OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 6, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Fr. Dieter Scholz S.J., director of a formation center in Harare, Zimbabwe, as bishop of Chinhoyi (area 56,000, population 1,679,101, Catholics 84,290, priests 28, religious 94), Zimbabwe. The bishop-elect was born in Berlin, Germany in 1938 and ordained a priest in 1969.

 - Appointed Fr. John Baptist Lee Keh-mean, rector of the interdiocesan seminary at Hsinchuang, Taiwan, as bishop of Hsinchu (area 4,750, population 3,225,165, Catholics 52,090, priests 102, religious 165), Taiwan. The bishop-elect was born in Tainan Hsein, Taiwan in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1990.

 - Appointed Fr. Fernando Chomali Garib, pastor and moderator of the Curia of the archdiocese of Santiago de Chile, Chile, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 9,132, population 5,411,320, Catholics 3,755,456, priests 816, permanent deacons 228, religious 3,344). The bishop-elect was born in Santiago de Chile in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1991.

 - Confirmed Bishop Giuseppe Betori as secretary general of the Italian Episcopal Conference for the next five-year period.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 6, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches.

 - Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.

 - Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops.

 - Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, archivist and librarian of Holy Roman Church, accompanied by an entourage.
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MIGRATION CAN GENERATE EMPLOYMENT AND OTHER BENEFITS

VATICAN CITY, APR 6, 2006 (VIS) - Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations, participated yesterday in the 39th session of the Commission on Population and Development.

  "The work of the commission includes" said the archbishop in his English-language speech, "the examination of trends and impacts upon population and development like HIV, unknown 60 years ago, and the migration of peoples, with their respective consequences."

  Sometimes, he added, the phenomenon of migration "is painted as a threat and is manipulated for short term political gain, at the expense of the most natural rights of all human beings - the right to life, to citizenship, to work and to development."

  "For receiving countries, the net economic impact of international migration is said to be generally positive. Although the presence of international migrants may have a small adverse effect on the wages of non-migrants or may raise unemployment when wages are rigid, such effects are usually small at the national level. Over the medium and long term, migration can even generate employment and produce net fiscal gains."

  The apostolic nuncio also highlighted how "the emigration of skilled personnel can be detrimental to the development prospects of countries of origin, especially small developing countries losing high proportions of skilled citizens. However, skilled migrants who maintain ties with their countries of origin may stimulate the transfer of technology and capital."

  He added: "Due to low fertility, net migration counts for three quarters of the population growth in developed countries and, by 2030, migration may account for all population growth in those countries. ... The social impact of migration on receiving countries with shrinking birth rates, now needs to be better understood."

  Archbishop Migliore concluded by highlighting the "growing awareness that immigration cannot be the single solution to demographic and labor problems of receiving countries."
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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF FORMER SECRETARY TO PAUL VI

VATICAN CITY, APR 6, 2006 (VIS) - The Pope sent a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, archbishop of Milan, Italy, for the death yesterday at the age of 82 of Archbishop Pasquale Macchi, prelate emeritus of Loreto, Italy and former personal secretary to Pope Paul VI.

  Benedict XVI recalls "the profound spirituality and generous episcopal commitment that characterized the ministry of the lamented prelate," and asks the Lord "to welcome him in eternal joy as a good and faithful servant, rewarding his constant dedication to spreading the Gospel and his devotion to the Most Holy Virgin Mary."

  Cardinal Tettamanzi will preside at Archbishop Macchi's funeral - due to be held in the Duomo of Milan at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday April 8 - which will be attended, in the name of the Holy Father, by Cardinal Attilio Nicora, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.
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POPE RECEIVES NOBEL PRIZE WINNER SHIMON PERES

VATICAN CITY, APR 6, 2006 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following declaration to journalists late this morning:

  "This morning Shimon Peres, former prime minister of the State of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize winner, visited His Holiness Benedict XVI. He then went on to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, in the presence of Oded Ben-Hur, Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, and Msgr. Pietro Parolin, under-secretary of the Section for Relations with States.

  "In the course of the discussions opinions were exchanged concerning the problem of peace in the Holy Land while respecting United Nations Resolutions and the agreements concluded to date. In this context, there was a unanimous condemnation of all forms of terrorism, whatever pretexts used to try and justify it.

  "Relations between the State of Israel and the Holy See were also examined, in the light of the agreements signed in 1993 and 1997, as were relations between the Israeli authorities and the Christian communities resident in the country.

  "At the end of the meeting, Shimon Peres, invited the Supreme Pontiff to visit Israel."
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