OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 - Bishop Anthony Mancini, auxiliary of Montreal, Canada, as metropolitan archbishop of Halifax (area 21,770, population 564,583, Catholics 161,125, priests 80, permanent deacons 28, religious 260), Canada, and apostolic administrator of Yarmouth (area, 32,150 population 145,265, Catholics 37,105, priests 26, religious 20), Canada. The archbishop-elect was born in Mignano Monte Lugano, Italy in 1945, he was ordained a priest in 1970 and consecrated a bishop in 1999.

 - Bishop Martin William Currie of Grand Falls, Canada, as metropolitan archbishop of Saint John's, Newfoundland (area 16,641, population 215,000, Catholics 112,000, priests 49, religious 225), Canada. Bishop Currie will remain as bishop of Grand Falls, governing the two circumscriptions united "in persona Episcopi." The archbishop-elect was born in Marinette, Canada, in 1943 he was ordained a priest in 1968 and consecrated a bishop in 2001.

 - Archbishop Giovanni Tonucci, apostolic nuncio to Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway, as prelate of Loreto and pontifical delegate for the Shrine of Loreto (area 17, population 11,785, Catholics 11,400, priests 52, religious 264), Italy.

 - Msgr. Simone Giusti of the clergy of Pisa, Italy, pastor of "Cascine di Buti" and director of the diocesan center for evangelization and catechesis, as bishop of Livorno (area 250, population 201,149, Catholics 193,632, priests 110, permanent deacons 22, religious 385), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Cascine di Buti in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1983.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum."

 - Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

 - Bishop William Stephen Skylstad of Spokane, U.S.A., Cardinal Francis Eugene George O.M.I., archbishop of Chicago, U.S.A., and Msgr. David John Malloy, respectively president, vice-president and secretary general of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

 - Msgr. Guido Marini, master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations.
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NEED FOR POLITICIANS INSPIRED BY IDEALS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of an address delivered by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, Ireland, at the United Nations headquarters in New York for the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's Encyclical "Populorum Progressio."

  Archbishop Martin began his English-language talk by recalling how "it was the challenge of addressing the needs of the poorest nations and their peoples which led the Pope to write his Encyclical."

  "Populorum Progressio," said the archbishop, was "the first social Encyclical to be written after Vatican Council II, an event which had among its aims that of establishing a new way of looking at the relationship between the Church and the world."

  "Authentic development is one of the key concepts of 'Populorum Progressio'," he continued, indicating that such a concept "also touches on the very nature of the human person and the response we need to make to his or her needs."

  "Were Pope Paul here with us today he would certainly be saying thanks to all those who have given themselves in the service of humanity within the U.N. system. He would surely also certainly be making remarks on the slow progress of U.N. reform. We need a well-functioning U.N. Today's possibilities for inter-connectivity among peoples offer new and innovative ways of cooperation, also within the U.N. system."

  "In talking about responsibility for development and of international cooperation," said Archbishop Martin, "the Encyclical "consistently stresses the role of public authorities. This recalls today's debate about both good governance and the important role of politics."

  "Politics," he concluded, "is an essential dimension of the construction of society. We need around the world a new revival of politics. Around the world we need a new generation of politicians inspired by ideals, but also capable of taking the risks involved in transmitting those ideals into the 'possible,' through the optimum use of resources and talents to foster the good of all."
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VATICAN MUSEUMS: EXHIBITION ON APOCALYPSE INAUGURATED

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2007 (VIS) - "Apocalypse: the Final Revelation" is the title of an exhibition inaugurated today in the Sistine Hall of the Vatican Museums.

  The event, which will run until December 7, has been organized at the initiative of the St. Florian Committee of the archdiocese of Udine, Italy. Its aim is to invite people "to reconsider the last book of the New Testament through a selection of masterworks, outstanding among them a series of ancient icons."

  The exhibition is made up of around 100 pieces (codices, paintings on wood panel, canvases, sculptures, jewelry, engravings and drawings) dating from the 4th to the 20th century. They come from some of the most important museums in Europe and the United States: the Vatican Museums, the Louvre, the Pompidou Center, the Musee de Cluny, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the national museums of Budapest and of Warsaw, and St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.

  Among the artists whose works are on display are: Beatus of Liebana, Pedro Berruguete, Guido Reni, Alonso Cano, Albrecht Durer, El Greco, Francisco Zurbaran, Salvador Dali, Giorgio de Chirico, and many others. One large section of the exhibition is made up of Byzantine and Russian icons, including one of the vision of the Apocalypse from the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Patmos, the Greek island where the Apostle wrote the last book of the Bible.

  The centerpiece of the exhibition is composed of important works that record the history of the artistic representation of the Apocalypse, these include: a series of 16 engravings by Durer from the "Apocalypsis in figuris;" Guido Reni's "St. Michael Defeating Satan;" El Greco's "Immaculate Conception" inspirited by the apocalyptic vision of the woman clothed with the sun; the "Savior Enthroned" by the School of Novgorod; Catalan Romanesque and French Gothic sculptures; and the book "Apocalypse" containing works by seven 20th century artists, published by Josef Foret in 1961 and blessed by Pope John XXIII.
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BENEDICT XVI RECEIVES CHILEAN PRESIDENT

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today released the following communique:

  "This morning the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Michelle Bachelet, president of the Republic of Chile. The president subsequently went on the meet Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

  "The cordial discussions provided an opportunity for an exchange of information and ideas on the socio-political situation of the country and its role in Latin America. Themes of common interest were considered, such as human life and the family, education, human rights, justice and peace and other important questions on the international agenda. Attention also turned to the positive contribution made by the Catholic Church to Chilean society, especially in the social and educational fields."
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