TELEGRAM OF CONDOLENCES FOR THE VICTIMS OF VALPARAISO

Vatican City, 15 April 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, on behalf of the Holy Father, sent a telegram of condolences to Bishop Gonzalo Duarte Garcia de Cortazar of Valparaiso, Chile, for the fire that over the last 48 hours has devastated the nearby forest, spreading to various zones of the city. It has so far claimed twelve victims and over 10,000 people have had to be evacuated from their homes.

“Upon hearing the sad news of the fire that is affecting the city of Valparaiso, Pope Francis wishes to express his spiritual closeness to all the inhabitants, raising prayers for the eternal repose of the souls of the victims of this grave disaster, and sharing in the sorrow of those who have lost their homes and property.

“Likewise, offering the support of prayer for the efforts of the emergency services, the Holy Father urges the authorities and all the people to stay firm in the face of adversity, so that through the spirit of fraternal solidarity and charity, the necessary help may reach all those affected”.

At the end of the telegram Cardinal Parolin asks the bishop to transmit his most heartfelt condolences to the families of the departed and expresses his paternal care for those afflicted.

PRESENTATION OF THE HOLY SEE'S REPORT ON THE CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE

Vatican City, 15 April 2014 (VIS) – The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., responding to questions from journalists, today declared that next May, the Holy See – along with Cyprus, Lithuania, Guinea, Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Uruguay – will present its Initial Report on the Convention Against Torture (CAT) to the relevant Committee.

“It is a standard procedure adhered to by all States party to the Convention”, said Fr. Lombardi. “Considering the types of obligations included in the Convention, the Holy See signed the Convention in 2002 exclusively in the name of and on the part of Vatican City State. For this reason, the Holy See continues to fulfil its obligations on the part of Vatican City State and to present periodical reports, in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Convention”.

DURING HOLY WEEK THE POPE WILL DISTRIBUTE POCKET-SIZED GOSPELS IN A ROMAN PRISON

Vatican City, 15 April 2014 (VIS) – Tomorrow, Holy Wednesday, the detainees in the Roman prison of “Regina Coeli” will receive, as an Easter gift from the Pope, 1200 pocket-sized copies of the Gospel .It is the same volume, also containing the Acts of the Apostles, that the Pope handed out to the participants in the Angelus of Sunday 6 April in St. Peter's Square, and to the faithful who on the same day attended Mass celebrated by the Pope in the church of St. Gregory the Great. Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, Almoner of His Holiness, will be responsible for distributing the Gospels during a visit to the prison.

On Holy Thursday, 17 April, Archbishop Krajewski will celebrated Mass “In Cena Domini” at the “Isola dell'Amore Fraterno”, a voluntary association founded in 1996 that works to provide preventative measures, solidarity and assistance for detainees, ex-convicts and those who are socially marginalised or estranged from their families.

CARDINAL ORLANDO B. QUEVEDO TAKES POSSESSION OF HIS TITULAR CHURCH

Vatican City, 15 April 2014 (VIS) – The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff today announced that on Thursday, 24 April, at 6.00 a.m., Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I., archbishop of Cotabato, Philippines, will take possession of the title of St. Mary “Regina Mundi” in Torre Spaccata (Via Alessandro Barbosi, 6).

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 15 April 2014 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father received in audience:

- Bishop Charbel Georges Merhi of the Congregation of Lebanese Maronite Missionaries, emeritus of Buenos Aires.

- Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano and secretary of the Council of Cardinals.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 15 April 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:

- appointed Rev. Acquirino Francis Kibira as bishop of Kasese (area 3,205, population 610,000, Catholics 292,106, priests 39, religious 66), Uganda. The bishop-elect was born in Kigoto-Bulyansungwe, Uganda in 1958, and was ordained a priest in 1984. He studied sacred scriptures at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, and has served in a number of pastoral and academic roles, including: lecturer at the Katigondo National major seminary, Masaka; head of permanent formation of the clergy; lecturer and dean of studies at St. Paul's National Seminary Kinyamasika, Fort Portal. He is currently rector of the same national seminary. He succeeds Bishop Egidio Nkaijanabwo, whose resignation upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- appointed Msgr. Peter Kayode Odetoyinbo as bishop of Abeokuta (area 10,562, population 2,570,000, Catholics 70,125, priest 61, religious 40), Nigeria. The bishop-elect was born in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1964. He holds a licentiate and a doctorate in history of the Church from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, has served in a number of pastoral and academic roles: lecturer at the minor seminary of the parishes of St. Patrick and St. Ignatius of Loyola; resident priest in St. Mary's Cathedral of Ibadan; priest of the Church of the Assumption at Bodija; lecturer in history of the Church at the Sts. Peter and Paul seminary and the Dominican Institute; president of the Ibadan Diocesan Priests Association and secretary of the Diocesan Priests of All Yorubaland. He is currently vicar general of the archdiocese of Ibadan.