OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 25,  2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Hasselt, Belgium presented by Bishop Paul Schruers upon having reached the age limit. Coadjutor Bishop Patrick Hoogmartens succeeds him.

- Appointed Bishop Alojzij Uran, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Ljubljana (area 8,542, population 906,430, Catholics 715,084, priests 563, permanent deacons 4, religious 771), Slovenia, as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese.

  On Saturday October 23, it was made public that the Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of  Kiynada-Mityana, Uganda presented by Bishop Joseph Mukwaya in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa succeeds him.

- Accepted the resignation from the position of vice-chamberlain, or camerlengo, of  Holy Roman Church presented by Bishop Ettore Cunial and appointed Archbishop Paolo Sardi, apostolic nuncio with special duties, to the same position.

- Appointed Cardinal Jan P. Schotte, president of the Labor Office of the Apostolic See, as his special envoy to the solemn closing celebration of the year dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception which will take place at the National Shrine in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. on December 8, 2004.

- Appointed the following people as ordinary members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences: William D. Phillips, professor of Physics at the University of Maryland, College Park and in the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, U.S.A., and Veerabhadran (Ram) Ramanathan, professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of California at San Diego and Director of the Center for Atmospheric Sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, U.S.A
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 25, 2004 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Juan Ignacio Siles del Valle, minister of Foreign Affairs and of Worship in Bolivia, with an entourage.

- Two prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tome on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Bishop Pedro Luis Guido Scarpa, O.F.M. Cap, of Ndlatando.

    - Bishop Benedito Roberto, C.S.Sp, of Novo Redondo.

- Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

  On Saturday, October 23, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Two prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tome on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Bishop Luis María Perez de Onraita Aguirre of Malanje.

    - Bishop Serafim Shyngo-Ya-Hombo, O.F.M. Cap., of Mbanza-Congo.

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
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CHURCH'S SOCIAL DOCTRINE MUST BE KNOWN, LIVED, PROPAGATED

VATICAN CITY, OCT 25, 2004 (VIS) - Saying the Church's social doctrine must be "known, lived and propagated," Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace today presented the "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church" in the Holy See Press Office. Work on the volume, published in both Italian and English, began at the council five years ago under the presidency of the late Cardinal Francois-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan.

  Joining Cardinal Martino at the presentation were Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi and Msgr. Frank Dewane, respectively secretary and under-secretary of the council.

   The cardinal pointed out that the book is dedicated to the Holy Father who, in No. 54 of the 1999 Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in America," recommended that "it would be very useful to have a compendium or approved synthesis of Catholic social doctrine, including a catechism which would show the connection between it and the new evangelization."

  The volume, over 500 pages in length, opens with a letter to the president of the pontifical council from Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of State. It consists of an Introduction, "An Integral and Solidary Humanism," three parts and a Conclusion entitled "For a Civilization of Live."

  Speaking of "the simple and straightforward structure of the volume," he explained that "Part One, composed of four chapters, deals with the fundamental presuppositions of social doctrine. ... Part Two, composed of seven chapters, deals with the contents and classical themes of social doctrine - the family, human work, economic life, the political community, the international community, the environment and peace. The third part, which is quite brief with one chapter, contains a series of recommendations for the use of social doctrine in the pastoral activity of the Church and the life of all Christians, above all the lay faithful."

  The council president underscored that the Compendium "is made available to all - Catholics, other Christians, people of good will." It is "an instrument for the moral and pastoral discernment of the complex events that mark our time, a guide to inspire, ... and an aid to the faithful concerning the Church's teaching in the area of social morality." It is also, he said, "an instrument for fostering ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue on the part of Catholics with all who sincerely seek the good of mankind."

  Cardinal Martino then listed "certain decisive challenges of great relevance and importance" to which it is hoped the Compendium will respond:  "First is the cultural challenge, which social doctrine deals with by keeping in mind its constitutive interdisciplinary dimension. ... The second challenge arises from ethical and religious indifference and the need for renewed inter-religious cooperation. ... The third challenge is a properly pastoral challenge. The future of the Church's social doctrine in the modern world will depend on the continually renewed understanding of this social doctrine as being rooted in the mission proper to the Church.  ... It depends on the renewed understanding, therefore, of how this doctrine is connected with all aspects of the Church's life and action."
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TELEGRAM FOR DEATH OF CARDINAL JAMES HICKEY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 25, 2004 (VIS) - The following telegram was sent by Pope John Paul to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, U.S.A. upon learning of the death of his predecessor, Cardinal James Hickey, who died yesterday at the age of 84:

  "Deeply saddened by the death of Cardinal James Aloysius Hickey, I offer heartfelt condolences to you and to all the clergy, religious and laity of he archdiocese of Washington. Recalling with gratitude Cardinal Hickey's unfailing commitment to the spread of the Gospel, the teaching of the faith and the formation of future priests, I join you in praying that God our Merciful Father will grant him the reward of his labors and welcome his noble soul into the joy and peace of His eternal kingdom. To all assembled for the solemn Mass of Christian burial, I cordially impart my apostolic blessing as a pledge of consolation and strength in the Lord."
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JOHN PAUL GREETS PILGRIMS FROM ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER

VATICAN CITY, OCT 25, 2004 - This morning John Paul II welcomed a group of pilgrims from the Anglican diocese of Rochester, England, who have come to Rome to celebrate the 1400th anniversary of St. Justus, first bishop of Rochester.

  "You are following in the footsteps of Augustine of Canterbury and St. Justus, who were sent by my great predecessor St. Gregory to preach the Gospel in your country.  May your journey be an occasion of spiritual enrichment and an encouragement to persevere on the path towards full communion. I accompany you with my prayers and my blessing."
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CAPUCHIN TERTIARIES OF HOLY FAMILY: PROFOUND INTERIOR LIFE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 25, 2004 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received the Capuchin Tertiaries of the Holy Family, headed by their new superior general, Mother Julia Apesteguia Mariaezcurrena, on the occasion of their 20th General Chapter which coincides with the 150th anniversary of the birth of their founder, Venerable Msgr. Luis Amigo y Ferrer.

  "These are two significant events," the Holy Father said, "that offer you the opportunity to give new vigor to the spiritual experience of your own charism and to stimulate the evangelizing mission which characterizes you."

  John Paul II expressed the "sincere recognition of the Church for your work for the needy, elderly and sick, for young people and needy children, and in education, and  for your joy of living and believing in Christ. At the same time, I share your hope in the future for your history which is yet to be  made."

  "I invite you," he continued, "to intensify every day your union with Christ through contemplation and assiduous prayer and to give vitality to your work in imitating His redeeming action. … In addition, with a profound and rich interior experience, it would be easier to transmit the attractiveness that Jesus arouses in new generations, inspiring in them that penetrating voice of vocation."
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JOHN PAUL ASKS FOR PRAYERS, CONCRETE SUPPORT FOR MISSIONS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 24, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father, in reflections made before  reciting the noon Angelus, reminded the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square that today is World Mission Day, which is "dedicated to prayer and concrete support for missions" and "invites all believers to strengthen their own responsibility in announcing the Gospel to all peoples."

  "I wish to send very cordial greetings and express a profound thank-you to all missionaries committed to evangelization. I would like to assure them of a special remembrance in my prayers. In a special way, I am thinking about all those who crowned their work of witnessing to Christ and serving mankind with the sacrifice of their lives."

  "May Mary, the Queen of Missions, obtain the gift of many vocations to mission life everywhere in the Church."
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POPE IS "CLOSE" TO CIAMPI AFTER PACEMAKER OPERATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2004 (VIS) - Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, in a declaration made today, said: "The Holy Father called the president of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, to express his closeness to him and to wish him renewed youthfulness in serving Italy," after the operation that he underwent this morning to receive a pacemaker.
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POPE WELCOMES 30,000 ITALIAN SCOUTS WITH "HAPPY HEART"

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2004 (VIS) - Thirty-thousand Italian Scouts, members of AGESCI, The Association of Italian Guides and Catholic Scouts and MASCI, the Movement of Italian Catholic Adult Scouts, filled St. Peter's Square this morning for an audience with the Holy Father who told them that their "presence in such great numbers gladdens my heart."

  "Today, he began, "you wished to renew your 'promise' before the Pope, and I am happy to be a witness to your proposal to be faithful to God, Who calls you to live communion and friendship with Him; to be faithful to yourselves, in seeking and fulfilling the project that the Father, in His love, has planned for each of you, and to be faithful to your neighbor who expects from you the gift of a fully human and Christian commitment."

   Citing part of the scouting motto, the Holy Father told the "Brownie and Cub Scouts 'to do your best' every day to grow joyfully in your packs and dens, discovering the marvels of creation. I exhort you, Guides and Explorers, to 'always be prepared to do good, as,  together with your troop, you learn responsibilities and how to be active members of the ecclesial and civil communities to which  you belong. I ask you, Patrols and Rovers, to commit to making the words 'to serve' the motto of your life, with the conviction that the gift of yourselves is the secret that can make our lives happy and full."

  He highlighted the "difficult, yet exhilarating role" of scout leaders from whom, he said, young people "await help in growing harmoniously in order to contribute to the building of a world of friendship and solidarity."

  John Paul II asked the scouts and their leaders to live the Gospel and "to swim 'against the current' to overcome the temptations of individualism, laziness and disengagement."

  Noting that the Year of the Eucharist had just begun, the Pope asked the young people to make the mystery of the Eucharist "a constant reference point in your daily choices."
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TO STUDENTS: PUT YOUR TALENT AT THE SERVICE OF THE CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2004 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, during a Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica, John Paul II urged the students of Roman ecclesiastical universities to place their talents "at the service of the Church, with humility and generosity."

  The Mass was presided over by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, on the occasion of the inauguration of the academic year of  ecclesiastical universities.

  In his homily, the Holy Father invited the students to commit themselves to work "so that the formation you receive in these years will help you 'to behave' ever more in a way worthy of the Christian vocation."

  Exhorting them "to be men and women committed to creating unity between faith and life on the cognitive level and more importantly on the existential level," the Pope emphasized that "the Eucharist is the principle of unity in charity, of community in a plethora of gifts."

  "The Eucharistic mystery," he continued, "is the school where Christians are formed to the 'intellectus fidei,' making an effort to know through adoration and to believe through contemplation. In it, at the same time, they mature their Christian personality in order to be able to bear witness to the truth in charity."

  John Paul II invited students to follow "the example of St. Thomas Aquinas and all the doctors of the Church" and to strive "to obtain from the Sacrament of the Altar the light of renewed wisdom and constant strength in the life of the Gospel."
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