OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 16, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh, U.S.A., as metropolitan archbishop of Washington (area 5,447, population 2,630,894, Catholics 578,796, priests 1,166, permanent deacons 187, religious 1,677), U.S.A. The archbishop-elect was born in Pittsburgh in 1940, he was ordained a priest in 1966 and consecrated a bishop in 1986. He succeeds Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop James Peter Sartain of Little Rock, U.S.A., as bishop of Joliet in Illinois (area 10,920, population 1,768,390, Catholics 636,862, priests 293, permanent deacons 178, religious 779), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop Joseph L. Imesch, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Pablo Jaime Galimberti Di Vietri of San Jose de Mayo, Uruguay, as bishop of Salto (area 49,295, population 368,372, Catholics 278,000, priests 31, religious 91), Uruguay. He succeeds Bishop Daniel Gil Zorrilla S.J., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
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CONFERENCE ON DEMOCRACY, INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 16, 2006 (VIS) - "Democracy, Institutions and Social Justice" is the theme of an international congress, being promoted by the "Centesimus Annus-Pro Pontifice" Foundation, and due to be held in the Vatican on May 18 and 19.

  The foundation, which was established in 1993, draws the inspiration for its activities from the 1991 Encyclical "Centesimus annus," with which Pope John Paul II wished to commemorate the centenary of Pope Leo XIII's Encyclical "Rerum novarum." The aims of the non-profit foundation concern religion, worship and charity, its specific purpose being to collaborate in spreading the human, ethical, social and Christian values laid down in "Centesimus annus," of which the Supreme Pontiff is guarantor.

  Following an opening greeting by Count Lorenzo Rossi di Montelera, president of the foundation, there will be talks from, among others: Fr. Mario Toso, rector of the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, on the subject of "Democracy and Social Justice;" Robert George of the department of politics of Princeton University, U.S.A., on "Democracy, Law and the Human Person;" and Stefano Zamagni of the University of Bologna, Italy, on "Democracy and Economics."

  On the afternoon of May 18, Paolo Garonna, deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, will address the gathering on the topic of "International Organizations and Economic Democracy." This will be followed by a round table discussion to consider the theme: "authentic democracy is possible only in a State ruled by law, and on the basis of a correct conception of the human person." Participating in the discussion will be Francesco Paolo Casavola, president emeritus of the Italian Constitutional Court; Carlo Fratta Pasini, president of the "Banco Popolare Verona e Novara; Domingo Sugranyes, executive vice-president of the MAPFRE Corporation; and Bishop Reinhard Marx of Trier, Germany.

  On Friday, May 19, the last day of the meeting, the participants will be received in audience by the Holy Father.
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