OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 14 APR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Alain Castet of the clergy of Paris, France, pastor of Saint-Francois-Xavier and dean of Orsay-Breteuil, as bishop of Lucon (area 7,015, population 577,000, Catholics 505,000, priests 404, permanent deacons 38, religious 1,176), France. The bishop-elect was born in Floirac, France in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1975.

  On Saturday 12 April it was made public that he:

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Kingston-in-Jamaica, Jamaica, presented by Archbishop Lawrence Aloysius Burke S.J., upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Donald James Reece.

 - Appointed Cardinal Jozef Tomko, president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, as pontifical legate to the celebration of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Quebec, Canada from 15 to 22 June.

 - Appointed Bishop Velasio De Paolis C.S., secretary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, as president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Sonnino, Italy in 1935, he was ordained a priest in 1961 and consecrated a bishop in 2004. He succeeds Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani whose resignation from the same office the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Frans Daneels O. Praem., promoter of justice of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, as secretary of the same tribunal, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of bishop.

 - Appointed Msgr. Gianpaolo Montini, substitute promoter of justice of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, as promoter of justice of the same tribunal.

 - Elevated Msgr. Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, to the dignity of bishop.

 - Appointed Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, apostolic nuncio to Costa Rica, as apostolic nuncio to Korea.

 - Appointed Fr. Alessandro Perego of the clergy of the diocese of Rome, defender of the bond of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, as promoter of justice "ad quinquennium" of the same tribunal.

 - Appointed Massimo Spina, professor of economics and business organisation at the Roman University of "Tor Vergata" and director of the "Bambino Gesu" paediatric hospital in Rome, as consultor of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.
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POPE CALLS FOR PRAYERS FOR SUCCESS OF HIS U.S. TRIP

VATICAN CITY, 13 APR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, following the Regina Coeli prayer, Benedict XVI reminded the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square that on Tuesday 15 April he will travel to the U.S.A. where he will visit Washington, New York and the headquarters of the United Nations.

  "With the various groups I shall meet", he said in English, "my intention is to share our Lord's word of life. In Christ is our hope! Christ is the foundation of our hope for peace, for justice, and for the freedom that flows from God's law fulfilled in His commandment to love one another".

  The Pope also asked people to pray for the success of the visit, "so that it may be a time of spiritual renewal for all Americans".
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VOCATION AND MISSION ARE INSEPARABLE

VATICAN CITY, 13 APR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square to pray the Regina Coeli with thousands of pilgrims gathered there.

  Today, the Pope told the faithful, marks the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. "On all continents", he said, "ecclesial communities ask the Lord for numerous and holy vocations to the priesthood, to consecrated life and the mission, and to Christian marriage, as they meditate upon the theme: 'Vocations at the service of the Church-mission'".

  This year the World Day comes amid preparations for the 'Pauline Year', due to begin on 28 June, to celebrate the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of the Apostle Paul, "missionary par excellence", said the Holy Father.

  For the Apostle of the Gentiles, "vocation and missionary were inseparable. Thus he represents a model for all Christians, and especially for missionaries 'ad vitam', in other words for the men and women who dedicate themselves entirely to announcing Christ to those people who still do not know Him".

  "This missionary service is carried out in the first place by priests, who dispense the Word of God and the Sacraments and, through their pastoral charity, show everyone, especially the sick, the weak and the poor, the healing presence of Christ, ... sometimes confirming their faithfulness to Christ with the sacrifice of their lives". In this context, Pope Benedict recalled two religious killed recently in Guinea and in Kenya.

  "Let us pray", he went on, "for constant increase in the ranks of those who decide to live the Gospel radically through the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. They are men and women who have a prime role in evangelisation, ... united by a single goal: that of testifying to God's primacy over all, and spreading His Kingdom in all areas of society".

  In closing, the Holy Father highlighted how "Christian matrimony is also a missionary vocation. Husband and wife are called to live the Gospel in the family, in the workplace, and in parish and civic communities", and they too "offer their valuable contribution to the mission 'ad gentes'".
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A "NEW HUMANISM" IS VITAL IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE PEACE

VATICAN CITY, 12 APR 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Pope addressed to Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and to participants in a seminar entitled: "Disarmament, development and peace, prospects for integral disarmament", being held in Rome on 11 and 12 April.

  "Tension and war exist in various parts of the world", notes the Holy Father in his Message, "and even where the tragedy of war is not present, feelings of fear and insecurity are nonetheless widespread. Furthermore, such phenomena as global terrorism blur the distinction between peace and war, seriously compromising the future hopes of humankind.

  "How", he adds, "can we respond to these challenges? How can we recognise the 'signs of the times'? Certainly, joint action on a political, economic and juridical level is needed but, even before that, it is necessary to reflect together on a moral and spiritual level. What is ever more vital is to promote a 'new humanism'".

  Benedict XVI highlights how "development cannot be reduced to simple economic growth, it must include the moral and spiritual dimension. A truly integral humanism must, at the same time, also express solidarity".

  "True and lasting peace is unimaginable without the development of each person and of all peoples", says the Pope. "Nor is it conceivable to think of reducing arms if first we do not eliminate violence at its roots, if man does not first turn decisively to searching for peace and for what is good and just".

  "As long as a risk of hostility exists, the arming of States will remain necessary for reasons of legitimate defence. ... Nonetheless, not all levels of armament are permissible. ... The vast material and human resources used for military expenditure and armaments are, in fact, taken from projects for the development of peoples, especially the poorest and those most in need of help".

  In this context, the Pope makes an appeal "for States to reduce military expenditure on arms and to give serious consideration to the idea of creating a global fund for peaceful development projects".

  Benedict XVI affirms the need to do everything possible to ensure that "the economy is directed to serving human beings and solidarity, and not just to profit. On a legal plane, States are called to a renewed commitment, especially as regards international agreements on disarmament and arms-control, as well as the ratification and subsequent implementation of previously-adopted instruments such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. ... Finally, every effort must also be made to combat the proliferation of small-calibre arms.

  "Nonetheless", the Pope acknowledges, "it will be difficult to find a solution to the various technical problems without man's conversion to good on a cultural, moral and spiritual level".

  The Holy Father highlights the "ever greater need for a choral invocation of the culture of peace and for a joint education in peace, especially among the new generations. ... The human right to peace", he writes, "is fundamental and inalienable", and upon it "the exercise of all other rights depends".

  Although the current situation in the world could give rise "to a justified sense of discomfort and resignation", the Holy Father points out that "war is never inevitable and peace is always possible. Even more so, it is a duty! The time has come to change the course of history, to rediscover trust, to cultivate dialogue and to nourish solidarity", he says.

  "The future of humanity depends upon a commitment on everyone's part. Only by pursuing an integral and solidary humanism, in which disarmament assumes an ethical and spiritual dimension, can humanity progress towards the true and lasting peace for which it longs".
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