AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 25 JUN 2008 (VIS) - This evening the Holy Father is scheduled to receive in separate audiences four prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Honduras, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Bishop Tomas Andres Mauro Muldoon O.F.M. of Juticalpa.

    - Bishop Angel Garachana Perez C.M.F. of San Pedro Sula, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Romulo Emiliani Sanchez C.M.F.

    - Bishop Luis Alfonso Santos Villeda S.D.B. of Santa Rosa de Copan.
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DECLARATION CONCERNING THE EMANUELA ORLANDI CASE

VATICAN CITY, 25 JUN 2008 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. released the following declaration yesterday afternoon:

  "The tragic affair of the disappearance of young Emanuela Orlandi (in 1983) has again become a focus of attention for the Italian media world.

  "This has come about in a striking way, with the widespread journalistic disclosure of confidential information, information that remains completely unverified and that proceeds from a witness of extremely dubious credibility.

  "This serves only to renew the immense pain of the Orlandi family, while showing no respect and humanity towards people who have already suffered so much.

  "It also serves to spread defamatory and groundless accusations against Archbishop Marcinkus, who died some time ago and cannot defend himself.

  "We in no way wish to interfere with the duties of the magistrates in their rigorous verification of facts and responsibilities. But at the same time, we cannot but express our extreme regret and reproof at methods of information that owe more to sensationalism than to the requirements of seriousness and of professional ethics".
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METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOPS WHO WILL RECEIVE THE PALLIUM

VATICAN CITY, 25 JUN 2008 (VIS) - Given below is a list of the metropolitan archbishops who will receive the pallium from Benedict XVI in the course of a Eucharistic celebration due to be held in the Vatican Basilica on June 29, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles:

 - Cardinal John Njue, archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya.

 - His Beatitude Fouad Twal, patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins.

 - Archbishop Michel Christian Cartatéguy S.M.A. of Niamey, Niger.

 - Archbishop Edwin Frederick O'Brien of Baltimore, U.S.A.

 - Archbishop Francisco Perez Gonzalez of Pamplona and Tudela, Spain.

 - Archbishop Lorenzo Voltolini Esti of Portoviejo, Ecuador.

 - Archbishop Paolo Pezzi F.S.C.B. of Mother of God in Moscow, Russia.

 - Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Minsk-Mohilev, Belarus.

 - Archbishop Andres Stanovnik O.F.M. Cap. of Corrientes, Argentina.

 - Archbishop Anthony Mancini of Halifax, Canada.

 - Archbishop Martin William Currie of Saint John's, Newfoundland, Canada.

 - Archbishop Mauro Aparecido dos Santos of Cascavel, Brazil.

 - Archbishop Giancarlo Maria Bregantini C.S.S. of Campobasso-Boiano, Italy.

 - Archbishop John Hung Shan-Chuan S.V.D. of Taipei, Taiwan.

 - Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna, Nigeria.

 - Archbishop Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany.

 - Archbishop Oscar Urbina Ortega of Villavicencio, Colombia.

 - Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

 - Archbishop Willem Jacobus Eijk of Utrecht, Netherlands.

 - Archbishop Antonio Jose Lopez Castillo of Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

 - Archbishop Richard Anthony Burke S.P.S. of Benin City, Nigeria.

 - Archbishop Agustin Roberto Radrizzani S.D.B. of Mercedes-Lujan, Argentina.

 - Archbishop Jose Francisco Sanches Alves of Evora, Portugal.

 - Archbishop Jan Babjak, S.J. of Presov for Catholics of Byzantine rite, Slovakia.

 - Archbishop Giovanni Paolo Benotto of Pisa, Italy.

 - Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky of Bratislava, Slovakia.

 - Archbishop Robert Rivas, O.P. of Castries Santa Lucia.

 - Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento, Italy.

 - Archbishop Louis Kebreau, S.D.B. of Cap Haitien, Haiti.

 - Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

 - Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Lille, France.

 - Archbishop John Ribat, M.S.C. of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

 - Archbishop Thomas Kwaku Mensah of Kumasi, Ghana.

 - Archbishop Thomas John Rodi of Mobile, U.S.A.

 - Archbishop Donald James Reece of Kingston in Jamaica, Jamaica.

 - Archbishop Slawoj Leszek Glodz of Gdansk, Poland.

 - Archbishop Peter J. Kairo of Nyeri, Kenya.

 - Archbishop John Clayton Nienstedt of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, U.S.A.

 - Archbishop John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

 - Archbishop Luis Gonzaga Silva Pepeu O.F.M. Cap. of Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil.

 - Archbishop Marin Srakic of Djakovo-Osijek, Croatia.

The following two archbishops will receive the pallium in their metropolitan sees:

 - Archbishop William D'Souza, S.J. of Patna, India.

 - Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles of Freetown and Bo, Sierra Leona.
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MALAYALAM EDITION OF THE "OSSERVATORE ROMANO"

VATICAN CITY, 25 JUN 2008 (VIS) - In a Message published today, Benedict XVI expresses his appreciation for the first Malayalam-language version of the "Osservatore Romano", which is the translation of the English-language weekly edition of that newspaper.

  "The publication", writes the Pope in his English-language Message, "is a highly significant event in the life of the Church in India, since it will keep the over six million Catholics in Kerala State fully informed about the ministry of the Pope and the work of the Holy See and strengthen the bonds of faith and ecclesial communion linking the Catholic community to the See of Peter.

  "I willingly take this occasion to offer my prayerful good wishes for this important undertaking, together with my heartfelt thanks to the directors of the Carmel International Publishing House and to all those who in any way have contributed to its realisation.

  "It is my hope that this new translation of the English edition, which now takes its place alongside the other language editions of the 'Osservatore Romano', will prove a valuable source of instruction and enrichment in the faith, an incentive to ever greater fraternity and co-operation within Kerala's richly diverse Catholic community, and an indispensable aid to the continuing work of evangelisation".
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POPE BLESSES A STATUE OF ST. LUIGI ORIONE

VATICAN CITY, 25 JUN 2008 (VIS) - Before today's general audience, which was held in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI blessed a marble statue of St. Luigi Orione which has been positioned in an external niche in the back wall of the Vatican Basilica.

  St. Luigi Orione (1872-1940), an Italian priest, was the founder of the Little Work of Divine Providence which gained approval in 1903. In 1908, following an earthquake that devastated parts of Sicily and Calabria, he spent three years in those areas caring for victims, especially orphans. After the First World War Don Orione's Work expanded, with the foundation of colleges and of educational and assistance organisations. Missionary activity began in Brazil in 1913.

  John Paul II beatified Don Orione on 26 October 1980, and proclaimed him a saint on 16 May 2004. His feast day falls on 12 March.

  At the close of the general audience, the Holy Father greeted "with great affection", the members of the Orione Family and expressed his hope that the unveiling of the statue of their founder "will constitute for all his spiritual children a renewed stimulus to continue along the path indicated by St. Luigi Orione, especially in bringing to Peter's Successor - as he himself said - 'the small, the humble, the poor workers, and the rejects of life who are most dear to Christ, and the real treasures of the Church of Jesus Christ'".
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MAXIMUS THE CONFESSOR, FEARLESS WITNESS OF FAITH IN CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, 25 JUN 2008 (VIS) - In today's general audience, which was held in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 14,000 people, the Pope dedicated his remarks to St. Maximus the Confessor, a monk who was born in the sixth century.

  The Holy Father highlighted how this saint "is another great Father of the Eastern Church", upon whom "Christian Tradition has conferred the title of 'Confessor' for the dauntless courage with which he bore witness (confessed), also through suffering, to the integrity of his faith in Jesus Christ, true God and true man, Saviour of the world".

  The Confessor was born in Palestine around the year 580, said Benedict XVI. "From Jerusalem, Maximus moved to Constantinople then, because of the barbarian invasions, he took refuge in Africa where he distinguished himself for his great courage in the defence of orthodoxy. ... He did not accept the attenuation of Christ's humanity".

  The Pope then explained how St. Maximus came to Rome and "took an active role in the 649 Lateran Council which had been called by Pope Martin I to defend the two natures of Christ against an imperial edict which - 'pro bono pacis' - prohibited discussion on the matter". Nonetheless, Maximus remained steadfast in his view that "it is impossible to affirm that Christ has just one nature". For this reason he and two of his followers "were subjected to a terrible trial". Accused of heresy, the saint was condemned "to have his tongue and his right hand cut off, the two organs through which, in speech and writing, Maximus had combated the erroneous doctrine of the one nature of Christ. Finally the saintly monk was exiled to Colchis on the Black Sea where, exhausted by his sufferings, he died at the age of 82 on 13 August 662".

  "St. Maximus' thought was never limited to theology and speculation, ... because his focus was always the real situation of the world, and its salvation. ... To man, created in His image and likeness, God has entrusted the mission of unifying the cosmos".

  "The life and thought of Maximus were strongly illuminated by an immense courage in testifying to the integral truth of Christ, without reduction or compromise", said the Pope. Thus it is clear "how we must live in order to fulfil our vocation. We must live united to God in order to remain united to one another and the universe".

  The Holy Father continued: "The universal 'yes' of Christ also shows us the correct arrangement of all other values, ... such as tolerance, freedom and dialogue. Tolerance that does not know how to distinguish between good and evil would become chaotic and self-destructive. In the same way, freedom that does not respect the freedom of others and does not find a shared measure for our respective freedoms would become anarchy and destroy authority. Dialogue that does not know what to dialogue about becomes mere empty chatter". In this context, the Pope pointed out that such values "remain true values only if they have a point of reference that unites them and gives them genuine authenticity. This point of reference is the synthesis between God and the cosmos, it is the figure of Christ in Whom we learn the truth about ourselves, and thus we also learn how to position all other values because we discover their true significance".

  "And so", he concluded, "Christ shows us that the cosmos must become liturgy, glory of God, and that adoration is the beginning of the true transformation, the true renewal, of the world".
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