ACTIVITIES OF POPE BENEDICT XVI IN AUGUST

Vatican City,  (VIS) - Following is a list of Pope Benedict's activities during the month of August. It includes the Angelus, general and private audiences, other pontifical acts, letters, messages, telegrams and other news. The activities are presented in chronological order under their respective headings.

ANGELUS

- 5: The Pope explains that Jesus, the true Bread of Life Who satisfies our hunger for meaning, cannot be "achieved" through human efforts, He comes to us only as a gift of God which we must ask and accept.

- 12: Continuing his comments on the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, the Holy Father affirms that Christ invites people who have satisfied their physical hunger to seek the Bread which satisfies the hunger for eternal life.

- 15: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is the full realisation, in her, of the Paschal Mystery of Christ. In Mary we contemplate the reality of the glory to which all of us are called.

- 19: Benedict XVI invites the faithful to discover the beauty of the Eucharist, which is an expression of the humility and sanctity of God. God becomes a small fragment of the universe in order to reconcile everyone in His love.

- 26: Recalling the fact that many disciples abandoned Jesus in Capernaum when He affirmed that He was the Bread of Life, the Pope recalls how our life is oriented by the decisions we make, and he asks Go to help us better discern the path.

WEDNESDAY GENERAL AUDIENCES

- 1: The Pope focuses his catechesis on the prayer of St. Alphonsus Maria of Liguori, bishop and Doctor of the Church whose liturgical memory falls today.

- 8: The Holy Father tells the faithful that St. Dominic de Guzman, priest and founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, reminds us that prayer lies at the foundation of the witness of faith, which all Christians must show at home, in the workplace and in their social life.

- 22: On today's feast of the Blessed Virgin, Queen of Heaven, the Pope affirms that Mary participates in Christ's own regality, which is service and love.

- 30: The Pope tells the faithful that St. John the Baptist, prophet and martyr, reminds the Christians of our time that they must accept no compromise in their love for Christ, for His Word and for Truth.

MESSAGES AND TELEGRAMS

- 3: Benedict XVI sends a message to Kojun Handa, supreme priest of the Buddhist Temple of Mount Hiei, Japan, to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Inter-religious Meeting of Prayer for Peace in the World.

- 6: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sends a message, in the name of the Holy Father, to the Knights of Columbus for their 130th Supreme Convention, being held in Anaheim, U.S.A.

- 17: The Holy Father sends a telegram of condolence for the death of His Holiness Abuna Paulos, patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia.

- 19: The Pope sends a message to the twenty-third Meeting for Friendship among Peoples, being held in Rimini, Italy, from 19 to 25 August on the theme: "By Nature, Man is Relation to the Infinite".

- 22: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sends a telegram of condolence, in the name of the Holy Father, to Girma Wolde-Giorgis, president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, for the sudden death of Meles Zenawi, prime minister of that country.

- 23: The Holy Father sends a message to the sixth Ordinary Assembly of the International Forum of Catholic Action, being held in the Romanian city of Iasi from 22 to 26 August.

- 23: The Pope sends a telegram of condolence for the death of Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi S.J., bishop emeritus of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

- 28: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sends a telegram of condolence, in the name of the Holy Father, to Archbishop Diego Rafael Padron Sanchez, president of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference, for the death of many people in an explosion at an oil refinery in the town of Amuay.

- 31: The Pope sends a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, Italy, for the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini S.J., archbishop emeritus of the same see.

OTHER NEWS

- 4: The Pope attends a "Bavarian homage" at Castelgandolfo. The event, intended to mark his eighty-fifth birthday, was organised by representatives from the archdiocese of Munich and Friesing, Germany, on pilgrimage to Rome from 1 to 4 August.

- 11: Caritas of Regensburg, Germany, which is currently celebrating ninety years of activity, organises a concert by Thomas Beckmann in honour of the Pope at Castelgandolfo.

- 15: For the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin, the Pope celebrates Mass and pronounces a homily in the parish church of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castelgandolfo.

- 27: Mario Monti, prime minister of Italy, is received by Benedict XVI in private audience.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

- 1: Appointment of Fr. Paul Bird C.Ss.R. as bishop of the diocese of Ballarat, Australia. He succeeds Bishop Peter Joseph Conners, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit. Appointment of Bishop Tarcisio Nascentes dos Santos of Divinopolis, Brazil, as bishop of Duque de Caixas, Brazil.

- 2: Appointment of Bishop Sigifredo Noriega Barcelo of Ensenada, Mexico, as bishop of Zacatecas, Mexico.

- 4: Appointment of Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam, apostolic nuncio to Uganda, as apostolic nuncio to Thailand and Cambodia, and apostolic delegate to Myanmar and Laos. Appointment of Fr. Leonardo Sapienza S.C.I. as regent of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household. He succeeds Bishop Paolo De Nicolo, whose resignation from the same office the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- 8: Appointment of Bishop Manoel Delson Pedreira da Cruz O.F.M. Cap. of Caico, Brazil, as bishop of Campina Grande, Brazil.

- 9: Appointment of Bishop Jean-Yves Nahmias, auxiliary of Paris, France, as bishop of Meaux, France. He succeeds Bishop Albert-Marie de Monleon O.P., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- 11: Appointment of Cardinal Josef Tomko, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as special papal envoy to celebrations marking the 600th anniversary of the archiepiscopal and metropolitan see of Lviv of the Latins, Ukraine, due to take place in Lviv, on 8 September.

- 17: Resignation of Bishop Paul Henry Walsh from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Rockville Centre, U.S.A., upon having reached the age limit.

- 18: Appointment of Bishop Francois-Xavier Le Van Hong, auxiliary of Hue, Vietnam, as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese. He succeeds Archbishop Etienne Nguyen Nhu The, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit. Appointment of Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, apostolic nuncio to Australia, as apostolic nuncio to Israel and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.

- 24: The Holy Father gives his assent to the election carried out by the Synod of the Major Archiepiscopal Syro-Malabar Church of Fr. George Rajendran Kuttinadar S.D.B. as bishop of the eparchy of Thuckalay of the Syro-Malabars, India. He likewise gives his assent to the election of Fr. Jacob Muricken as auxiliary of the eparchy of Palai of the Syro-Malabars, India.

25: Appointment of Cardinal Raul Eduardo Vela Chiriboga, archbishop emeritus of Quito, Ecuador, as special papal envoy to celebrations marking the 475th anniversary of the first diocese of South America, now the archdiocese of Cuzco, Peru, due to take place from 24 to 28 October.

- 29: Resignation of Archbishop Luis Sainz Hinojosa O.F.M. from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Cochabamba, Brazil, upon having reached the age limit.

- 30: Resignation of Bishop Joseph Boishu from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Reims, France, in accordance with canons 411 and 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. Appointment of Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, apostolic nuncio to Israel and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine, also as apostolic nuncio to Cyprus.

- 31: Resignation of Bishop Michel Pollien from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Paris, France, upon having reached the age limit.