OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 9, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Fr. Domingo Oropesa Lorente of the clergy of the archdiocese of Toledo, Spain, pastor of the parish of "Nuestra Senora del Carmen" in Florida, Cuba, as bishop of Cienfuegos (area 5,360, population 485,000, Catholics 293,600, priests 23, permanent deacons 1, religious 37), Cuba. The bishop-elect was born in Alcazar de San Juan, Spain in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1984.

 - Appointed Fr. Alvaro Julio Beyra Luarca of the clergy of the archdiocese of Camaguey, Cuba, pastor of the parish of "Nuestra Senora de la Caridad" in Nuevitas, as bishop of Santisimo Salvador de Bayamo y Manzanillo (area 8,362, population 829,000, Catholics 222,000, priests 13, religious 18), Cuba. The bishop-elect was born in Camaguey in 1945 and ordained a priest in 1994.

  On Sunday, July 8, it was made public that he appointed Msgr. Vitus Huonder, vicar general for "Grisons" in the diocese of Chur, Switzerland, as bishop of the same diocese (area 12,272, population 1,655,708, Catholics 686,446, priests 661, permanent deacons 36, religious 1,360). The bishop-elect was born in Trun, Switzerland in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1971.

  On Saturday, July 7, it was made public that he:

 - Appointed Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the closure of the "European Citizens' Missions," which are due to take place in Budapest, Hungary from September 16 to 22.

 - Appointed Bishop Domenico Calcagno of Savona-Noli, Italy, as secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Tramontana di Parodi Ligure, Italy, in 1943, he was ordained a priest in 1967 and consecrated a bishop in 2002.

 - Elevated Bishop Carlo Liberati, prelate of Pompei, Italy, and pontifical delegate for the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary, to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Matelica, Italy, in 1937, he was ordained a priest in 1962 and consecrated a bishop in 2004.

  By order of the Holy Father, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei," has appointed Msgr. Mario Marini as adjunct secretary of the same pontifical commission.
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BENEDICT XVI BEGINS HIS HOLIDAY IN LORENZAGO DI CADORE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 9, 2007 (VIS) - At 10.30 a.m. today, the Holy Father departed from Rome's Ciampino airport whence an hour-long flight took him to the airport of Treviso-Istrana. From there he travelled by helicopter to Lorenzago, arriving at 12.30.

  Benedict XVI will spend 18 days in the northern Italian alpine resort. On his return, on 27 July, he will go to his summer residence of Castelgandolfo where he will remain until the end of September.
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ALL BAPTIZED ARE MISSIONARIES OF CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, JUL 8, 2007 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus with the pilgrims gathered below.

  The Pope commented on the Gospel of Luke's account of how Jesus sent out 72 disciples to every town and place He intended to visit, so as to prepare the way for Him. The Evangelist, said the Pope, "highlights how the mission is not reserved for the twelve Apostles but also extends to other disciples. ... There is work for everyone in the vineyard of the Lord.

  "But Christ," the Holy Father added, "does not limit Himself to sending them out, He also gives the missionaries clear and precise rules of behavior. ... He sends them 'in pairs,' that they may help one another and provide a testimony of fraternal love. He warns them that they will be 'like lambs in the midst of wolves,' in other words they will have to be peaceful in the face of everything and bring a message of peace in all situations. They cannot carry clothing or money, but must live from what Providence provides. They must cure the sick as a sign of God's mercy. Where they are rejected they must leave, limiting themselves to warning people about the responsibility of refusing the Kingdom of God."

  "May this Gospel awaken in all the baptized an awareness of being missionaries of Christ, called to prepare the way for Him with words and with the witness of their lives!"

  The Holy Father then mentioned his forthcoming holiday in Lorenzago di Cadore which is due to begin tomorrow. He will, he said, "be guest of the bishop of Treviso in the same house that previously accommodated the venerated John Paul II.

  "The mountain air will do me good and I will be able to dedicate myself more freely to reflection and prayer," he added. "My hope is that everyone - and especially those who need it most - may take a holiday to restore their physical and spiritual energies and rediscover a healthful contact with nature. Mountains, in particular, evoke the ascent of the spirit to the heights, elevation towards the 'high level' of our humanity which, unfortunately, daily life tends to diminish."

  Finally, the Pope mentioned the fifth pilgrimage of young people to the cross of Mount Adamello, twice visited by John Paul II, and he invited all Italian youth to a meeting to be held in Loreto, Italy on September 1 and 2.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUL 7, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

 - Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

 - Dagmar Babcanova, ambassador of Slovakia, on her farewell visit.

 - Archbishop Fernando Filoni, substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.

 - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
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LETTER FOR 8TH CENTENARY OF ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 7, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father has written a Letter to Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, primate of Hungary and president of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), for celebrations marking the eighth centenary of the birth of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, also called St. Elizabeth of Thuringia.

  In the Letter, dated May 27, the Pope indicates that St. Elizabeth "knew how to combine the gifts of consummate wife and mother with the practice of evangelical virtues learnt at the school of St. Francis of Assisi."

  St. Elizabeth, he continues, "provided a solid, visible and significant witness of Christ's charity. Countless people over the course of the centuries have followed her example, looking to her as a model of exemplary Christian virtues, radically applied in marriage, the family and even in widowhood. She has also inspired political figures, who have drawn from her the motivation to work towards reconciliation between peoples."

  Benedict XVI expresses the hope that "profound knowledge of the personality and work of Elizabeth of Thuringia may be a help in rediscovering, with ever greater awareness, the Christian roots of Hungary and of Europe itself, encouraging leaders to develop harmonious and respectful dialogue between the Church and civil society in order to build a truly free and united world."

  In closing his Letter, the Pope calls for the "international year" dedicated to the saint, which began in Rome on November 17 2006, "to be an occasion for Hungarians, Germans, and all Europeans ... to emphasize the Christian heritage they received from their forefathers, so as to continue to draw from those roots the energy necessary to achieve an abundant harvest in the new millennium that has just begun."
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