OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 7, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Segismundo Martinez Alvarez, S.D.B., parochial vicar of Nossa Senhora da Guia in the archdiocese of Cuiaba, Brazil, as bishop of Corumba (area 62,800, population 102,680, Catholics 85,000, priests 14, religious 23), Brazil.  The bishop-elect was born in Acebes del Paramo, Spain in 1943 and was ordained a priest in 1972.

- Bishop Cornelius Fontem Esua of Kumbo, Cameroon, as coadjutor archbishop of Bamenda (area 10,000, population 1,100,000, Catholics 237,000, priests 85, religious 182), Cameroon.

- Fr. Castor Paul Msemwa, of the clergy of the diocese of Njombe, Tanzania, spiritual father of the Benedictine Sisters, as coadjutor bishop of the diocese of Tunduru-Masasi (area 22,730, population 585,608, Catholics 94,289, priests 37, permanent deacons 4, religious 27), Tanzania. The bishop-elect was born in 1955 in Kitulira, Tanzania and was ordained a priest in 1987.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 7, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians, Ukraine.

- Archbishop Justo Mullor Garcia, apostolic nuncio and president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.

- A delegation from the World Federation of Scientists for the "Erice Prize. Ettore Majorana - Science for Peace."
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IN BRIEF

ARCHBISHOP GIOVANNI LAJOLO, SECRETARY FOR RELATIONS WITH STATES,  spoke yesterday afternoon at the 12th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which took place in Sofia, Bulgaria on December 6-7. All the foreign ministers from the 55 member countries of the organization were invited to the meeting. Archbishop Lajolo spoke about "security, migration and religious non-discrimination." Among other things, he affirmed that "the position of the Holy See is well-known: terrorism will only be effectively confronted through a concerted multilateral action that respects the 'ius gentium'." 

THE HOLY FATHER'S MESSAGE FOR THE 2005 WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES, focuses on the theme of "Intercultural Integration" and will be presented on Thursday, December 9 at 11:30 a.m. in the Holy See Press Office. This world day will be observed January 16, 2005. Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, Archbishop Marchetto and Fr. Michael Blume, S.V.D., respectively president, secretary and under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, will speak at the presentation.

CARDINAL PAUL POUPARD WILL TRAVEL TO MINSK, BELARUS on December 10-12 as a guest of Archbishop Filaret, metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, patriarchal exarch of Belarus and president of the Theological Synodal Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church.  The president of the Pontifical Council for Culture will address participants in an International Congress on the theme "Christianity and Proximity of the Cooperation of Spiritual Values in the European Community." The following topics will be discussed: Christian identity, religious freedom, freedom in a secularized Europe, cultural interaction between Orthodox and Catholics, holiness, ethics, Christian social doctrine and the formation of the ethical foundation of a civil society. On Sunday, December 12, in the Catholic cathedral of Minsk, Cardinal Poupard will concelebrate Mass with Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek, archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev.
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THE FAMILY'S CONTRIBUTION TO SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT

VATICAN CITY, DEC 7, 2004 (VIS) - Archbishop Celestino Migliore, apostolic nuncio and Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations, spoke yesterday in New York before the plenary of the 59th General Assembly as it celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family.

  Addressing the assembly in French, he noted that the U.N. debates and programs "focus on a broad concept of security, comprising what in our U.N. parlance we call the 'hard threats', like terrorism and weapons of mass destruction; and the 'soft threats', namely unemployment, poverty, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, exploitation of children and women, scarce access to housing and sanitation, education and medicines, the things that affect the whole of human society in its daily life."

  "In this context," said the nuncio, "my delegation would like to lend its support to the family, the fundamental unit of society by its nature and by the indispensable contribution that it is called to make in the achievement of security and development. The family, that is the stable and lasting union of a man and a woman, appears first of all as the most natural and the best suited way to assure the procreation and thus the renewal of the generations."

  Archbishop Migliore went on to say that "it is not only about bringing children into the world, but also about educating them; the economic notion of 'human capital' is particularly well suited here: as the first place of formation of human capital, the family appears truly indispensable to development. ... There can only be action in favor of the family if there first exists a real political will to promote a model."

  He underscored that family policy must be "clearly distinguished from social policy" and "should permit a durable economic development: the objective would certainly not be to 'suppress' the family! Ultimately, family policy ... must promote a model that at the very least does not penalize those who wish to have children," should include "a just compensation of the costs linked to education and a true recognition of domestic work" and requires "a long-term action, based on criteria of justice and of efficiency because the family is an investment for tomorrow."
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POPE EARMARKS ERICE PRIZE FOR NEEDY STUDENTS IN THIRD WORLD

VATICAN CITY, DEC 7, 2004 (VIS) - John Paul II today welcomed a delegation from the World Federation of Scientists who awarded him the "Erice Prize. Ettore Majorana - Science for Peace." Noting that the prize was "linked to the memory of the famous Italian physicist who contributed notably to the development of theoretical nuclear physics," the Pope said he would use the "generous gift ... for scholarships for needy students in the Third World."

  The Holy Father pointed out that the International Center of Scientific Culture, founded 40 years ago in Erice, Sicily, by Prof. Antonio Zichichi and dedicated to Majorana, has been a "significant 'cenacle' of cultural activity in several areas of modern knowledge." He said he hoped that "joint efforts by the international scientific community, public institutions and all persons of good will might assure all of mankind a future of hope and peace."
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PERU: SATISFY BASIC NEEDS OF THE POOR

VATICAN CITY, DEC 7, 2004 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of the new ambassador of the Republic of Peru, Pablo Moran Val.  The Pope told him that religious life in the country "is a very clear sign of how the vitality of faith can continue to sustain the courageous efforts of a noble people who strive for progress without denying the authentic roots of their Christian identity."

  "The Catholic faith, professed by the great majority of the population in your country," he said, "stimulates, out of its own dynamism, individual and social conduct of great vision, while promoting - when there is no separation between life and faith - a life without inconsistencies or ruptures, and leaving aside the temptation to resort to violence, selfishness or corruption. The Church, faithful to her mission, offers guidance in order to confront modern ethical challenges."

  After emphasizing the need to defend civic values, the Holy Father indicated that "we must not forget that these values will be respected when they are based on the ethical and moral values of honesty and effective solidarity, in such a way that unfair social inequalities and personal and social individualism, that impede the complete fulfillment of the common good, may be corrected."

  John Paul underscored that "satisfying the basic needs of the poor and those who are excluded from society must be considered a fundamental priority since the accelerated transformations of the international economy have placed many in an almost desperate situation. In the face of this problem, the Church ... remains close to the many families and people who are living today the inhumane consequences of this circumstance."

  Among the measures taken by the government, the Pope said that "the defense of human life and the family, today so threatened by a mistaken concept of modernity and freedom in so many parts, must be included."

  He concluded by referring to the large Peruvian community that has emigrated to other countries in order to find "better living conditions." He said that they "must feel committed to bringing solutions to the country where they were born and which still considers them its sons and daughters despite the distance."
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