OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 22, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Sebastiao Bandeira Coelho, rector of the major seminary of the diocese of Balsas, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Manaus (area 64,079, population 1,405,835, Catholics 1,200,000, priests 122, religious 266), Brazil.  The bishop-elect was born in Riacao, Brazil in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1984.
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GOD IS BORN TO SHARE OUR FRAGILE HUMAN CONDITION

VATICAN CITY, DEC 22, 2004 (VIS) -  In today's general audience, celebrated in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father spoke about the mystery of Christmas.

  John Paul II said that "during these days of preparation for Christmas we pray continually in the liturgy 'Come Lord Jesus'."

  "On Christmas," he continued, "we contemplate the great mystery of God becoming man in the Virgin's womb.  He is born in Bethlehem to share our fragile human condition! He comes among us and brings salvation to the whole world.  His mission will be to reunite all human beings and peoples in the one family of the children of God.  We can say that in the mystery of Christmas, we contemplate the 'leap forward' in the history of salvation."

  The Pope emphasized that "in Christ we are offered the gift of a new and fuller communion with Him.  Hope springs up in our hearts, and the gates of heaven are opened for us."

  The Holy Father concluded by expressing his desire that "the celebration of Christmas may be a propitious occasion to truly live the value and meaning of the great event of Jesus' birth."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Maurice Gardes, episcopal vicar and archdeacon of Roannais, France, as archbishop of Auch (area 6,261, population 172,335, Catholics 152,500, priests 107, permanent deacons 7, religious 187), France. The archbishop-elect was born in 1945 in Lyon, France and was ordained a priest in 1975. He succeeds Archbishop Maurice Frechard whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese was accepted upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Manuel da Rocha Felicio, auxiliary of Lisbon, Portugal, as coadjutor bishop of Guarda (area 6,758, population 265,000, Catholics 250,000, priests 186, religious 50), Portugal.

- Appointed Msgr. Antonio Francisco dos Santos, pro-vicar general of the diocese of Lamego, Portugal, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Braga, Portugal. The bishop-elect was born in 1948 in Tendasi, Portugal and was ordained a priest in 1972.
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POPE FOCUSES ON CHRISTIAN UNITY IN GREETINGS TO ROMAN CURIA

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 2004 (VIS) - This morning at 11 in the Clementine Hall, the Holy Father welcomed the cardinals, archbishops, bishops and all who head the various offices of the Roman Curia for the annual exchange of Christmas greetings. Following a speech by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, the Pope addressed everyone present.

  He thanked his collaborators in the Curia for their "presence and the affection you show me. The passing of time makes one feel even more the need for God's help and the help of people. Thank you for the constant 'syntony' with which you work with me to serve the Universal Church."

  "The Divine Child whom we will worship in the nativity scene is Emmanuel, the God with us Who is really present in the Sacrament of the Altar. ... We are speechless before such a great gift and mystery. .... From the Son of God made man, 'Lumen Gentium', the Church has received the high mission of being 'the sign and the instrument of intimate communion with God and of the unity of all of mankind'. We become always more aware that communion with God and unity among all men, starting with believers, is our priority commitment."

  The Holy Father stated that "the celebration of the Year of the Eucharist aims at, among other things, making us thirst even more for unity, drawing upon the one and unending source; Christ Himself."

  John Paul II remarked that "the ecumenical efforts at various levels are being intensified, thanks to constant contacts, encounters and initiatives," such as "the visit of the ecumenical delegation from Finland and above all that of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I" last June and again, "less than a month ago, for the handing over of the relics of Saints Gregory Nazianzus and John Chrysostom." He said he hoped that the return of the icon of the Mother of God of Kazan in Russia will contribute to accelerating the unity of all of Christ's disciples."

  The Pope said he "reads this desire for unity on the faces of pilgrims of every age," and especially young people.

  The responsibility of believers to achieve unity is great, he exclaimed, adding that he "never failed to encourage European Catholics to remain faithful to Christ. In fact, it is in the heart that these Christian roots of Europe are nourished, roots on which depend, in no small way, the just and solidary future of the continent and of the entire world."

  The Pope concluded his Christmas greetings to the Curia by repeating the theme of his Message for the January 1 World Day of Peace: "Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 20, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Thomas E. Gullickson, apostolic nuncio in Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Dominica, Sts. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadine, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Suriname and apostolic delegate in the Antilles, as apostolic nuncio in Grenada.

  It was made public on Saturday, December 18 that the Holy Father:

- Appointed Archbishop Salvatore Nunnari of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi-Conza-Nusco-Bisaccia, Italy, as metropolitan archbishop of Cosenza-Bisignano (area 2,537, population 382,000, Catholics 374,000, priests 254, permanent deacons 26, religious 703), Italy. He succeeds Archbishop Giuseppe Agostino whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese was accepted upon having reached the age limit.

- Erected the diocese of Alindao (area 18,457, population 160,000, Catholics 38,000, priests 15, religious 12), Central African Republic, with territory take from the diocese of Bangassou, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Bangui.

- Appointed Fr. Peter Marzinkowski, C.S.Sp., provincial superior of Germany, as bishop of Alindao, Central African Republic. The bishop-elect was born in 1939 in Leipzig, Poland and was ordained a priest in 1966.

- Appointed Msgr. Luigi Ernesto Palletti, chancellor general of the archdiocese of Genoa, Italy as auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese (area 966, population 726,093, Catholics 690,133, priests 582, permanent deacons 23, religious 1,917). The bishop-elect was born in 1956 in Genoa and was ordained a priest in 1983.

- Appointed Archbishop Ambrose B. De Paoli, apostolic nuncio in Japan, as apostolic nuncio in Australia.

- Appointed Archbishop Luis Robles Diaz, vice president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, as a member of the Congregation for Bishops.

- Appointed Cardinal Josip Bozanic, archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia, as his special envoy to the solemn celebration of the 17th centenary of the martyrdom of St. Anastasia, patron of the archdiocese of Zadar, which will take place on January 15 in 2005 in Zadar, Croatia.

- Appointed Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, Germany, as his special envoy to the solemn celebration of the 850th anniversary of the arrival of St. Henry, bishop, in Finland and the 50th anniversary of the erection of the diocese of Helsinki, Finland, which will take place on February 27, 2005 in Helsinki.

- Appointed Msgr. Kazimierz Gurda, of the clergy of the diocese of Kielce, Poland and rector of the diocesan seminary, as auxiliary bishop of the same diocese (area 8,319, population 788,824, Catholics 768,525, priests 696, religious 507), Poland. The bishop-elect was born in 1953 in Ksiaznice Wielke, Poland and was ordained a priest in 1978.
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