OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 31 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Birmingham, England, presented by Bishop Philip Pargeter, upon having reached the age limit.
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BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR AUGUST

VATICAN CITY, 31 JUL 2008 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for August is: "That public opinion may be more aware of the problems of millions of displaced persons and refugees, and that concrete solutions may be found for their often tragic situation".

  His mission intention is: "That those Christians who are discriminated against and persecuted in many countries because of the name of Christ may have their human rights, equality and religious freedom recognised, in order to be able to live and profess their own faith freely".
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PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2009: APRIL - JULY

VATICAN CITY, 31 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of April to July 2009.

APRIL

1: Cardinal Umberto Betti O.F.M., former rector of the Pontifical Lateran University, dies at the age of 87.

2: Benedict XVI receives a second group of prelates from the Argentinean Episcopal Conference at the conclusion of their "ad limina" visit.

2: Benedict XVI presides at Mass in the Vatican Basilica to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the death of his predecessor John Paul II.

3: Benedict XVI receives the Letters of Credence of Victor Manuel Grimaldi Cespedes, the new ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the Holy See.

5: Twenty-fourth World Youth Day, celebrated this year at a diocesan level on the theme: "We have set our hope on the living God".

16: Holy Father celebrates his 82nd birthday in the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo where he enjoys a brief period of rest following the ceremonies of Holy Week.

25: Holy Father receives in audience Amr Moussa, secretary general of the League of Arab States.

25: Holy Father receives in audience Ralph Everard Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

26: Canonisation of the Italian Blesseds Arcangelo Tadini (1846-1912), Bernardo Tolomei (1272-1348), Gertrude Comensoli (1847-1903) and Caterina Volpicelli (1839-1894), and of the Portuguese Blessed Nuno de Santa Maria Alvares Pereira (1360-1431).

27: Benedict XVI receives in audience Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus.

27: Benedict XVI receives in audience His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall.

28: Holy Father visits the Italian region of Abruzzo to visit people affected by the 6 April earthquake.

30: Holy Father receives in audience Alvaro Uribe Velez, president of the Republic of Colombia.

30: Benedict XVI receives a third group of prelates from the Argentinean Episcopal Conference at the conclusion of their "ad limina" visit.

30: Pope attends a concert offered by Giorgio Napolitano, president of the Italian Republic, to mark the fourth anniversary of his pontificate.

MAY

7: Holy Father receives in audience Elias Antonio Saca Gonzalez, president of the Republic of El Salvador.

8-15: Holy Father's pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

18: Holy Father receives prelates from the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, who have recently completed their "ad limina" visit.

19: Benedict XVI receives in audience Lech Kaczynski, president of the Republic of Poland.

22: Benedict XVI receives in separate audiences first Georgi Parvanov, president of the Republic of Bulgaria, then Gjeorge Ivanov, president of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, for the commemoration of the Feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.

24: Solemnity of the Lord's Ascension: Pope makes a pastoral visit to Montecassino, Italy.

24: Publication on the official website of the Holy See of the "Compendium of the Letter of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to the Church in China". The Holy Father's original Letter to the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China was dated 27 May 2007.

29: Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of eight new ambassadors to the Holy See: Danzannorov Boldbaatar of Mongolia; Chitra Narayanan of India; Charles Borromee Todjinou of Benin, Robert Carey Moore-Jones of New Zealand; George Johannes of South Africa; Beyon Luc Adolphe Tiao of Burkina Faso; Neville Melvin Gertze of Namibia, and Rolf Trolle Andersen of Norway.

30: Benedict XVI receives in audience Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic.

JUNE

1: Benedict XVI receives in audience Viktor Yushchenko, president of Ukraine.

8: Holy Father receives prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela at the conclusion of their "ad limina" visit.

18: Benedict XVI receives in audience George Abela, president of Malta.

19: On today's Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Pope inaugurates the Year for Priests, called to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney.

19: Benedict XVI receives in audience His Beatitude Ignace Youssif III Younan, the new Catholic patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians.

21: Holy Father makes a pastoral visit to San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.

27: Holy Father receives prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

28: Holy Father presides at first Vespers in the basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls for the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, officially marking the closure of the Pauline Year.

JULY

4: Holy Father presides at Vespers in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Place to mark its reopening following seven years of restoration work.

4: Benedict XVI sends a letter to Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister, for the meeting of the heads of State and Government of the industrialised countries (G8), due to take place in the Italian city of L'Aquila from 8 to 10 July.

6: Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of Carl-Henri Guiteau, the new envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Haiti to the Holy See.

7: Press conference in the Holy See Press Office to present Benedict XVI's new Encyclical "Caritas in veritate".

7: Holy Father receives in audience Taro Aso, prime minister of Japan.

8: Publication of Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" of Pope Benedict XVI, "Ecclesiae unitatem". The document concerns the structure of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" which deals with questions involving the Society of Saint Pius X and which now becomes dependent upon the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

9: Holy Father receives in audience Kevin Rudd, prime minister of Australia.

9: Holy Father receives in audience Lee Myung-bak, president of the Republic of Korea.

10: Benedict XVI receives in audience Barack H. Obama, president of the United States of America.

10: Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of Hector Federico Ling Altamirano, the new ambassador of Mexico to the Holy See.

11: Benedict XVI receives Stephen Harper, prime minister of Canada.

13-29: Holy Father spends a holiday at the residence of Les Combes in Introd, in the Italian alpine region of Valle d'Aosta.

17: Holy Father undergoes a minor operation at the Umberto Parini hospital of Aosta to set a broken wrist, following a fall at his holiday villa in Les Combes.
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POPE LEAVES THE ALPS AND RETURNS TO CASTELGANDOLFO

VATICAN CITY, 30 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI's two-week holiday at Les Combes came to an end yesterday with a ceremony held at midday in which he bid farewell to the police, fire service and Italian civil protection for their help and vigilance during his stay.

  "You have been like angels", the Pope told them. "Angels are invisible but also efficient. So you too have been. You were invisible to me, but always efficient".

  "Unfortunately", he joked, "my own guardian angel did not prevent my accident. ... Perhaps the Lord wished to teach me greater patience and humility, to give me more time for prayer and meditation".

  In the afternoon, having bid farewell to Bishop Giuseppe Anfossi of Aosta and the local and regional authorities, the Holy Father travelled by helicopter to the northern Italian city of Turin where he boarded his flight for Rome. Having landed at Rome's Ciampino airport, he continued his journey by car to his summer residence of Castelgandolfo.
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PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2009: JANUARY - MARCH

VATICAN CITY, 30 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of January to March 2009. Another summary, covering the period from April to July, will be published tomorrow.

JANUARY

1: In the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father presides at Mass for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, which also marks the 42nd World Day of Peace the theme of which is "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace".

3: Publication of a Letter from the Pope, written in Latin and dated 28 December 2008, in which he appoints Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. as papal legate to the Sixth World Meeting of Families, to be celebrated in Mexico City from 13 to 18 January.

11: Cardinal Pio Laghi, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Catholic Education and patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, dies at the age of 86.

14-18: Sixth World Meeting of Families celebrated in Mexico City on the theme: "The family, teacher of human and Christian values". To all the faithful who participate devotedly in the event, the Holy Father grants Plenary Indulgence under the usual conditions: sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

16: Benedict XVI receives prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Iran at the end of their "ad limina" visit. The conference is made up of ordinaries of the Armenian, Chaldean and Latin Churches.

18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the theme of which, taken from the Prophet Ezechiel, is: "That they may become one in your hand".

18: Benedict XVI announces that the Italian city of Milan will be the site of the next World Meeting of Families, due to take place in spring 2012 on the theme "The Family, Work and Feast".

20: Cardinal Stephanos II Ghattas, C.M., patriarch emeritus of Alexandria of the Copts, Egypt, dies at the age of 89.

23: Benedict XVI receives in audience Branko Crvenkovski, president of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

23: Benedict XVI receives bishops of the Syriac Catholic Church, led by His Beatitude Ignace Youssif III Younan, elected as patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians by the Synod of Bishops of the Syriac Catholic Church, meeting in Rome from 18 to 20 January.

23: Publication of the Holy Father's Message for the 43rd World Day of Social Communications, to be celebrated on 24 May on the theme: "New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship".

24: Holy Father receives prelates from the Chaldean Church at the end of their "ad limina" visit. During the audience the bishops give the Pope a cape used by Archbishop Faraj Rahho of Mosul and a stole belonging to Fr. Ragheed Aziz Ganni, both killed in Iraq over recent months.

26: Benedict XVI receives the Letters of Credence of Stanislas Lefebvre de Laboulaye, the new French ambassador to the Holy See.

29: Holy Father receives prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the Russian Federation at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

FEBRUARY

2: Holy Father receives the Letters of Credence of Janos Balassa, the new ambassador of Hungary to the Holy See.

2: Pope receives bishops from the Episcopal Conference of Turkey at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

3: Presentation of the Holy Father's 2009 Lenten Message, on the theme: "He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry".

7: Publication of the Holy Father's Message for the seventeenth World Day of the Sick, which is celebrated every year on 11 February, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

9: Pope receives the Letters of Credence of Luiz Felipe de Seixas Correa, the new ambassador of Brazil to the Holy See.

12: Benedict XVI receives the Letters of Credence of Timothy Andrew Fischer, the new ambassador of Australia to the Holy See.

12: Benedict XVI attends a concert commemorating the eightieth anniversary of the foundation of Vatican City State. Our Lady's Choral Society and the RTE Concert Orchestra, both from Dublin, Ireland, play the "Messiah" by Georg Friedrich Handel.

14: Benedict XVI receives prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

16: Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, archbishop emeritus of Seoul, Korea, dies at the age of 86.

19: Benedict XVI receives in audience Gordon Brown, prime minister of the United Kingdom.

22: Cardinal Paul Joseph Pham Dinh Tung, archbishop emeritus of Hanoi, Vietnam, dies at the age of 89.

27: Holy Father receives in audience Masud Barazani, president of the Autonomous Kurdish Region in Iraq.

MARCH

1: Russian Orthodox church of St. Nicholas in the Italian city of Bari is returned to the custody of the Patriarchate of Moscow in the course of solemn ceremony held there today. During the celebration, Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi, archbishop emeritus of Palermo, Italy, reads out a Message from the Holy Father.

3-7: International conference on the theme: "Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories. A critical appraisal 150 years after 'The origin of species'", is held at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

9: Benedict XVI visits Rome Town Hall, located on the city's Capitoline Hill, where he meets Mayor Gianni Alemanno and other civic leaders.

12: Publication of a Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to the bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the remission of the excommunication of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre.

14: Benedict XVI receives a first group of prelates from the Argentinean Episcopal Conference at the conclusion of their "ad limina" visit.

14: Benedict XVI receives in audience Edward Fenech Adami, president of the Republic of Malta.

16: Announcement of the Year for Priests, to be held from 19 June 2009 to 11 June 2010 on the theme: "Faithfulness of Christ, faithfulness of priests". The year marks the 150th anniversary of the death of John Mary Vianney, the holy "Cure of Ars".

17-23: Benedict XVI's apostolic trip to Cameroon and Angola.

19: For the occasion of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church, the official website of the Holy See is enhanced by the addition of a new section in Chinese.

27: Benedict XVI receives in audience Demetris Christofias, president of the Republic of Cyprus.

29: On this fifth Sunday of Lent, the Pope visits the parish of the Holy Face of Jesus, located in the Magliana neighbourhood in the western sector of the diocese of Rome.

31: Publication of Benedict XVI's Message for the 46th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be celebrated on 3 May on the theme: "Faith in the divine initiative - the human response".
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HOLY FATHER'S HOLIDAY IN VALLE D'AOSTA COMES TO AN END

VATICAN CITY, 29 JUL 2009 (VIS) - This evening the Holy Father's holiday at Les Combes near Introd - his third there since the start of his pontificate - is due to come to an end. The Pope travelled to Les Combes in the Italian alpine region of Valle d'Aosta on 13 July.

  Benedict XVI is due to leave his residence at 5 p.m., travelling by helicopter to Caselle airport near the northern Italian city of Turin. From there he will fly by plane to Rome's Ciampino airport.

  From Ciampino he will be taken by car to the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo, where he will spend the rest of the summer and continue treatment of his right wrist which he broke in a fall on 17 July.

  On Saturday 1 August he is scheduled to receive around 100 athletes who are currently participating in the world swimming championships in Rome. On Sunday 2 August he will pray the Angelus from the balcony overlooking the central courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo. Weekly general audiences will resume from Wednesday 5 August.
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THEME FOR THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE 2010

VATICAN CITY, 29 JUL 2009 (VIS) - "If you want to cultivate peace, protect the creation" is the theme chosen by Benedict XVI for his Message for the 43rd World Day of Peace, which will be celebrated on 1 January 2010.

  "The theme", says a communique made public today, "aims to raise awareness about the strong bond that exists in our globalised and interconnected world between protecting the creation and cultivating peace.

  "This close and intimate tie", the communique adds, "is further accentuated by the many problems concerning man's natural environment, such as the use of resources, climate change, the application and use of biotechnology, and demographic growth. If the human family is unable to face these new challenges with a renewed sense of social justice and equity, and of international solidarity, we run the risk of sowing seeds of violence among peoples, and between current generations and those to come".

  The communique goes on: "Following the precious guidelines contained in paragraphs 48 to 51 of the Encyclical 'Caritas in veritate', the papal Massage will make it clear that the protection of the environment is a challenge for all humankind. It is shared and universal duty to respect a collective asset destined for everyone".

  The communique concludes by noting that "ecological questions must be faced, not just because of the dreadful prospects that environmental degradation presages; they must be translated, above all, into a strong motivation to cultivate peace".
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 29 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma of the Ukrainians, U.S.A, presented by Bishop Robert Mikhail Moskal, in accordance with canon 210 para. 1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

 - Appointed Bishop John Bura, auxiliary of the archieparchy of Philadelphia of the Ukrainians, U.S.A., as apostolic administrator "sede vacante" of St. Josaphat in Parma of the Ukrainians, U.S.A.
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BENEDICT XVI TO BECOME HONORARY CITIZEN OF INTROD

VATICAN CITY, 28 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI is to be granted honorary citizenship of Introd, the Italian alpine locality which includes Les Combes, site of the Salesian-owned villa where the Pope is currently spending a holiday.

  The announcement was made by Osvaldo Naudin, mayor of Introd, who explained that the decision was taken unanimously at a meeting of the town council held last week. Benedict XVI has spent his July holiday at Introd on three occasions, in 2005, 2006 and 2009, while the town has hosted holidaying Pontiffs on a total of thirteen occasions. The conferral of citizenship will take place in Rome this winter, probably in December when a delegation from Introd makes a traditional visit to the Vatican to wish the Pope a happy Christmas.

  On a separate front, Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. announced on Vatican Radio that the Pope has confirmed his intention to attend the exposition of the Shroud of Turin, due to take place in that Italian city in the spring of 2010. The Holy Father thus accepts the invitation of Cardinal Severino Poletto, archbishop of Turin with whom he had lunch last Sunday, although the exact date of the trip has not yet been settled.
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CARDINAL BERTONE DELIVERS A TALK ON "CARITAS IN VERITATE"

VATICAN CITY, 28 JUL 2009 (VIS) - At midday today Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. pronounced an address on Benedict XVI's recent Encyclical "Caritas in veritate" before the Italian Senate, at the invitation of Renato Schifani, president of that institution.

  Cardinal Bertone highlighted certain anthropological and theological aspects of the text, recalling how in 2004 the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had given a "lectio magistralis" in the Senate library on the theme: "Europe. Its spiritual roots, yesterday, today and tomorrow". On that occasion, he recalled, the future Pontiff had focused on certain themes that are now contained in his third Encyclical, such as "the affirmation of the profound reasons behind the dignity of individuals and their rights", and marriage and the family as elements that have forged European identity.

  The Secretary of State expressed the view that "over and above differences in formation and in personal convictions", the representatives of the Italian people will "find in the Pope's words an exalted and profound source of inspiration when carrying out their mission, and so be able to respond adequately to the ethical, cultural and social challenges of today".
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TRUE DIVINE POWER IS THE POWER OF MERCY AND FORGIVENESS

VATICAN CITY, 25 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon , Benedict XVI presided at the celebration of Vespers in the cathedral of Aosta, Italy, in the presence of four hundred priests, religious and lay representatives from the parishes of the diocese.

  In his homily, delivered without notes, the Pope said that if "our relationship with God is not living, if it is not lived, then none of our other relationships can take their correct form. And this also holds true for society, for humankind. Here too, if we do without God, if God is absent, we lack the compass ... to show us the path, the direction we must follow".

  "We must bring the truth of God back into the world, make Him known", he went on. "Evangelisation consists precisely in the distant God becoming close, in God no longer being far off but near, in this 'known-unknown' finally making Himself known and revealing His face. ... He shows us His face, He enters our world. There is no longer any need to use other powers because He is the true power, the Almighty".

  The Holy Father highlighted the importance of understanding "that God's omnipotence is not an arbitrary power, because God is Good, He is Truth. Hence God can do everything but He cannot act against goodness, He cannot act against truth, He cannot act against love and freedom, because He Himself is goodness, love and true freedom".

  "God is the custodian of our freedom, of love and of truth. This eye that looks down is not an evil eye watching over us, but the presence of a love that never abandons us".

  Benedict XVI highlighted how "the pinnacle of God's power is mercy and forgiveness. In our modern concept of what power is we think of people who possess great property", who can "influence the market. We think of those with great military power, who have the power to threaten. Stalin's question 'how many divisions does the Pope have?' continues to characterise the typical idea of power. Those who have power are dangerous, they can threaten and destroy".

  "But the Revelation tells us that this is not so. True power is the power of grace and mercy. In His mercy God shows true power".

  "God has suffered and in the Son suffers with us", said Pope Benedict. "Thus He shows true divine power. He wanted to suffer with us and for us. We are never abandoned in our sufferings".

  "Why was it necessary to suffer in order to save the world?" the Holy Father asked. "It was necessary because in the world there exists an ocean of evil, of injustice, of hatred and of violence, and the many victims of hatred and injustice have the right to see justice done. ... God must enter into this world and oppose the ocean of injustice with a greater ocean of goodness and love".

  Following the celebration of Vespers, the Pope left the cathedral and greeted the faithful gathered outside. "I would just like to say thank-you for the sympathy and affection you show me", he said. "My hope is you enjoy a happy holiday, free from 'incidents'", he added jokingly raising his right arm in its plaster cast.

  Returning to his residence at Les Combes, the Pope paused to meet elderly people in the old people's home of Introd, whom he greeted from his car window due to the driving rain.
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BENEDICT XVI MENTIONS EDUCATIONAL ROLE OF GRANDPARENTS

VATICAN CITY, 26 JUL 2009 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI prayed the Angelus with faithful gathered near his chalet at Les Combes in the Italian region of Valle d'Aosta where he is spending a holiday.

  Before the Marian prayer, the Holy Father thanked God for "the joy of these days when I was truly able to relax, despite the accident of which you are well aware", he added referring to the fall in which he broke his right wrist.

  The Pontiff then spoke of today's Gospel in which St. John describes the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. "It is", he said, "as if the Eucharist were anticipated in the great sign of the bread of life. In this Year for Priests, ... we members of the clergy may see ourselves reflected in this text of John's, identifying ourselves with the Apostles when they say: where are we going to find bread for these people to eat? And when we read of that anonymous boy with his five barley loaves and two fish, we too are moved to exclaim: But what are they among so many people? In other words, who am I? How can I with my limitations help Jesus in His mission? And it is the Lord Who provides the answer: By putting in his 'saintly and venerable' hands the little they are, priests become instruments of salvation for many people, for everyone!"

  The Pope then went on to mention Sts. Joachim and Anna, parents of the Virgin and, hence, grandparents of Jesus, whose feast day falls today. Emphasising the vital importance of education in Church pastoral care, Benedict XVI invited people "to pray for grandparents who, in families, are the depositories and often witnesses of the fundamental values of life.

  "The educational role of grandparents is always important, and it becomes even more important when, for various reasons, parents are unable to ensure an adequate presence alongside their children as they are growing", the Pope added, entrusting all the grandparents of the world to the protection of Sts. Joachim and Anna. Finally, following the Angelus prayer, he also mentioned "all elderly people, especially those who are alone or experiencing moments of difficulty".
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 27 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Msgr. Luis R. Zarama, vicar general of the archdiocese of Atlanta, U.S.A., as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 55,521, population 6,455,000, Catholics 757,000, priests 279, permanent deacons 202, religious 189). The bishop-elect was born in Pasto, Colombia in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1993.

  On Saturday 25 July it was made public that he:

 - Appointed Bishop Joseph Vu Duy Thong, auxiliary of Thanh-Pho Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, as bishop of Phan Thiet (area 7,828, population 1,595,000, Catholics 155,287, priests 107, religious 482), Vietnam. He succeeds Bishop Paul Nguyen Thanh Hoan, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Pierre Nguyen Van De S.D.B., auxiliary of Bui Chu, Vietnam, as bishop of Thai Binh (area 2,301, population 2,948,000, Catholics 121,500, priests 57, religious 123), Vietnam. He succeeds Bishop Francois X. Nguyen Van Sang, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Joseph Nguyen Nang, rector of the major seminary of Xuan Loc, Vietnam, as bishop of Phat Diem (area 1,787, population 980,987, Catholics 153,131, priests 54, religious 215), Vietnam. The bishop-elect was born in Phuc Nhac, Vietnam in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1990.

 - Appointed Msgr. Charles Phillip Richard Moth, vicar general of the archdiocese of Southwark, England, as military ordinary for Great Britain. The bishop-elect was born in Chingola, Zambia in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1982.

 - Appointed Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo of Semarang, Indonesia, as coadjutor archbishop of Jakarta (area 2,988, population 11,957,000, Catholics 458,369, priests 281, religious 1,049), Indonesia.

 - Appointed Fr. Thomas Vu Dinh Hieu, chancellor of Xuan Loc, Vietnam, as auxiliary of the same diocese (area 5,955, population 2,386,744, Catholics 816,342, priests 343, religious 1,915). The bishop-elect was born in Ninh My, Vietnam in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1999.

 - Appointed as members of the International Theological Commission: Fr. Marco Doldi, professor of moral theology at the Faculty of Theology of Northern Italy in Genoa; Fr. Gilles Emery O.P., professor of systematic theology at the Faculty of Theology of Fribourg, Switzerland; Fr. Mario Angel Flores, professor of systematic theology at the Faculty of Theology of Mexico in Mexico City; Fr. Francis Gustilo S.D.B., professor of theology and spirituality at the Don Bosco Study Centre of Paranaque in Manila, Philippines; Fr. Javier Prades Lopez, professor of systematic theology at the Faculty of Theology of Madrid, Spain; Fr. Michael Schulz, professor of systematic theology at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Bonn, Germany; Fr. Pierangelo Sequeri, professor of fundamental theology at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy in Milan; Fr. Philippe Vallin, professor of systematic theology at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Strasbourg, France, and Fr. Guillermo Zuleta professor of systematic theology and of canon law at the University of Medellin, Colombia

 - Appointed Cardinal Franc Rode C.M., prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the millennium of the archdiocese of Alba Julia, Romania, due to take place on 29 September.
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HOLY FATHER MEETS THE CHILDREN OF LES COMBES

VATICAN CITY, 24 JUL 2009 (VIS) - At around 6.30 p.m. on the evening of Wednesday 22 July, following a day spent working with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., the Pope took his habitual evening stroll in the Italian alpine resort of Les Combes where he is spending a holiday.

  During his walk the Holy Father, at his own request, was able to spend a few minutes with the children of Les Combes. He also conversed with a sick woman to whom he expressed the hope of a prompt recovery. At the end of the meeting Benedict XVI blessed those present.

  Tomorrow, Saturday, the Holy Father will undergo a radiological check-up in his own residence. The hospital of Aosta has sent portable radiology equipment used to carry out routine checks on fractures such as the one Benedict XVI has to his right wrist. Apart from the Pope's personal physician Dr. Patrizio Polisca, also present at the examination will be Dr. Manuel Mancini, the surgeon who operated on the Holy Father last Friday, and Dr. Vincenzo Sessa, director of orthopaedics at Rome's Fatebenefratelli hospital who will follow the healing of the Pope's fracture on his return to Castelgandolfo.

  On a different front, Benedict XVI has expressed, through the apostolic nunciature to the Philippines, his "spiritual closeness" to Corazon Aquino, former president of that country, who has been hospitalised in Manila with colon cancer. The Pope sends the former head of State assurances of recollection in his prayers.
.../PAPAL ACTIVITY/LES COMBES                VIS 20090724 (260)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 24 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Giacinto Berloco, apostolic nuncio to Belgium, also as apostolic nuncio to Luxembourg.
NN/.../BERLOCO                            VIS 20090724 (30)

POPE TO PRESIDE AT VESPERS IN THE CATHEDRAL OF AOSTA

VATICAN CITY, 23 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Tomorrow evening, Friday 24 July, Benedict XVI will preside at the celebration of Vespers in the cathedral of Aosta, Italy.

  The Holy Father will cross the city centre by popemobile before moving on to the cathedral. The ceremony there is due to be attended by some 400 people including priests, religious, two lay people from each of Aosta's ninety-three parishes, and representatives from diocesan offices and ecclesial organisations.

  Following Vespers of the day in Italian and in French, the Holy Father will pronounce a homily. At the end of the ceremony he will emerge onto the cathedral's balcony to bless other faithful present. On his return journey to his holiday villa at Les Combes, he will stop to greet elderly people at the old people's home of Introd.

  Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., who is at Les Combes, has announced that Benedict XVI "is well and in good spirits. He is using a tape recorder to dictate his ideas as he finds it difficult to wield a pen, his right hand being in plaster because of his broken wrist".

  Fr. Lombardi also indicated that the Holy Father takes two daily walks near the chalet in which he is staying, one after lunch and the other in the evening.

  Yesterday the Holy Father received Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. They attended to certain pressing matters then had lunch together.

  The Holy See Press Office Director also explained that Benedict XVI "makes regular phone calls to his brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger who, in a few day's time, will travel to Castelgandolfo to spend four weeks with the Pope".
.../POPE HOLIDAY/LOMBARDI                    VIS 20090723 (290)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 23 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 - Fr. Theodorus van Ruijven C.M., apostolic prefect of Jimma-Bonga, Ethiopia, and apostolic administrator of Nekemte, Ethiopia, as apostolic vicar of Nekemte (area 98,972, population 6,501,000, Catholics 45,000, priests 32, religious 48). The bishop-elect was born in Rijswijk, Holland in 1938 and ordained a priest in 1964.

 - Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, apostolic nuncio to Angola and to Sao Tome e Principe, as apostolic nuncio to Cuba.
NER:NN/.../VAN RUIJVEN:BECCIU                    VIS 20090723 (90)

CONGRESSES AND MEETINGS ON "CARITAS IN VERITATE"

VATICAN CITY, 22 JUL 2009 (VIS) - "Beyond the ideology of crisis. Development, ethics and the market in 'Caritas in veritate'" was the theme of a congress organised by the Magna Charta Foundation to study the Pope's recent Encyclical. The congress, held yesterday, 21 July, in the Roman church of Santa Marta, was attended by, among others, Archbishop-bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi of Trieste, Italy, and Maurizio Sacconi, Italian minister for social affairs and employment.

  Also as part of initiatives to promote Benedict XVI's third Encyclical, at 6 p.m. this evening at the St. Pius X auditorium in Rome a meeting will be held on the theme "'Caritas in veritate', an Encyclical for understanding the future". Among those participating in the event will be Archbishop Rino Fisichella, rector of the Pontifical Lateran University and president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and Giulio Tremonti, Italian finance minister. The meeting has been organised by the Congregation of Sons of the Immaculate Conception and by the ELEA company.
.../CARITAS IN VERITATE/CREPALDI:FISICHELLA            VIS 20090722 (180)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 22 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Arlindo Gomes Furtado of Mindelo, Cape Verde, as bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde (area 1,803, population 345,000, Catholics 327,750, priests 40, religious 105), Cape Verde. He succeeds Bishop Paulino Do Livramento Evora C.S.Sp., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the prelature of Coari, Brazil, presented by Bishop Joercio Goncalves Pereira C.SS.R., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
NER:RE/.../GOMES:EVORA:GONCALVES                VIS 20090722 (110)

PAPAL GREETING TO TOUR DE FRANCE CYCLISTS

VATICAN CITY, 21 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. has announced that the Pope sends his greetings to cyclists participating in the Tour de France, who today are scheduled to pass near the Italian alpine town of Introd where the Holy Father is spending a holiday.

  "For the occasion of the passage of the Tour de France in the Valle d'Aosta, the Holy Father (who is spending some days at Les Combes near Introd) addresses his cordial greetings to all the athletes and to the organisers of the race, at the same time extending his thoughts to all sports men and women currently involved in various activities and competitions. His hope is that involvement in sport may contribute to the integral development of the person, and that it may never be separated from respect for moral and educational values".
OP/POPE TOUR DE FRANCE/LOMBARDI            VIS 20090721 (160)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 21 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Jose Romero Orquejo Lazo of Kalibo, Philippines, as bishop of San Jose de Antique (area 2,552, population 552,000, Catholics 390,000, priests 40, religious 85), Philippines.
NER/.../ORQUEJO                            VIS 20090721 (40)

TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL MARGEOT

VATICAN CITY, 18 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Made public yesterday afternoon was a telegram from the Pope to Bishop Maurice Piat C.S.Sp. of Port Louis, Mauritius, for the demise of Cardinal Jean Margeot, bishop emeritus of that diocese who died on 17 July at the age of 93.

  The Holy Father expresses his "profound union in prayer with the diocese of Port-Louis, with the family of the deceased and with everyone affected by this loss. Entrusting him to the mercy of the Lord, I give thanks to God for the ministry of this zealous pastor who dedicated his entire life to the inhabitants of the Isle of Mauritius, as diocesan priest then as bishop of Port-Louis, giving the best of himself that Christ might be announced, especially through his generous commitment to serving the defence and promotion of the family.

  "By the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, mother of the Church, may the Lord welcome His faithful servant into His Kingdom of peace and light. Upon you, upon the faithful of the diocese, upon the relatives of the deceased and upon everyone who gathers for the funeral liturgy," the Pope concludes, "I impart a heartfelt apostolic blessing".
TGR/DEATH CARDINAL MARGEOT/PIAT            VIS 20090720 (210)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 18 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 - Bishop Jose Manuel Lorca Planes of Teruel y Albarracin, Spain, as bishop of Cartagena (area 11,319, population 1,392,117, Catholics 1,230,910, priests 508, religious 1,052), Spain.

 - Msgr. Giovanni Carru, under secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy, as a member of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, at the same time making him secretary of that pontifical commission.

 - Fabrizio Bisconti, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, as archaeological superintendent for the catacombs.
NER:NA/.../LORCA:CARRU:BISCONTI                VIS 20090720 (90)

POPE PRAYS THE ANGELUS IN HOMETOWN OF CARDINAL BERTONE

VATICAN CITY, 19 JUL 2009 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI travelled by helicopter from Les Combes in the Italian region of Valle d'Aosta, where he is spending a holiday, to Romano Canavese in the region of Piedmont, birthplace of Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. There the Pope prayed the Angelus in the main square of the town in the company of some three thousand faithful.

  Before the Marian prayer the Pope greeted Cardinal Bertone whom he described as "my closest collaborator, as he was for a number of years in the past when I was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith". Benedict XVI also thanked the people who had expressed concern for his health over recent days, and mentioned the medical team of the hospital in Aosta where he underwent an operation on Friday for a fractured wrist. "As you see", he said, "because of my accident my agility is somewhat limited, yet I am fully here in heart and am filled with joy to be among you".

  The Pontiff spoke of his Secretary of State's home region, its centuries-old ties with the Church of Rome and the industriousness of is inhabitants. "Yet", he went on, "I know that here too, in the area of Ivrea, many families are experiencing situations of economic hardship due to the lack of work. I have already spoken of this problem on a number of occasions and have dealt with it more profoundly in my recent Encyclical 'Caritas in veritate'".

  "Do not be discouraged!" cried Pope Benedict. "Providence always helps people who work for good and are committed to justice, ... people who think not only of themselves but also of those less fortunate. You know this well because your forebears were compelled to emigrate because of a lack of work, but then economic development brought wellbeing and others have immigrated here from Italy and from abroad. The fundamental values of the family and respect for human life, sensitivity to social justice, an ability to face hardship and sacrifice, the powerful bond with Christian faith through parish life and especially through participation in Mass, have for many centuries been your true strength. These same values will allow today's generation to build their future with hope, giving life to a truly united and fraternal society in which ... institutions and the economy are permeated with evangelical spirit.

  "I particularly address the young", he added. "It is important to ask what kind of culture is proposed to them, what examples and models they are presented with, and to decide if they are such as to encourage them to follow the ways of the Gospel and of true freedom. Young people are full of resources, but they must be helped to overcome the temptation to follow easy and illusory paths, and to find their way to the true and full Life".

  Finally, the Pope recalled how the diocese of which Romano Canavese is part owes much "to the sons and daughters of Don Bosco, to their widespread and fruitful presence throughout the area. ... May this be a further cause of encouragement for your diocesan community to make ever greater efforts in the field of education and of stimulating vocations".
ANG/WORK VOCATIONS/ROMANO CANAVESE        VIS 20090720 (560)

POPE SUCCESSFULLY OPERATED FOR WRIST FRACTURE

VATICAN CITY, 17 JUL 2009 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI underwent surgery at the Umberto Parini hospital in the Italian town of Aosta for a fracture to his right wrist. He had suffered a fall last night in his chalet at Les Combes in Valle d'Aosta where he is spending a brief holiday.

The Holy Father arrived at the hospital at 9:45 a.m. this morning. "Even so", declared Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi, "he celebrated Mass and had breakfast early this morning".

Later the Pope "underwent an operation to realign the fractured fragments and fasten them through osteosynthesis, using a local anaesthetic then applying a cast. The Holy Father's general condition is good" added the Pope's doctor Patrizio Polisca, specifying that "the Pope will return shortly to his residence".

OP/FALL HOLY FATHER/LOMBARDI VIS 20090717 (120)

MEETING OF "POPULORUM PROGRESSIO" ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL

VATICAN CITY, 17 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The annual meeting of the administrative council of the "Populorum Progressio" Foundation is due to be held from 27 to 31 July at the Schwerte Catholic Academy in the archdiocese of Paderborn, Germany, to consider the financing of projects in support of poor indigenous mixed race and Afro-American rural communities of Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to a communique made public today, the administrative council is composed of the following members: Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico (president); Archbishop Edmundo Luis Flavio Abastoflor Montero of La Paz, Bolivia; Archbishop Alberto Taveira Correa of Palmas, Brazil; Archbishop Antonio Arregui Yarza of Guayaquil, Ecuador; Bishop Jose Luis Astigarraga Lizarralde C.P., apostolic vicar of Yurimaguas, Peru, and Msgr. Segundo Tejado Munoz, representative of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum". Also present at the meeting will be Msgr. Giovanni Battista Gandolfo, the new president of the Italian Episcopal Conference's committee for charitable initiatives in favour of the Third World, which is the main supporter of the Foundation.

"These meetings traditionally take place by rotation in the Latin American countries of origin of the members of the administrative council", explains the communique. "Having completed the round, it was decided (also with the aim of giving the Foundation's activities visibility in Europe) to hold the meeting in Germany, country of origin of Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Foundation and of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum".

After recalling how the Foundation, "with the help of contributions from benefactors all over the world, finances projects that focus on integral human formation", the communique specifies that "this year a total of 231 projects have been presented, covering 20 countries and various different sectors including: manufacturing (agricultural implements, production and marketing), healthcare, professional training, creation of community centres, school education and the construction of rural dwellings".

Among the countries that have presented the greatest number of projects are Colombia (52), Brazil (45), Peru (32) and Ecuador (17). They are followed by Bolivia (12), El Salvador (12), Haiti (11), Mexico (9), Guatemala (7), Argentina (6), Chile (6), Costa Rica (5), Nicaragua (3), Dominican Republic (3), Venezuela (3), Cuba (2), Honduras (2), Paraguay (2), Panama (1) and Uruguay (1).

OP/MEETING/POPULORUM PROGRESSIO VIS 20090717 (380)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 17 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Adam Leszek Musialek S.C.I., pastor at Pietermaritzburg in the archdiocese of Durban, South Africa, as bishop De Aar (area 67,248, population 165,500, Catholics 5,824, priests 8, religious 27) South Africa. The bishop-elect was born in Wieruszow, Poland in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1983. He succeeds Bishop Joseph James Potocnak S.C.I., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

NER:RE/.../MUSIALEK:POTOCNAK VIS 20090717 (90)

TELEGRAM OF CONDOLENCE FOR PLANE CRASH IN NORTHERN IRAN

VATICAN CITY, 16 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. sent the following English-language telegram of condolence, in the Holy Father's name, to Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobel, apostolic nuncio to Iran, for the 168 victims of yesterday's plane crash in that country:

"Saddened by news of the great loss of life in the air tragedy over Jannatabad near Qazvin, the Holy Father offers heartfelt condolences to the civil authorities and the families of the victims. He prays for the eternal repose of the dead and implores the almighty and merciful God's gifts of comfort and strength on those who mourn the loss of their loved ones".

TGR/AIR ACCIDENT/IRAN:GOBEL VIS 20090716 (120)

SPECIAL OPENING OF THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

VATICAN CITY, 16 JUL 2009 (VIS) - On Friday 24 July, the Vatican Museums will remain open to the public in the evening and night.

On that day the Museum will remain open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the last visitors being admitted at 9.30 p.m. Visitors will be able to enjoy the sight of the sunset over St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Gardens from the Courtyard of the Cuirasses and from the windows of the Gallery of Maps. They will also have access to the Rooms of Raphael and to the Sistine Chapel, and be able to wander through the galleries of the Vatican Apostolic Library in the twilight.

It is obligatory to book this special visit in advance at the following address: http://mv.vatican.va/2_IT/pages/MV_Home.html. Booking costs four euros, while the entrance fee will be the usual 14 euros full price, 8 euros reduced.

.../NIGHT OPENING/VATICAN MUSEUMS VIS 20090716 (160)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 16 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Gualtiero Bassetti of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro, Italy, as archbishop of Perugia-Citta della Pieve (area 1,900, population 232,832, Catholics 229,500, priests 208, permanent deacons 10, religious 510), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Popolano di Marradi, Italy in 1942, he was ordained a priest in 1966 and consecrated a bishop in 1994. He succeeds Archbishop Giuseppe Chiaretti, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Archbishop Riccardo Fontana of Spoleto-Norcia as archbishop-bishop of the diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro (area 3,425, population 305,000, Catholics 290,000, priests 331, permanent deacons 22, religious 577), Italy.

- Appointed Bishop Renato Boccardo, secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State, as archbishop of Spoleto-Norcia (area 1,836, population 104,124, Catholics 101,707, priests 127, permanent deacons 7, religious 373), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in S. Ambrogio di Torino, Italy in 1952, he was ordained a priest in 1977 and consecrated a bishop in 2004.

- Appointed Bishop Gonzalo Restrepo Restrepo of Girardota, Colombia, as coadjutor archbishop of Manizales (area 3,848, population 791,600, Catholics 771,600, priests 219, permanent deacons 43, religious 585), Colombia. The archbishop-elect was born in Urrao, Colombia in 1947, he was ordained a priest in 1974 and consecrated a bishop in 2004.

- Appointed Archbishop Luigi Gatti, apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, as apostolic nuncio to Greece.

- Appointed Msgr. Gabriele Giordano Caccia, assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, as apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Milan, Italy in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1983.

- Appointed Msgr. Franco Coppola, nunciature counsellor at the section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State, as apostolic nuncio to Burundi, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Maglie, Italy in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1981.

- Appointed Msgr. Peter Brian Wells, nunciature counsellor at the section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, as assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.

- Appointed Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio and delegate for pontifical deputations, as secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

NER:RE:NEC:NN:NA/.../... VIS 20090716 (390)

GREATER INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION IN HEALTHCARE SECTOR

VATICAN CITY, 15 JUL 2009 (VIS) - On 9 July Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi C.S., Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations and Specialised Institutions in Geneva, addressed the High-Level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

In his English-language address, made public yesterday afternoon, Archbishop Tomasi expressed the view that "the financial and economic crisis that greed and lack of ethical responsibility have brought about" has been further exacerbated by the influenza virus A-H1N1 "already recognised at pandemic proportion with a future impact that cannot be projected with much certainty, and by the global food security crisis that endangers the lives of millions of people, particularly the world's poorest, many of whom already suffer from acute and chronic malnutrition".

"The Holy See delegation notes with deep concern predictions by the World Bank that during 2009 an additional 53 to 65 million people will be trapped in extreme poverty, and that the number of people chronically hungry will exceed one billion, 800 million of whom live in rural areas".

After then highlighting the importance of overcoming "the temptation to reduce public services for a short-term benefit against the long-term human cost", the archbishop indicated that "aid for development should be maintained and even increased as a critical factor in renewing the economy and leading us out of the crisis".

He went on: "Another key obstacle to achieving the internationally articulated goals in public health is to address the inequalities that exist both between countries and within countries, and between racial and ethnic groups. Tragically, women continue in many regions to receive poorer quality healthcare".

"The Catholic Church", noted the permanent observer, "sponsors 5,378 hospitals, 18,088 health clinics, 15,448 homes for the elderly and disabled, and other health care programmes throughout the world, but especially in the most isolated and marginalized areas". Yet "faith-based organisations do not receive an equitable share of the resources designated to support global, national and local health initiatives", he said.

"The mere quantitative tracking of aid flows and the multiplication of global health initiatives alone may not be sufficient to assure 'Health for All'. Access to primary health care and affordable life-saving drugs is vital to improving global health. ... In an increasingly interdependent world, even sickness and viruses have no boundaries, and therefore, greater global co-operation becomes not only a practical necessity, but more importantly, an ethical imperative of solidarity.

"However, we must be guided by the best healthcare tradition that respects and promotes the right to life from conception until natural death for all regardless of race, disability, nationality, religion, sex and socio-economic status".

The Holy See delegation believes "an ethical approach to development is needed which implies a new model of global development centred on the human person rather than profit, and inclusive of the needs and aspirations of the entire human family".

DELSS/ECOSOC/GENEVA:TOMASI VIS 20090715 (480)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 15 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Michele Castoro of Oria, Italy, as archbishop of Manfredonia - Vieste - San Giovanni Rotondo (area 1,665, population 155,019, Catholics 153,000, priests 130, permanent deacons 3, religious 245), Italy, and as director general of the International Association of Prayer Groups of Padre Pio. The archbishop-elect was born in Altamura, Italy in 1952, he was ordained a priest in 1977 and consecrated a bishop in 2005.

- Appointed Bishop Francisco Focardi O.F.M., auxiliary of the apostolic vicariate of El Beni, Bolivia, as apostolic vicar of Camiri (area 104,000, population 137,800, Catholics 115,000, priests 25, permanent deacons 1, religious 70), Bolivia. He succeeds Bishop Leonardo Mario Bernacchi O.F.M., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same apostolic vicariate the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

NER:RE/.../CASTORO:FOCARDI:BERNACCHI VIS 20090715 (150)

HOLY FATHER'S CONCERN OVER ATTACKS ON CHURCHES IN IRAQ

VATICAN CITY, 14 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has expressed his concern over last weekend's attacks on eight Christian churches in Baghdad and Mosul, Iraq, which left four people dead and many injured.

In a telegram sent to Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. says that the Pope "prays for a conversion of heart in the authors of this violence, and encourages the authorities to do everything possible to promote just and peaceful coexistence among all sectors of the Iraqi population".

The Holy Father, says the telegram, "also gives assurances of his prayers and his spiritual closeness to the Catholic and Orthodox communities of the Iraqi capital".

TGR/ATTACKS/IRAQ VIS 20090714 (130)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 14 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Bruno Alessio Esposito O.P., dean of the faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, as a consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

NA/.../ESPOSITO VIS 20090714 (50)

POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OBAMA OF THE UNITED STATES

VATICAN CITY, 11 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a communique released yesterday afternoon by the Holy See Press Office:

"This afternoon, Friday 10 July, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI received in audience Barack H. Obama, president of the United States of America. Prior to the audience, the president met Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

"In the course of their cordial exchanges the conversation turned first of all to questions which are in the interests of all and which constitute a great challenge for the future of every nation and for the true progress of peoples, such as the defence and promotion of life and the right to abide by one's conscience.

"Reference was also made to immigration with particular attention to the matter of reuniting families.

"The meeting focused as well upon matters of international politics, especially in light of the outcome of the G8 Summit. The conversation also dealt with the peace process in the Middle East, on which there was general agreement, and with other regional situations. Certain current issues were then considered, such as dialogue between cultures and religions, the global economic crisis and its ethical implications, food security, development aid especially for Africa and Latin America, and the problem of drug trafficking. Finally, the importance of educating young people everywhere in the value of tolerance was highlighted".

OP/AUDIENCE PRESIDENT/U.S.A.:OBAMA VIS 20090713 (250)

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MEETS THE HOLY FATHER

VATICAN CITY, 11 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:

"This morning His Holiness Benedict XVI received Stephen Harper, prime minister of Canada, who afterwards met with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary of the Section for Relations with States.

"The friendly conversation focused on several issues of international politics discussed at the G8 and on the results of the summit, also in the light of the new Encyclical 'Caritas in Veritate', and particularly the economic and financial crisis and its ethical implications, aid to developing countries, especially Africa, climate change, disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.

"Attention was given also to the Middle East and to the future prospects for peace in the region, as well as to religious freedom in several countries.

"With regard to Canada, the conversation involved ethical values, the defence and promotion of life, marriage and family".

OP/AUDIENCE PRIME MINISTER/CANADA:HARPER VIS 20090713 (170)

CHURCH IN EUROPE: APOSTOLIC WORK OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

VATICAN CITY, 11 JUL 2009 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Benedict XVI received 1,100 participants in the first European meeting of university students promoted by the Catechesis-School-University Commission of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE). The theme of the meeting was: "New disciples of Emmaus. In university as Christians".

Having observed that the students' visit to the Vatican is taking place on the Feast of St. Benedict, the Pope remarked that the aim of their meeting was "to show the episcopal conferences of Europe your willingness to continue along the path of cultural development, which St. Benedict knew to be vital for the human and Christian maturity of the people of Europe. This will come about if you, like the disciples of Emmaus, meet the risen Lord in an authentic ecclesial experience, and especially in the celebration of the Eucharist".

"Your missionary efforts in the university environment consist, then, in bearing witness to your own personal encounter with Jesus Christ, the Truth Who illuminates the path of all mankind. ... Only in this way can we become the ferment and leaven of a society enlivened by evangelical love".

"University pastoral activity must", the Pope went on, "be expressed in all its theological and spiritual implications, helping the young to ensure that communion with Christ leads them to perceive the more profound mystery of man and of history".

The Holy Father continued: "The Christian presence in universities is becoming ever more demanding, yet at the same time fascinating, because faith is called, as it was in centuries past, to offer its indispensable service to knowledge, which is the true motor of development in modern society. From knowledge, enriched with the contribution of faith, depends the capacity of a people to look to the future with hope, overcoming the temptation of a purely materialist vision of life and of history".

"You are the future of Europe", the Pope told the young people. "The new amalgamated culture which is currently being forged in Europe and in the globalised world needs the contribution of intellectuals capable of bringing discussion of God back into the classroom; or rather, of reviving mankind's desire to seek God, 'quaerere Deum'. ... The Church in Europe places great trust in the generous apostolic commitment of all of you, aware of the challenges and difficulties but also of the great potential of pastoral work in the university environment".

AC/CCEE MEETING/UNIVERSITY STUDENTS VIS 20090713 (420)

CARDINAL CIPRIANI THORNE, SPECIAL ENVOY TO AYACUCHO

VATICAN CITY, 11 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Made public today was the Letter in which the Holy Father appoints Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, Peru, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the fourth centenary of the archdiocese of Ayacucho, Peru, due to take place on 20 July. The Letter, written in Latin, is dated 25 May.

The names of the members of the mission due to accompany the cardinal were also made public. They are Fr. Javier Obon Molinos, vicar general of the archdiocese of Ayacucho, and Fr. Jorge Villaran Mendoza S.J., president of the archdiocesan commission for consecrated life.

BXVI-LETTER/SPECIAL ENVOY/CIPRIANI VIS 20090713 (120)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 11 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Richard John Grecco, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Toronto, Canada, as bishop of Charlottetown (area 5,660, population 142,300, Catholics 65,253, priests 54, permanent deacons 1, religious 116), Canada. He succeeds Bishop Joseph Vernon Fougere, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- Appointed Bishop Lewis Zeigler of Gbarnga, Liberia, as coadjutor archbishop of the archdiocese of Monrovia (area 15,971, population 1,822,000, Catholics 139,515, priests 37, religious 51), Liberia. The archbishop-elect was born in Harrisburg, Liberia in 1944, he was ordained a priest in 1974 and consecrated a bishop in 2002.

NER:RE:NEC/.../GRECCO:FOUGERE:ZEIGLER VIS 20090713 (130)

SOLUTIONS TO HUMAN PROBLEMS CANNOT BE MERELY TECHNICAL

VATICAN CITY, 12 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI dedicated his remarks prior to the recital of the Angelus at midday today to the recent G8 summit meeting, held in the Italian city of L'Aquila "so harshly tried by the earthquake", and to the publication of his third Encyclical "Caritas in veritate".

The Pope recalled how some of the themes on the G8 agenda were "dramatically urgent" because "there are social inequalities and structural injustices in the world that can no longer be tolerated and which require, apart from immediate interventions, a co-ordinated strategy to seek lasting global solutions.

"During the summit meeting the G8 heads of State and government reiterated the necessary of reaching shared agreements in order to ensure a better future for humankind", he added. "The Church has no technical solutions to offer but, expert in humanity, she offers everyone Sacred Scripture's teaching of the truth about man, and announces the Gospel of love and of justice".

In this context the Holy Father referred to his own recent Encyclical, published shortly before the G8 meeting, in which he speaks of the need for "a new economic project to redesign development in global terms, based on the ethical foundation of responsibility before God and on the human being as creature of God".

"The great Pontiff Paul VI, in his 'Populorum progressio' had already recognised and identified the worldwide reach of the social question. Following the same path, I too felt the need to dedicate 'Caritas in veritate' to this topic, which in our time has become 'a radically anthropological question' in that it implicates the way life itself is conceived, something that biotechnology places increasingly under man's control".

Pope Benedict went on: "The solutions to the current problems of humanity cannot be merely technical, they must take account of all the needs of the person, who has a soul and a body; thus they must take account of the Creator, God. The absolute supremacy of technology, which finds its greatest expression in certain practices that run counter to life, could lead to a grim future for humankind. Acts that do not respect the true dignity of the person, even when they seem to be motivated by a 'choice of love', are in fact the fruit of 'a materialistic and mechanistic understanding of human life' which reduces love without truth to 'an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way'".

Yet, the Holy Father concluded, "however complex the current situation of the world may be, the Church looks to future with hope and reminds Christians that 'announcing Christ is the first and principal factor of development'".

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DIALOGUE TO ACHIEVE TRUE DEMOCRACY IN HONDURAS

VATICAN CITY, 12 JUL 2009 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus this morning the Pope told faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square of the "profound concern" with which he was following recent events in Honduras.

"I would like today to invite you to pray for that dear country so that, by the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Suyapa, the leaders of the nation and all its inhabitants may patiently follow the path of dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation.

"This will be possible if, overcoming particularist tendencies, everyone strives to seek the truth and to pursue the common good with tenacity", he added. "This is the condition that will ensure peaceful coexistence and authentic democratic life. To the beloved Honduran people I give assurances of my prayers, and upon them I impart a special apostolic blessing".

Benedict XVI then went on to remind people that tomorrow, Monday, he will be leaving "for a brief period of rest in the mountains. I will travel to Les Combes in Valle d'Aosta, a place made famous by the time my beloved predecessor John Paul II spent there, and one also very close to my heart. In saying 'arrivederci' to St. Peter's Square and to the city of Rome, I invite everyone to accompany me with their prayers.

"Prayer knows no distances or separation. Wherever we are it makes us a single heart and a single soul".

"And on the subject of departures", he concluded, "I take this occasion to reiterate once again eveyrone's obligation to drive carefully and to respect traffic regulations. It is from this that a happy holiday starts!"

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HOLY FATHER BEGINS A BRIEF HOLIDAY IN VALLE D'AOSTA

VATICAN CITY, 13 JUL 2009 (VIS) - At 10.30 a.m. today, Benedict XVI left Rome by plane and, following an hour-long flight, arrived at Caselle airport in the northern Italian city of Turin. From there he travelled by helicopter to the residence of Les Combes in the region of Valle d'Aosta where he will spend a sixteen-day vacation.

As he did in 2005 and 2006, the Pope will stay in a chalet belonging to the Salesian Order, the same as that in which John Paul II often used to spend his holidays. The building, made of wood and stone, has two floors and is surrounded by a large garden. It stands at an altitude of 1200 meters and has views over Mont Blanc and other mountains on the French-Italian frontier as well as over the Italian-Swiss Alps.

The only two public ceremonies scheduled for the Pope's vacation are on Sunday 19 July and Sunday 26 July. On 19 July he will pray the Angelus at Piazza Ruggia in front of the parish church of Sts. Peter and Solutor at Romano Canavese in the diocese of Ivrea. On 26 July he will pray the Angelus in the residence of Les Combes.

Benedict XVI will stay at Les Combes - located some 20 kilometres from the city of Aosta within the municipality of Introd - until 29 July.

Following his vacation in Valle d'Aosta, the Pope will move to his summer residence of Castelgandolfo, 30 kilometres south of Rome, where he will remain until the end of September.

The Pope's next apostolic trip, the thirteenth since the start of his pontificate, will take him to the Czech Republic from 26 to 28 September.

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PROGRESS IN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS MEXICO - HOLY SEE

VATICAN CITY, 10 JUL 2009 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Hector Federico Ling Altamirano, the new ambassador to the Holy See of Mexico, a nation, said the Pope in his remarks, "whose identity has been forged over the centuries in a fruitful relationship with the message of salvation proclaimed by the Catholic Church".

"Faith in Jesus Christ", he went on, "has engendered a culture in Mexico that provides a specific and complete meaning for life, and a hopeful vision of existence, at the same time setting out a series of fundamental principles for the harmonious development of all society".

The Holy Father made reference to the Fourth World Meeting of Families, held some months ago in Mexico City, indicating how it highlighted "the importance of this institution, which is held in such high esteem by the Mexican people. ... Hence it is of vital consequence that families be given adequate assistance, that homes continue to be schools of mutual respect and understanding, seedbeds of human virtues and a reason for hope in the rest of society".

Benedict XVI also noted "the important progress made over recent years in the good relations between the Holy See and Mexico, in a climate of reciprocal autonomy and healthy collaboration". In this context he mentioned the events organised to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the re-establishing of diplomatic relations between the two States, which focused, among other things, on "the correct understanding a true democratic State and its duty to protect and support religious freedom in all aspects of its public and social life".

"The truth is that religious freedom is not just one more right among many others, nor a privilege claimed by the Catholic Church. ... It belongs to the essence of each individual, of each people and each nation". It cannot "be restricted to the mere coexistence of citizens who practice their religion privately, or limited to the free exercise of worship, rather it must ensure that believers have full guarantees of being able to express their religious beliefs, at the same time making their contribution to forging the common good and a just social order in all aspects of life, with no restriction or coercion. In this context the Catholic Church, while she supports and encourages this positive vision of the role of religion in society, does not wish to interfere in the due autonomy of civil institutions".

The Pope praised steps being made in Mexico "to foment a more just and united ordering of society and to overcome the contrasts that continue to afflict the country", among them "such serious questions as violence, drug trafficking, and inequality and poverty which are fertile ground for delinquency".

"It cannot be overemphasised that the right to life must be recognised in all its fullness", Pope Benedict concluded. "In this context I joyfully greet the initiative by which Mexico abolished the death penalty in 2005, and the recent measures adopted by some Mexican states to protect human life from its beginnings. These resolute moves in such a fundamental question should be an emblem of your homeland, one of which it can be justly proud".

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TOURISM - CELEBRATING DIVERSITY

VATICAN CITY, 10 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Made public today was a pastoral message for World Tourism Day published by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. World Tourism Day falls this year on 27 September and the theme of the English-language message is: "Tourism - celebrating diversity".

In the message, dated 24 June, Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio and Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, respectively president and secretary of the council, write: "Diversity is a fact, a reality, but, as Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, it is also a positive factor, something good, and not a threat or a danger, up to the point that the Holy Father wants 'people not only [to] accept the existence of other cultures but also desire to be enriched by them'.

"The experience of diversity belongs to human existence, also because each one's development advances by diversifying steps that promote the person's growth and maturity process. It is a progressive discovery, as we compare ourselves with people and everything around us, thus distinguishing ourselves from what is unlike us".

The president and secretary of the council highlight the importance of doing "everything we can to transform discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance into understanding and mutual acceptance, through the roads of respect, education and open, constructive and binding dialogue".

"Tourism is also an occasion for dialogue and listening, inasmuch as it puts people in contact with other ways of living, other religions, other ways of seeing the world and its history", they continue. "It is likewise an invitation not to withdraw into one's own culture, but to be open and face different ways of thinking and living. It should not be surprising, therefore, that extremist sectors and terrorist groups of a fundamentalist nature indicate tourism as a danger and an objective to destroy. Mutual knowledge - let us ardently hope - will help in building a more just, supportive and fraternal society".

"If tourism develops in the absence of an ethic of responsibility, there would at the same time be the danger of uniformity and of beauty as 'fascinatio nugacitatis'. What happens, for example, is that local residents make of their traditions a show for tourists, offering diversity as a commercial product".

"All this requires an effort, both on the part of the visitors and of the local residents who welcome, to assume an attitude of openness, respect, nearness, trust in such a way that, motivated by their desire to meet others, respecting their personal, cultural and religious diversity, they will be open to dialogue and understanding".

After emphasising how "in contemplating diversity, the human person discovers traces of the divine in the footprints of what is human", the two archbishops affirm that "for the believer, differences as a whole open ways by which one can draw near the infinite greatness of God".

"God entrusts the Church with the task of forging a new creation in Jesus Christ - thanks to the Spirit - recapitulating in Him all the treasures of human diversity that sin has transformed into division and conflict".

The message concludes by expressing the hope that "the divine breath of life may win over every xenophobia, discrimination, racism, and bring nearer those who are far away, through a contemplation of the unity/diversity of a human family blessed by God".

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MEETING OF HOLY SEE - ISRAEL BILATERAL WORKING COMMISSION

VATICAN CITY, 10 JUL 2009 (VIS) - "The Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel met yesterday, 9 July, at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to continue the negotiations on the Economic Agreement", reads a communique released today by the Holy See Press Office.

"The talks took place in an atmosphere of great cordiality, and the delegations believe they have contributed to taking the talks forward towards the desired agreement.

"The next meetings of the commission will be on: 26 August; 15-16 September; 14-15 October; 11-12 November. As already announced, the next Plenary Commission will meet on 10 December in the Vatican".

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 10 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

- Cardinal Agostino Vallini, his vicar general for the diocese of Rome.

- Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

This afternoon he is scheduled to receive in audience Barack Obama, president of the United States of America.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 10 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

- Cardinal Agostino Vallini, his vicar general for the diocese of Rome.

- Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

This afternoon he is scheduled to receive in audience Barack Obama, president of the United States of America.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 10 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Alfonso Cortes Contreras, auxiliary of Monterrey, Mexico, as bishop of Cuernavaca (area 4,941, population 2,167,000, Catholics 1,874,000, priests 176, permanent deacons 3, religious 482), Mexico. He succeeds Bishop Florencio Olvera Ochoa, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong, auxiliary of Kwangju, Korea, as coadjutor archbishop of the same archdiocese (area 12,596, population 3,370,781, Catholics 319,494, priests 255, religious 1,204). The archbishop-elect was born in Chonnam, Korea in 1947, he was ordained a priest in 1975 and consecrated a bishop in 2003.

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POPE MEETS AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER AND KOREAN PRESIDENT

VATICAN CITY, 9 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:

"Today, 9 July, the Holy Father received in audience Kevin Rudd, prime minister of Australia, who subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B.

"During the cordial discussions mention was made of the Holy Father's trip to Sydney in July 2008 for World Youth Day, recollecting the great spirit of collaboration between the ecclesiastical and civil authorities that characterised the organisation of that event. Attention also focused on the current international and regional situation, with reference to both respect for religious liberty and environmental problems".

The Holy See Press Office also released another communique today, concerning the Pope's subsequent meeting with Lee Myung-bak, president of the Republic of Korea:

"The cordial discussions", the text reads, "provided an opportunity for an exchange of ideas on certain themes of common interest, among them the effects of the world economic crisis, especially on the poorest countries, and the political and social situation on the Korean peninsula.

"At a bilateral level, mention was made of the good relations that exist between the Republic of Korea and the Holy See, as well as of ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, and of co-operation between Church and State in the educational and social fields".

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 9 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 9 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Gerard Coliche of the clergy of the archdiocese of Lille, France, episcopal vicar for the apostolate of the laity and for communications, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 2,288, population 1,600,000, Catholics 1,072,700, priests 572, permanent deacons 65, religious 893). The bishop-elect was born in Beziers, France in 1940 and ordained a priest in 1970.

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CARITAS IN VERITATE: BUILDING A WORLD OF JUSTICE AND PEACE

VATICAN CITY, 8 JUL 2009 (VIS) - In today's general audience, which was held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope spoke about his third Encyclical "Caritas in veritate", which was officially published yesterday.

The Encyclical, explained the Holy Father, highlights the fact that "charity in truth is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity. ... Only with charity, illuminated by reason and by faith, is it possible to pursue development goals that possess a more humane and humanising value".

The document, he went on, "intensifies Church analysis and reflection on social themes of vital interest to humankind in our century. In a special way it harks back to what Paul VI wrote more than forty years ago in his 'Populorum progressio'".

"Caritas in veritate", said Benedict XVI, "does not seek to offer technical solutions to the enormous social problems of the modern world. ...What it does do is recall the fundamental principles that are indispensable for building human development over coming years". Among these principles it highlights "concern for the life of man, seen as the centre of all true progress; respect for the right to religious freedom; ... and the rejection of a Promethean vision of human beings which sees them as the sole architects of their own destiny".

"Upright men and women are needed, both in politics and in the economy, people sincerely concerned for the common good", he said. Referring then specifically to "world emergencies", the Pope spoke of the urgent need to call "public opinion to the drama of hunger and of food security", which "must be faced decisively, eliminating the structural causes which produce it and promoting agricultural development in the poorest countries".

"The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly. It needs to recover the important contribution of the principle of gratuitousness and the 'logic of giving' in the economy and in the market, where profit cannot be the only rule. But this is possible only through commitment on the part of everyone, economists and politicians, producers and consumers, and it presupposes a formation of consciences capable of strengthening moral criteria in the elaboration of political and economic projects".

Another necessity, the Holy Father proceeded, "is for all humankind to practice a different lifestyle, one in which each individual's duties towards the environment are linked to his or her duties towards human beings, considered both in themselves and in relation to others".

Finally, "faced with the vast and profound problems of today's world", he said, "I indicated the need for a world political authority regulated by law, one that observes the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity and is firmly directed towards attaining the common good, while respecting the great moral and religious traditions of humanity".

The Pope asked the faithful to pray that "this Encyclical may help humankind to feel itself to be a single family, committed to creating a world of justice and peace". He also called upon them to pray for "the heads of State and government of the G8 who are currently meeting in L'Aquila, Italy. May this important world summit generate decisions and directives that serve the true progress of all peoples, especially the poorest".

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MOTU PROPRIO ECCLESIAE UNITATEM

VATICAN CITY, 8 JUL 2009 (VIS) - Given below is an English-language translation from the Italian of the Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" of Pope Benedict XVI, "Ecclesiae unitatem". The document concerns the structure of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" which deals with questions involving the Society of Saint Pius X and which as of now becomes dependent upon the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The original text of the Motu Proprio is written in Latin:

1. The duty to safeguard the unity of the Church, with the solicitude to offer everyone help in responding appropriately to this vocation and divine grace, is the particular responsibility of the Successor of the Apostle Peter, who is the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of the unity of both bishops and faithful. The supreme and fundamental priority of the Church in all times - to lead mankind to the meeting with God - must be supported by the commitment to achieve a shared witness of faith among all Christians.

2. Faithful to this mandate, following the act of 30 June 1988 by which Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre illicitly conferred episcopal ordination upon four priests, on 2 July 1988 Pope John Paul II of venerable memory established the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" whose task it is "to collaborate with the bishops, with the departments of the Roman Curia and with the circles concerned, for the purpose of facilitating full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals until now linked in various ways to the Society founded by Msgr. Lefebvre, who may wish to remain united to the Successor Peter in the Catholic Church, while preserving their spiritual and liturgical traditions, in the light of the Protocol signed on 5 May last by Cardinal Ratzinger and Msgr. Lefebvre".

3. In keeping with this, faithfully adhering to that duty to serve the universal communion of the Church, also in her visible manifestation, and making every effort to ensure that those who truly desire unity have the possibility to remain in it or to rediscover it, I decided, with the Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum", to expand and update through more precise and detailed norms the general indications already contained in the Motu Proprio "Ecclesia Dei" concerning the possibility of using the 1962"Missale Romanum".

4. In the same spirit, and with the same commitment to favouring the repair of all fractures and divisions within the Church, and to healing a wound that is ever more painfully felt within the ecclesiastical structure, I decided to remit the excommunication of the four bishops illicitly ordained by Msgr. Lefebvre. In making that decision my intention was to remove an impediment that could hinder the opening of a door to dialogue and thus invite the four bishops and the Society of Saint Pius X to rediscover the path to full communion with the Church. As I explained in my Letter to Catholic bishops of 10 March this year, the remission of the excommunication was a measure taken in the field of ecclesiastical discipline, to free individuals from the burden of conscience constituted by the most serious of ecclesiastical penalties. However it is clear that the doctrinal questions remain, and until they are clarified the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers cannot legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church.

5. Precisely because the problems that now have to be examined with the Society are essentially doctrinal in nature, I have decided - twenty-one years after the Motu Proprio "Ecclesia Dei" and in keeping with what I had intended to do - to reconsider the structure of the Commission "Ecclesia Dei", joining it closely to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

6. The Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" will, then, have the following configuration:

(a) The president of the Commission is the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

(b) The Commission has its own staff, composed of the secretary and officials.

(c) It will be the task of the president, with the assistance of the secretary, to submit the principal cases and questions of a doctrinal nature for study and discernment according to the ordinary requirements of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and to submit the results thereof to the superior dispositions of the Supreme Pontiff.

7. With this decision I wish in particular to show paternal solicitude towards the Society of Saint Pius X, with the aim of rediscovering the full communion of the Church.

To everyone I address a pressing invitation to pray ceaselessly to the Lord, by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "ut unum sint".

From Rome, at St. Peter's, 2 July 2009, fifth year of Our Pontificate.

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