MORE THAN TWO MILLION PEOPLE ATTEND PAPAL EVENTS IN 2009

VATICAN CITY, 5 JAN 2010 (VIS) - During the course of the year 2009, a total of 2,243,900 faithful and pilgrims participated in general or special audiences, in the Sunday Angelus or in liturgical celebrations presided by the Pope.

  According to statistics released by the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, more than half a million people attended the Wednesday general audiences, the month of April registering the highest attendance figures, and 1,120,000 were present for the Sunday praying of the Angelus.

  A communique concerning the statistics explains that the figures are approximate, being calculated on the basis of various factors: formal requests received to attend the events, tickets issued, and (in the case of the Angelus or large celebrations in St. Peter's Square and the Vatican Basilica) calculations of the number of faithful present.

  The statistics, the communique concludes, refer exclusively to celebrations and events held in the Vatican and Castelgandolfo, and do not take account of the Pope's meetings with large numbers of faithful during his pastoral visits within Italy or on his apostolic trips to other countries.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 5 JAN 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Germany, presented by Bishop Franz Dietl, in accordance with canons 411 and 401 para. 1 of the Code of Canon Law.

 - Appointed Msgr. Wolfgang Bischof of the clergy of the archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Germany, regional pastor for the northern pastoral zone and vicar of the cathedral chapter, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 12,081, population 3,533,000, Catholics 1,818,661, priests 1,307, permanent deacons 226, religious 3,122). The bishop-elect was born in Freising in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1988.

 - Appointed Fr. Abba Lisane-Christos Matheos Semahun, vicar general of the archieparchy of Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, as auxiliary of the same archieparchy (area 291,424, population 25,892,000, Catholics 28,132, priests 83, religious 402) with specific pastoral responsibility for the zone of Bahir Dar. The bishop-elect was born in Gurage, Ethiopia in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1988.

 - Appointed as members of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications: Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins of Toronto Canada; Archbishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij of Bangkok, Thailand; Bishop Bechara Rai O.M.M. of Jbeil, Byblos of the Maronites, Lebanon; Bishop Hector Luis Gutierrez Pabon of Engativa, Colombia, and Bishop Joan Piris Frigola of Lleida, Spain.
RE:NEA:NA/.../...                            VIS 20100105 (230)

IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, 5 JAN 2010 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

 - Bishop Estevao Cardoso de Avellar O.P., emeritus of Uberlandia, Brazil, on 3 December 2009 at the age of 92.

 - Bishop Gilbert Duchene, emeritus of Saint-Claude, France, on 29 November 2009 at the age of 90.

 - Bishop Emilio Eid, former vice president of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, on 30 November 2009 at the age of 84.

 - Archbishop Piergiorgio Silvano Nesti C.P., emeritus of Camerino-San Severino Marche, Italy, on 13 December 2009 at the age of 78.

 - Bishop Anthony Saliu Sanusi, emeritus of Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria, on 8 December 2009 at the age of 98.

 - Bishop Lucas Abadamloora of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, Ghana, on 23 December 2009 at the age of 71.

 - Bishop Roberto Amadei, emeritus of Bergamo, Italy, on 29 December 2009 at the age of 76.

 - Bishop Adrian Kivumbi Ddungo, emeritus of Masaka, Uganda, on 30 December 2009 at the age of 86.

 - Bishop Jerome Michel Martin O.F.M. Cap., emeritus of Berberati, Central African Republic, on 4 December 2009 at the age of 68.

 - Archbishop Arnaldo Ribeiro, emeritus of Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, on 15 December 2009 at the age of 79.

 - Bishop Youssef Ibrahim Sarraf of Le Caire of the Chaldeans, Egypt, on 31 December 2009 at the age of 69.

 - Bishop Henry Anthony A. van Lieshout C.M.M., emeritus of Lae, Papua New Guinea, on 24 December 2009 at the age of 77.

 - Bishop Joseph Voss, auxiliary of Munster, Germany, on 16 December 2009 at the age of 72.
.../DEATHS/...                            VIS 20100105 (280)

NOTICE

VATICAN CITY, 5 JAN 2010 (VIS) - As previously advised, no VIS bulletin will be issued tomorrow Wednesday 6 January, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, the next service will be transmitted on Thursday 7 January.
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