IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, NOV 7, 2006 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

 - Cardinal Mario Francesco Pompedda, prefect emeritus of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, on October 18 at the age of 77.

 - Archbishop Teodoro Cardenal Fernandez, emeritus of Burgos, Spain, on October 17 at the age of 89.

 - Bishop Jose Elias Chaves Junior C.M., prelate emeritus of Cameta, Brazil, on October 31, at the age of 80.

 - Archbishop Cecil deSa, emeritus of Agra, India, October 27, at the age of 83.

 - Bishop Henrique Ruth C.S.Sp., emeritus of Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil, on October 23 at the age of 93.
.../DEATHS/...                                    VIS 20061107 (110)

CHURCH SUPPORTS PROMOTERS OF INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 7, 2006 (VIS) - Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States, delivered a talk at the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), during the 23rd session of the intergovernmental committee for Food Security, which was held from October 30 to November 4.

  In the course of this meeting, on October 30 and 31, the Special Forum for a World Free of Hunger took place to study the progress made in achieving the goals of the 1996 World Food Summit.

  Archbishop Mamberti, having communicated the Pope's greetings to participants, and his interest in their activities, said: "Beating hunger in the world is a task that needs time to achieve. ... Despite the efforts of the FAO, ... of intergovernmental organizations and of various other associations, we note a persistence, even an increase in the impediments and imbalances that prevent millions of men and women from obtaining adequate nourishment."

  "The plight of the multitudes whose right to life is in danger must continue to concern us and touch our consciences so that our behavior, wherever we may be, does not contribute to aggravating the inequalities between rich countries and poor ones. Hunger and malnutrition are unacceptable in a world that has levels of production, of resources and of know-how capable of putting an end to this scourge and its dramatic consequences."

  "It is not the Church's vocation," the archbishop concluded, "to propose political, economic or technical solutions to meet the problems of society. However, in her mission to announce the Good News to all nations, she feels particularly close to those who live in conditions of poverty, suffering and malnutrition, and wishes to help them with the means at her disposal. She is always ready to support those who work to strengthen international solidarity and promote justice among people, especially those who live in direct contact with people undergoing harsh trials."
DELSS/HUNGER/FAO:MAMBERTI                        VIS 20061107 (330)

POPE PURCHASES FIRST BOND OF FUND FOR IMMUNIZATION

VATICAN CITY, NOV 7, 2006 (VIS) - Today in London, England, Cardinal Renato Raffale Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, purchased, in the Holy Father's name, the first bond for the eradication of poverty issued by the International Financing Facility for Immunization (IFFIm).

  The IFFIm came into being in the wake of a project presented by Gordon Brown, British Chancellor of the Exchequer, at an international seminar on "Poverty and Globalization: Financing for Development," organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2004. The money raised will go directly to those most in need, especially children. Purchase of the bonds - which are guaranteed by various governments who will pay the interest and reimburse them on the expiry date - is open to anyone: institutions, organizations and private citizens.

  "Benedict XVI's gesture, at once real and symbolic, expresses the Holy See's full support for an initiative which, with broad international guarantees, will produce immediate and direct advantages in the field of aid and development, producing new financing with specific and urgent aims," says a communique made public today. For example, thanks to the IFFIm, "by 2015, in 72 countries the lives of 10 million people will have been saved, 5 million of them children."

  In a brief address delivered in English at the moment of purchasing the first bond, Cardinal Martino said: "People living in poverty are looking forward to the time when corruption at the various levels of government or in the social sector will no longer hinder opportunities for development from reaching all members of society. A government that is truly responsive to the needs of its people is not only a necessity for development, it should also be seen as a right.

  "Pope Benedict XVI believes that this is the time," he added. "This is why he has decided that the Holy See would participate in the International Finance Facility bond program. His Holiness recognizes the need to quickly provide the funds in order to respond to poverty, hunger, the lack of educational and literacy opportunities and the ongoing fight against the scourge of malaria and the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis."
.../IFFIM/BROWN:MARTINO                            VIS 20061107 (370)