CHRIST IS THE ANSWER, HIS LIGHT WILL REAPPEAR

VATICAN CITY, JUL 28, 2005 (VIS) - Peter's attachment to his flock, priestly vocations, and the participation of divorced Catholics in the Eucharist were the central themes of Benedict XVI's meeting with the clergy of the diocese of Aosta, held at the church of Introd on Monday, July 25. The "Osservatore Romano" newspaper yesterday published the complete text of this meeting, of which some paragraphs are given below:

  "The history of the Church has always been marked, in various different forms, by questions that have truly tormented us. What must be done? ... I would like to respond briefly, but I would also like to point out that the Pope is not an oracle, he is infallible only in very rare situations, as we know. Therefore I share these questions with you. I too suffer. But all of us together wish ... to transform problems through suffering, because suffering is the way to transformation, and without it nothing is transformed. This is also the meaning of to the parable of the grain of wheat that falls to the earth."

  Going on to refer to the crisis of vocations in the West, the Pope pointed out how the western world has reached a point "in which there is no longer any evidence of the need for God, still less for Christ. ... Consequently, it becomes difficult to believe, and if it is difficult to believe it is even more difficult to offer one's life to the Lord, to be His servant. This is clearly a torment, one particular to our own historical times in which the so-called great Churches generally appear to be moribund. ... On the other hand sects, which present themselves with the certainty of a minimal faith, are growing. ... We must traverse this tunnel patiently, in the certainty that Christ is the answer and that in the end His light will reappear."

  On the subject of divorced Catholics who have remarried, Benedict XVI described as "particularly painful" the "situation of those who married in Church out of tradition, without being true believers; then, finding themselves in a new and non-valid marriage, they convert, find faith, and feel excluded from the Sacrament (of the Eucharist)."

  The Pope recalled that when he was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith he invited several episcopal conferences to study the question of a "Sacrament celebrated without faith," and "whether it is truly possible to find therein a reason for invalidity, because the Sacrament was lacking an essential dimension. ... The problem is very difficult and must be studied profoundly."

  In closing, the Holy Father announced that the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is preparing a document on the Church's closeness to prisoners.
BXVI-VACATIONS/MEETING CLERGY/INTROD            VIS 20050728 (470)

END OF POPE'S VACATION IN VALLE D'AOSTA

VATICAN CITY, JUL 28, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father's vacation at the locality of Les Combes in the municipality of Introd in Italy's Valle d'Aosta is due to come to an end this afternoon. His airplane is scheduled to take off from the airport of Aosta at 5.30 p.m. and to land at Ciampino airport in Rome an hour later. Benedict XVI will then travel to the apostolic palace of Castelgandolfo, south of Rome.

  Beginning on Sunday, July 31, Benedict XVI will pray the Angelus from his summer residence at Castelgandolfo. General audiences will be held regularly from Wednesday, August 3.
BXVI-VACATION/.../LES COMBES                        VIS 20050728 (110)

TELEGRAM FOR MONSOON FLOODING IN INDIA

VATICAN CITY, JUL 28, 2005 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano sent a telegram, in the Pope's name, to Cardinal Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay, India, for the monsoon rains which have devastated Maharashtra State in that country:

  "Deeply saddened by reports of the tragic consequences of the monsoon rains in Maharashtra State, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI sends the assurance of his profound solidarity and pastoral concern. With fervent prayers that Almighty God will grant eternal peace to those who have died and consolation and strength to the homeless, injured and suffering, he invokes the divine gifts of wisdom, strength and peace upon the civil authorities and those engaged in the massive work of relief and rebuilding."
TGR/MONSOONS INDIA/SODANO:DIAS                    VIS 20050728 (130)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 27, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Msgr. Giovanni Ricchiuti of the clergy of the archdiocese of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, Italy, rector of the Pontifical Regional Seminary of Puglia, as archbishop of Acerenza (area 1,250, population 60,200, Catholics 60,000, priests 37, religious 60), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Bisceglie in 1948 and ordained a priest in 1972. He succeeds Archbishop Michele Scandiffio, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Philippe Nkiere Keana C.I.C.M. of Bondo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as bishop of Inongo (area 100,000, population 800,000, Catholics 396,000, priests 55, religious 102), Democratic Republic of the Congo. He succeeds Bishop Leon Lesambo Ndamwize, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Francisco Carlos Bach, vicar general of the diocese of Ponta Grossa, Brazil, as bishop of Toledo (area 8,000, population 344,415, Catholics 305,496, priests 47, permanent deacons 1, religious 99), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Ponta Grossa in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1977.
NER:RE/.../...                                    VIS 20050727 (200)

ANNUAL MEETING OF POPULORUM PROGRESSIO FOUNDATION

VATICAN CITY, JUL 27, 2005 (VIS) - The administrative council of the "Populorum Progressio" Foundation held its annual meeting in Lima, Peru, from July 19 to 22. The foundation was established by John Paul II to promote integral development among the poor, indigenous, mixed race and Afro-American rural communities of Latin America and the Caribbean.

  Since its creation in 1992 the foundation, which is part of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," has financed more than 2,000 projects for a total value of almost 20 million dollars, giving concrete form to "the Church's gesture of loving solidarity towards the most abandoned and needy - such as the poor, indigenous, mixed race and Afro-American rural communities - as the fruit of love and charity."

  This year approval has been given to 212 projects aimed at the integral development of these peoples, with particular reference to the following areas: 36.29% for production, be it farming, small businesses, or community stores; 23.55% for communal infrastructure projects such as potable water, fencing, latrines and community halls; 18.15% for buildings such as schools, houses and health centers; 16.60% for education: training, communications, donations and publications; 5.49% for health-oriented projects, including donations and training."

  The countries involved include Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, as well as Argentina, Chile and the entire Caribbean area.

  Msgr. Segundo Tejado Munoz, a Cor Unum official who participated in the Lima meeting recalls that the criterion of Populorum Progressio is "the ecclesial nature of its projects."

  "The Church," said Msgr. Tejado, "cannot be reduced to becoming a humanitarian aid organization; rather her mission embraces individuals in all their facets, both material and spiritual. Hence, the projects that are presented to the foundation have to include this component of Christian charity: the announcement that in Jesus Christ man has access to a Father full of love for the poor. This testimony is carried forwards by providing aid in the Holy Father's name and by including all achievements within the framework of the local Church."
CON-CU/POPULORUM PROGRESSIO/TEJADO                VIS 20050727 (340)