OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 16, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Carlos Jose Tissera of the clergy of the diocese of Villa de la Concepcion del Rio Cuarto, pastor of the Cathedral in San Francisco, Argentina, as bishop of the same diocese (area 19,611, population 209,600, Catholics 205,400, priests 38, religious 48).  The bishop-elect was born in Rio Cuarto, Argentina in 1951 and was ordained a priest in 1978.
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ETHICS AND INFORMATION: CONFINES, LIMITS, IMPEDIMENTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 16, 2004 (VIS) - Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, spoke yesterday afternoon at a round table on "Ethics and Information: Confines, Limits and Impediments in Modern Communication" at the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome.

  He began his remarks by "congratulating the Order of St. Augustine on the occasion of the 1,650th anniversary of the birth of their founder, St. Augustine of Hippo," noting that in the Church of St. Augustine in Rome there are relics of both this saint and Doctor of the Church and his mother, St. Monica. He also spoke of "the Basilica of St. Peter in Cieldoro in Pavia where the relics of St. Augustine have been kept under the main altar for almost 1,300 years." These same relics - the mortal remains of St. Augustine - were brought to Rome for a week and were in Pope John Paul's private apartment from the afternoon of November 11 to the morning of November 12.

  Noting that St. Augustine "has continued to communicate after 1,600 years," Archbishop Foley spoke of communications today and said "for us, the limits of communication should be truth, the dignity of the individual and the common good. Thus, the first principle is, 'Never tell a lie' - for any person or for any cause. The second principle is that the dignity of the person should never be violated - for example, by false propaganda, by pornography, by speech designed to foment hatred. The third principle is that all communication should contribute to the common good, not detract from it. … Thus, authentic communication should foster conformity with just law; it should be an encouragement to contribute to the common good."
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FAITH IN THE EUCHARIST, COLLEGIALITY, PROMOTING CHARITY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 16, 2004 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received the members of the 10th ordinary council of the Secretariat General of the Synod of Bishops which is preparing the synod that will take place in October 2005 on the theme, "The Eucharist: source and summit of the life and mission of the Church."

  "The next synod," he said, "will be an auspicious occasion so that in the Church faith in the mystery of the Eucharist is confirmed, so that collegial and hierarchical communion is renewed and so that fraternal charity is promoted."

  Referring to the encyclical "Ecclesia de Eucharistia," published in 2003, and the Apostolic Letter "Mane nobiscum Domine," published this October, the Holy Father underscored that both documents are entrusted to the Church so that "the doctrine and Eucharistic praxis universally find souls ready for communion with the Lord and with their brothers and sisters in charity."

  John Paul II indicated that the pastors of the Church must "be authentic teachers of communion so that the Lord's flock grows in unity as one body, so that the spaces dedicated to pastoral charity increase, and so that collegiality and hierarchal communion flourish through the fruits of the Holy Spirit."

  "May the Church, renewed in the discovery of the gift and mystery of the Eucharist," he concluded, "extend this inexhaustible wealth of life to those near and far through the urgent work of the new evangelization."
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PROTECT ALL HUMAN LIFE, THE UNBORN, THE WEAK, THE POOR

VATICAN CITY, NOV 13, 2004 (VIS) - Pope John Paul today welcomed 50 members of the Christian Office of the Handicapped, founded in 1963 in France by Marie-Helene Mathieu and several families with handicapped members  Noting that their work is inspired by Christian values, he said, "you remind people that the person is not reduced to his aptitudes and place in economic life, but rather is a creature of God, loved by Him for himself, not for what he does."

   The Pope said he knows the sacrifices made by families with a handicapped member, but also the joys they experience "and the affection the (handicapped) have for those who care for them. Your action is both a service and a true mission for the promotion of the human person and the defense of their dignity. ... You accomplish in the heart of  the Church the remarkable service of charity, tenderness and compassion for the handicapped and their families." He told the group and their foundress that they are "one of the signs of the solidarity of the entire Christian community with regard to those wounded in their body and in their spirit."

  "Your presence," stated the Holy Father, "invites me to appeal once again in an urgent manner to all people of good will, especially government leaders and legislators, to have a elevated awareness and humanity so that all human life is protected, especially that of the weakest, the smallest and the poorest, and to stop all actions aimed at eliminating conceived and unborn children, who are defenseless, with man thus making himself the master of life."
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CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE: FAMILY AND WORLD OF TELEVISION

VATICAN CITY, NOV 13, 2004 (VIS) - Made public yesterday afternoon was a Message from the Pope to Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, and to the participants in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Italian Association of Radio Listeners and Television Viewers.

  John Paul II writes in the Message dated November 10 that the purpose of this association, started by Catholic Action, is "to promote the dignity of the person, the family, schools and to safeguard the rights and cultural, spiritual and moral interests of citizens."

  "It is necessary," writes the Holy Father, "to help television viewers, especially families, to make mature use of the medium of television in order to know how to discern with balance and wisdom the transmissions that are in line with the Christian vision of the world and of man."

  The Pope says that "the legitimate needs of the worlds of communication and entertainment must be harmonized with the rights of individuals and families, without ever giving in to the illusions of those who want to confuse truth with opinion, and while avoiding exposing the most sacred and intimate aspects of family life to becoming spectacles and being banally vulgarized."

  After expressing his appreciation to the association for having created a system of codes to protect minors, the Pope concludes with the hope that "a constructive dialogue between families and the world of television can be cultivated, promoting serious ethical reflection which is so necessary to those who work in the field of social communication because they carry out a task that important formative aspects."
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