is a new beginning and rebirth, death and resurrection. ... It is not purely spiritual but involves the body, the cosmos, and extends to the new earth and to the new heavens".

 

  On the subject of the Eucharist, the Holy Father pointed out that St. Paul speaks of the institution of this Sacrament in his First Letter to the Corinthians, and he explained that "with the gift of the chalice of the new covenant Christ gives us the true sacrifice, the only true sacrifice is the love of the Son".

 

  After highlighting how the Apostle of the Gentiles says that the chalice we bless is communion with the Blood of Christ and the bread we share is communion with the Body of Christ, the Pope pointed out that "Christ unites Himself with each one of us, and with the men and women around us".

 

  Referring then to chapter ten of the First Letter to the Corinthians in which St. Paul speaks of us becoming "one body, for we all partake of the one bread", Benedict XVI affirmed that "the realism of the Church is much more profound and authentic than that of the nation State, because Christ truly gives us His Body, converts us into His Body ... and unites us to one another. ... The Church is not just a corporation like a State, it is a body; it is not an organisation but an organism".

 

  The Pope then recalled how St. Paul defines the Sacrament of Matrimony as "a great mystery. ... Married love has as its model the love of Christ for His Church", he said. "People will enjoy a rewarding experience of true marriage if a constant human and emotive development remains united to the effectiveness of the Word and the significance of Baptism. ... Participating in the Body and the Blood of the Lord consolidates the union and makes it visible, a union that grace then makes indissoluble".

AG/ST. PAUL SACRAMENTS/...                                                VIS 081210 (630)

 

VATICAN CHRISTMAS TREE, A GIFT FROM LOWER AUSTRIA

 

VATICAN CITY, 10 DEC 2008 (VIS) - On Friday 12 December the Holy Father will receive a delegation from the region of Lower Austria led by Erwin Proll, governor of the region, and accompanied by 1,000 pilgrims, for the donation of the Christmas tree which will decorate St. Peter's Square during the festive season this year.

 

  A communique released today explains that, apart from the main tree, Lower Austria has also donated around 40 smaller trees which will be used to decorate the Paul VI Hall, the Clementine Hall, the Pontifical Apartments and various offices of the Roman Curia.

 

  The lighting ceremony of the tree in the square, a Norway spruce 33 metres high from the municipality of Gutenstein, will take place at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday 13 December. The tree, which has been decorated with more than 2,000 baubles and a large star, will be lit by a boy from the Altenburg Choir in the course of a brief ceremony due to be presided by Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, accompanied by Bishop Renato Boccardo, secretary general of the Governorate. Austrian government representatives and pilgrims will participate in the event, during which musicians and singers from Ziersdorf and Altenburg will provide musical accompaniment.

 

  The Christmas decorations in St. Peter's Square will be completed on the evening of 24 December with the unveiling of the nativity scene located at the centre of the square. The scene of Jesus' birth, which dominates centre stage, is this year located under a temporary structure of wooden planks in the lee of "walls of Bethlehem". The setting on the outskirts of the town is emphasised by the presence of a watchtower, by a large gateway that serves as backdrop to the Nativity, and by humble dwellings stretching along the walls themselves. The scene is populated by a series of statuesque figures, some of which come from the nativity scene created by St. Vincent Pallotti in the Roman church of Sant'Andrea della Valle in 1842.

 

  As is the case every year, the nativity scene was created by the Technical Services of the Governorate of Vatican City State, while the erection and decoration of the spruce tree was undertaken by Vatican workmen.

.../TREE NATIVITY SCENE/PROLL                                           VIS 081210 (390)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 10 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Manuel Felipe Diaz Sanchez of Carupano, Venezuela, as metropolitan archbishop of Calabozo (area 32,000, population 570,000, Catholics 528,000, priests 25, permanent deacons 12, religious 26), Venezuela. The archbishop-elect was born in Araure, Venezuela in 1955, he was ordained a priest in 1979 and consecrated a bishop in 1997.

NER/.../DIAZ                                                                                   VIS 081210 (70)

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SUMMARY: 6 - 9 DECEMBER

 

- Decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints

- Religious Freedom and Elimination of Human Trafficking

- Audiences

- A Message of Hope Resounds in the Liturgy of Advent

- Immaculate Conception: Victory over Original Sin

- Mary Helps Christians Become the Soul of the World

- Protecting Europe's Cultural and Spiritual Heritage

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

DECREES OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE CAUSES OF SAINTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 DEC 2008 (VIS) - This morning during his audience with Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Holy Father authorised the promulgation of decrees concerning the following causes:

 

MIRACLES

 

 - Blessed Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski, Polish former archbishop of Warsaw (1822-1895).

 

 - Blessed Arcangelo Tadini, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of Worker Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth (1846-1912).

 

 - Blessed Francesc Coll y Guitart, Spanish professed priest of the Order of Friars Preachers and founder of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1812-1875).

 

 - Blessed Rafael Arnaiz Baron, Spanish oblate friar of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (1911-1938).

 

 - Blessed Mary of the Cross Jugan (nee Jeanne), French foundress of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor (1792-1879).

 

 - Blessed Caterina Volpicelli, Italian foundress of the Institute of Handmaidens of the Sacred Heart (1839-1894).

 

HEROIC VIRTUES

 

 - Servant of God Giacinto Bianchi, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Institute of Missionary Daughters of Mary (1835-1914).

 

 - Servant of God Andreas Van Den Boer (ne Jan), Dutch professed brother of the Friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Mercy (1841-1917).

 

 - Servant of God Marie Clare of the Child Jesus Galvao Meixa de Moura Telles e Albuquerque (nee Libania do Carmo), Portuguese foundress of the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (1843-1899).

CCS/DECREES/AMATO                                                             VIS 081209 (250)

 

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND ELIMINATION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States, participated recently in the sixteenth ministerial meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The event, attended by foreign ministers from the 56 members States of the OSCE, was held in Helsinki, Finland, on 4 and 5 December.

 

  In his English-language address to the assembly, pronounced on 4 December, Archbishop Mamberti focused on the question of the right to religious freedom, saying that "the Holy See promotes this right, demands that it be universally respected, and views with concern the increasing episodes of violence, as well as the ongoing acts of discrimination and intolerance against Christians and members of other religions".

 

  Turning his attention to the "scourge of trafficking in human beings", he affirmed that "the root causes of this phenomenon include economic factors, such as the imbalance between rural and urban wealth levels and the desperate desire to escape poverty. Juridical and political factors also contribute to the problem, such as the absence of legislation, and the ignorance of parents and trafficked persons of their rights under the law".

 

  "Globalisation and the increased movement of people can also make vulnerable groups, such as women and girls, easier prey for traffickers, who clearly have no regard for the dignity of the human person, and who view people as mere commodities to be bought and sold, used and abused at will.

 

  "There is", he added, "a further aspect which must be acknowledged and collectively addressed if this abhorrent human exploitation is to be effectively confronted. I am referring to the trivialisation of sexuality in the media and entertainment industries which fuels a decline in moral values and leads to the degradation of men and women and even the abuse of children".

 

  The secretary for Relations with States concluded by underscoring "the commitment of the Catholic Church to uphold the dignity of every human life, especially the most vulnerable", and assuring "full support in efforts of the OSCE to eliminate the scourge of trafficking, in particular of women and children, prostitution, and forced labour".

DELSS/.../OSCE:MAMBERTI                                                      VIS 081209 (360)

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 6 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

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

 

 - Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

 

 - Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

 

 - Mario Agnes, former director of the "Osservatore Romano".

AP/.../...                                                                                            VIS 081209 (70)

 

A MESSAGE OF HOPE RESOUNDS IN THE LITURGY OF ADVENT

 

VATICAN CITY, 7 DEC 2008 (VIS) - At midday today the Pope appeared at the window of his private study to pray the Angelus with the thousands of people crowding St. Peter's Square below.

 

  "A message full of hope resounds in the liturgy of Advent, which invites us to raise our eyes to the furthest horizon yet at the same time to recognise the signs of God-with-us here in the present", said the Holy Father.

 

  In Advent the Lord wishes "to speak to the heart of His people and, through them, to all humanity, in order to announce salvation. Today too the Church raises her voice: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord'. For people exhausted by poverty and hunger, for the streams of refugees, for those who suffer serious and systematic violations of their rights, the Church is as a sentinel on the high mountain of faith, and announces: 'See, the Lord God comes with might, and His arm rules for Him'.

 

  "This prophetic announcement was realised in Jesus Christ", he added. "With His preaching, and subsequently with His death and resurrection, He fulfilled the ancient promises, showing us a more profound and universal perspective. He inaugurated an exodus, not just an earthly exodus, historical and hence provisional, but radical and definitive: the passage from the kingdom of evil to the Kingdom of God, from the domination of sin and death to that of love and life. Thus Christian hope goes beyond the legitimate expectation of social and political freedom, because what Jesus inaugurated was a new humanity, that comes 'from God' but at the same time grows in our own land in the degree to which it allows itself to be imbued by the Spirit of the Lord".

 

  Benedict XVI highlighted the importance of "entering fully into the logic of faith by believing in God and His plan of salvation, at the same time committing ourselves to building His Kingdom. Justice and peace are indeed a gift of God, but they require men and women who are 'good earth', ready to accept the good seed of His Word".

 

  After the Angelus prayer, the Pope recalled the death on Friday of His Holiness Alexis II, patriarch of Moscow and All the Russias. "We join our Orthodox brethren in prayer", he said, "to commend his soul to the goodness of the Lord, that He may welcome him in His Kingdom of light and peace".

 

  The Holy See delegation due to participate in the patriarch's funeral on 9 December will be made up of Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president emeritus of the Pontifical Councils for Justice and Peace and "Cor Unum; Archbishop Antonio Mennini, Holy See representative to the Russian Federation; Fr. Milan Zust S.J., official of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Msgr. Ante Jozic, secretary of the nunciature in Moscow.

 

  The Holy Father concluded by recalling that on the afternoon of Thursday 11 December, he is due to meet students of Roman universities at the end of a Mass celebrated in the Vatican Basilica by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome. "For the occasion of the Pauline Year", said the Pope, "I will give the students the Apostle Paul's Letter to the Romans".

ANG/ADVENT/...                                                                            VIS 081209 (570)

 

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: VICTORY OVER ORIGINAL SIN

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 DEC 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with 40,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square below.

 

  Today's solemnity, said the Pope, "reminds us of two fundamental truths of our faith: original sin, ... and the victory over that sin of the grace of Christ, a victory that shines out sublimely in Mary Most Holy".

 

  "The existence of what the Church calls 'original sin'," he explained, "is unfortunately overwhelmingly obvious, if only we look around ourselves, and above all within ourselves. The experience of evil is, in fact, so consistent that it is self-evident and raises within us the question: where does it come from? For believers in particular, the question is even deeper: if God, Who is absolute good, has created everything, whence does evil come?

 

  "The first pages of the Bible", the Holy Father added, "answer this fundamental question which faces every human generation, with the story of creation and the fall of the first fathers. God created everything for existence, in particular he created human beings in His own image. He did not create death, this entered the world through the envy of the devil who, rebelling against God, also drew men into deceit, inducing them to rebel. This is the drama of freedom, which God accepts completely for the sake of love, while promising that a Son born of woman will crush the head of the ancient serpent".

 

  He went on: "From the beginning, the 'eternal counsel', to use Dante's expression, has a 'preordained term': the Woman predestined to become mother of the Redeemer, ... of the One Who humbled Himself to the utmost in order to lead us back to our original dignity. This Woman ... has a face and a name: 'full of grace', as the angel called her ... in Nazareth. She is the new Eve, wife of the new Adam, destined to be mother of all the redeemed, ... the first to be liberated from the original fall of our first fathers".

 

  "In Mary Immaculate we contemplate the reflection of the Beauty that saves the world: the beauty of God that shines out on the face of Christ".

ANG/MARY IMMACULATE/...                                                     VIS 081209 (390)

 

MARY HELPS CHRISTIANS BECOME THE SOUL OF THE WORLD

 

VATICAN CITY, 8 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Early this afternoon, the Holy Father travelled to Rome's Piazza di Spagna to pay his traditional homage at the statue of Mary Immaculate.

 

  Before arriving in the square, the Holy Father stopped briefly at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity to greet the Dominican Friars and the members of the Via Condotti Storeowners Association. Once in the square, in the presence of thousands of faithful, he blessed a basket of roses which was placed at the foot of the column bearing Mary's statue.

 

  Benedict XVI spoke of his visit three months ago to the French shrine of Lourdes for the 150th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin to Bernadette Soubirous, the celebrations of which have lasted throughout 2008 and come to an end today. "Belief in Mary's Immaculate Conception existed many centuries before the Lourdes apparitions", he said, "but those apparitions came by way of a divine seal after my venerated predecessor Blessed Pius IX defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December 1854".

 

  In Mary, he went on, we recognise "the 'smile of God', the immaculate reflection of the divine light, in her we find new hope amidst the problems and dramas of the world". Commenting then on the offer of roses to the Virgin, he said "all roses have their thorns ... which for us represent the difficulties, sufferings and evils that have marked and continue to mark the lives of individuals and of our communities. To a mother we present our joys but we also entrust our concerns, certain of finding in her the comfort not to lose heart and the support to continue our journey".

 

  The Pope then entrusted to Mary "the 'smallest' of our city: first and foremost children, especially those who are seriously ill, the disadvantaged and those suffering the consequences of difficult family situations", also "the elderly who are alone, ... immigrants struggling to adjust, families striving to make ends meet, and those who cannot find or have lost employment".

 

  He continued: "Mary, teach us to show solidarity towards those in difficulty, to bridge the ever-increasing social disparities; help us to cultivate a more lively sense of the common good, of respect for the common weal, ... and to make our contribution for a more just and united society".

 

  "Your beauty", Pope Benedict went on, "ensures us that the victory of love is possible, indeed that it is certain. It assures us that grace is stronger than sin and that hence redemption from any form of slavery is possible. Mary, you help us to believe in goodness more trustingly; you encourage us to remain vigilant and not to give in to the temptation of facile forms of evasion, to face reality ... with courage and responsibility".

 

  "Be a loving mother to our young people, that they may have the courage to be 'sentinels of the morrow'", the Pope concluded, "and give this virtue to all Christians that they may become the soul of the world at this difficult moment of history".

AC/IMMACULATE CONCEPTION/PIAZZA DI SPAGNA       VIS 081209 (530)

 

PROTECTING EUROPE'S CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL HERITAGE

 

VATICAN CITY, 9 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Pope to Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, presidents respectively of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, and the Pontifical Council for Culture, for the occasion of a day of study promoted by their two dicasteries on the theme: "Dialogue between Cultures and Religions".

 

  "Modern Europe as it enters the third millennium is the fruit of two millennia of civilisation", the Pope writes. "Its roots lie both in the vast and ancient heritage of Athens and Rome and, above all, in the fruitful soil of Christianity, which has proved capable of creating new cultural heritages while absorbing the original contributions of each civilisation".

 

  After highlighting the importance of "reflecting upon the ancient roots in which abundant lymph has flowed over the course of the centuries", Benedict XVI indicates that although "many Europeans seem to ignore Europe's Christian roots, these roots remain alive and should show the way and nourish the hope of millions of citizens who share the same values".

 

  The Holy Father invites believers "to promote initiatives of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, in order to stimulate collaboration on subjects of mutual interest, such as the dignity of human beings, the search for the common good, the creation of peace, and development". In this context he emphasises how "such dialogue, in order to be authentic, must avoid giving in to relativism and to syncretism and be animated by sincere respect for others and by a generous spirit of reconciliation and fraternity.

 

  "I encourage", he adds in conclusion, "all those who dedicate their efforts to building a welcoming, united Europe, one ever more faithful to its roots. In particular I exhort believers to contribute not only to safeguarding the cultural and spiritual heritage that distinguishes them and that is an integral part of their history, but to show increasing commitment to seeking new ways to face the great challenges of the post-modern age. Among these I limit myself to mentioning the defence of human life at every stage, the protection of the rights of the individual and the family, the creating of a more just and united word, respect for creation, and inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue".

MESS/CULTURES RELIGIONS/TAURAN:RAVASI               VIS 081209 (380)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 9 DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, archbishop of Toledo, Spain, as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He succeeds Cardinal Francis Arinze, whose resignation from the same office the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 

  On Saturday 6 December it was made public that he appointed Fr. Ulrich Boom of the clergy of the diocese of Wurzburg, Germany, pastor at Miltenberg, as auxiliary of Wurzburg (area 8,531, population 1,341,481, Catholics 854,106, priests 762, permanent deacons 55, religious 1,422). The bishop-elect was born in Alsstatte, Germany in 1947 and ordained a priest in 1984.

NA:NEA/.../CANIZARES:ARINZE:BOOM                                 VIS 081209 (120)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Album by Placido Domingo Inspired by Poems of John Paul II

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

ALBUM BY PLACIDO DOMINGO INSPIRED BY POEMS OF JOHN PAUL II

 

VATICAN CITY, 28 NOV 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, a press conference was held to present a new album of songs inspired by the poetry of John Paul II - Karol Wojtyla. The songs on the album - which is entitled "Amore infinito" (Infinite Love) and has been produced by "Deutsche Grammophon" - were recorded by Placido Domingo.

 

  Participating in today's press conference were Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Placido Domingo; Msgr. Giuseppe A. Scotti, president of the management board of the Vatican Publishing House; Michael Lang, president of "Deutsche Grammophon"; Fernando Marin, president of "Tredici S.p.A.", and Adrian Berwick, executive producer of the "Amore infinito" project.

 

  Bishop Crepaldi indicated that "this unique initiative brings together two art forms, poetry and music which, brilliantly combined, have produced an album entitled 'Amore infinito'".

 

  "Listening to these songs, so magnificently interpreted by Placido Domingo and the London Symphony Orchestra, brings back the memory of John Paul II and of an entire life, frequently marked by dramatic episodes, lived with a passion for God and for man. What is the secret of this 'Wojtylian' poetic, which he translated into so many poetical texts?" asked the bishop. "For John Paul II everything begins with God's 'yes' to man, everything arises from God's plan of 'infinite love'. God's 'yes' to man means 'yes' to his dignity, to his authentic needs. It means 'yes' to the world ... and to everything that is beautiful, good and just in life".

 

  The secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace went on to highlight how, "with His 'yes', it is as if God takes man by the hand and raises him above all other creatures. He assigns him an eternal destiny. The light of God's 'yes' to man illuminates all of existence, it gives us a better understanding of who man is and what is his destiny. It also gives us a better understanding of the authentic value of relations among men. Referring to our shared status of 'children' and of 'brothers' helps the 'grammar' of human relations, conforming them to the dignity of human beings and their true good.

 

  "God's original 'yes'", he added, "tells us that He calls man because He loves him, He calls him sacrificing Himself and this is something unheard of among religions, save for Christianity. At the root of Christianity there is not a 'yes' of man to God, but the opposite".

 

  Bishop Crepaldi concluded by noting that the texts of the songs "cover many subjects: family affections, work, war, homeland, etc, but all of them", he said, "are inspired by God's 'yes' to man, by the Infinite Love of God".

 

  Msgr. Scotti then explained that the "Amore infinito" album "draws respectfully from the words of Karol Wojtyla's poetry to exalt them and make them flow through music and song. ... Yet", he noted, "at the core is an encounter. The encounter of Placido Domingo with a man, a believer, a Pope, who showed him a certain outlook on life. Here, hence, is an artist, a person accustomed to scrutinising men and things through the spectrum of art, who could not but be attracted and fascinated by a great man, a Pope, who showed his a point of view that was true and worthy of attention".

 

  "In echoing Karol Wojtyla, Placido Domingo can tell us all, with the overwhelming power ... of his song, that 'the world is full of hidden powers which courageously I identify and name', ... that 'this love has explained all things, this love is everything for me' and then, fearlessly, to affirm with the same pride as John Paul II that 'Jesus came into the world to show us all the love of God'.

 

  "In a certain sense", Msgr. Scotti added, "Placido Domingo has achieved in this album what Benedict XVI wrote on 24 November for the 13th public session of the Pontifical Academies: 'we must regain an understanding of the intimate link binding the search for beauty to the search for truth and goodness'".

 

  "This work by Placido Domingo makes us aware that we have not yet fully delved into the rich human, cultural and spiritual heritage which Wojtyla showed us glimpses of. This heritage can help us to better understand ... that the world and history are entrusted to us, and that it is up to us, now, to become architects and builders of a future in which mankind and nature are reconciled with one another and with God, as has been made even more clear by the dramatic events we are seeing over these days".

OP/SONGS JOHN PAUL II/PLACIDO DOMINGO                   VIS 081128 (790)

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 28 NOV 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

- Seven prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Chile, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Bishop Carlos Eduardo Pellegrin Barrera S.V.D. of Chillan.

 

    - Bishop Pedro Felipe Bacarreza Rodriguez of Los Angeles.

 

    - Bishop Manuel Camilo Vial Risopatron of Temuco.

 

    - Bishop Ignacio Francisco Ducasse Medina of Valdiviva.

 

    - Archbishop Manuel Gerardo Donso Donoso SS.CC. of La Serena, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Luis Gleisner Wobbe.

 

    - Bishop Gaspar Francisco Quintana Jorquera C.M.F. of Copiapo.

 

 - Archbishop Martin Krebs, apostolic nuncio to Guinea and Mali, accompanied by members of his family.

 

  This evening he is scheduled to receive in separate audiences three prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Chile, on their "ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Cristian Caro Cordero of Puerto Montt.

 

    - Bishop Rene Osvaldo Rebolledo Salinas of Osorno.

 

    - Bishop Bernardo Miguel Bastres Florence S.D.B. of Punta Arenas.

AL:AP/.../...                                                                                      VIS 081128 (160)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 28 NOV 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 

 - Bishop Marcel Utembi Tapa of Mahagi-Nioka, Democratic Republic of Congo, as archbishop of Kisangani (area 150,123, population 1,265,000, Catholics 575,020, priests 91, religious 193), Democratic Republic of Congo. The archbishop-elect was born in Luma, Democratic Republic of Congo in 1959, he was ordained a priest in 1984 and consecrated a bishop in 2002.

 

 - Fr. Jean-Pierre Batut of the clergy of the archdiocese of Paris, France, pastor of "Saint-Eugene et Sainte-Cecile", as auxiliary of Lyon (area 5,087, population 1,745,000, Catholics 1,207,000, priests 523, permanent deacons 59, religious 2,201), France. The bishop-elect was born in Paris in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1984.

 

 - Fr. William Avenya of the clergy of Makurdi, Nigeria, secretary general of AECWA, as auxiliary of the same diocese (area 24,461, population 3,288,000, Catholics 1,483,180, priests 157, religious 163). The bishop-elect was born in Ishangev Tiev, Nigeria in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1981.

 

 - Fr. Nicholas Souchu of the clergy of the diocese of Orleans, France, vicar general, as auxiliary of Rennes (area 6,775, population 930,000, Catholics 817,000, priests 410, permanent deacons 26, religious 1,352), France. The bishop-elect was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1986.

NER:NEA/.../...                                                                                VIS 081128 (220)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Telegram for Attacks in Mumbai

- May Kidnapped Nuns Be Released as Soon as Possible

- Possibility of Papal Trip to Holy Land under Examination

- Holy See at FAO Conference: May All Receive Daily Bread

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

TELEGRAM FOR ATTACKS IN MUMBAI

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 NOV 2008 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., in the Holy Father's name, to Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, India, for the recent terrorist attacks in the city which have left more than 100 people dead and 300 injured:

 

  "Deeply concerned about the outbreak of violence in Mumbai, the Holy Father asks you kindly to convey his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in these brutal attacks, and to assure the public authorities, citizens, and all those affected of his spiritual closeness. His Holiness urgently appeals for an end to all acts of terrorism, which gravely offend the human family and severely destabilise the peace and solidarity needed to build a civilisation worthy of mankind's noble vocation to love God and neighbour. The Holy Father prays for the repose of the souls of the victims and implores God's gift of strength and comfort for those who are injured and in mourning".

TGR/ATTACKS MUMBAI/BERTONE:GRACIAS                     VIS 081127 (180)

 

MAY KIDNAPPED NUNS BE RELEASED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 NOV 2008 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. released the following declaration at midday today:

 

  "More than a fortnight has passed since the two Italian nuns, Sr. Maria Teresa Olivero and Sr. Caterina Giraudo, were abducted in Kenya, where they are well-known for their generous dedication to the very poor. The Holy Father is following the protraction of their kidnapping with concern and remains close in prayer to the suffering, not only of the two kidnapped nuns, but also to that of their families and of the "Contemplative Missionary Movement of Fr. de Foucauld", of which they are members. The hope is that this painful and gravely unjust situation, of which entirely innocent and praiseworthy people are victims, may be resolved as soon as possible".

OP/KIDNAPPED NUNS/LOMBARDI                                         VIS 081127 (150)

 

POSSIBILITY OF PAPAL TRIP TO HOLY LAND UNDER EXAMINATION

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 NOV 2008 (VIS) - In response to an article that appeared in an Israeli newspaper concerning a forthcoming trip by the Pope to the Holy Land, Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. made the following declaration:

 

  "I can confirm that contacts exist at a diplomatic level between the Holy See and Israel to study the possibility of a trip by the Pope to the Holy Land next year".

OP/POPE TRIP HOLY LAND/LOMBARDI                                VIS 081127 (90)

 

HOLY SEE AT FAO CONFERENCE: MAY ALL RECEIVE DAILY BREAD

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 NOV 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was an address by Msgr. Renato Volante, head of the Holy See delegation to the 35th special session of the Conference of the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The meeting was called to examine the results of an evaluation into the management of the FAO and to analyse proposals to make the organisation better able to deal with problems related to the rural world.

 

  "The delegation of the Holy See does not want to offer technical solutions", said Msgr. Volante speaking English, "but rather to suggest an ideal orientation which may help in making concrete choices, focusing on the needs of each human person, especially when they are limited by conditions which compromise a dignified human life.

 

  "If we consider the data regarding FAO activities", he added, "it shows a constant and active engagement ... responding to the needs of the member States, in particular of those whose economic system requires new paths for the development of the agricultural sector and to satisfy the growing needs for food".

 

  "At the same time, looking at the future of FAO, it becomes clear that there are 'new' situations involving the agricultural sector which demand efforts by the organisation and its member States".

 

  "To bring about a reform of FAO, it is necessary to recognise that fighting against hunger is conditioned by multiple factors and by the motives inspiring it. But too often strategies are adopted which pursue particular goals rather then a holistic vision which ranks human needs first. Such an attitude produces negative effects in the rural sector, especially where poverty, underdevelopment, malnutrition and environmental degradation are more evident".

 

  "The delegation of the Holy See is firmly convinced that the FAO structure and its activities must underline the essential importance of agriculture in the development processes, not promoting mere management skills, but those far-sighted administrative criteria and interventions which will really respond to the needs".

 

  "This means that research aimed at improving agricultural production so as to meet the growing demand for food, must not overlook food security - which is the health of consumers - nor crop sustainability, i.e. environmental protection. For these objectives, invoked in different ways by every State as a 'priority', it is necessary that FAO must continue to enjoy the resources and the necessary trust of the international community as a whole".

 

  The head of the Holy See delegation concluded by saying that, "the Holy See, for its part, wants to reaffirm the availability of the Catholic Church, its structure and organisational bodies, to contribute to this effort so that everybody can receive his 'daily bread', as the motto of FAO itself reminds us: Fiat panis!'"

DELSS/FAO REFORM/VOLANTE                                            VIS 081127 (470)

 

AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 NOV 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

    - Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, apostolic nuncio to Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.

 

    - Six prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Chile, on their ad limina" visit:

 

    - Archbishop Pablo Lizama Riquelme of Antofagasta

 

    - Bishop Hector Eduardo Vargas Bastidas S.D.B. of Arica.

 

    - Bishop Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandwez of Iquique.

 

    - Bishop Guillermo Patricio Vera Soto, prelate of Calama.

 

    - Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello S.D.B. of Concepcion, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop elect Pedro Ossandon Buljevic.

AL:AP/.../...                                                                                      VIS 081127 (100)

 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 27 NOV 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Florencio Armando Colin Cruz, canon of the cathedral chapter of "Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe" and pastor of the parish of "Capucinas", as auxiliary of Mexico (area 1,479, population 8,699,000, Catholics 7,580,684, priests 1,672, permanent deacons 130, religious 7,024), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Toluca, Mexico in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1982.

NEA/.../COLIN                                                                                VIS 081127 (70)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Called to Live in Christ's Love for Others

- Visit of Catholicos Aram I, a Further Step towards Unity

 

___________________________________________________________

 

CALLED TO LIVE IN CHRIST'S LOVE FOR OTHERS

 

VATICAN CITY, 26 NOV 2008 (VIS) - Continuing his series of catecheses on St. Paul, in this morning's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope spoke of the consequences deriving from justification by the faith and by the action of the Spirit in Christian life.

 

  In his Letter to the Galatians, the Apostle of the Gentiles "gives radical emphasis to the gratuitousness of justification" and "highlights the relationship between faith and works", said the Pope.

 

  In the same Letter, St, Paul says that "by bearing one another's burdens, believers fulfil the commandment of love. Justified by the gift of faith in Christ, we are called to live in Christ's love for others, because it is on this criterion that we will be judged at the end of our lives".

 

  "Christ's love for us ... claims us, welcomes us, embraces us, sustains us; it even torments us because it forces us not to live for ourselves alone, closed in our own selfishness, by for 'Him Who died and has risen for us'. The love of Christ makes us become, in Him, the 'new creation' that is part of his mystical Body which is the Church.

 

  "Seen in this light", the Holy Father added, "the central importance of justification without works, the main object of Paul's preaching, presents no contradiction to faith working through love, on the contrary it requires that our own faith be expressed in a life in accordance with the Spirit".

 

  Going on then to refer to "the unfounded conflict" some people have seen "between the theology of St. Paul and that of St. James", the Pope pointed out that while the former "is primarily concerned with showing that faith in Christ is necessary and sufficient, James stresses the consequent relationship between faith and works. Hence, for both Paul and James, faith working through love bears witness to the free gift of justification in Christ".

 

  The Pope noted how "we often fall into the same misunderstandings that characterised the community of Corinth. Those Christians thought that having been gratuitously justified in Christ by faith, 'all things are lawful for them'. Often, we too think it is lawful to create divisions within the Church, Body of Christ, celebrating the Eucharist without caring for our brethren in need, or aspiring to the most exalted charisms unaware that we are limbs of one another, etc. The consequences of a faith not incarnated in love are disastrous because it is reduced to the arbitrariness of subjectivism, harmful to us and to our fellow men and women".

 

  "What we must do", he went on, "is gain a renewed awareness that, precisely because we have been justified in Christ, we are no longer our own but have become temples of the Spirit and hence are called to glorify God in our bodies. We would undervalue the priceless value of justification if, bought at a high price by the blood of Christ, we did not glorify it with our body, with all our lives".

 

  "If the ethics which St. Paul proposes to believers do not deteriorate into forms of moralism but retain their importance for us today, this is because ... they are rooted in the individual and community relationship with Christ, to then take concrete form in a life lived according to the Spirit. The essential point is that Christian ethics do not arise from a system of commandments", the Pope concluded, "they are a consequence of our friendship with Christ. This friendship influences our lives, if it is real it is incarnated and fulfilled in love for others. That is why any form of ethical decline is not limited to the individual sphere but is, at the same time, a devaluation of individual and community faith, from which it derives and upon which it has an incisive effect".

 

  Having concluded his catechises, the Pope greeted Spanish-speaking pilgrims, mentioning the forthcoming "march to demand the release of hostages, which will take place this Friday in Colombia. I raise fervent prayers to God that this scourge may come to an end and that harmony and peace may soon be achieved in that beloved nation", he said.

AG/ST. PAUL JUSTIFICATION/...                                              VIS 081126 (710)

 

VISIT OF CATHOLICOS ARAM I, A FURTHER STEP TOWARDS UNITY

 

VATICAN CITY, 26 NOV 2008 (VIS) - Before delivering the catechesis at his general audience this morning, Benedict XVI addressed some words to His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians, who was attending the audience at the head of a delegation of Armenian bishops and lay faithful.

 

  "This fraternal visit", said the Pope speaking English, "is a significant occasion for strengthening the bonds of unity already existing between us, as we journey towards that full communion which is both the goal set before all Christ's followers and a gift to be implored daily from the Lord.

 

  "For this reason", he added, "I invoke the grace of the Holy Spirit on your pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and I invite all present to pray fervently to the Lord that your visit, and our meetings, will mark a further step along the path towards full unity".

 

  The Holy Father told the patriarch of his "particular gratitude for your constant personal involvement in the field of ecumenism, especially in the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and in the World Council of Churches".

 

  The Pope continued: "On the exterior facade of the Vatican Basilica is a statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator, founder of the Armenian Church, whom one of your historians has called 'our progenitor and father in the Gospel'. The presence of this statue evokes the sufferings he endured in bringing the Armenian people to Christianity, but it also recalls the many martyrs and confessors of the faith whose witness bore rich fruit in the history of your people. Armenian culture and spirituality are pervaded by pride in this witness of their forefathers, who suffered with fidelity and courage in communion with the Lamb slain for the salvation of the world"

 

  "Together let us invoke the intercession of St. Gregory the Illuminator and above all of the Virgin Mother of God, so that they will enlighten our way and guide it towards the fullness of that unity which we all desire", he concluded.

AG/UNITY/ARAM I                                                                        VIS 081126 (360)

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SUMMARY:

 

- Beauty Inseparable from Search for Truth and Goodness

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

BEAUTY INSEPARABLE FROM SEARCH FOR TRUTH AND GOODNESS

 

VATICAN CITY, 25 NOV 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has sent a Message to Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, to mark the annual public session of the Pontifical Academies. The Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Literature "dei Virtuosi al Pantheon", which is organising the event this year, has chosen the theme: "The universality of beauty: a comparison between aesthetics and ethics".

 

  "We are reminded of the urgent need for a renewed dialogue between aesthetics and ethics, between beauty, truth and goodness", the Pope writes, "not only by contemporary cultural and artistic debate, but also by daily reality. In fact, at various levels, there is a dramatically-evident split ... between the two dimensions: that of the search for beauty - understood however in reductive terms as exterior form, as an appearance to be pursued at all costs - and that of the truth and goodness of actions undertaken to achieve certain ends.

 

  "Indeed", he adds, "searching for a beauty that is foreign to or separate from the human search for truth and goodness would become (as unfortunately happens) mere asceticism and, especially for the very young, a path leading to ephemeral values and to banal and superficial appearances, even a flight into an artificial paradise that masks inner emptiness".

 

  The Holy Father goes on to recall how he has on various occasions underlined the need "for a broadening of the horizons of reason" in order "to regain an understanding of the intimate link binding the search for beauty to the search for truth and goodness. ... And it such a commitment applies to everyone, it applies even more to believers, to the disciples of Christ, who are called by the Lord to 'give reasons' for all the beauty and truth of their faith".

 

  The beauty of the works undertaken by believers "to render glory unto the Father", in accordance with Christ's mandate, "demonstrates and expresses ... the goodness and profound truth of such gestures, as it does the coherence and the sanctity of those who accomplish them. ... Our witness must, then, draw nourishment from this beauty, ... and to this end we must know how to communicate with the language of images and symbols ... in order effectively to reach our contemporaries".

 

  Benedict XVI also mentions the recent Synod, during which bishops "emphasised the perennial importance 'beautiful witness' has for the announcement of the Gospel, and underlined how important it is to know how to read and scrutinise the beauty of works of art inspired by the faith ... in order to discover a unique path that brings us close to God and His Word".

 

  Finally, the Holy Father mentions John Paul II's Letter to Artists, "which invites us", writes Pope Benedict "to reflect upon ... the fruitful dialogue between Holy Scripture and various forms of art, whence countless masterpieces have emerged". Finally, the Pope launches an appeal to academics and artists, reminding them that their mission is "to arouse wonder at and desire for beauty, to form people's sensitivity and to nourish a passion for everything that is a genuine expression of human genius and a reflection of divine beauty".

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 25 NOV 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father erected the new diocese of Gomez Palacio (area 27,405, population 531,465, Catholics 475,129, priests 49, religious 70) Mexico, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Durango, making it a suffragan of the same metropolitan church. He appointed Bishop Jose Guadalupe Torres Campos, auxiliary of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, as first bishop of the new diocese.

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SUMMARY: 22-24 NOVEMBER

 

- Pilgrims from Amalfi: Collaborate in the Kingdom of God

- Kingdom of Christ Accomplishes Good in Man and in History

- Beatifications in Japan and Cuba, Ukrainian Famine

- Ethnic, Religious Groups' Mutual Respect Guarantees Peace

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

 

___________________________________________________________

 

PILGRIMS FROM AMALFI: COLLABORATE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

 

VATICAN CITY, 22 NOV 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received pilgrims from the Italian archdiocese of Amalfi - Cava de' Tirreni, who have come to Rome in the company of their pastor, Archbishop Orazio Soricelli. Their pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Peter bearing the relics of St. Andrew, patron of the archdiocese, is intended to mark the eighth centenary of the translation of that saint's body from Constantinople to Amalfi.

 

  The Pope pointed out that on 30 November, to mark the end of the Jubilee Year of the archdiocese of Amalfi - Cava de' Tirreni, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. will celebrate Mass in Amalfi cathedral. He also recalled how the culminating moment of the jubilee celebrations came on 8 May with a solemn commemoration presided by Cardinal Walter Kapser, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

 

  Throughout the Jubilee Year, he told the faithful from the archdiocese, "you have sought to give fresh impulse to your apostolic and missionary vocation, opening your hearts to the hopes for peace among people, and intensifying your prayers for the unity of all Christians. Vocation, mission and ecumenism are, then, the three keywords that have guided you through this spiritual and pastoral enterprise".

 

  On Sunday 23 November, Feast of Christ the King, "the Word of God will also remind us that the face of Christ, universal King, is that of a judge, because God is at one and the same time the good and merciful Shepherd and the righteous Judge", said Pope Benedict.

 

  "The criterion with which judgement is applied", he went on, "is of great importance. This criterion is love, real charity towards others, especially the 'little ones', people in greater need. ... Christ identifies Himself with the 'smallest of His brothers and sisters', and the final judgement will be a settling of accounts of what happened in earthly life".

 

  God "is not concerned with historical kingship, He wishes to reign in people's hearts and from there over the world. He is the King of the entire universe, yet ... the area in which His reign is at risk is in our own hearts because there God encounters our freedom. We, and we alone, can ... hinder His kingship over the world, over families, over society and over history".

 

  "Jesus wishes to associate us with His royalty. That is why He invites us to collaborate in the advent of His Kingdom of love, justice and peace. It is up to us to respond to Him, not with words but with deeds. By choosing the path of effective and generous love towards others, we allow Him to extend His lordship over time and space".

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KINGDOM OF CHRIST ACCOMPLISHES GOOD IN MAN AND IN HISTORY

 

VATICAN CITY, 23 NOV 2008 (VIS) - At midday today Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square below.

 

  This Sunday, the last of the liturgical year and Solemnity of Christ the King, "the Gospel highlights the universal kingship of Christ the Judge with the stupendous parable of the Last Judgement", said the Pope. "The message it contains is extremely important: it is the truth of our final destiny and of the criteria with which we will be judged: 'I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me'".

 

  This episode "is part of our civilisation. It has marked the history of Christian peoples: their hierarchy of values, their institutions, their many charitable and social activities. Indeed, the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world, but accomplishes all the good that, thanks to God, exists in man and in history. If we put our love for neighbour into practice, in keeping with the Gospel message, then we make room for the lordship of God, and His Kingdom is realised among us. If, on the other hand, each thinks only of his or her own interests, the world cannot but fall to ruin".

 

  "The Kingdom of God is not a matter of honours and appearances", said the Holy Father. "The Lord has our good at heart; in other words, that each human being should have life and that especially the 'smallest' of His children may participate in the banquet He has prepared for everyone. This is why He has no time for the hypocritical expressions of those who say 'Lord, Lord', then ignore His commandments. In his eternal Kingdom, God welcomes those who struggle day after day to put His Word into effect".

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BEATIFICATIONS IN JAPAN AND CUBA, UKRAINIAN FAMINE

 

VATICAN CITY, 23 NOV 2008 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus, the Pope recalled the fact that tomorrow, 24 November, "the beatification will take place of 188 Japanese martyrs, both men and women, killed during the first half of the seventeenth century. On this occasion, so important for the Catholic community of Japan, I give assurances", he said, "of my spiritual closeness".

 

  Benedict XVI then went on to mention the fact that, on 29 November, Br. Jose Olallo Valdes of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God will be proclaimed a blessed in Cuba. "To his celestial protection", he said, "I entrust the Cuban people, especially the sick and healthcare workers". Speaking Spanish, the Pope directed a special greeting to Cuban pastors and faithful who will participate in the beatification ceremony at Camaguey, expressing the hope that "the intercession of the new blessed may help the Church in her evangelising mission, and bring renewed apostolic vitality to all Cubans who glory in being disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ".

 

  The Holy Father also directed particular greetings to Ukrainian pilgrims. "Over these days", he said, "we are commemorating the 75th anniversary of the 'Holodomor' - the great famine - which between 1932 and 1933 caused millions of deaths in Ukraine and in other regions of the Soviet Union during communist rule.

 

  "In the fervent hope that no political system may ever again, in the name of an ideology, deny human beings their rights, freedom and dignity", he added, "I give assurances of my prayers for all the innocent victims of that immense tragedy and call upon the Holy Mother of God to help nations continue along the path of reconciliation, and build the present and the future in mutual respect and in the sincere search for peace".

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ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS GROUPS' MUTUAL RESPECT GUARANTEES PEACE

 

VATICAN CITY, 24 NOV 2008 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians, presided at an ecumenical celebration held in the "Redemptoris Mater" Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace. A delegation from the Catholicosate of Cilicia of the Armenians also participated in the event.

 

  In his English language greetings, the Pope recalled how the Catholicos is due to visit the Roman basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls where, with the monastic community of the basilica, he will be united in prayer "to the great host of Armenian saints and martyrs". In this context he mentioned "St. Nerses Shnorkhali and St. Nerses of Lambon who, as bishop of Tarsus, was known as 'the second Paul of Tarsus'". The testimony of these saints "culminated in the twentieth century, which proved a time of unspeakable suffering for your people", he said.

 

  "The faith and devotion of the Armenian people have been constantly sustained by the memory of the many martyrs who have borne witness to the Gospel down the centuries. May the grace of that witness continue to shape the culture of your nation and inspire in Christ's followers an ever greater trust in the saving and life-giving power of the Cross".

 

  Going on to refer to the dialogue between the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church, which "has benefited significantly" from the presence of Armenian delegates, the Holy Father expressed the hope that such dialogue will "clarify theological issues which have divided us in the past but now appear open to greater consensus. I am confident that the current work of the International Commission - devoted to the theme: 'The Nature, Constitution and Mission of the Church' - will enable many of the specific issues of our theological dialogue to find their proper context and resolution".

 

  "An increased understanding and appreciation of the apostolic tradition which we share will contribute to an ever more effective common witness to the spiritual and moral values without which a truly just and humane social order cannot exist. For this reason, I trust that new and practical means will be found to give expression to the common declarations we have already signed".

 

  Closing his remarks the Holy Father gave assurances of his "daily prayers and deep concern for the people of Lebanon and the Middle East. How can we not be grieved by the tensions and conflicts which continue to frustrate all efforts to foster reconciliation and peace at every level of civil and political life in the region?

 

  "Most recently we have all been saddened by the escalation of persecution and violence against Christians in parts of the Middle East and elsewhere. Only when the countries involved can determine their own destiny, and the various ethnic groups and religious communities accept and respect each other fully, will peace be built on the solid foundations of solidarity, justice and respect for the legitimate rights of individuals and peoples".

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AUDIENCES

 

VATICAN CITY, 24 NOV 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 

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

 

    - Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, archbishop of Santiago de Chile, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Cristian Contreras Villarroel, Andres Artega Manieu and Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib.

 

 - Konji Sebati, ambassador of South Africa, on her farewell visit.

 

 - His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians.

 

  On Saturday 22 November, he received in audience Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, for the presentation of the third typical edition of the Roman Missal.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

 

VATICAN CITY, 24 NOV 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 

 - Appointed Bishop Paul Mandla Khumalo C.M.M. of Witbank, South Africa, as metropolitan archbishop of Pretoria (area 16,580, population 4,994,000, Catholics 192,510, priests 113, permanent deacons 11, religious 302), South Africa and as military ordinary for South Africa. The archbishop-elect was born in Saint Wendelin, South Africa in 1947, he was ordained a priest in 1973 and consecrated a bishop in 2002. He succeeds Archbishop Geroge Francis Daniel, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese and from the same office of military ordinary, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 

 - Appointed Bishop Desire Tsarahazana of Fenoarivo Atsinanana, Madagascar, as bishop of Toamasina (area 23,690, population 1,957,000, Catholics 771,000, priests 41, religious 138), Madagascar. He succeeds Bishop Rene Rakontondrabe, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 

 - Appointed Fr. Georges Varkey Puthiyakulangara M.E.P., diocesan director for Catholic education in the diocese of Mahajanga, Madagascar, as coadjutor of Port-Berge (area 23,367, population 579,000, Catholics 16,161, priests 16, religious 47), Madagascar. The bishop-elect was born in Endoor, India in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1982.

 

 - Appointed Fr. Jose Luis Gerardo Ponce de Leon I.M.C., secretary general and procurator general of the Consolata Missionaries, as apostolic vicar of Ingwavuma (area 12,309, population 617,923, Catholics 24,029, priests 7, religious 14), South Africa. The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1986.

 

  On Saturday 22 November it was made public that he appointed:

 

 - Cardinal Julian Herranz, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the 1,750th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Fructuosus and of the deacons St. Augurius and St. Eulogius, known as the proto-martyrs of Tarragona, due to be held in that Spanish city on 25 January 2009.

 

 - Bishop Joseph Ake Yapo of Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, as archbishop of Gagnoa (area 21,951, population 1,320,000, Catholics 132,000, priests 122, religious 129), Ivory Coast. The archbishop-elect was born in Memni, Ivory Coast in 1951, he was ordained a priest in 1978 and consecrated a bishop in 2001.

 

 - Fr. Silvester San of the clergy of Ende, Indonesia, rector of the major seminary of Ritapiret, Maumere, as bishop of Denpasar (area 25,756, population 8,171,781, Catholics 32,083, priests 36, religious 96), Indonesia. The bishop-elect was born in Maupongo, in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1988.

 

 - Fr. Ariel Edgardo Torrado Mosconi, pastor of the parish of "San Isidro Labrador", as auxiliary of Santiago del Estero (area 81,969, population 653,000, Catholics 587,000, priests 71, permanent deacons 13, religious 109), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in 25 de Mayo, Argentina in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1990.

 

 - Thomas Han Hong-soon as international auditor of the Prefecture of the Economic Affairs of the Holy See.

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You can find more information at:  www.vatican.va - www.vis.pcn.net
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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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