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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

BENEDICT XVI PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR AUGUST

VATICAN CITY, JUL 31, 2007 (VIS) - Pope Benedict XVI's general prayer intention for August is: "That all those who are going through moments of inner difficulty and trial may find in Christ the light and support which leads them to discover authentic happiness."

His mission intention is: "That the Church in China may bear witness to ever greater inner cohesion and may manifest her effective and visible communion with Peter's Successor."
BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/AUGUST/... VIS 20070731 (80)

PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2007: APRIL - JULY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 31, 2007 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of April through July 2007.

APRIL

 - 2: In the basilica of St. John Lateran, two years after the death of Servant of God John Paul II, the closing session was held of the diocesan investigation into his life, virtues and fame of sanctity.

 - 13: Presentation in the Vatican's Synod Hall of "Jesus of Nazareth," a book written by Benedict XVI.

 - 14: Beatification of Servant of God Luigi Boccardo at the church of the Holy Countenace in Turin, Italy.

 - 15: The Pope presides at a Eucharistic concelebration in St. Peter's Square to mark his own 80th birthday which falls on April 16.

 - 15: Beatification of Servant of God Maria Maddalena della Passione (nee Costanza Starace) in the cathedral of Castellammare di Stabia, Italy.

 - 16: The Holy Father receives in audience Edmund Stoiber, minister-president of Bavaria, Germany.

 - 16: The Holy Father receives in audience Peter Harry Carstensen, minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

 - 18: The Holy Father receives in audience Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United Nations Organization, who invites him to visit the UN Headquarters in New York.

 - 20: The Holy Father receives in audience Mahinda Rajapaksa, president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

 - 21-22: Benedict XVI makes a pastoral visit to the Italian dioceses of Vigevano and Pavia for the 750th anniversary of the Bull "Licet Ecclesiae Catholicae" with which Pope Alexander IV unified the various groups following the Augustinian rule into one great Order.

 - 24: The Holy Father receives in audience Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), president of the Palestinian Authority.

 - 27: Presentation of the "Lineamenta" for the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, due to be held from October 5 to 26, 2008 on the theme: "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church."

 - 28: The Holy Father receives in audience Valdas Adamkus, president of the Republic of Lithuania.

 - 29: Beatification of Servant of God Maria Rosa Pellesi in the cathedral of Rimini, Italy.

MAY

 - 4: The Holy Father receives in audience Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, former president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

 - 6: Beatification of Servant of God Maria del Monte Carmelo of the Baby Jesus Gonzalez Ramos Garcia Prieto in the "Recinto Ferial" of Antequera-Malaga, Spain.

 - 9-14: Benedict XVI makes a pastoral visit to Brazil for the Fifth General Assembly of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean.

 - 11: The Pope presides at Mass in Sao Paulo's "Campo de Marte." During the ceremony he canonizes Blessed Antonio de Santa Ana (ne Antonio Galvao de Franca, 1739-1822), the first native-born Brazilian saint.

 - 13: The Holy Father presides at the inaugural session of the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean. The theme of the conference, held from May 13 to 31 is: "Disciples and missionaries in Jesus Christ, that in Him our peoples may have life ('I am the Way and the Truth and the Life')."

 - 21: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Justino Maria Aparicio Guterres, the first ambassador from the Democratic Republic of East Timor to the Holy See. The Holy See established diplomatic relations with East Timor on the same day the country declared its national independence, May 20, 2002.

 - 27: Beatification of Servant of God Carlo Liviero in the cathedral of Citta di Castello, Italy.

 - 31: The Holy See and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), by mutual agreement, establish diplomatic relations at the level of apostolic nunciature on the part of the Holy See and at the ambassadorial level on the part of the United Arab Emirates, conforming to the rules fixed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961.

JUNE

 - 1: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of five new ambassadors to the Holy See: Ayesha Riyaz of Pakistan, Larus Stefansson of Iceland, Juri Seilenthal of Estonia, Domitille Barancira of Burundi and Ahmed Hamid Elfaki Hamid of Sudan.

 - 3: Canonization of Blesseds George Preca (1880-1962), Szymon of Lipnica (1435-1482), Karel van Sint Andries Houben (1821-1893) and Marie-Eugenie de Jesus Milleret (1817-1898).

 - 4: The Holy Father receives in audience Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, president of the Philippines.

 - 4: The Holy Father receives in audience Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, president of Mexico.

 - 9: The Holy Father receives in audience President George W. Bush of the United States of America.

 - 16: The Holy Father receives in the Vatican His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus. The two leaders sign a Joint Declaration in the presence of the Catholic and Cypriot Orthodox delegations.

 - 17: Benedict XVI makes a pastoral visit to the Italian town of Assisi commemorating the eighth centenary of the conversion of St. Francis.

 - 21: The Holy Father receives in audience His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.

 - 23: The Holy Father receives in audience Tony Blair, prime minister of the United Kingdom.

 - 26: Publication of a "Motu Proprio," written in Latin, with which the Holy Father Benedict XVI restores the traditional norm concerning the majority required for the election of the Supreme Pontiff.

 - 28: Benedict XVI calls the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. The event, which is due to be held in the Vatican from October 4 to 25, 2009, has as its theme: "The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. 'You are the salt of the earth. ... You are the light of the world'."

 - 28: Benedict XVI celebrates the first Vespers of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles at the basilica of St. Paul Outside-the Walls in Rome, and announces a special jubilee year to the Apostle Paul to be held from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009.

 - 30: Publication of a Letter of Benedict XVI to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China. The Letter, dated May 27 Feast of Pentecost, is divided into two parts - "the situation of the Church, theological aspects" and "guidelines for pastoral life" - and a conclusion. It is published in Chinese, French, English and Italian.

JULY

 - 3: Announcement that Benedict XVI is due to make an apostolic trip to Austria from September 7 to 9, for the 850th anniversary of the foundation of the Shrine of Mariazell.

 - 6: Presentation of the Holy See consolidated financial statements for 2006. The year closed with a surplus of 2.4 million euro.

 - 7: Publication of the Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" of Pope Benedict XVI, "Summorum Pontificum," concerning the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970, accompanied by an explanatory Letter of the Holy Father.

 - 10: Publication of a document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: "Responses to some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church." It is dated June 29, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, and bears the signatures of Cardinal William Joseph Levada and Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., respectively prefect and secretary of the congregation.

 - 14: The Vatican Apostolic Library closes to the public for a period of three years in order to facilitate renovation work in some parts of the Renaissance building in which it is housed.

 - 19: Governorate of Vatican City State opens a new Internet portal (www.vaticanstate.va) in order to meet the needs of the ever increasing numbers of pilgrims and tourists in the Vatican, and to respond to the continuous requests for information reaching the various offices of Vatican State though the traditional channels. The new website runs alongside the official Holy See website (www.vatican.va).

 - 25: Publication of Benedict XVI's Message for 23rd World Youth Day, due to be held in Sydney, Australia from July 15 to 20, 2008, on the theme: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts of the Apostles 1, 8).
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 31, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Francisco Perez Gonzalez, military ordinary for Spain, as archbishop of Pamplona and bishop of Tudela (area 10,421, population 600,098, Catholics 592,897, priests 795, religious 2,299), Spain. He succeeds Archbishop Fernando Sebastian Aguilar C.M.F., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese and diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
NER:RE/.../PEREZ:SEBASTIAN                    VIS 20070731 (70)


Monday, July 30, 2007

PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2007: JANUARY - MARCH

VATICAN CITY, JUL 30, 2007 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of January through March 2007. Tomorrow we will provide another summary covering the period from April to July.

JANUARY

 - 1: Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI for 40th World Day of Peace, on the theme: "The Human Person, the Heart of Peace."

 - 4: The Holy Father visits a shelter run by the diocesan Caritas of Rome on the city's Colle Oppio. The shelter was founded by Fr. Luigi Di Liegro in 1983.

 - 7: The Holy Father accepts the resignation of Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Warsaw, Poland, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law, and appoints Cardinal Jozef Glemp, primate of Poland, as diocesan administrator of Warsaw, until further notice.

 - 8: The Holy Father receives in audience - in the Sala Regia of the Vatican Apostolic Palace - members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See for the traditional exchange of New Year greetings.

 - 17: The Holy Father receives in audience Ivo Sanader, prime minister of the Republic of Croatia.

 - 18: The Holy Father receives in audience Lawrence Gonzi, prime minister of Malta.

 - 19: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Dogan Akdur, the new ambassador of Turkey to the Holy See.

 - 19: Benedict XVI receives in audience an ecumenical delegation from Finland for the occasion of the Feast of St. Henry, patron saint of that country.

 - 20: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Marius Gabriel Lazurca, the new ambassador of Romania to the Holy See.

 - 22: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Antun Sbutega, the new ambassador of the Republic of Montenegro to the Holy See.

 - 23: The Holy Father sends a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux, France, for the death on January 22 at the age of 94 of Abbe Pierre, founder of the Community of Emmaus.

 - 24: Publication - on Feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists - of Benedict XVI's Message for the World Day of Social Communications, celebrated on May 20, on the theme: "Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education."

 - 25: The Holy Father receives in audience Nguyen Tan Dang, prime minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

FEBRUARY

 - 1: Benedict XVI receives a delegation from the Foundation for Inter-religious and Inter-cultural Research and Dialogue, led by their president, Metropolitan Archbishop Damskinos of Adrianoupoli.

 - 1: The Pope receives members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, holding their fourth plenary meeting.

 - 2: The Holy Father meets with members of congregations, institutes, societies of apostolic life, and new forms of consecrated life, for the occasion of the World Day of Consecrated Life, an annual celebration instituted by John Paul II.

 - 3 The Holy Father receives in audience Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein, accompanied by Princess Maria and their family.

 - 5: Publication of a decree announcing the concession of indulgences to the faithful for the World Day of the Sick, which is celebrated every year on February 11, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. This year, the Day was celebrated in Seoul, Korea.

 - 5: Publication of the Holy Father's Message to the Youth of the World for the Occasion of 22nd World Youth Day, celebrated on Palm Sunday, April 1, on the theme: "Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."

 - 8: The Holy Father receives in audience His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Saxony, accompanied by Princess Elmira.

 - 9: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Juan Gomez Martinez, the new ambassador of Colombia to the Holy See.

 - 10: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Luis Paris Chaverri, the new ambassador of Costa Rica to the Holy See.

 - 15: The Holy Father receives in audience Roh Moo-hyun, president of the Republic of Korea.

 - 21: Publication of a Message from the Pope to Fr. Guido Innocenzo Gargano, superior of the Roman monastery of San Gregorio al Celio and to all members of the Camaldolese Order, for the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the birth St. Peter Damian.

 - 21: Publication of a Letter from Benedict XVI to Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus, emeritus of Warsaw, Poland.

 - 24: The Holy Father receives in audience Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, president of the 61st Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization.

MARCH

 - 5: The Holy Father receives in audience Lutheran Archbishop Anders Wejryd of Uppsala, Sweden, primate of the Swedish Church, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

 - 7: Benedict XVI accepts the resignation from the office of president of the Italian Episcopal Conference presented by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, and appointed Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, Italy, to succeed him as the head of that episcopal conference.

 - 13: Presentation of the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Sacramentum Caritatis" on the Eucharist, source and summit of the life and mission of the Church.

 - 13: The Holy Father receives in audience Valdimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation.

 - 14: Benedict XVI visits the Fabric of St. Peter's, the institution responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the Vatican Basilica.

 - 16: Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Alfonso Rivero Monsalve, the new ambassador of Peru to the Holy See.

 - 18: The Holy Father visits the "Casal del Marmo" youth detention center in Rome, celebrating the Eucharist and meeting the fifty young people detained there.

 - 23: The Holy Father receives in audience Mary McAleese, president of Ireland.

 - 23: The Holy Father receives in audience Hans-Gert Poettering, president of the European Parliament.

 - 24: The Pope receives in audience cardinals, bishops, parliamentarians and other participants in a congress promoted by the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE). The event was held to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome on March 25, 1957.

 - 24: Papal audience in St. Peter's Square with the more than 80,000 people from 50 countries taking part in a pilgrimage organized by the Communion and Liberation association (CL) to mark the 35th anniversary of pontifical recognition for the association.

 - 25: Fifth Sunday of Lent, the Pope visits the parish of St. Felicitas and children, martyrs, in the northern sector of the diocese of Rome, where he celebrates Mass.

 - 30 Presentation of the Letters of Credence of Tetiana Izhevska, the new ambassador of Ukraine to the Holy See.
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POPE APPEALS FOR RELEASE OF HOSTAGES IN AFGHANISTAN

VATICAN CITY, JUL 29, 2007 (VIS) - Following today's Angelus at Castelgandolfo, the Pope made an appeal for the liberation of 22 Korean hostages held in Afghanistan since July 19.

  "There is a growing practice among armed groups to use innocent people to achieve their own particular ends. This is a serious violation of human dignity that contrasts with all elemental norms of civility and legality and represents a grave offence to divine law. I address an appeal to the perpetrators of such criminal acts to desist from the evil they do and to release their victims unharmed."
ANG/APPEAL KIDNAP VICTIMS/AFGHANISTAN        VIS 20070730 (110)


PROMOTE NUCLEAR NON PROLIFERATION

VATICAN CITY, JUL 29, 2007 (VIS) - Shortly before midday today, Benedict XVI greeted faithful gathered in the internal courtyard of the apostolic palace in Castelgandolfo in order to pray the Angelus with them. The Pope will be staying at his Castelgandolfo residence until the end of the summer.

  Before the Marian prayer, the Pope recalled "the tranquil days" of his recent stay in Lorenzago di Cadore and thanked everyone involved in organizing his holiday in that mountain resort. He also expressed his thanks to the inhabitants of Castelgandolfo for their "cordiality" and "discretion" during his stay there.

  Benedict XVI then went on to refer to the 50th anniversary of the coming into effect of the Statue of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), instituted with the mandate to "encourage and increase the contribution of atomic energy to the cause of peace, health and prosperity throughout the world." The Pope recalled how the Holy See has been a member of the IAEA since its foundation, "fully approves its aims, ... and continues to support its activities.

  "The great changes of the last 50 years," he added, "highlight how, at the difficult crossroads humanity currently faces, there exists an ever more pressing and urgent need for commitment to encourage the non proliferation of nuclear arms, and to promote progressive ... nuclear disarmament in favor of the peaceful and safe use of nuclear technology for authentic development respectful of the environment and ever attentive to the most disadvantaged."

  The Pope expressed his hope that the efforts of people working to achieve these ends would prove successful, so that "the resources saved in this way may be used in development projects in favor of all people and, primarily, of the poorest."

  "It should in fact be recalled," he concluded, "that 'the arms race ... must be substituted [by] a common effort to mobilize resources towards objectives of moral, cultural and economic development, redefining the priorities and hierarchies of values'."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 28, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of almoner of His Holiness, presented by Archbishop Oscar Rizzato, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Archbishop Felix del Blanco Prieto, apostolic nuncio to Malta and to Libya, as almoner of His Holiness.

 - Appointed Fr. Bernabe de Jesus Sagastume Lemus O.F.M. Cap., provincial vice-minister of the Capuchins for the Province of Central America, as bishop of Santa Rosa de Lima (area 2,955, population 401,000, Catholics 331,000, priests 26, religious 48), Guatemala. The bishop-elect was born in San Esteban, Guatemala in 1961, and ordained a priest in 1987.

 - Appointed Bishop Gonzalo de Villa y Vasquez S.J., auxiliary of the archdiocese of Guatemala, as bishop of Solola-Chimaltenango (area 3,040, population 857,016, Catholics 684,703, priests 52, religious 129), Guatemala.

 - Appointed Bishop Raul Antonio Martinez Paredes of Solola-Chimaltenango, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Guatemala (area 2,591, population 4,357,000, Catholics 3,486,000, priests 469, permanent deacons 3, religious 1,229), Guatemala.

 - Appointed Bishop Irynej Bilyk O.S.B.M. of the eparchy of Buchach of the Ukrainians, Ukraine, as canon of the papal basilica of St. Mary Major.

 - Appointed Fr. Demetrius Hryhorak O.S.B.M., pastor and superior of the monastery of St. Basil the Great at Lutsk, as apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the eparchy of Buchach of the Ukrainians, Ukraine.
RE:NA:NER:NEA/.../...                        VIS 20070730 (240)


Friday, July 27, 2007

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 27, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Vicente Jimenez Zamora of Osma-Soria, Spain as bishop of Santander (area 5,527, population 562,309, Catholics 548,574, priests 484, permanent deacons 2, religious 1,095), Spain.
NER/.../JIMENEZ                            VIS 20070727 (40)


POPE TO RETURN TO CASTELGANDOLFO THIS EVENING

VATICAN CITY, JUL 27, 2007 (VIS) - Yesterday morning, the Pope bid farewell to the civil and military authorities of Lorenzago di Cadore, Italy, where he has been spending an 18-day-long holiday (from July 9 to July 27). This evening, he is due to travel to his summer residence at Castelgandolfo.

  The meeting, which took place in the garden of the chalet where Benedict XVI has been staying, was also attended by mayors from the 22 villages which make up the community of Cadore.

  "At the end of these two weeks spent in the beautiful land of the Dolomites, I can only give a heartfelt thank-you to each and every one of you for your service and commitment," said the Holy Father.

  "Your silent, discreet and competent presence, night and day," he continued, "gave me the opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable period of relaxation, a rest for the body and the soul. In the Book of Psalms we read: 'Your goodness, Lord, surrounds me like the eternal mountains.' And we are surrounded by this divine goodness, visible in the beauty of the mountains. However, throughout this period I have been especially surrounded by human goodness, by your goodness which has accompanied me always.

  "You have been real 'guardian angels' to me," the Pope added, "invisible, silent, but ever present and willing; and your presence over all these days remains in my memory."

  Pope Benedict will return this evening to the pontifical residence of Castelgandolfo, just south of Rome. There he will spend the rest of the summer, save for his pilgrimage to the Italian shrine of Loreto on September 1 and 2, and his apostolic trip to Austria from September 7 to 9.
AC/FAREWELL/LORENZAGO DI CADORE            VIS 20070727 (300)


Thursday, July 26, 2007

MESSAGE FOR WORLD YOUTH DAY 2008

VATICAN CITY, JUL 26, 2007 (VIS) - Benedict XVI's Message for 23rd World Youth Day, due to be held in Sydney, Australia from July 15 to 20, 2008, has as its theme: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts of the Apostles 1, 8).

  The Message is dated July 20 in Lorenzago di Cadore, Italy. Given below are excerpts from the English translation, which was made public yesterday:

1. The XXIII World Youth Day

  "The underlying theme of the spiritual preparation for our meeting in Sydney is the Holy Spirit and mission. ... In this message I gladly offer you an outline for meditation that you can explore during this year of preparation. In this way you can test the quality of your faith in the Holy Spirit, rediscover it if it is lost, strengthen it if it has become weak."

2. The promise of the Holy Spirit in the Bible

  "Attentive listening to the Word of God concerning the mystery and action of the Holy Spirit opens us up to great and inspiring insights. ... The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the nascent Church was the fulfilment of a promise made much earlier by God, announced and prepared throughout the Old Testament."

  "In 'the fullness of time,' the angel of the Lord announced to the Virgin of Nazareth that the Holy Spirit, 'the power of the Most High,' would come upon her and overshadow her. The Child to be born would be holy and would be called Son of God. ... Before His death on the Cross, He would tell His disciples several times about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the 'Consoler' Whose mission would be to bear witness to Him and to assist believers by teaching them and guiding them to the fullness of Truth."

3. Pentecost, the point of departure for the Church's mission

  On the day of Pentecost "the Holy Spirit renewed the Apostles from within, filling them with a power that would give them courage to go out and boldly proclaim that 'Christ has died and is risen!' Freed from all fear, they began to speak openly with self-confidence. These frightened fishermen had become courageous heralds of the Gospel. Even their enemies could not understand how 'uneducated and ordinary men' could show such courage and endure difficulties, suffering and persecution with joy. Nothing could stop them."

4. The Holy Spirit, soul of the Church and principle of communion

  "The Holy Spirit is the highest gift of God to humankind, and therefore the supreme testimony of His love for us, a love that is specifically expressed as the 'yes to life' that God wills for each of His creatures. This 'yes to life' finds its fullness in Jesus of Nazareth and in His victory over evil by means of the redemption."

5. The Holy Spirit as "Teacher of the interior life"

  "My dear young friends, the Holy Spirit continues today to act with power in the Church, and the fruits of the Spirit are abundant in the measure in which we are ready to open up to this power that makes all things new. ... However, at this point a question naturally arises: who is the Holy Spirit for me? It is a fact that for many Christians He is still the 'great unknown.' This is why, as we prepare for the next World Youth Day, I wanted to invite you to come to know the Holy Spirit more deeply at a personal level."

  "The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the love of the Father and of the Son, is the Source of life that makes us holy. ... Nevertheless, it is not enough to know the Spirit; we must welcome Him as the guide of our souls, as the 'Teacher of the interior life' Who introduces us to the Mystery of the Trinity, because He alone can open us up to faith and allow us to live it each day to the full. The Spirit impels us forward towards others, enkindles in us the fire of love, makes us missionaries of God's charity."

6. The Sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist

  "Faith is born and is strengthened within us through the Sacraments, particularly those of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. ... This truth concerning the three Sacraments that initiate our lives as Christians is perhaps neglected in the faith life of many Christians. They view them as events that took place in the past and have no real significance for today, like roots that lack life-giving nourishment. ... Yet it is through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and then, in an ongoing way, the Eucharist, that the Holy Spirit makes us children of the Father, brothers and sisters of Jesus, members of His Church, capable of a true witness to the Gospel, and able to savour the joy of faith."

  "Nowadays it is particularly necessary to rediscover the Sacrament of Confirmation and its important place in our spiritual growth. ... Confirmation gives us special strength to witness to and glorify God with our whole lives. It makes us intimately aware of our belonging to the Church, the 'Body of Christ,' of which we are all living members, in solidarity with one another."

  "I would like to add a word about the Eucharist. In order to grow in our Christian life, we need to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. ... 'Source and summit' of the Church's life, the Eucharist is a 'perpetual Pentecost' since every time we celebrate Mass we receive the Holy Spirit Who unites us more deeply with Christ and transforms us into Him."

7. The need and urgency of mission

  "Many young people view their lives with apprehension and raise many questions about their future. They anxiously ask: How can we fit into a world marked by so many grave injustices and so much suffering? ... How can we give full meaning to life? ... Let us not forget that the greater the gift of God - and the gift of the Spirit of Jesus is the greatest of all - so much the greater is the world's need to receive it and therefore the greater and the more exciting is the Church's mission to bear credible witness to it. ... Once again I repeat that only Christ can fulfil the most intimate aspirations that are in the heart of each person. Only Christ can humanize humanity and lead it to its 'divinization.' Through the power of His Spirit He instils divine charity within us, and this makes us capable of loving our neighbour and ready to be of service. ... There are those who think that to present the precious treasure of faith to people who do not share it means being intolerant towards them, but this is not the case, because to present Christ is not to impose Him.

  "Moreover, two thousand years ago twelve Apostles gave their lives to make Christ known and loved. Throughout the centuries since then, the Gospel has continued to spread by means of men and women inspired by that same missionary fervour. Today too there is a need for disciples of Christ Who give unstintingly of their time and energy to serve the Gospel. ... In particular, I assure you that the Spirit of Jesus today is inviting you young people to be bearers of the good news of Jesus to your contemporaries. ... You know the ideals, the language, and also the wounds, the expectations, and at the same time the desire for goodness felt by your contemporaries. This opens up the vast world of young people's emotions, work, education, expectations, and suffering. Each one of you must have the courage to promise the Holy Spirit that you will bring one young person to Jesus Christ in the way you consider best, knowing how to 'give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but [to] do it with gentleness and reverence'."

8. Invoking a 'new Pentecost' upon the world

  "My dear young friends, I hope to see very many of you in Sydney in July 2008. ... Together we shall invoke the Holy Spirit, confidently asking God for the gift of a new Pentecost for the Church and for humanity in the third millennium."
MESS/WORLD YOUTH DAY/...                    VIS 20070726 (1410)


Wednesday, July 25, 2007

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 25, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Vincent Cadieux O.M.I. of Moosonee, Canada as bishop of Hearst (area 108,830, population 36,681, Catholics 27,908, priests 22, permanent deacons 2, religious 7), Canada. Bishop Cadieux will remain as bishop of Moosonee, governing the two circumscriptions united "in persona Episcopi."
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POPE AND PRIESTS: FEET ON EARTH, EYES ON HEAVEN

VATICAN CITY, JUL 25, 2007 (VIS) - Yesterday Benedict XVI met with clergy from the Italian dioceses of Belluno-Feltre and Treviso in the church of St. Justina, Martyr, in Auronzo, near Lorenzago di Cadore where he is spending a few weeks holiday.

  During the meeting, which was reserved for priests only, the Pope replied to ten questions concerning "the problem of forming young people and their moral conscience, priestly life, the priority of the ministry in the present conditions of pastoral care in Italy, and the evolution of the current historical situation," as Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. explained in a talk on Vatican Radio.

  Other themes considered included "evangelization and respectful dialogue with other religions in a context of vast migration" and the question of "divorced people who have remarried or who cohabit and how to reconcile mercy and truth." Attention was also given to "faithfulness to Vatican Council II and its spirit."

  These, said Fr. Lombardi, "are very broad and varied subjects that the Holy Father has considered on other occasions in his talks and documents."

   The Holy See Press Office Director went on to say that Benedict XVI had encouraged the priests to live "with their feet on the ground and their eyes on heaven" and had affirmed that "the essence of Christianity cannot be considered just as a collection of dogmas." The Pope also highlighted how "the best way to announce God's message is to live a life of love," he said.

  The priests presented the Pope with a walnut statue of St. Benedict, patron saint of Europe, with details in bronze, Murano glass and gold. As he was leaving the church after the meeting, Benedict XVI told waiting journalists that he had spoken with the priests "about the Church, about God and about modern humanity," and he expressed thanks "for the climate of friendship and cordiality" which is characterizing his holiday.
AC/MEETING PRIESTS/AURONZO                VIS 20070725 (330)


TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF POLISH PILGRIMS IN FRANCE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 25, 2007 (VIS) - Made public yesterday afternoon was a telegram of condolence sent, in the Pope's name, by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. for Sunday's road accident near Grenoble, France in which 26 Polish pilgrims, returning from the Shrine of Our lady of Salette, lost their lives.

  In the telegram, addressed to Archbishop Zygmunt Kaminski of Szczecin-Kamien, Poland, Cardinal Bertone writes: "We are comforted by our faith in Divine Mercy which induces us to believe that [the victims] have found their journey's end in the glory of the Eternal Father."

  "For all the deceased, the Holy Father implores the gift of eternal life in the joy of the union with Christ. To the injured he expresses his hope for a complete and speedy return to health. For the families of the victims of this tragic accident he invokes the gift of courage and consolation even in their pain, and to this end imparts his heartfelt apostolic blessing."
TGR/POLISH PILGRIMS ACCIDENT/BERTONE        VIS 20070725 (180)


Tuesday, July 24, 2007

CATHOLIC SCOUTS FROM EUROPE TO MEET POPE ON AUGUST 1


VATICAN CITY, JUL 24, 2007 (VIS) - August 1 will mark the centenary of the opening of the first ever scout camp, organized on Brownsea Island, United Kingdom, by Lord Baden-Powell (1857-1941), founder of the World Scout Movement.

  For this occasion, thousands of Catholic scouts and guides from all over Europe will meet with Benedict XVI on Wednesday, August 1, during the general audience which is due to be held in the Vatican.

  In a Letter to mark the centenary of the Scout Movement, addressed to Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux and president of the Conference of Bishops of France, and published on July 2, the Holy Father recalls the founder of Catholic Scouts, Fr. Jacques Sevin S.J. and gives thanks to God "for all the fruits which, over this century, the Scout Movement has brought."

  The Pope also encourages Catholic scouts and guides to continue their journey, offering "young people today an education that forms strong personalities, rooted in Christ and desirous of living exalted ideals of faith and human solidarity."
.../SCOUT ANNIVERSARY/...                    VIS 20070724 (190)


Monday, July 23, 2007

BENEDICT XVI: "NEVER AGAIN WAR!"

VATICAN CITY, JUL 22, 2007 (VIS) - On Sunday, before praying the Angelus in Piazza Calvi of Lorenzago di Cadore where he is spending a brief vacation period, the Holy Father addressed the thousands present there:

  Benedict XVI said that in these days of rest he felt "even more intensely" the impact of the news that he received on "the bloody confrontations and episodes of violence happening in many parts of the world. This brings me once more to reflect on the drama of human freedom in the world."

  The earth, he said, is "a garden" that God entrusted humans with to "care for and cultivate" and that "if men and women live in peace with God and among themselves then the world will truly be a 'paradise'."

  "Unfortunately, sin has ruined the divine plan, engendering division and causing death to enter into the world. In this way, persons give into the temptations of Evil and make war. The consequence is that areas of 'hell' have been opened in this stupendous 'garden' of the world."

  While emphasizing that war is a "calamity", the Pope recalled that on 1 August 1917 - 90 years ago - Pope Benedict XV called for an end to the First World War and "had the courage to assert that that conflict was 'a pointless carnage'. This expression has been recorded in history. (...) Those words also have a greater, prophetic, meaning and can be applied to many other conflicts that have ripped apart innumerable human lives."

  The Holy Father recalled how his predecessor also spoke of "the paths to building a just and lasting peace: the moral force of law, controlled disarmament, the arbitration of controversies, the freedom of the seas, the mutual condemnation of the costs of war, the restitution of occupied territories, and just negotiation in the resolution of disputes."

  "The Holy See's proposal was oriented toward the future of Europe and the world according to a plan of Christian inspiration that, however, could be shared by all as it was rooted in human rights. This is the same approach that the servants of God Paul VI and John Paul II followed in their memorable addresses to the assembly of the United Nations, repeating in the Church's name: "Never again war!".

  "From this peaceful place in which the horrors of 'pointless carnage' are felt even more forcefully as unacceptable, I renew the call to more tenaciously adhere to the law, to vehemently refuse the arms race and the temptation to face new situations with old systems."

  Concluding the Angelus, the Pope greeted the religious and civil authorities present and the brother of Pope John Paul I, Edoardo Luciani, 91 years, a native of the diocese of Belluno, who sponsored today's meeting.
ANG/WAR/LORENZAGO DI CADORE                VIS 20070723 (470)


OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation of the office of the territorial prelature of Moyobamba, Peru, presented by Bishop Jose Santos Iztueta Mendizabal, C.P., upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Bishop Rafael Escudero Lopez-Brea, previously coadjutor bishop of the same prelature.

- Appointed Msgr. Armando Trasarti, previously Vicar General of the archdiocese of Fermo, Italy, as bishop of the diocese of Fano-Fossombrone-Cagli-Pergola (area 1,100, population 128,916, Catholics 126,064, priests 142, permanent deacons 13, religious 209), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in 1948 in Campofilone, Italy and was ordained a priest in 1974. He succeeds Bishop Vittorio Tomassetti  whose resignation for the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
RE:NER/.../...                                VIS 20070723 (120)


POPE: POPULAR CULTURE, JOY OF EUROPEAN IDENTITY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 2007 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, at the end of a concert of mountain choirs offered in his honor by the diocese of Belluno-Feltre at the castle of Mirabello (Italy), the Holy Father gave a short address.

  "Song is an expression of love", the Holy Father said, citing St. Augustine. " I have heard this great love for the earth (...) that the Lord has given us in your songs. In this thanksgiving, in this love for the earth, there is also present and resounding our love for the Creator, the love of God who has given us this land, this life of joy (...) that we see even more clearly in light of our faith, which tells us that God loves us."

  "The popular culture evident in such an elevated form is a joy of our European identity that we should cultivate and promote (...) Training in song, in choral singing, is not only an exercise of external hearing and the voice; it is also an education of the inner hearing, of the heart's hearing, an exercise and training in life and peace. In order to sing together it is necessary to pay attention to the other (...) to the totality that we call music and culture and, in this way, singing in a choir is an education in life and peace. It is a walking together."

  The Holy Father then commented on the words of the bishop of Belluno-Feltre who had recalled that 90 years ago the area's mountain regions were a site of the First World War. "Let us give thanks to God for the peace of our Europe today," concluded Benedict XVI, "and do everything in our power to make peace grow in us and in our world."
AC/CHORAL CONCERT/MIRABELLO                VIS 20070723 (300)


Friday, July 20, 2007

POPE EXPRESSES JOY FOR LIBERATION OF ITALIAN MISSIONARY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 20, 2007 (VIS) - Yesterday evening the pope expressed his joy on the liberation of the fifty-seven year old Italian missionary Giancarlo Bossi, abducted June 10 on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines.

  The release yesterday of Fr. Bossi of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), said the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., "brings great joy to the entire Church and also for the Holy Father".

  Upon arriving at the Italian alpine region of Lorenzago di Cadore this past July 9 for a brief period of rest, Benedict XVI communicated that he was following the situation closely, praying each and every day for the release of the priest abducted in the Philippines.

  "It seems", said Fr. Lombardi, "that our prayers have been answered. We now hope that Fr. Bossi may tranquilly return to his missionary duties and that there be no further abductions or other episodes of violence in the region."
OP/ABDUCTED MISSIONARY/LOMBARDI            VIS 20070720 (170)


Thursday, July 19, 2007

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 19, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Luciano Monari of Piacenza-Bobbio, Italy, as bishop of Brescia (area 4,538, population 1,094,686, Catholics 959,680, priests 1,059, permanent deacons 35, religious 2,471), Italy. He succeeds Bishop Giulio Sanguineti, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Robert Rivas O.P. of Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as coadjutor archbishop of Castries (area 616, population 157,775, Catholics 100,243, priests 31, permanent deacons 13, religious 74), St. Lucia. The archbishop-elect was born in Arima, Trinidad, in 1946, he was ordained a priest in 1971 and consecrated a bishop in 1990.
NER:RE:NEC/.../MONARI:SANGUINETI:RIVAS        VIS 20070719 (120)


VATICAN CITY STATE OPENS NEW INTERNET PORTAL

VATICAN CITY, JUL 19, 2007 (VIS) - The Governorate of Vatican City State today opened a new Internet portal (www.vaticanstate.va) in order to meet the needs of the ever increasing numbers of pilgrims and tourists in the Vatican, and to respond to the continuous requests for information reaching the various offices of Vatican State though the traditional channels.

  A communique made public yesterday afternoon explains that the new website, which will run alongside the official Holy See website (www.vatican.va), has been implemented in five languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish and German) with Portuguese soon to be added. Through its five sections (State and Government, Services, Other Institutions, Monuments and Shop) the portal "presents the State's bodies, the key monuments with descriptions and images, and useful time schedules for the public" reads the English-language communique.

  The site also offers a photo tour of the Vatican Gardens, as well as giving real time access via five webcams to some of the most famous sights: the dome of St. Peter's, St. Peter's Square, a panoramic view of Rome, the tomb of John Paul II and the palace of the Governorate.

  Via the new portal, the communique concludes, "visitors will soon be able to purchase Vatican coins, stamps and other articles available from the Vatican Museum's publications and reproductions sales office."
.../INTERNET PORTAL:SCV/...                    VIS 20070719 (230)


CELEBRATIONS TO BE PRESIDED BY THE POPE: AUGUST-SEPTEMBER

VATICAN CITY, JUL 19, 2007 (VIS) - Below is the calendar of liturgical celebrations due to be presided over by the Holy Father in the months of August and September.

AUGUST

 - Wednesday 15: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mass in the parish church of St. Thomas at Castelgandolfo at 8 a.m.

SEPTEMBER

 - Saturday 1 to Sunday 2: Trip to Loreto, Italy, for a meeting of Italian youth.

 - Friday 7 to Sunday 9: apostolic trip to Austria.

 - Sunday 23: Pastoral visit to Velletri, Italy. Mass in the cathedral there at 9.30 a.m.

RITES OF BEATIFICATION APPROVED BY THE HOLY FATHER (SEPTEMBER)

 - Saturday 15: At 4 p.m. in the Antares Center in Le Mans, France, beatification of Servant of God Basile-Antonie Marie Moreau.

 - Sunday 16: At 10 a.m. in the Marian Shrine of Lichen-Wloclawek, Poland, beatification of Servant of God Stanislaus of Jesus Mary (ne Jana Papczynski).

 - Sunday 16: At 4 p.m. in the cathedral of Bordeaux, France, beatification of Servant of God Marie Celine of the Presentation (nee Jeanne-Germaine Castang).

 - Sunday, 30: At 10 a.m. in the church of St. James and St. Agnes in Nysa-Opole, Poland, beatification of Servant of God Maria Merckert.
OCL/CALENDAR:AUGUST-SEPTEMBER/...            VIS 20070719 (220)


Wednesday, July 18, 2007

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 18, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Munster, Germany, presented by Bishop Friedrich Ostermann, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Franz-Josef Overbeck of the clergy of the diocese of Munster, Germany, director of the institute for the diaconate and pastoral ministry, as auxiliary of the same diocese (area 15,265, population 4,269,448, Catholics 2,042,159, priests 1,256, permanent deacons 248, religious 3,150). The bishop-elect was born in Marl, Germany in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1989.

 - Appointed Bishop David A. Zubik of Green Bay, U.S.A., as bishop of Pittsburgh (area 9,722, population 1,956,597, Catholics 781,811, priests 531, permanent deacons 37, religious 1,455), U.S.A.

 - Appointed Fr. Gaetano Galbusera S.D.B., rector of the major seminary of Pumallucay, Peru, as coadjutor of the apostolic vicariate of Pucallpa (area 52,168, population 500,000, Catholics 390,000, priests 20, religious 45), Peru. The bishop-elect was born in Marasso-Missaglia, Italy in 1940 and ordained a priest in 1967.
RE:NEA:NER:NEC/.../...                        VIS 20070718 (180)


POPE TO ATTEND A CONCERT AND TO MEET WITH LOCAL CLERGY


VATICAN CITY, JUL 18, 2007 (VIS) - At 8 p.m. on Friday July 20, the Holy Father is due to attend a concert offered in his honor by Bishop Giuseppe Andrich of Belluno-Feltre, Italy, at the Castle of Mirabello in Lorenzago di Cadore, the alpine resort in which the Pope is currently spending his holiday. The concert will be given by seven alpine choirs.

  At 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 24, Benedict will meet with clergy from the dioceses of Belluno-Feltre and Treviso in the church of St. Justina, Martyr in Auronzo.
OP/CONCERT: MEETING CLERGY/LORENZAGO            VIS 20070718 (110)


TELEGRAM FOR VICTIMS OF BRAZILIAN AIR DISASTER

VATICAN CITY, JUL 18, 2007 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. to Archbishop Odilo Pedro Scherer of Sao Paulo, Brazil, for yesterday afternoon's air accident at the airport of Congonhas, which cost the lives of more than 200 people.

  "The Holy Father, distressed by the hundreds of victims of the air disaster in Sao Paulo, which he visited not long ago, wishes to give his most heartfelt condolences to all their relatives. He gives assurances of his prayers for the dead and invokes the strength and consolation of God for the injured and for all those affected by this tragedy, granting everyone, as a sign of his spiritual closeness, his consoling apostolic blessing."
TGR/AIR ACCIDENT/SCHERER                    VIS 20070718 (140)


Tuesday, July 17, 2007

IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, JUL 17, 2007 (VIS) - Bishop Pedro Sbalchiero Neto M.S. of Vacaria, Brazil, died on July 3 at the age of 53.
.../DEATHS/...                                VIS 20070717 (30)

POPE WORKING ON BOOK AND REFLECTING ON NEXT ENCYCLICAL

VATICAN CITY, JUL 17, 2007 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. has affirmed that the Pope is dedicating part of the holiday he is spending in the Italian alpine resort of Lorenzago de Cardore to writing the second part of his book "Jesus of Nazareth," and to reflecting upon his next encyclical "which will have a social theme."

  During a brief interview given at Lorenzago de Cardore on Sunday July 15, Fr. Lombardi said that the Holy Father "is working mainly upon the continuation of his book on Jesus of Nazareth, while as far as his second encyclical is concerned, it is still at the initial stages of ideas and reflection."

  The Holy See Press Office Director recalled that on September 1 and 2, the Pope is due to go to Loreto, Italy to participate in a meeting of Italian youth, and that on the 7 and 8 of that month he will make an apostolic trip to Austria to visit the Shrine of Mariazell.

  In the year 2008, said Fr. Lombardi, apart from visiting Sydney, Australia, in July for World Youth Day, it is highly probable that Benedict XVI will make a trip to the United Nations headquarters in New York, and a pilgrimage to Lourdes for the 150th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin there. In this context, the Holy See Press Office Director recalled that John Paul II went to Lourdes in August 2004 on his last international trip.
.../POPE HOLIDAYS/LOMBARDI                    VIS 20070717 (260)


Monday, July 16, 2007

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 16, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Msgr. Mariano Crociata of the clergy of the diocese of Mazara del Vallo, Italy, vicar general, and pastor of the mother church of Marsala, as bishop of Noto (area 1,355, population 213,000, Catholics 211,000, priests 123, permanent deacons 15, religious 249), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Castelvetrano, Italy in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1979. He succeeds Bishop Giuseppe Malandrino, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Erected the new diocese of Sandakan (area 43,657, population 1,000,000, Catholics 64,000, priests 8, religious 2) Malaysia, with territory taken from the diocese of Kota Kinabalu, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Kuching. He appointed Fr. Julius Dustin Gitom, priest of the diocese of Kota Kinabalu, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Kampung Loltos, Malaysia in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1989.

 - Appointed Msgr. Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, in service in the Holy Father's personal secretariat, as coadjutor archbishop of Lviv of the Latins (area 68,000, population 4,500,000, Catholics 150,000, priests 138, permanent deacons 1, religious 213), Ukraine. The archbishop-elect was born in Majdan Lukawiecki, Poland in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1987.

 - Appointed Bishop Marian Buczek, auxiliary of Lviv of the Latins, Ukraine, as coadjutor bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia of the Latins (area 196,300, population 19,561,190, Catholics 61,200, priests 40, religious 114), Ukraine.

 - Appointed Fr. Justin Saw Min Thide, bursar of the archdiocese of Yangon, Myanmar, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 66,535, population 15,932,000, Catholics 84,259, priests 83, religious 312). The bishop-elect was born in Thaung, Myanmar in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1984.

  On Saturday, July 14, it was made public that the Holy Father appointed Msgr. Marcello Bartolucci, bureau chief at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, as under-secretary of the same congregation.
NER:RE:ECE:NEC:NA/.../...                        VIS 20070716 (330)


HOLIDAYS: PHYSICAL REST AND SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT

VATICAN CITY, JUL 15, 2007 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI prayed the Angelus at the Castle of Mirabello, near the chalet where he is spending a holiday in the alpine locality of Lorenzago di Cadore, Italy.

  Before the Marian prayer, the Pope addressed some words to the hundreds of people who had gathered to see him. "Before this panorama of fields, woods and peaks towering up to the sky," he said, "we feel a spontaneous desire to praise God for the wonders of His work, and our admiration for such natural beauty is easily transformed into prayer.

  "Each good Christian," he added, "knows that holidays are an appropriate moment for physical relaxation, as well as for nourishing the spirit by giving greater space to prayer and mediation, in order to grow in our personal relationship with Christ and to adapt ourselves ever more to His teachings."

  The Pope then went on to consider today's Gospel reading on the Good Samaritan, saying that "each of us must be a neighbor to everyone we come across. ... Love, says Jesus, is to behave like the Good Samaritan. And we know that the Good Samaritan par excellence is He; for although He is God, He did not hesitate to lower Himself to becoming a man and to giving His life for us.

  "Love, then, is the 'heart' of Christian life. In fact only love, aroused in us by the Holy Spirit, makes us witnesses of Christ," said the Holy Father and he recalled how "this important spiritual truth" will be at the heart of his Message for 23rd World Youth Day, due to be published on Friday, July 20, with the title: 'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses."

  "This is the theme, dear young people," he concluded, "upon which I invite you to reflect over the coming months, so as to prepare yourselves for the great appointment due to take place in Sydney, Australia, in a year's time."
ANG/HOLIDAYS:WYD/...                        VIS 20070716 (350)


ERADICATION OF POVERTY IS A MORAL COMMITMENT

VATICAN CITY, JUL 14, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was a an address delivered by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi C.S., permanent observer to the Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, during the "Substantive Session" of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

  In his English-language talk, which he delivered on July 4, Archbishop Tomasi made it clear that "the continued effort to address the plight of people trapped in poverty and to search for new ways and means to free them from its destructive consequences remains essential if the international community wants to achieve truly integral human development."

  "Poverty elimination demands an integration between the mechanisms that produce wealth and the mechanisms for the distribution of its benefits at the international, regional and national levels."

  "The projects of multilateral institutions and developed countries aimed at reducing poverty and improving growth in poor regions, like the Millennium Development Goals, the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative and the Poverty Reduction Strategy, have made some limited progress," said the permanent observer.

  After highlighting the fact that "eradication of poverty is a moral engagement," Archbishop Tomasi concluded by saying that "the various religions and cultures see the achievement of this end as a most important task that frees people from much suffering and marginalization, that helps them to live peacefully together, and that provides individuals and communities the freedom to protect their dignity and actively contribute to the common good."
DELSS/POVERTY/TOMASI:GENEVA                VIS 20070716 (250)


Friday, July 13, 2007

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 13, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Msgr. Roberto Busti of the clergy of the archdiocese of Milan, provost of Lecco, as bishop of Mantova (area 2,080, population 366,789, Catholics 344,083, priests 233, religious 389), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Busto Arsizio, Italy in 1940 and ordained a priest in 1964. He succeeds Bishop Egidio Caporello, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Msgr. Mario Delpini, episcopal vicar for pastoral zone 4 (Melegnano) in the archdiocese of Milan, Italy, and Msgr. Franco Giulio Brambilla, president of the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy, as auxiliaries of Milan (area 4,217, population 5,191,510, Catholics 4,913,510, priests 3,011, permanent deacons 82, religious 8,122). Bishop-elect Delpini was born in Gallarate, Italy in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1975. Bishop-elect Brambilla was born in Missaglia, Italy in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1975.
NER:NEA/.../...                            VIS 20070713 (170)OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, JUL 13, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Msgr. Roberto Busti of the clergy of the archdiocese of Milan, provost of Lecco, as bishop of Mantova (area 2,080, population 366,789, Catholics 344,083, priests 233, religious 389), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Busto Arsizio, Italy in 1940 and ordained a priest in 1964. He succeeds Bishop Egidio Caporello, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Msgr. Mario Delpini, episcopal vicar for pastoral zone 4 (Melegnano) in the archdiocese of Milan, Italy, and Msgr. Franco Giulio Brambilla, president of the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy, as auxiliaries of Milan (area 4,217, population 5,191,510, Catholics 4,913,510, priests 3,011, permanent deacons 82, religious 8,122). Bishop-elect Delpini was born in Gallarate, Italy in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1975. Bishop-elect Brambilla was born in Missaglia, Italy in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1975.
NER:NEA/.../...                            VIS 20070713 (170)


PAPAL LETTER FOR FEAST OF PATRON OF ITALIAN FOREST RANGERS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 13, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from Benedict XVI to Bishop Maffeo Ducoli, emeritus of Belluno-Feltre, Italy, for yesterday's Feast of St. John Gualbert, patron of the Italian Forest Rangers.

  Yesterday, in the church of the Virgin of the Snows at Pra Mirino, Bishop Ducoli presided at a Eucharistic concelebration attended by members of the Forest Rangers from the provincial headquarters of Belluno. That ceremony, writes the Pope in his Letter, "has particular significance this year because it coincides with the 20th anniversary of the visit my predecessor John Paul II made to that church, so beloved by the inhabitants of this splendid region."

  "This is an appropriate occasion for me to express my appreciation and affection for the Forest Rangers, certain that they will seek to undertake their activities in a spirit of service so as to remain close to the people and to protect as best they can the richness of nature, which is a gift from God to everyone."
BXVI-LETTER/FOREST RANGERS/DUCOLI            VIS 20070713 (180)


Thursday, July 12, 2007

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 12, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Edwin Frederick O'Brien, military ordinary for the U.S.A., as metropolitan archbishop of Baltimore (area 12,430, population 3,055,477, Catholics 517,679, priests 545, permanent deacons 178, religious 1,380), U.S.A. He succeeds Cardinal William Henry Keeler, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
NER:RE/.../O'BRIEN:KEELER                    VIS 20070712 (70)


MESSAGE FROM POPE FOR A CONCERT ORGANIZED IN HIS HONOR

VATICAN CITY, JUL 12, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Holy Father to the pastor of Lorenzago di Cadore, the alpine resort in which the pope is currently spending a vacation. The message concerns a concert organized in his honor yesterday, Feast of St. Benedict.

  In the Message, which was read out yesterday evening in the parish church at the start of the concert, the Pope expresses his thanks for "the welcome I was shown when I arrived in this beautiful place surrounded by magnificent woods and the majestic Dolomite Mountains.

  "I am especially grateful," he adds, "for people's expression of best wishes for a fruitful period of rest, much appreciated because supported by prayer upon which I depend in order to accomplish the mission the Lord has entrusted to me."

  Referring to the concert and to the presentation of an exhibition dedicated to "artistic treasures in the churches of the Alto Bellunese region," to honor "St. Benedict, patron saint of Europe on his feast day," the Pope expresses his gratitude to the musician Jose Luis Gonzalez Uriol for the recital in which he will play the church's "historic organ ... recently restored." He also thanks the members of the "Schola Cantorum" of Lorenzago, recalling St. Augustine's phrase that "one who sings prays twice."

  Benedict XVI concludes his brief Message by giving assurances of his "spiritual participation" in the event and sending the community of Lorenzago di Cadore his "cordial and affectionate greetings."
MESS/CONCERT/LORENZAGO                    VIS 20070712 (260)


Wednesday, July 11, 2007

PROTECT RIGHTS OF MIGRANT WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES


VATICAN CITY, JUL 11, 2007 (VIS) - Made public yesterday afternoon was a speech delivered by Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, during the Global Forum on Migration and Development, held in Brussels, Belgium from July 9 to 11.

  Speaking English, the archbishop recalled how "migrants contribute to their host country's well-being, and also because of this their human dignity must be respected and their freedoms guaranteed: the right to a dignified life, to fair treatment at work, to have access to education, health and other social benefits, to grow in competence and develop humanly, to freely manifest their culture and practice their religion.

  "But rights and duties go together," he added. "Therefore, at the same time, migrants have the duty to respect the identity and the laws of the country of residence, strive for proper integration (not assimilation) into the host society and learn its language. They are to foster esteem and respect for their host country, even to the point of loving and defending it.

  "Unfortunately, among them there are immigrants in an irregular situation, who, however, independently of their legal status, have inalienable human dignity. Therefore their rights must be safeguarded and not ignored or violated. An irregular migration status, in fact, does not mean criminality. The solution is better international cooperation that discourages irregularity, with increased legal channels for migration."

  Archbishop Marchetto concluded his talk by renewing the call made by the Pope in his Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees for "governments who have not yet done so, to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and the Members of their Families."
CON-SM/MIGRATION:DEVELOPMENT/MARCHETTO    VIS 20070711 (300)


POPE AUTHORIZES PUBLICATION OF CELAM FINAL DOCUMENT


VATICAN CITY, JUL 11, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from Benedict XVI to bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, in which he authorizes the publication of the final document of the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAM). On May 13, during the course of his apostolic trip to Brazil, the Pope inaugurated the conference at the Brazilian shrine of Aparecida.

  In his Letter, the Pope calls for the final document "to be a light and a stimulus for fruitful pastoral and evangelizing work in the years to come," observing that the text contains "many useful pastoral indications motivated with rich reflections in the light of the faith and of the current social situation.

  "Among them," the Pope adds, "I read with particular appreciation the exhortation for priority to be given, in pastoral programs, to the Eucharist and the sanctification of the Day of the Lord, as well as the expressed wish to strengthen the Christian formation of the faithful in general and of pastoral workers in particular. In this context I was happy to learn of the desire to create a 'Continental Mission,' which episcopal conferences and dioceses are all called to study and put into effect, channeling all their vital energies to this end."

  In a separate development, during the inaugural session of the 31st Ordinary CELAM Assembly, which began yesterday in Havana, Cuba, the new leaders of that institution for the next four-year period (2007-2011) were elected. The president is Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil, the first vice-president is Baltazar Porras Cardozo of Merida, Venezuela, and the second vice president is Bishop Andres Stanovnik O.F.M. Cap. of Reconquista, Argentina.
BXVI-LETTER/CELAM/...                        VIS 20070711 (300)


Tuesday, July 10, 2007

DOCUMENT REGARDING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF CHURCH DOCTRINE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 10, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was a document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: "Responses to some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church." It is dated June 29, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, and bears the signatures of Cardinal William Joseph Levada and Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., respectively prefect and secretary of the congregation.

  The document has been published in Latin, Italian, French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish. The complete English-language version is given below:

  "Introduction

  "The Second Vatican Council, with its Dogmatic Constitution 'Lumen gentium,' and its Decrees on ecumenism ('Unitatis redintegratio') and the Oriental Churches ('Orientalium Ecclesiarum'), has contributed in a decisive way to the renewal of Catholic ecclesiology. The Supreme Pontiffs have also contributed to this renewal by offering their own insights and orientations for praxis: Paul VI in his Encyclical Letter 'Ecclesiam suam' (1964) and John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter 'Ut unum sint' (1995).

  "The consequent duty of theologians to expound with greater clarity the diverse aspects of ecclesiology has resulted in a flowering of writing in this field. In fact it has become evident that this theme is a most fruitful one which, however, has also at times required clarification by way of precise definition and correction, for instance in the declaration 'Mysterium Ecclesiae' (1973), the Letter addressed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church 'Communionis notio' (1992), and the declaration 'Dominus Iesus' (2000), all published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

  "The vastness of the subject matter and the novelty of many of the themes involved continue to provoke theological reflection. Among the many new contributions to the field, some are not immune from erroneous interpretation which in turn give rise to confusion and doubt. A number of these interpretations have been referred to the attention of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Given the universality of Catholic doctrine on the Church, the Congregation wishes to respond to these questions by clarifying the authentic meaning of some ecclesiological expressions used by the Magisterium which are open to misunderstanding in the theological debate.

  "Responses to the Questions

  "First Question: Did the Second Vatican Council change the Catholic doctrine on the Church?

  "Response: The Second Vatican Council neither changed nor intended to change this doctrine, rather it developed, deepened and more fully explained it.

  "This was exactly what John XXIII said at the beginning of the Council. Paul VI affirmed it and commented in the act of promulgating the Constitution Lumen gentium: 'There is no better comment to make than to say that this promulgation really changes nothing of the traditional doctrine. What Christ willed, we also will. What was, still is. What the Church has taught down through the centuries, we also teach. In simple terms that which was assumed, is now explicit; that which was uncertain, is now clarified; that which was meditated upon, discussed and sometimes argued over, is now put together in one clear formulation.' The Bishops repeatedly expressed and fulfilled this intention.

  "Second Question: What is the meaning of the affirmation that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church?

  "Response: Christ 'established here on earth' only one Church and instituted it as a 'visible and spiritual community', that from its beginning and throughout the centuries has always existed and will always exist, and in which alone are found all the elements that Christ himself instituted. 'This one Church of Christ, which we confess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic. ... This Church, constituted and organized in this world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him'.

  "In number 8 of the Dogmatic Constitution 'Lumen Gentium' 'subsistence' means this perduring, historical continuity and the permanence of all the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic Church, in which the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth.

  "It is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial Communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them. Nevertheless, the word 'subsists' can only be attributed to the Catholic Church alone precisely because it refers to the mark of unity that we profess in the symbols of the faith (I believe... in the 'one' Church); and this 'one' Church subsists in the Catholic Church.

  "Third Question: Why was the expression 'subsists in' adopted instead of the simple word 'is'?

  "Response: The use of this expression, which indicates the full identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church, does not change the doctrine on the Church. Rather, it comes from and brings out more clearly the fact that there are 'numerous elements of sanctification and of truth' which are found outside her structure, but which 'as gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, impel towards Catholic Unity.'

  "'It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church.'

  "Fourth Question: Why does the Second Vatican Council use the term 'Church' in reference to the oriental Churches separated from full communion with the Catholic Church?

  "Response: The Council wanted to adopt the traditional use of the term. 'Because these Churches, although separated, have true sacraments and above all - because of the apostolic succession - the priesthood and the Eucharist, by means of which they remain linked to us by very close bonds,' they merit the title of 'particular or local Churches,' and are called sister Churches of the particular Catholic Churches.

  'It is through the celebration of the Eucharist of the Lord in each of these Churches that the Church of God is built up and grows in stature.' However, since communion with the Catholic Church, the visible head of which is the Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Peter, is not some external complement to a particular Church but rather one of its internal constitutive principles, these venerable Christian communities lack something in their condition as particular churches.

  "On the other hand, because of the division between Christians, the fullness of universality, which is proper to the Church governed by the Successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him, is not fully realized in history.

  "Fifth Question: Why do the texts of the Council and those of the Magisterium since the Council not use the title of 'Church' with regard to those Christian Communities born out of the Reformation of the sixteenth century?

  "Response: According to Catholic doctrine, these Communities do not enjoy apostolic succession in the sacrament of Orders, and are, therefore, deprived of a constitutive element of the Church. These ecclesial Communities which, specifically because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood, have not preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called 'Churches' in the proper sense.

  "The Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, at the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, ratified and confirmed these Responses, adopted in the Plenary Session of the Congregation, and ordered their publication."

  The Responses are accompanied by a commentary which explains: "In this document the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is responding to a number of questions concerning the overall vision of the Church which emerged from the dogmatic and ecumenical teachings of the Second Vatican Council. ... The Council 'of the Church on the Church'."

  "This new document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which essentially summarizes the teaching of the Council and the post-conciliar Magisterium, constitutes a clear reaffirmation of Catholic doctrine on the Church. Apart from dealing with certain unacceptable ideas which have unfortunately spread around the Catholic world, it offers valuable indications for the future of ecumenical dialogue. This dialogue remains one of the priorities of the Catholic Church. ... However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith."

  "Catholic ecumenism might seem, at first sight, somewhat paradoxical. The Second Vatican Council II used the phrase 'subsistit in' in order to try to harmonize two doctrinal affirmations: on the one hand, that despite all the divisions between Christians the Church of Christ continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand that numerous elements of sanctification and truth do exist outwith the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church whether in the particular Churches or in the ecclesial Communities that are not fully in communion with the Catholic Church."

  "Although the Catholic Church has the fullness of the means of salvation, 'nevertheless, the divisions among Christians prevent the Church from effecting the fullness of catholicity proper to her in those of her children who, though joined to her by baptism, are yet separated from full communion with her.' The fullness of the Catholic Church, therefore, already exists, but still has to grow in the brethren who are not yet in full communion with it and also in its own members who are sinners."
CDF/CHURCH DOCTRINE/AMATO:LEVADA            VIS 20070710 (1600)


Monday, July 9, 2007

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 9, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Fr. Domingo Oropesa Lorente of the clergy of the archdiocese of Toledo, Spain, pastor of the parish of "Nuestra Senora del Carmen" in Florida, Cuba, as bishop of Cienfuegos (area 5,360, population 485,000, Catholics 293,600, priests 23, permanent deacons 1, religious 37), Cuba. The bishop-elect was born in Alcazar de San Juan, Spain in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1984.

 - Appointed Fr. Alvaro Julio Beyra Luarca of the clergy of the archdiocese of Camaguey, Cuba, pastor of the parish of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad" in Nuevitas, as bishop of Santisimo Salvador de Bayamo y Manzanillo (area 8,362, population 829,000, Catholics 222,000, priests 13, religious 18), Cuba. The bishop-elect was born in Camaguey in 1945 and ordained a priest in 1994.

  On Sunday, July 8, it was made public that he appointed Msgr. Vitus Huonder, vicar general for "Grisons" in the diocese of Chur, Switzerland, as bishop of the same diocese (area 12,272, population 1,655,708, Catholics 686,446, priests 661, permanent deacons 36, religious 1,360). The bishop-elect was born in Trun, Switzerland in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1971.

  On Saturday, July 7, it was made public that he:

 - Appointed Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the closure of the "European Citizens' Missions," which are due to take place in Budapest, Hungary from September 16 to 22.

 - Appointed Bishop Domenico Calcagno of Savona-Noli, Italy, as secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Tramontana di Parodi Ligure, Italy, in 1943, he was ordained a priest in 1967 and consecrated a bishop in 2002.

 - Elevated Bishop Carlo Liberati, prelate of Pompei, Italy, and pontifical delegate for the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary, to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Matelica, Italy, in 1937, he was ordained a priest in 1962 and consecrated a bishop in 2004.

  By order of the Holy Father, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei," has appointed Msgr. Mario Marini as adjunct secretary of the same pontifical commission.
NER:NA/.../...                                VIS 20070709 (390)


BENEDICT XVI BEGINS HIS HOLIDAY IN LORENZAGO DI CADORE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 9, 2007 (VIS) - At 10.30 a.m. today, the Holy Father departed from Rome's Ciampino airport whence an hour-long flight took him to the airport of Treviso-Istrana. From there he travelled by helicopter to Lorenzago, arriving at 12.30.

  Benedict XVI will spend 18 days in the northern Italian alpine resort. On his return, on 27 July, he will go to his summer residence of Castelgandolfo where he will remain until the end of September.
.../POPE HOLIDAY/LORENZAGO                    VIS 20070709 (90)


ALL BAPTIZED ARE MISSIONARIES OF CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, JUL 8, 2007 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus with the pilgrims gathered below.

  The Pope commented on the Gospel of Luke's account of how Jesus sent out 72 disciples to every town and place He intended to visit, so as to prepare the way for Him. The Evangelist, said the Pope, "highlights how the mission is not reserved for the twelve Apostles but also extends to other disciples. ... There is work for everyone in the vineyard of the Lord.

  "But Christ," the Holy Father added, "does not limit Himself to sending them out, He also gives the missionaries clear and precise rules of behavior. ... He sends them 'in pairs,' that they may help one another and provide a testimony of fraternal love. He warns them that they will be 'like lambs in the midst of wolves,' in other words they will have to be peaceful in the face of everything and bring a message of peace in all situations. They cannot carry clothing or money, but must live from what Providence provides. They must cure the sick as a sign of God's mercy. Where they are rejected they must leave, limiting themselves to warning people about the responsibility of refusing the Kingdom of God."

  "May this Gospel awaken in all the baptized an awareness of being missionaries of Christ, called to prepare the way for Him with words and with the witness of their lives!"

  The Holy Father then mentioned his forthcoming holiday in Lorenzago di Cadore which is due to begin tomorrow. He will, he said, "be guest of the bishop of Treviso in the same house that previously accommodated the venerated John Paul II.

  "The mountain air will do me good and I will be able to dedicate myself more freely to reflection and prayer," he added. "My hope is that everyone - and especially those who need it most - may take a holiday to restore their physical and spiritual energies and rediscover a healthful contact with nature. Mountains, in particular, evoke the ascent of the spirit to the heights, elevation towards the 'high level' of our humanity which, unfortunately, daily life tends to diminish."

  Finally, the Pope mentioned the fifth pilgrimage of young people to the cross of Mount Adamello, twice visited by John Paul II, and he invited all Italian youth to a meeting to be held in Loreto, Italy on September 1 and 2.
ANG/MISSION:HOLIDAY/...                    VIS 20070709 (430)


AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUL 7, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

 - Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

 - Dagmar Babcanova, ambassador of Slovakia, on her farewell visit.

 - Archbishop Fernando Filoni, substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.

 - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
AP/.../...                                VIS 20070709 (90)

LETTER FOR 8TH CENTENARY OF ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 7, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father has written a Letter to Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, primate of Hungary and president of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), for celebrations marking the eighth centenary of the birth of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, also called St. Elizabeth of Thuringia.

  In the Letter, dated May 27, the Pope indicates that St. Elizabeth "knew how to combine the gifts of consummate wife and mother with the practice of evangelical virtues learnt at the school of St. Francis of Assisi."

  St. Elizabeth, he continues, "provided a solid, visible and significant witness of Christ's charity. Countless people over the course of the centuries have followed her example, looking to her as a model of exemplary Christian virtues, radically applied in marriage, the family and even in widowhood. She has also inspired political figures, who have drawn from her the motivation to work towards reconciliation between peoples."

  Benedict XVI expresses the hope that "profound knowledge of the personality and work of Elizabeth of Thuringia may be a help in rediscovering, with ever greater awareness, the Christian roots of Hungary and of Europe itself, encouraging leaders to develop harmonious and respectful dialogue between the Church and civil society in order to build a truly free and united world."

  In closing his Letter, the Pope calls for the "international year" dedicated to the saint, which began in Rome on November 17 2006, "to be an occasion for Hungarians, Germans, and all Europeans ... to emphasize the Christian heritage they received from their forefathers, so as to continue to draw from those roots the energy necessary to achieve an abundant harvest in the new millennium that has just begun."
BXVI-LETTER/ST. ELIZABETH HUNGARY/ERDO        VIS 20070709 (300)


Saturday, July 7, 2007

EXPLANATORY NOTE ON MOTU PROPRIO "SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM"


VATICAN CITY, JUL 7, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today issued an explanatory note concerning the Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum". The most important paragraphs of the note are given below:

  "The Motu Proprio 'Summorum Pontificum' lays down new rules for the use of the Roman liturgy that preceded the reform of 1970. The reasons for such provisions are clearly explained in the Holy Father's letter to bishops which accompanies the Motu Proprio (the two documents have been sent to all the presidents of episcopal conferences and to all nuncios, who have arranged to distribute them to all bishops).

  "The fundamental provision is as follows: the Roman liturgy will have two forms ('usus'):

  "a) The ordinary form is the one that follows the liturgical reform undertaken by Pope Paul VI in the year 1970, as it appears in the liturgical books promulgated at that time. There is an official edition in Latin which may be used always and everywhere, and translations in divers languages published by the various episcopal conferences.

  "b) The extraordinary form: which is that celebrated in accordance with the liturgical books published by Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1962."

  In paragraph 8 the note reads: "The bishop of a particular place may erect a personal parish, wherever there is to be found a very substantial number of faithful who wish to follow the earlier liturgy. It would be appropriate for the numbers of faithful to be substantial, even if not comparable to those of other parishes."

  The explanatory note also highlights some of the characteristics of the 1962 Missal:

  "It is a 'complete' or 'integral' Missal in the Latin language, that is, it also contains the readings for the celebrations (it is not distinct from the 'Lectionary' as the later 1970 Missal is).

  "It contains just one Eucharistic prayer, the 'Roman Canon' (corresponding to the first Eucharist Prayer of the later Missal, which includes a choice of various Eucharistic Prayers).

  "Various prayers (including a large part of the Canon) are recited by the priest in a low voice inaudible to the people.

  "Other differences include the reading of the beginning of the Gospel of John at the end of Mass.

  "The 1962 Missal does not provide for concelebration. It says nothing concerning the direction of the altar or of the celebrant (whether facing the people or not).

  "The Pope's Letter envisages the possibility of future enrichment of the 1962 Missal (inclusion of new saints, new prefaces, etc.)."
OP/MOTU PROPRIO/SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM        VIS 20070707 (430)


LETTER FROM POPE TO BISHOPS ON "SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM"

VATICAN CITY, JUL 7, 2007 (VIS) - Given below is the text of the English-language version of Benedict XVI's Letter to all the bishops of the world concerning his Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum," which was published today:

  "With great trust and hope, I am consigning to you as pastors the text of a new Apostolic Letter 'Motu Proprio data' on the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970. The document is the fruit of much reflection, numerous consultations and prayer.

  "News reports and judgments made without sufficient information have created no little confusion. There have been very divergent reactions ranging from joyful acceptance to harsh opposition, about a plan whose contents were in reality unknown.

  "This document was most directly opposed on account of two fears, which I would like to address somewhat more closely in this letter.

  "In the first place, there is the fear that the document detracts from the authority of the Second Vatican Council, one of whose essential decisions - the liturgical reform - is being called into question.

  "This fear is unfounded. In this regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the normal form - the 'Forma ordinaria' - of the Eucharistic liturgy. The last version of the 'Missale Romanum' prior to the Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a 'Forma extraordinaria' of the liturgical celebration. It is not appropriate to speak of these two versions of the Roman Missal as if they were 'two rites.' Rather, it is a matter of a twofold use of one and the same rite.

  "As for the use of the 1962 Missal as a 'Forma extraordinaria' of the liturgy of the Mass, I would like to draw attention to the fact that this Missal was never juridically abrogated and, consequently, in principle, was always permitted. At the time of the introduction of the new Missal, it did not seem necessary to issue specific norms for the possible use of the earlier Missal. Probably it was thought that it would be a matter of a few individual cases which would be resolved, case by case, on the local level. Afterwards, however, it soon became apparent that a good number of people remained strongly attached to this usage of the Roman Rite, which had been familiar to them from childhood. This was especially the case in countries where the liturgical movement had provided many people with a notable liturgical formation and a deep, personal familiarity with the earlier Form of the liturgical celebration. We all know that, in the movement led by Archbishop Lefebvre, fidelity to the old Missal became an external mark of identity; the reasons for the break which arose over this, however, were at a deeper level. Many people who clearly accepted the binding character of the Second Vatican Council, and were faithful to the Pope and the bishops, nonetheless also desired to recover the form of the sacred liturgy that was dear to them. This occurred above all because in many places celebrations were not faithful to the prescriptions of the new Missal, but the latter actually was understood as authorizing or even requiring creativity, which frequently led to deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear. I am speaking from experience, since I too lived through that period with all its hopes and its confusion. And I have seen how arbitrary deformations of the liturgy caused deep pain to individuals totally rooted in the faith of the Church.

  "Pope John Paul II thus felt obliged to provide, in his Motu Proprio 'Ecclesia Dei' (July 2, 1988), guidelines for the use of the 1962 Missal; that document, however, did not contain detailed prescriptions but appealed in a general way to the generous response of bishops towards the 'legitimate aspirations' of those members of the faithful who requested this usage of the Roman Rite. At the time, the Pope primarily wanted to assist the Society of St. Pius X to recover full unity with the Successor of Peter, and sought to heal a wound experienced ever more painfully. Unfortunately this reconciliation has not yet come about. Nonetheless, a number of communities have gratefully made use of the possibilities provided by the Motu Proprio. On the other hand, difficulties remain concerning the use of the 1962 Missal outside of these groups, because of the lack of precise juridical norms, particularly because bishops, in such cases, frequently feared that the authority of the Council would be called into question. Immediately after the Second Vatican Council it was presumed that requests for the use of the 1962 Missal would be limited to the older generation which had grown up with it, but in the meantime it has clearly been demonstrated that young persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, particularly suited to them. Thus the need has arisen for a clearer juridical regulation which had not been foreseen at the time of the 1988 Motu Proprio. The present norms are also meant to free bishops from constantly having to evaluate anew how they are to respond to various situations.

  "In the second place, the fear was expressed in discussions about the awaited Motu Proprio, that the possibility of a wider use of the 1962 Missal would lead to disarray or even divisions within parish communities. This fear also strikes me as quite unfounded. The use of the old Missal presupposes a certain degree of liturgical formation and some knowledge of the Latin language; neither of these is found very often. Already from these concrete presuppositions, it is clearly seen that the new Missal will certainly remain the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, not only on account of the juridical norms, but also because of the actual situation of the communities of the faithful.

  "It is true that there have been exaggerations and at times social aspects unduly linked to the attitude of the faithful attached to the ancient Latin liturgical tradition. Your charity and pastoral prudence will be an incentive and guide for improving these. For that matter, the two Forms of the usage of the Roman Rite can be mutually enriching: new Saints and some of the new Prefaces can and should be inserted in the old Missal. The 'Ecclesia Dei' Commission, in contact with various bodies devoted to the 'usus antiquior,' will study the practical possibilities in this regard. The celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of Paul VI will be able to demonstrate, more powerfully than has been the case hitherto, the sacrality which attracts many people to the former usage. The most sure guarantee that the Missal of Paul VI can unite parish communities and be loved by them consists in its being celebrated with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives. This will bring out the spiritual richness and the theological depth of this Missal.

  "I now come to the positive reason which motivated my decision to issue this Motu Proprio updating that of 1988. It is a matter of coming to an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church. Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the centuries have rent the Body of Christ, one continually has the impression that, at critical moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was done by the Church's leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. One has the impression that omissions on the part of the Church have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were able to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every effort to unable for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew. I think of a sentence in the Second Letter to the Corinthians, where Paul writes: "Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return … widen your hearts also!" (2 Cor 6:11-13). Paul was certainly speaking in another context, but his exhortation can and must touch us too, precisely on this subject. Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows.

  "There is no contradiction between the two editions of the Roman Missal. In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church's faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place. Needless to say, in order to experience full communion, the priests of the communities adhering to the former usage cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books. The total exclusion of the new rite would not in fact be consistent with the recognition of its value and holiness.

  "In conclusion, dear brothers, I very much wish to stress that these new norms do not in any way lessen your own authority and responsibility, either for the liturgy or for the pastoral care of your faithful. Each bishop, in fact, is the moderator of the liturgy in his own diocese.

  "Nothing is taken away, then, from the authority of the bishop, whose role remains that of being watchful that all is done in peace and serenity. Should some problem arise which the parish priest cannot resolve, the local ordinary will always be able to intervene, in full harmony, however, with all that has been laid down by the new norms of the Motu Proprio.

  "Furthermore, I invite you, dear brothers, to send to the Holy See an account of your experiences, three years after this Motu Proprio has taken effect. If truly serious difficulties come to light, ways to remedy them can be sought.

  "Dear brothers, with gratitude and trust, I entrust to your hearts as pastors these pages and the norms of the Motu Proprio. Let us always be mindful of the words of the Apostle Paul addressed to the presbyters of Ephesus: 'Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the Church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.'

  "I entrust these norms to the powerful intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, and I cordially impart my apostolic blessing to you, dear Brothers, to the parish priests of your dioceses, and to all the priests, your co-workers, as well as to all your faithful."
BXVI-LETTER/MOTU PROPRIO/SUMMORUM            VIS 20070707 (1860)


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