OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 11, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Jose Antonio Eguren Anselmi S.V.C., auxiliary of Lima, Peru, as metropolitan archbishop of Piura (area 33,510, population 1,451,100, Catholics 1,407,567, priests 94, religious 219), Peru. The archbishop-elect was born in Lima in 1956, he was ordained a priest in 1982 and consecrated a bishop in 2002. He succeeds Archbishop Oscar Rolando Cantuarias Pastor, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Robert Le Gall O.S.B., of Mende, France, as metropolitan archbishop of Toulouse (area 6,372, population 1,075,000, Catholics 725,000, priests 347, permanent deacons 18, religious 804), France. The archbishop-elect was born in Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouet, France in 1946 he was ordained a priest in 1974 and consecrated a bishop in 2002. He succeeds Archbishop Emile Marcus P.S.S., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Gonzalo Restrepo Restrepo, auxiliary of Cali, Colombia, as bishop of Girardota (area 2,445, population 203,000, Catholics 183,000, priests 56, religious 99), Colombia.

 - Appointed Fr. Soundaraj Periyanayagam S.D.B., rector of the Don Bosco Orphanage in Katapadi, as bishop of Vellore (area 12,265, population 9,003,000, Catholics 155,700, priests 143, religious 700), India. The bishop-elect was born in Periya Kolappalur, India in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1983.

 - Appointed Bishop Javier Augusto del Rio Alba, auxiliary of Callao, Peru, as coadjutor archbishop of Arequipa (area 26,306, population 939,000, Catholics 845,000, priests 177, religious 482), Peru. The archbishop-elect was born in Lima, Peru in 1957, he was ordained a priest in 1992 and consecrated a bishop in 2004.

 - Appointed Archbishop Andre Dupuy, apostolic nuncio to the European Communities, as apostolic nuncio to the Principality of Monaco.
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IN BRIEF

THE POPE HAS SENT A MESSAGE OF CONGRATULATION to Hans-Adam II, prince of Liechtenstein for the second centenary of the sovereignty of the principality. "An important element of the identity of Liechtenstein," says the Holy Father in his Message, "is its inhabitants' solid adherence to the Catholic faith and their faithfulness to the See of Peter."

CARDINAL SECRETARY OF STATE ANGELO SODANO has sent a telegram to Bishop Mario Paciello of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti, Italy, giving assurances of the Pope's constant prayers for the young brothers Francesco and Salvatore of Gravina in the Italian region of Puglia, who have been missing for more than a month. It is the Holy Father's hope, the telegram reads, "that this painful case may soon reach a happy conclusion."

THE OFFICE OF LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS of the Supreme Pontiff today announced that at 6.30 p.m. on Monday July 17, Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of the Roman Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, will take possession of the diaconate of St. Mary in Portico, Piazza Campitelli 9, Rome.
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FR. LOMBARDI, NEW HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE DIRECTOR

VATICAN CITY, JUL 11, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. as director of the Holy See Press Office. Fr. Lombardi was born in Saluzzo, Italy in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1972. He is currently director general of the Vatican Television Center and of Vatican Radio, posts he will continue to hold in his new office.

  Benedict XVI accepted the resignation from the office of director of the Holy See Press Office presented by Joaquin Navarro-Valls, thanking him for his long and generous service. Joaquin Navarro-Valls was born in Cartagena, Spain in 1936 and has been director of the Holy See Press Office since 1984.

  Given below is the text of a letter to journalists written by Fr. Lombardi for the occasion of his new appointment, and a declaration by Joaquin Navarro Valls:

  Fr. Lombardi's letter:

  "Dear friends,

  "As I prepare to assume this new responsibility at the Holy See Press Office I am, naturally, grateful to the Holy Father and to the Superiors for the trust they place in me; but my thoughts also go out especially - and with affection - to you and to all our colleagues in the media whom I am called to serve.

  "Like you, I have been working for some time to ensure that the activity of the Holy Father and the reality of the Church are known and understood objectively and adequately.

  "Dr. Navarro-Valls performed his own long service in this field with exceptional ability, intelligence and dedication. We are all profoundly grateful to him and continue to depend on his friendship.

  "I cannot hope to imitate him, but you may depend upon my commitment - within my limits but with all the power at my disposal - to serve the Holy Father and your own good work. I know I shall be able to depend on the collaboration generously offered - both to me and to you - by all the staff of the Press Office, beginning with Vice Director Fr. Ciro Benedettini.

  "I also ask for your benevolence, so that this shared portion of our journey may be more fruitful.

  "I entrust these sentiments to the Lord on the feast day of St. Benedict upon which, perhaps not by chance, I receive my appointment to this new service."

  Joaquin Navarro-Valls' declaration:

  "I am very grateful to the Holy Father who has seen fit to accept my oft-expressed readiness to leave, after so many years, the post of director of the Holy See Press Office.

  "I know that I have, over these years, received much more than I have been able to give, more than I am at present capable of fully comprehending."
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HOLY FATHER BEGINS A BRIEF HOLIDAY IN VALLE D'AOSTA

VATICAN CITY, JUL 11, 2006 (VIS) - At 10.30 a.m. today, Benedict XVI left Rome by plane and, following an hour-long flight, arrived at the airport of Saint Christophe in the Valle d'Aosta region of northwestern Italy. He then travelled by car to the residence of Les Combes where he will spend a 17-day vacation.

  As he did last year, the Pope will stay in a chalet belonging to the Salesian Order, the same as that in which John Paul II also used to spend his holidays. The building, made of wood and stone, has two floors and is surrounded by a large garden. It stands at an altitude of 1,200 meters and has views over Mont Blanc and other mountains on the French-Italian frontier as well as over the Italian-Swiss Alps.

  The only two public ceremonies the Pope is due to attend during his vacation are scheduled for July 16 and 23, when he will pray the Angelus from the house in which he is staying. Access to this event is open to everyone, says a communique from the diocese of Aosta, and all those wishing to do so may go to Les Combes to hear the Holy Father and pray with him.

  Benedict XVI will stay at Les Combes - located some 20 kilometers from the city of Aosta within the municipality of Introd - until July 28.

  Following his vacation in Valle d'Aosta, the Pope will move to his summer residence of Castelgandolfo, 30 kilometers south of Rome, where he will remain until the end of September.

  The Pope's next apostolic trip, the fourth since the start of his pontificate, will take him to Germany from September 9 to 14.
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