ANSELM: THEOLOGIAN AND DEFENDER OF CHURCH FREEDOM

VATICAN CITY, 23 SEP 2009 VIS - St. Anselm, one of the most outstanding figures of the Middle Ages, was the subject of the Holy Father's catechesis during his general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall.

  St. Anselm of Canterbury, also known as Anselm of Aosta and Anselm of Bec, was born in the Italian town of Aosta in 1033. The eldest child of a noble family, his mother gave him a careful human and Christian education. During his youth he went through a period of moral dissipation and excess during which he abandoned his studies. He then travelled to France in search of new experiences and eventually reached the abbey of Bec, drawn there by the fame of its prior, Lanfranco of Pavia. There, at the age of 27, he embraced the monastic life.

  Three years later Lanfranco was appointed as abbot of Caen and Anselm became the prior of Bec. In his new role he "revealed gifts as a sophisticated teacher. He did not care for authoritarian methods and, likening young people to saplings which develop best if not closed in a greenhouse, he granted then a 'healthy' measure of freedom. He was very demanding with himself and others in monastic observance, but rather than imposing discipline he sought to make people follow it by persuasion", the Pope explained.

  When Lanfranco of Pavia was appointed as archbishop of Canterbury, England, he asked Anselm to help him in educating the monks and in dealings with the ecclesial community, which was facing difficult circumstances in the wake of the Norman invasions. On Lanfranco's death in 1093, Anselm succeeded him as archbishop immediately entering "into an energetic struggle for the freedom of the Church and courageously supporting the independence of spiritual from temporal power. He defended the Church from undue interference by the political authorities, especially King William Rufus and Henry I". His faithfulness to the Pope caused him to be exiled in 1103.

  Anselm died on 21 April 1109 having dedicated the last years of his life "to the moral formation of the clergy and intellectual research into theological questions", whence Christian tradition has bestowed upon him the title of "Doctor Magnificus", said the Holy Father. He went on: "The clarity and logical rigour of Anselm's ideas always sought 'to raise the mind to the contemplation of God'. He made it clear that anyone who intends to study theology must not rely only upon his own intelligence but must also cultivate a profound experience of faith".

  "In St. Anselm's view, then, a theologian's work is divided into threes stages: faith, God's gratuitous gift to be welcomed with humility; experience, which consists in incarnating the Word of God into daily life; and true knowledge, which is never the fruit of sterile reasoning but of contemplative intuition".

  "May the love for truth and the constant thirst for God which characterized St. Anselm's life be a stimulus for all Christians tirelessly to seek an ever more intimate union with Christ", said the Pope, and he concluded: "May the courageous zeal which distinguished his pastoral work and which sometimes brought misunderstandings, bitterness and even exile, be an encouragement for pastors, consecrated people and all the faithful to love the Church of Christ, ... never abandoning or betraying her".
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RENEWAL OF THE BOARD OF SUPERINTENDENCE OF THE IOR

VATICAN CITY, 23 SEP 2009 (VIS) - The Commission of Cardinals which oversees the activities of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), chaired by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., has renewed the membership of the Board of Superintendence of the Institute.

  According to an English-language communique made public today, "after accepting the resignations presented by Angelo Caloia, president of the Board of Superintendence, and the other members of the board, the Commission of Cardinals expressed its deep gratitude to them for their generous service and, in accordance with the Statutes, appointed the following as members of the Board of Superintendence of the IOR": Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, U.S.A.; Giovanni De Censi, president of the "Credito Valtellinese", Italy; Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, president of the "Santander Consumer Bank", Italy; Ronaldo Hermann Schmitz, Germany; Manuel Soto Serrano Spain.

  "In addition, in accordance with the statutory norms, the Commission of Cardinals, on the proposal of the Board of Superintendence of the IOR, appointed Ettore Gotti Tedeschi as the new president of the Board of Superintendence and Ronaldo Hermann Schmitz as vice president.

  "Finally, the Commission of Cardinals expressed its best wishes to the new Board of Superintendence, to Msgr. Piero Pioppo, prelate of the Institute, to Paolo Cipriani, director general, and to Massimo Tulli, vice director general, for their work in the service of the IOR".
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 23 SEP 2009 VIS - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences four prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Archbishop Jose Antonio Aparecido Tosi Marques of Fortaleza, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Jose Luiz Ferreira Salles C.SS.R.

    - Bishop Jacinto Furtado de Brito Sobrinho of Crateus

    - Bishop Fernando Panico M.S.C. of Crato.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 23 SEP 2009 VIS - The Holy Father has appointed the following persons as participants in the forthcoming Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, due to be held in the Vatican from 4 to 25 October on the theme: "The Church in Africa, at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. 'You are the salt of the earth, ... you are the light of the world'":

MEMBERS

- Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals.
- Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, and president of the "Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae" (CCEE).
- Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, France.
- Archbishop Robert Sarah, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.
- Archbishop Henri Teissier, emeritus of Algiers, Algeria.
- Archbishop Jaime Pedro Goncalves of Beira, Mozambique.
- Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo O.M.I. of Cotabato, Philippines, secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).
- Archbishop Luigi Bressan of Trento, Italy, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference's episcopal commission for the evangelisation of peoples and co-operation among churches.
- Archbishop Jorge Ferreira da Costa Ortiga of Braga, Portugal, president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference.
- Archbishop Ludwig Schick of Bamberg, Germany, president of the "Weltkirche" commission of the "Deutsche Bischofskonferenz".
- Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil, president of the Latin American Episcopal Conference CELAM.
- Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jimenez Carvajal C.I.M. of Cartagena en Colombia, Colombia.
- Archbishop Telesphore George Mpundu of Lusaka, Zambia.
- Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua, of Bamenda, Cameroon.
- Archbishop Wilton Daniel Gregory of Atlanta, U.S.A.
- Archbishop-Bishop Henryk Hoser S.A.C. of Warszawa-Praga, Poland.
- Archbishop Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Ghana.
- Archbishop Odon Marie Arsene Razanakolona of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
- Archbishop Michel Christian Cartateguy S.M.A. of Niamey, Niger.
- Archbishop Edward Tamba Charles of Freetown and Bo, Sierra Leone.
- Bishop John Anthony Rawsthorne of Hallam, England, president of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
- Bishop Maurice Piat C.S.Sp. of Port-Louis, Mauritius.
- Bishop Edmond Djitangar of Sarh, Chad.
- Bishop Peter William Ingham of Wollongong Australia, president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO).
- Bishop Louis Nzala Kianza of Popokabaka, Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Bishop Jean-Pierre Bassene of Kolda, Senegal, president of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel.
- Bishop Giorgio Bertin O.F.M. of Djibouti, apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Mogadishu, Somalia.
- Bishop Menghisteab Tesfamariam M.C.C.J., eparch of Asmara, Eritrea.
- Bishop Benedito Beni dos Santos of Lorena, Brazil.
- Bishop Maroun Elias Lahham of Tunis, Tunisia.
- Msgr. Obiora Francis Ike, director of the Catholic Institute for Development, Justice and Peace (CIDJAP), Enugu, Nigeria.
- Fr. Raymond Bernard Goudjo, secretary of the "Justitia et Pax" Commission of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (CERAO), Cotonou, Benin.
- Fr. Juvenalis Baitu Rwelamira, director of the Centre for Social Justice and Ethics; professor and director of the Centre for the Social Teaching of the Church at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Nairobi, Kenya.
- Fr. Guillermo Luis Basanes S.D.B., general counsellor of the Salesian Society for the Africa-Madagascar region.
- Fr. Emmanuel Typam C.M., secretary general of the Confederation of the Conferences of Superiors Major of Africa and Madagascar.
- Fr. Zeferino Zeca Martins S.V.D., provincial for Angola of the Society of the Divine Word.

EXPERTS

- Fr. Barthelemy Adoukonou, secretary general of the of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Franco-phone West Africa (CERAO), Ivory Coast.
- Fr. Paul Bere S.J., professor of the Old Testament and biblical languages at the "Institut de Theologie de la Compagnie de Jesus, Universite Catholique dell'Afrique de l'Ouest", Abidjan, Ivory Coast and at the Hekima College Jesuit School of Theology, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Fr. Benezet Bujo, professor of moral theology and social ethics at the "Universite de Fribourg" in Switzerland.
- Fr. Belmiro Chissengueti C.S.Sp., secretary of the "Commissao Episcopal Justica e Paz", Luanda, Angola.
- Fr. Gianfrancesco Colzani, professor of missionary theology at the missionary faculty of the Pontifical Urban University, Rome.
- Fr. Michael F. Czerny S.J., director of the African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN), Nairobi, Kenya.
- Filomena Jose Elias, member of the pastoral and liturgical council of the cathedral of Maputo, Mozambique.
- Martin Esso Essis, emeritus professor of economics at the University of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
- Sr. Anne Beatrice Faye C.I.C., general counsellor of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Senegal.
- Deogratias Kasujja, counsellor of the centre run by the Work of Mary - Focolari Movement, in charge of spiritual formation of members, Uganda.
- Mariam Paul Kessy, national co-ordinator of the Christian Professionals of Tanzania, (CPT), assistant secretary of the Justice and Peace commission of the Episcopal Conference of Tanzania.
- Sr. Elisa Kidane S.M.C., general counsellor of the Combonian Missionaries, Eritrea.
- Msgr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, vicar general of Kaduna, Nigeria.
- Br. Jose Sebastiao Manuel O.P., director and co-founder of the "Mosaiko" cultural centre, Luanda, Angola.
- Fr. Aimable Musoni S.D.B., professor of ecclesiology at the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome.
- Sr. Immaculate Nakato S.M.R., general counsellor of the Society of Our Lady of Help, Uganda.
- Yvonne Ndayikeza, national co-ordinator of movements of Catholic Action in Burundi and permanent executive secretary of the commission for the apostolate of the laity, Bujumbura, Burundi.
- Fr. Joseph-Marie Ndi-Okalla, professor of theology at the faculty of theology of the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC) in Yaounde, Cameroon; president of the "Association Internationale de Missionologie Catholiques"(AIMC/IACM) for Africa
- Fr. Paulinus Ikechukwu Odozor C.S.Sp., associate professor of Christian ethics and the theology of world church, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame - Indiana, U.S.A.
- Sr. Teresa Okure S.H.C.J., academic dean of the faculty of theology at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
- Florence Oloo, deputy vice chancellor for Academic Affairs of Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Fr. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah, vice rector of the Pontifical Urban University, Rome.
- Felicia Onyeabo, national president of the Catholic Women Organisation, Nigeria.
- Fr. Angelo Paleri O.F.M. Conv., postulator general of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, director for the diffusion of "Ecclesia in Africa" in mission lands, Zambia.
- Fr. Samir Khalil Samir S.J., professor of the history of Arab culture and Islamic studies at St. Joseph's University, Beirut, Lebanon.
- Maurice Sandouno, head of the DREAM programme for combating the transfer of the HIV virus from mother to child, Conakry, Guinea.
- Fr. Kinkupu Leonard Santedi, secretary general of the Episcopal Conference of the Democratic Republic of Congo (CENCO), Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Sr. Liliane Sweko Mankiela S.N.D. de N., general counsellor of the Sisters of Our Lady of Namur, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Fr. Anselm Umoren M.S.P., superior general of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, Abuja, Nigeria.

AUDITORS

- Sr. Marie-Bernard Alima Mbalula, secretary of the Justice and Peace commission of the "Conference Episcopale Nationale du Congo" (CENCO) and of the "Association des Conferences Episcopales de l'Afrique Centrale" (ACEAC), Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Fr. Joaquin Alliende, international president of the Aid to the Church in Need Association.
- Elard Alumando, country director of the DREAM programme, Malawi.
- Marguerite Barankitse, foundress of the "Maison Shalom", Ruyigi, Burundi.
- Paolo Beccegato, international area director of Caritas Italiana, Rome.
-Emmanuel Habuka Bombande, executive director of the West Africa Network for Peacebulding (WANEP), Ghana.
- Rose Busingye, foundress and president of Meeting Point International, Kampala, Uganda.
- Munshya Chibilo, head of distance adoption projects of the Pope John XXIII Community Association, Zambia.
- Thomas Diarra, instructor at the catechesis formation centre, Kati, Mali.
- Assande Martial Eba, member of the "Fondation Internationale Notre Dame de la Paix", Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.
- Kpakile Felemou, director of the DREAM centre, Conakry, Guinea.
- Axelle Fischer, secretary general of the Justice and Peace Commission for Franco-phone Belgium, Brussels, Belgium.
- Inmaculada Myriam Garcia Abrisqueta, president of the "Manos Unidas" association, Spain.
- Br. Armand Garin, regional head of the Little Brothers of Jesus for North Africa, (Algeria and Morocco), Annaba, Algeria.
- Elena Giacchi, gynaecologist at the centre for study and research into the natural regulation of fertility at the Sacred Heart Catholic University, Rome, and president of WOOMB-Italia, (national co-ordination of the Billings ovulation method - Italy).
- Sr. Bernadette Guissou S.I.C.O., superior general of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
- Christophe Habiyambere, president of Fidesco, Kigali, Rwanda.
- Sr. Felicia Harry, N.S.A. (O.L.A.), superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, Ghana.
- Jules Adachédé Hounkponou, secretary general of the international co-ordination of Christian Youth Workers (CIGiOC)
- Marie-Madeleine Kalala Ngoy Mongi, honorary minister for human rights, Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Fr. Speratus Kamanzi A.J., superior general of the Congregation of the Apostles of Jesus, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Josaphat Laurean Kanywanyi associate professor of law at the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
- Sr. Mary Anne Felicitas Katiti L.M.S.I., mother provincial of the Congregation of Little Servants of Mary Immaculate, Zambia.
- Edem Kodjo, secretary general emeritus of the Organisation of the African Union (OUA), prime minister emeritus, professor of patrology at the "Institut St. Paul" of Lome, Togo.
- Gustave Lunjiwire-Ntako-Nnanvume, international secretary of the "Mouvement d'Action Catholique Xaveri" (MAC Xaveri), Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Ngon-Ka-Ningueyo François Madjadoum, director of "Secours Catholique et Développement" (SE.CA.DEV), Chad.
- Sr. Jacqueline Manyi Atabong, assistant to the superior general of the Sisters of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus in the diocese of Buea; co-ordinator for Africa of the International Catholic Commission for Prison Pastoral Care (ICCPPC), Douala, Cameroon.
- Sr. Bernadette Masekamela C.S., superior general of the Sisters of Calvary, Botswana.
- Fr. Richard Menatsi, acting director, co-ordinator of the Justice and Peace Desk / Inter-regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA), Harare, Zimbabwe.
- Sr. Cecilia Mkhonto S.S.B., superior general of the Sisters of St. Bridget, South Africa.
- Ermelindo Rosario Monteiro, secretary general of the episcopal Justice and Peace Commission, Maputo, Mozambique.
- Maged Moussa Yanny, executive director of the Upper Egypt Association for Education and Development, Egypt.
- Aloyse Raymond Ndiaye, president of the "Comite National des Chevaliers de l'Ordre de Malte au Senegal", Dakar, Senegal.
- Laurien Ntezimana, theology graduate of the diocese of Butare, Rwanda.
- Fr. Sean O'Leary M.Afr., director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute, South Africa.
- Sr. Pauline Odia Bukasa F.M.S., superior general of the Ba-Maria Sisters, Buta Uele, Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Augustine Okafor, expert in governmental administration, Nigeria.
- Orochi Samuel Orach, assistant to the executive secretary of the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau, Kampala, Uganda.
- Barbara Pandolfi, president of the secular institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Kingship of Christ, Italy.
- Alberto Piatti, secretary general of the AVSI foundation, Milan, Italy.
- Raymond Ranjeva, former vice president of the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands, and a member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
- Genevieve Amalia Mathilde Sanze, head of the Work of Mary - Focolari Movement, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
- Victor M. Scheffers, secretary general of "Justitia et Pax Netherlands", The Hague, Netherlands.
- Br. André Sene O.H., head of health pastoral care in the diocese of Thies, Senegal.
- Sr. Bedour Antoun Irini Shenouda N.D.A., mother provincial of the "Missionaires de Notre Dame des Apotres", Cairo, Egypt.
- Pierre Titi Nwel, social mediator and ex co-ordinator of the National Service for Justice and Peace of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (CENC), Yaounde, Cameroon.
- Elisabeth Twissa, vice president of the World Organisation of Catholic Female Organisations (UMOFC), Tanzania.
- Sr. Maria Ifechukwu Udorah D.D.L., superior general of the Daughters of Divine Love, Enugu, Nigeria.
- Sr. Geneviève Uwamariya of the Institute of Santa Maria of Namur, Rwanda.
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