OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 26, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Msgr. Francisco Caninde Palhano of the clergy of the archdiocese of Natal, Brazil, pastor of the parish "Santo Alfonso Maria de Ligorio," as bishop of Bonfim (area 34,600, population 632,000, Catholics 569,000, priests 24, permanent deacons 1, religious 100), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Sao Jose de Mipibu, Brazil in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1975. He succeeds Bishop Jairo Rui Matos da Silva, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Antonio Carlos Altieri S.D.B., director of the community of priest-students at Rome's Pontifical Salesian University, as bishop of Caraguatatuba (area 1,992, population 264,139, Catholics 163,766, priests 26, permanent deacons 10, religious 69), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1978.

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Nazare, Brazil, presented by Bishop Jorge Tobias de Freitas, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
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ANNIVERSARY OF EPISCOPAL ORDINATION OF CARDINAL ANGELINI

VATICAN CITY, JUL 26, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father has written a Letter to Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini for the 50th anniversary, on July 29, of his episcopal ordination, and for his ninetieth birthday. Cardinal Angelini was born in Rome on August 1, 1916 and consecrated a bishop in the Roman church of St. Ignatius in 1956.

  In his Letter, the Pope recalls the cardinal's work in the field of healthcare ministry under various pontiffs: Pius XII, under whom he was delegate for hospitals and nursing homes in Rome; Blessed John XXIII, who appointed him as national ecclesial assistant to Italian Catholic doctors; and John Paul II, who made him a cardinal and, establishing the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, appointed him as president thereof.

  Benedict XVI expresses his gratitude for the "pastoral solicitude" of Cardinal Angelini who recently founded the International Institute of Research into Christ's Countenance, in collaboration with the Congregation of Benedictine Reparatrix Sisters of the Holy Countenance of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The institute promotes healthcare initiatives, social work and educational assistance in Poland, Romania, India and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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POPE HOPES FOR LASTING SOLUTIONS FROM ROME CONFERENCE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 26, 2006 (VIS) - The Pope yesterday called for prayers for the international conference for Lebanon being held in Rome today, in the hope, he said, that it "may bear fruit and bring concrete results for peace, ... for a solution that goes to the roots of the problem."

  Yesterday evening, returning from an excursion in the Valle d'Aosta region of Italy where he is spending a brief holiday, the Holy Father expressed the hope that "stable and lasting solutions" be found, and he added: "I feel that something is now moving, I see that prayers are not in vain."

  Benedict XVI made his remarks following a visit to the Marian shrine of Notre-Dame de la Guerison, located at the foot of Mont Blanc at an altitude of 1,460 meters, where he called on the faithful to pray for peace. Faced with the worsening situation in the Middle East, the Holy Father had proclaimed Sunday, July 23, as a special day of prayer and penance. On that day, visiting the church of Rhemes Saint Georges, a few kilometers from his holiday villa at Les Combes, the Pope had prayed to the Lord: "Grant us peace; not tomorrow or the day after, grant us peace today!"

  Also yesterday, it was made public that the Holy See has been officially invited to participate as an observer at the Rome international conference for Lebanon. The Holy See delegation will be led by Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, secretary for Relations with States, who will be accompanied by counsellors Msgr. Franco Coppola and Msgr. Alberto Ortega Martin.
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