FIFTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, 13 OCT 2010 (VIS) - The Fifth General Congregation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops was held this afternoon in the Vatican's Synod Hall. The president delegate on duty was Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The Synod Fathers' speeches were followed by a period of free discussion during which the Holy Father was also present.

  Extracts from some of today's contributions are given below:

SIXTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, 14 OCT 2010 (VIS) - The Sixth General Congregation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops took place today in the Synod Hall in the presence of the Holy Father and 167 Synod Fathers. The president delegate on duty was His Beatitude Ignace Youssif III Younan, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Lebanon.

  Extracts from some of the Synod Father's speeches are given below:

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 14 OCT 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father yesterday received in separate audiences:

 - Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, Germany.

 - Rabbi David Rosen, director for inter-religious affairs of the American Jewish Committee and adviser to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 14 OCT 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller M.Sp.S., auxiliary of Chicago, U.S.A., as metropolitan archbishop of San Antonio (area 60,036, population 2,196,159, Catholics 695,079, priests 381, permanent deacons 348, religious 1,025), U.S.A. The archbishop-elect was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico in 1956, he was ordained a priest in 1984 and consecrated a bishop in 2003.
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