AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND LOWER SAXONY

Vatican City, 8 May 2012 (VIS) - An Agreement was signed this morning at the seat of government of Lower Saxony between the Holy See and that German "Land", modifying the Concordat of 26 February 1965, according to a communique released today by the Holy See Press Office.

The Agreement was signed by Archbishop Jean-Claude Perisset, apostolic nuncio to Germany, as plenipotentiary of the Holy See, and by David McAllister, minster-president of Lower Saxony.

On the ecclesiastical side, the signing ceremony was attended by Bishop Norbert Trelle of Hildesheim; by Msgr. Felix Bernhard, director of the Catholic Office of Lower Saxony for the Land's relations with the dioceses of Hildesheim, Munster (Oldenburg) and Osnabruck, and by diocesan directors for Catholic schools regulated by the Concordat. Among those present on the government side were the minister of culture of Lower Saxony and a number of high-ranking cabinet functionaries.

The document signed today updates paragraph 6 of the Annex to the Concordat and its relative implementation agreement (Durchführungsvereinbarung) in the light of the current legislation of Lower Saxony, which has introduced the definition of high school. The modifications are intended to meet the needs of Catholic schools regulated by the Concordat.

CHRISTIAN INITIATION, THEME OF THE TWELFTH EUROPEAN CONGRESS FOR CATECHISTS

Vatican City, 8 May 2012 (VIS) - The Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE) has organised the twelfth European Congress for Catechists, which is being held in Rome from 7 to 10 May on the theme: "Christian Initiation from the Perspective of New Evangelisation". The event will dedicate particular attention to children and young people between the ages of 7 and 16.

The meeting, which is being coordinated by the CCEE's commission for catechesis, schools and universities, is being attended by bishops and by national directors for catechesis from European episcopal conferences. It is taking place with a view to forthcoming Year of Faith, and in the context of Church reflections on new evangelisation in the year marking the twentieth anniversary of the Publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of Vatican Council II.

Work began yesterday with the presentation of the results of a survey of more than 3,600 children and young people, which will serve as the basis for discussion during the congress. The themes of the survey include: family, friends school and their influence on the Christian initiation of children; the Christian community, it members and its liturgical life; and the importance of the children's personal journey towards God.

On Wednesday 9 May, the participants will attend Mas at the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major, celebrated by Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary and president of the CCEE.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 8 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Msgr. Stephen Robson of the clergy of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 5,504, population 1,521,000, Catholics 115,000, priests 151, permanent deacons 3, religious 165). The bishop-elect was born in Carliste, England in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1979. He studied in Scotland and in Rome then worked in pastoral care in the archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. From 1998 to 2006 he was spiritual director of the Pontifical Scottish Seminary in Rome.

POPE TO SWISS GUARDS: THE SECRET OF YOUR WORK IN THE VATICAN IS CONSTANT REFERENCE TO CHRIST

Vatican City, 7 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience new Swiss Guard recruits who yesterday took the oath at their swearing-in ceremony.

After greeting the recruits and their families, as well as representatives of the Swiss authorities accompanying the group, Benedict XVI dwelt on the fact that the Swiss Guards undertake "a direct service to the Supreme Pontiff and the Apostolic See. It is heartening to see that young men choose to consecrate a number of years of their lives to helping Peter's Successor and his collaborators", he said.

"Your work", he told the recruits, "is part of a tradition of unquestioned fidelity to the Pope, which became heroic sacrifice during the 'Sack of Rome' in 1527 when, on 6 May, your predecessors lost their lives. The special service of the Swiss Guards could not then, and cannot now be carried out without the characteristics which distinguish each member of the corps: firm Catholic faith; faithfulness and love for the Church of Jesus Christ; diligence and perseverance in everyday tasks, the great and the small; courage and humility; altruism and willingness. Your hearts must be replete with these virtues when you discharge your service of honour and security in the Vatican.

"Help and support one other in your daily work", the Pope added. "Maintain an approach of evangelical charity towards the people you meet every day. In Sacred Scripture the call to love others is linked to the commandment to love God with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength. In order to give love to others we must draw it from the furnace of divine charity, through long periods of prayer, constant listening to the word of God and a life focused on the mystery of the Eucharist".

The Holy Father went on: "The secret of being effective, in your work here in the Vatican and in any other projects you have, is constant reference to Christ. This was the experience of many of your predecessors, who were outstanding not only in their work but also in their commitment to Christian life. Some of them were called follow the Lord in the priesthood or consecrated life, and responded readily and enthusiastically; others fulfilled their vocation to marriage through the Sacrament of Matrimony. I thank God, the source of all goodness, for the various gifts and missions He gives you, and I pray that you too, as you begin your service, may respond to the call of Christ, following Him with faithful generosity.

"Dear friends", the Pope added in conclusion, "take advantage of the time you spend in Rome to develop your friendship with Christ, to increase your love for His Church and to advance towards the goal of each true Christian life: sanctity".

GOODNESS COMES FROM GOD BUT IS REALISED THANKS TO THE FAITHFUL

Vatican City, 6 May 2012 (VIS) - Today, the fifth Sunday of Easter, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his private study overlooking St. Peter's Square, to pray the Regina Coeli with faithful gathered below.

Commenting on today's Gospel in which Jesus tells His disciples "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower", the Holy Father explained that "the true vineyard is God and the true vine is Jesus, Who with His sacrifice of love gave us salvation and opened the way for us to become part of that vineyard. And just as Christ abides in the love of God the Father, so the disciples, pruned by the Master's word, united themselves profoundly to Him, becoming fruitful branches which produced abundant fruit".

"The day of our Baptism, the Church grafts us as branches onto Jesus' Paschal Mystery, onto His very Person. From that root we receive the precious lymph that enables us to participate in divine life. As disciples we too, with the help of the pastors of the Church, grow in the Lord's vineyard bound together by His love. ... It is important to remain united to Jesus, to depend upon Him, because without Him we can do nothing".

The Holy Father went on to explain this latter concept by quoting a question put to the fifth-century monk John the Prophet who lived in the desert of Gaza: "How is it possible to reconcile man's freedom with the fact that we can do nothing without God?" The hermit’s response was: "If man inclines his heart to goodness and asks help of God, he receives the strength necessary to achieve his task. Therefore, man's freedom and God's power go hand in hand. This is possible because goodness comes from God but it is realised thanks to His faithful".

"Each of us", Pope Benedict continued, "is like a branch which lives only if it grows every day through prayer and participation in the Sacraments, through charity and union with the Lord. Those who love Christ, the true vine, produce fruits of faith for an abundant spiritual harvest".

Following the Regina Coeli, the Pope reminded those present of his forthcoming trip to Milan, Italy, in early June for the Seventh World Meeting of Families. Addressing Spanish-speaking pilgrims he also recalled the fact that today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the canonisation of St. Martin de Porres "whom we ask to intervene in favour of the new evangelisation, that sanctity may blossom in the Church".

Finally, the Holy Father addressed twenty-six new recruits of the Swiss Guard who took their oath today. "I greet the new Swiss Guards and their families, on the feast day of that historic corps", he said.

The oath of new recruits to the Swiss Guards takes place every year on 6 May, usually in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace but this year, due to rain, in the Vatican's Sala Nervi. The ceremony commemorates the 147 members of the corps who lost their lives protecting Pope Clement VII from the onslaught of the troops of Emperor Charles V during the Sack of Rome on 6 May 1527.