PRIESTLY ASSOCIATION OF ST. JOHN MARY VIANNEY: FULL COMMUNION

VATICAN CITY, JAN 19, 2002 (VIS) - Yesterday evening, a public ceremony took place during which Bishop Licinio Rangel and all the members of the Priestly Association of St. John Mary Vianney - a group of followers of Archbishop Lefebvre in the diocese of Campos, Brazil - returned to full communion with the Chair of St. Peter.

The ceremony, which was held in the cathedral of Sao Salvador in Campos, was presided by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy and president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei." The aim of this commission is to collaborate with bishops, with the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, and with other bodies for the purpose of facilitating the full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, communities and religious, until now linked in some way to the Fraternity founded by Archbishop Lefebvre, who may wish to remain united to Peter's Successor in the Catholic Church, maintaining their own spiritual and liturgical traditions.

A communique made public yesterday evening outlined the various stages of the process of this return to Rome: On August 15 last year, Bishop Licinio Rangel and the priests of the Association of St. John Mary Vianney sent a letter to the Pope "expressing their 'perfect communion with the Chair of St. Peter,' recognizing the primacy of the Pope and his mandate over the Universal Church and declaring that 'for nothing in the world would we wish to disassociate ourselves from the Rock upon which Jesus Christ built His Church'."

After recalling that Bishop Rangel was consecrated by prelates ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre, the communique affirms that on December 25, 2001, the Pope accepted the request from the Brazilian followers of Archbishop Lefebvre and ordered that the Association should be erected as an apostolic administration with personal jurisdiction, directly subject to the Holy See. He conceded the use of the Roman Rite and the liturgical discipline of St. Pius V, with the adaptations introduced by his successors up to Blessed John XXIII.

During yesterday's ceremony, "Bishop Rangel made the profession of faith and the vow of fidelity to the Roman Pontiff, in accordance with current practice."

"In this context," the communique concludes, "the Holy Father, 'with profound joy' and 'in order to render full communion effective,' concedes the remission of all canonical sanctions to all those who have incurred them."

Today also, John Paul II appointed Bishop Licinio Rangel as apostolic administrator of the personal apostolic administration of "St. John Mary Vianney" in Campos, Brazil.

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UNITY OF CHRISTIANS IS THE FRUIT OF GRACE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 19, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received an ecumenical delegation from Finland for the occasion of the feast of St. Henrik, apostle and patron of that country. "It is a happy coincidence," said the Pope, "that your visit falls during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity."

The Holy Father affirmed that "it is vital that Christians should pray incessantly for unity, which will come not as the fruit of human effort, but as a grace given at a time and in a way which we do not know. Our prayer however must be joined by a determination to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ with one heart and voice, 'so that the world may believe'."

"We," the Pope concluded, "have already travelled far on the ecumenical journey and there can be no turning back. Certainly the Catholic Church remains 'committed irrevocably to following the path of the ecumenical venture.' ... The Spirit must lead us, step by step, to discover the things that we can do together to hasten the full and visible communion of all Christians."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 19, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Gerardo Antonio Zerdin Bukovec O.F.M., pastor of the mission of Atalaya, as coadjutor of the apostolic vicariate of San Ramon (area 80,000, population 450,000, Catholics 356,000, priests 17, religious 51), Peru. The bishop-elect was born in Lendava, Slovenia, in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1975.

- Fr. Jose Luis Escobar Alas, vicar general of San Vicente (area 2,044, population 478,060, Catholics 457,300, priests 43, religious 148), El Salvador, as auxiliary of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in San Salvador, El Salvador, in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1982.

- Fr. Genesio Tarasco S.D.B., bursar of the Salesian Inspectorate of Turin, Italy, as bureau chief at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

NEC; NEA; NA;...;...;BUKOVEC; ESCOBAR; TARASCO;VIS;20020121;Word: 130;

PONTIFICAL LEGATE TO THE DEDICATION OF THE CATHEDRAL IN TIRANA

VATICAN CITY, JAN 19, 2002 (VIS) - Made public today was a letter from the Pope, written in Latin and dated December 20, in which he appoints Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano as pontifical legate at the dedication of the new cathedral church of Tirana, Albania. The event is due to take place on January 26, 2002.

Cardinal Sodano will be accompanied by Msgrs. Ambrose Madtha and Piero Pioppo, respectively counsellor at the apostolic nunciature in Albania and nunciature secretary working at the Secretariat of State, and by Fr. George Frendo O.P., vicar general of Durres-Tirane.

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THE PRIEST, MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN THE NAME OF THE CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, JAN 19, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received superiors and students from the "Almo Collegio Capranica", the Roman seminary that forms candidates for the priesthood from Rome and the rest of Italy and the world, for the occasion of the upcoming feast of their patroness, St. Agnes.

The Pope told the students that they were "called to be witnesses and 'examples to the flock' that will be entrusted to you. To be such, it is necessary that you acquire the interior disposition and particular forms of behavior that lie at the heart of priestly spirituality."

"Be, moreover, faithful to the Church, and in her always work in communion with your bishops. Indeed, a priest is not a man of isolated and independent initiatives; he is a minister of the Gospel in the name of the Church. All his apostolic activities come from the Church and to her they return."

AC;...;...;ALMO COLLEGIO CAPRANICA;VIS;20020121;Word: 170;