OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 6, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 - Msgr. John Arnold of the clergy of the archdiocese of Westminster, England, vicar general and chancellor, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 3,634, population 4,613,284, Catholics 465,587, priests 743, permanent deacons 4, religious 1,746). The bishop-elect was born in Sheffield, England in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1983.

- Archbishop William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 6, 2005 (VIS) - Yesterday evening, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne, Germany.
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ARCHBISHOP LAJOLO ADDRESSES THE OSCE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 6, 2005 (VIS) - Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, Holy See secretary for Relations with States, today participated in the 13th meeting of foreign ministers from the 55 member States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE Ministerial Council is being held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from December 5 to 6.

  Archbihop Lajolo began his English-language address by affirming how participating States share the same fundamental objective: "the consolidation of peace by a simultaneous achievement of security, stability, development and respect for human rights."

  "The Holy See considers its distinctive duty to insist on the continuing central importance of religious freedom for peaceful coexistence and for respect between different cultures in today's multi-ethnic and multicultural societies," he said.

  The secretary for Relations with States gave assurances that the Holy See appreciates "the intention of the participating States to give closer attention to the scourge of human trafficking, and supports the will to adopt a victim-centered approach."

  "As regards the question of migration," the archbishop went on, "the OSCE can offer a valuable contribution so that the policies of participating States keep in mind the unity of the human family, and of the family of each migrant, and offer guarantees of prosperity with respect for all."

  Archbishop Lajolo concluded his comments by stressing that, "in the areas of human trafficking and migration, concrete measures of assistance are needed to alleviate the suffering of many women and men, and to re-establish respect for their human dignity."
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MESSAGE FOR FIFTH CENTENARY OF UNIVERSITY OF URBINO

VATICAN CITY, DEC 6, 2005 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano sent a letter to Archbishop Francesco Marinelli of Urbino-Urbania-Sant'Angelo in Vado, Italy, for the occasion of the fifth centenary of the foundation of the University of Urbino in the Italian Marches region.

  The university, which has recently been renamed after Professor Carlo Bo (1911 - 2001), its rector for 54 years, has around 20,000 students.

  The Holy Father, writes the cardinal, "hopes that the cultural formation of new generations will always remain the university's primary aim. To this end, a useful contribution may be drawn from the 'Italo Mancini' Higher Institute of Religious Sciences which has been active in the university for more than 20 years."

  The cardinal's letter continues: "Within the context of the legitimate autonomy which must distinguish relations between Church and State, the university upholds Urbino's vibrant tradition of theology teaching, enabling young people to compare their own existential, intellectual and social search with the supreme synthesis of truth and life revealed in Christ."
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