NEW BASIC LAW OF VATICAN CITY STATE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2001 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following declaration this afternoon:

"In a few days the new Fundamental Law of Vatican City State will be made public.

"The new text updates the previous law, establishing greater distinction between the legislative, executive, and judicial powers, while enforcing a closer tie between the Governorate and the Secretary of State, which maintains the international relations of the Vatican City State.

"The new Fundamental Law makes no mention of the death penalty, which was already abolished by Paul VI in law n. 50 of June 21, 1969."

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EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION: FIFTH DAY OF CONSECRATED LIFE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2001 (VIS) - On February 2, feast of the Presentation of the Lord, at 5:30 p.m. in St. Peter's Basilica, the Holy Father will deliver a homily, give thanksgiving to God for the gift of consecrated life, and impart the final blessing, during the mass to mark the Fifth Day of Consecrated Life.

The Eucharistic celebration, to be presided over by Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, will be preceded by the blessing of candles and a procession.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. John Hine, vicar general of the archdiocese of Southwark, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 3,000, population 4,048,900, Catholics 380,979, priests 449, permanent deacons 64, religious 1040), England. The bishop-elect was born in Tunbridge Wells in 1938, and ordained a priest in 1962. He succeeds Bishop Charles Joseph Henderson, whose resignation as the auxiliary of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Confirmed the election of Bishop Lubomyr Husar as major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians (area 10,800, population 1,826,700, Catholics 1,607,000, priests 555, permanent deacons 2, religious 866), Ukraine, effected in Lviv on January 25, 2001 by the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Church. The archbishop-elect was born in Lviv in 1933, ordained a priest in 1958 and a bishop in 1977.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Twelve prelates of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Laszlo Paskai, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Antal Spanyi and Miklos Beer.
- Archbishop Istvan Seregely of Eger, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Endre Kovacs, Istvan Katona, and Andras Veres.
- Archbishop Gyula Marfi of Veszprem.
- Bishop Balazs Babel of Kalocsa-Kecskemet, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Laszlo Biro.
- Bishop Szilard Keresztes of Hajdudorog for Byzantine-rite Catholics, and apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the apostolic exarchate of Miskolc for the parishes of Byzantine-rite faithful in Hungarian territory.
- Bishop Endre Gyulay of Szeged-Csanad.
- Archbishop Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Bishop Diarmuid Martin and Msgr. Giampaolo Crepaldi, respectively president, secretary and under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
This evening he is scheduled to receive Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, emeritus of Vercelli, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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