VATICAN CITY, 2 OCT 2010 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from the Holy Father in which he appoints Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the third centenary of the consecration of the cathedral of Minsk, Belarus, due to take place there on 9 October. The Letter is written in Latin and bears the date of 9 June.
The cardinal will be accompanied on his mission by Msgr. Edmund Dowgilowicz-Nowicki, pastor of the parish of St. Joseph at Maladzechna, and by Fr. Bernard Radzik O.C.D., pastor of the parish of St. Andrew at Narach.
Likewise made public today was a Letter in which Benedict XVI appoints Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the millennium of the abbey of Saint Pierre de Solesmes, France, scheduled for 12 October. The Letter, also written in Latin, is dated 13 September.
Cardinal Tauran will be accompanied by Fr. Michel du Merle, a monk and expert in inter-religious dialogue, and by Fr. Bertrand Gamelin, librarian of the abbey.
BXVI-LETTER/ VIS 20101004 (200)
Monday, October 4, 2010
AUDIENCES
VATICAN CITY, 2 OCT 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Four prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Moacyr Grechi O.S.M. of Porto Velho.
- Bishop Mose Joao Pontelo C.S.Sp. of Cruzeiro do Sul.
- Bishop Gerlado Verdier of Guajara-Mirim.
- Bishop Franz Josef Meinrad Merkel C.S.Sp. of Humaita.
AP:AL/ VIS 20101004 (80)
- Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Four prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Moacyr Grechi O.S.M. of Porto Velho.
- Bishop Mose Joao Pontelo C.S.Sp. of Cruzeiro do Sul.
- Bishop Gerlado Verdier of Guajara-Mirim.
- Bishop Franz Josef Meinrad Merkel C.S.Sp. of Humaita.
AP:AL/ VIS 20101004 (80)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 2 OCT 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Archbishop Oscar Julio Vian Morales S.D.B. of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango - Totonicapan, Guatemala, as metropolitan archbishop of Guatemala (area 2,591, population 4,690,000, Catholics 3,753,000, priests 532, permanent deacons 3, religious 1,423), Guatemala. He succeeds Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruno, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Msgr. Vito Angiuli of the clergy of the metropolitan archdiocese of Bari - Bitonto, Italy, pro vicar general, as bishop of Ugento - Santa Maria di Leuca (area 475, population 129,500, Catholics 126,000, priests 69, permanent deacons 5, religious 148), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Sannicandro di Bari, Italy in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1977.
- Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Guatemala, Guatemala, presented by Bishop Jose Ramiro Pellecer Samayoa, in accordance with canons 411 and 401 para. 1 of the Code of Canon Law.
NER:RE/ VIS 20101004 (170)
- Appointed Archbishop Oscar Julio Vian Morales S.D.B. of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango - Totonicapan, Guatemala, as metropolitan archbishop of Guatemala (area 2,591, population 4,690,000, Catholics 3,753,000, priests 532, permanent deacons 3, religious 1,423), Guatemala. He succeeds Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruno, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Msgr. Vito Angiuli of the clergy of the metropolitan archdiocese of Bari - Bitonto, Italy, pro vicar general, as bishop of Ugento - Santa Maria di Leuca (area 475, population 129,500, Catholics 126,000, priests 69, permanent deacons 5, religious 148), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Sannicandro di Bari, Italy in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1977.
- Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Guatemala, Guatemala, presented by Bishop Jose Ramiro Pellecer Samayoa, in accordance with canons 411 and 401 para. 1 of the Code of Canon Law.
NER:RE/ VIS 20101004 (170)
MISSION, AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE MISSION OF THE BAPTISED
VATICAN CITY, 4 OCT 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (North region 1 and Northeast region), who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.
In his address the Pope praised the efforts made by the bishops who, "often lacking the necessary means", bring "the Good News of Jesus to all corners of the Amazon jungle, in the knowledge that God wants all mankind to be saved and to know the truth".
"God can achieve this salvation in extraordinary ways that only He knows. Nonetheless, if His Son came, it was to show us, through His word and life, the ordinary ways to salvations, and He told us to transmit this revelation to others with His authority. And so we cannot avoid this thought: man may be saved by other ways, thanks to God's mercy, without the announcement of the Gospel. But can I be saved if through negligence, fear, shame or erroneous ideas, I fail to announce it?"
"Sometimes we hear the objection that imposing the truth - though it be the truth of the Gospel and of salvation - can be a violation of religious freedom", said the Holy Father, in which context he quoted words of Paul VI: "It would, of course, be a mistake to impose anything on the conscience of our brothers and sisters, but propounding knowledge of the truth of the Gospel and the salvation of Jesus Christ, with absolute clarity and full respect for the free choice of conscience (hence without coercion or dishonest persuasion), ... far from being an attack on religious freedom, is a homage to that freedom, which can choose a route that even non-believers consider noble and edifying. ... To present Christ and His kingdom in a respectful way, more than a right, is a duty of evangelisation".
"The call to mission", the Pope went on, "is not directed exclusively to a restricted group of members of the Church; rather, it is an imperative addressed to all the baptised, an essential element of their vocation". The Pope also referred to the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean which took place in the Brazilian city of Aparecida in 2007 and which had among its goals the recovery of the missionary dimension of the Church.
"The challenges of the current time could lead to a reduced view of the mission", the Holy Father observed. "Yet mission cannot be limited to a mere search for new ways to make the Church more attractive and capable of overcoming the competition of other religious groups or relativist ideologies. The Church does not work for herself. She is at the service of Jesus Christ and exists to ensure the Good News is accessible to everyone. The Church is catholic precisely because she invites all human beings to experience new life in Christ. Mission, then, is neither more nor less than the natural consequence of the very essence of the Church, a service of the ministry of unity which Christ wished to achieve in His crucified body".
AL/ VIS 20101004 (530)
In his address the Pope praised the efforts made by the bishops who, "often lacking the necessary means", bring "the Good News of Jesus to all corners of the Amazon jungle, in the knowledge that God wants all mankind to be saved and to know the truth".
"God can achieve this salvation in extraordinary ways that only He knows. Nonetheless, if His Son came, it was to show us, through His word and life, the ordinary ways to salvations, and He told us to transmit this revelation to others with His authority. And so we cannot avoid this thought: man may be saved by other ways, thanks to God's mercy, without the announcement of the Gospel. But can I be saved if through negligence, fear, shame or erroneous ideas, I fail to announce it?"
"Sometimes we hear the objection that imposing the truth - though it be the truth of the Gospel and of salvation - can be a violation of religious freedom", said the Holy Father, in which context he quoted words of Paul VI: "It would, of course, be a mistake to impose anything on the conscience of our brothers and sisters, but propounding knowledge of the truth of the Gospel and the salvation of Jesus Christ, with absolute clarity and full respect for the free choice of conscience (hence without coercion or dishonest persuasion), ... far from being an attack on religious freedom, is a homage to that freedom, which can choose a route that even non-believers consider noble and edifying. ... To present Christ and His kingdom in a respectful way, more than a right, is a duty of evangelisation".
"The call to mission", the Pope went on, "is not directed exclusively to a restricted group of members of the Church; rather, it is an imperative addressed to all the baptised, an essential element of their vocation". The Pope also referred to the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean which took place in the Brazilian city of Aparecida in 2007 and which had among its goals the recovery of the missionary dimension of the Church.
"The challenges of the current time could lead to a reduced view of the mission", the Holy Father observed. "Yet mission cannot be limited to a mere search for new ways to make the Church more attractive and capable of overcoming the competition of other religious groups or relativist ideologies. The Church does not work for herself. She is at the service of Jesus Christ and exists to ensure the Good News is accessible to everyone. The Church is catholic precisely because she invites all human beings to experience new life in Christ. Mission, then, is neither more nor less than the natural consequence of the very essence of the Church, a service of the ministry of unity which Christ wished to achieve in His crucified body".
AL/ VIS 20101004 (530)
Friday, October 1, 2010
ARCHBISHOP MAMBERTI ADDRESSES U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
VATICAN CITY, 1 OCT 2010 (VIS) - On 29 September Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Holy See secretary for Relations with States, addressed the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. In his speech he noted how the U.N. "has become an indispensable element in the life of peoples, and in the search for a better future for all the inhabitants of the earth. For this reason it has been the object of great attention on the part of the Holy See and the Catholic Church, as evinced by the visits of Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI".
The archbishop then reviewed a number of events which he described as "important for peace and security in the world" and which have taken place since the last sitting of the U.N. General Assembly.
Among these he mentioned the coming into effect of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Cluster Munitions, the positive outcome of the eighth Review Conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the meeting of a preparatory committee for the Arms Trade Conference which, he said, "will establish the strictest possible juridical norms on the transfer of conventional weapons". He also mentioned the signing of the New Start Treaty between the U.S.A. and the Russian Federation, concerning a further reduction and limitation on strategic arsenals.
The secretary for Relations with States then went on to praise the U.N. peacekeeping missions, indicating that the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace continues "to be fundamental in repairing social, juridical and economic fabrics destroyed by war, and in avoiding the repetition of conflicts".
Among the serious events of the last twelve months, Archbishop Mamberti mentioned floods in Pakistan, the consequences of which "have been rendered more serious by the conflicts afflicting the region", in which context he called for "efforts towards understanding and study into the cause of the hostilities". The prelate also underlined how dialogue, "together with the generosity of being able to renounce short-term circumstantial interests, is the path to follow for a lasting solution to the conflict between the State of Israel and Palestine". Such dialogue and understanding among the parties involved is likewise the only way to resolve controversies on the Korean Peninsula and in the Persian Gulf, to bring reconciliation to Iraq and Myanmar, to resolve "ethnic and cultural difficulties in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and to calm recurring tensions in Africa".
"At the root of most conflicts lies an important economic element", he said. "Significant improvement in the living conditions of the Palestinian peoples, and of those of other people who live in situations of civil or regional conflict, will without doubt make an essential contribution to ensuring that violent opposition turns into peaceful and patient dialogue".
On the subject of the Millennium Development Goals, the archbishop remarked on the importance of "bearing the great moral imperatives in mind: ... fulfilment of the promises of aid for development given by rich nations to weaker nations, and a guarantee of a more favourable financial and commercial climate". At a global level, the secretary for Relations with States identified the need "for more decisive and effective concern for refugees, displaced persons and the great migratory flows". In order for there to be integral human development there must also be a guarantee "of the exercise of religious freedom, ... the cornerstone of the entire edifice of human rights", he said
Finally Archbishop Mamberti referred to the challenges posed by the environment and climate change, calling for a political decision to be made during the next session of the conference of Member States "to ensure negotiations reach a concrete outcome through a binding juridical agreement". In this context he indicated how we must "not only develop models based on a new system of energy", but also "modify heedless and irresponsible patterns of consumption ... which are the principal cause of the depletion of natural resources".
DELSS/ VIS 20101001 (660)
The archbishop then reviewed a number of events which he described as "important for peace and security in the world" and which have taken place since the last sitting of the U.N. General Assembly.
Among these he mentioned the coming into effect of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Cluster Munitions, the positive outcome of the eighth Review Conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the meeting of a preparatory committee for the Arms Trade Conference which, he said, "will establish the strictest possible juridical norms on the transfer of conventional weapons". He also mentioned the signing of the New Start Treaty between the U.S.A. and the Russian Federation, concerning a further reduction and limitation on strategic arsenals.
The secretary for Relations with States then went on to praise the U.N. peacekeeping missions, indicating that the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace continues "to be fundamental in repairing social, juridical and economic fabrics destroyed by war, and in avoiding the repetition of conflicts".
Among the serious events of the last twelve months, Archbishop Mamberti mentioned floods in Pakistan, the consequences of which "have been rendered more serious by the conflicts afflicting the region", in which context he called for "efforts towards understanding and study into the cause of the hostilities". The prelate also underlined how dialogue, "together with the generosity of being able to renounce short-term circumstantial interests, is the path to follow for a lasting solution to the conflict between the State of Israel and Palestine". Such dialogue and understanding among the parties involved is likewise the only way to resolve controversies on the Korean Peninsula and in the Persian Gulf, to bring reconciliation to Iraq and Myanmar, to resolve "ethnic and cultural difficulties in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and to calm recurring tensions in Africa".
"At the root of most conflicts lies an important economic element", he said. "Significant improvement in the living conditions of the Palestinian peoples, and of those of other people who live in situations of civil or regional conflict, will without doubt make an essential contribution to ensuring that violent opposition turns into peaceful and patient dialogue".
On the subject of the Millennium Development Goals, the archbishop remarked on the importance of "bearing the great moral imperatives in mind: ... fulfilment of the promises of aid for development given by rich nations to weaker nations, and a guarantee of a more favourable financial and commercial climate". At a global level, the secretary for Relations with States identified the need "for more decisive and effective concern for refugees, displaced persons and the great migratory flows". In order for there to be integral human development there must also be a guarantee "of the exercise of religious freedom, ... the cornerstone of the entire edifice of human rights", he said
Finally Archbishop Mamberti referred to the challenges posed by the environment and climate change, calling for a political decision to be made during the next session of the conference of Member States "to ensure negotiations reach a concrete outcome through a binding juridical agreement". In this context he indicated how we must "not only develop models based on a new system of energy", but also "modify heedless and irresponsible patterns of consumption ... which are the principal cause of the depletion of natural resources".
DELSS/ VIS 20101001 (660)
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