AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon.

 - Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

 - Cardinal James Francis Stafford, penitentiary major of the Apostolic Penitentiary.
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BENEDICT XVI RECEIVES THE PRESIDENT OF SUDAN

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office published the following communique late this morning:

  "This morning, Omar Hassan Ahmed El-Bashir, president of the Republic of Sudan, was received in audience by the Holy Father Benedict XVI in his summer residence at Castelgandolfo. The president subsequently went on to meet Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States and, until last year, apostolic nuncio in Khartoum.

  "Discussions focussed on the country's political and religious situation, with particular reference to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and to the situation in Darfur. On this matter, very positive views were expressed concerning fresh peace negotiations for Darfur, due to be held on October 27 in Libya. It is the Holy See's heartfelt hope that these negotiations prove successful in order to put an end to the suffering and insecurity of those peoples, ensuring them the humanitarian assistance to which they have the right, and initiating development projects. Attention also turned to the regional aspects of the crisis.

  "Other subjects of joint interest were considered, such as the defense of life and of the family, the respect and promotion of human rights including the fundamental right of religious freedom, the importance of inter-religious dialogue and of collaboration between believers in all religions - in particular Christians and Muslims - for the promotion of peace and the common good. In this context, the positive role of the Catholic Church and her institutions in Sudanese society was reiterated, especially in the field of education."
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RESPONSES CONCERNING ARTIFICIAL ALIMENTATION

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today was a response from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to certain questions raised by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops concerning artificial nutrition and hydration. The replies were approved by the Holy Father during an audience granted to Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the congregation. The text of the responses has been published in its Latin original and in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish and Portuguese.

  "First question: Is the administration of food and water (whether by natural or artificial means) to a patient in a 'vegetative state' morally obligatory except when they cannot be assimilated by the patient's body or cannot be administered to the patient without causing significant physical discomfort?

  "Response: Yes. The administration of food and water even by artificial means is, in principle, an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life. It is therefore obligatory to the extent to which, and for as long as, it is shown to accomplish its proper finality, which is the hydration and nourishment of the patient. In this way suffering and death by starvation and dehydration are prevented.

  "Second question: When nutrition and hydration are being supplied by artificial means to a patient in a 'permanent vegetative state,' may they be discontinued when competent physicians judge with moral certainty that the patient will never recover consciousness?

  "Response: No. A patient in a 'permanent vegetative state' is a person with fundamental human dignity and must, therefore, receive ordinary and proportionate care which includes, in principle, the administration of water and food even by artificial means."

  An English-language note accompanying the responses indicates that: "When stating that the administration of food and water is morally obligatory 'in principle,' the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith does not exclude the possibility that, in very remote places or in situations of extreme poverty, the artificial provision of food and water may be physically impossible, and then 'ad impossibilia nemo tenetur.' However, the obligation to offer the minimal treatments that are available remains in place, as well as that of obtaining, if possible, the means necessary for an adequate support of life. Nor is the possibility excluded that, due to emerging complications, a patient may be unable to assimilate food and liquids, so that their provision becomes altogether useless. Finally, the possibility is not absolutely excluded that, in some rare cases, artificial nourishment and hydration may be excessively burdensome for the patient or may cause significant physical discomfort, for example resulting from complications in the use of the means employed.

  "These exceptional cases, however, take nothing away from the general ethical criterion, according to which the provision of water and food, even by artificial means, always represents a 'natural means' for preserving life, and is not a 'therapeutic treatment.' Its use should therefore be considered 'ordinary and proportionate,' even when the 'vegetative state' is prolonged."
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STRONG SOCIETIES ARE BUILT ON STRONG FAMILIES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 13, 2007 (VIS) - This morning in Castelgandolfo the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Jozef Dravecky, the new ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the Holy See.

  In his English-language address to the diplomat the Pope recalled how next year marks the 15th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Slovak Republic and the Holy See. In this context, he thanked the ambassador for his reassurance that Slovakia is committed to fulfilling the two unresolved points of the "Basic Agreement" between the two States, regarding "conscientious objection and the financing of Church activities." The other two points, concerning Catholic education and spiritual ministry to Catholics serving in the armed forces, have already been ratified

  On the subject of education, Benedict XVI reiterated the importance of States guaranteeing "the Church the freedom to establish and administer Catholic schools, affording parents the opportunity to choose a means of education that fosters the Christian formation of their children. ... Indeed, a solid education that nourishes all the dimensions of the human person, including the religious and spiritual, is in the interest of both Church and State. In this way, young people can acquire habits that will enable them to embrace their civic duties as they enter adulthood."

  "The family," he went on, "is the nucleus in which a person first learns human love and cultivates the virtues of responsibility, generosity and fraternal concern. Strong families are built on the foundation of strong marriages. Strong societies are built on the foundation of strong families. Indeed, all civic communities should do what they can to promote economic and social policies that aid young married couples and facilitate their desire to raise a family.

  "Far from remaining indifferent to marriage," he added, "the State must acknowledge, respect and support this venerable institution as the stable union between a man and a woman who willingly embrace a life-long commitment of love and fidelity."

  "The rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Slovakia holds great potential for revitalizing the soul of the European continent," said the Pope noting how the ambassador had "drawn attention to the heroic sacrifices made by countless men and women in your nation's history who, in times of persecution, labored at great cost to preserve the right to life, religious liberty, and the freedom to place oneself at the charitable service of one's neighbor."

  Benedict XVI concluded by expressing the hope that "the celebrations marking the 1150th anniversary of Sts. Cyril and Methodius will renew Slovakia's vigor to bear witness to these timeless values. In this way, she will inspire other member States of the European Union to strive for unity while recognizing diversity, to respect national sovereignty while engaging in joint activity, and to seek economic progress while upholding social justice."
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BENEDICT XVI RECALLS HIS VISIT TO AUSTRIA

VATICAN CITY, SEP 12, 2007 (VIS) - Shortly before 10 a.m. today, the Pope arrived in the Vatican by helicopter from his summer residence in Castelgandolfo. He then went to St. Peter's Square for his weekly general audience.

  Addressing the more than 12,000 people present, the Holy Father recalled his recent pastoral visit to Austria to commemorate the 850th anniversary of the shrine of Mariazell, a visit, he said, "that was above all a pilgrimage on the theme of 'looking to Christ,' that is, of going towards Mary who shows us Jesus."

  The Pope spoke of his arrival in Vienna where he had visited the city's Judenplatz and the monument to the Shoah, and of his meeting with the public authorities of the country and the diplomatic corps. "Such moments," he explained, "are precious opportunities in which Peter's Successor has the chance of exhorting the leaders of nations to favor the cause of peace and of true economic and social progress. With particular reference to Europe, I renewed my encouragement to continue the current process of unification on the basis of values inspired by its shared Christian heritage."

  The Pope described Mariazell as "one of the symbols of the meeting between European peoples and Christianity" and highlighted how many philosophers, not always from a Christian standpoint, "have recognized the central role of Christianity in defending the modern conscience from the currents of nihilism and fundamentalism." In the Marian shrine, said the Holy Father, we understand that "to see Jesus with Mary's eyes is to encounter God Love, Who was made man for us and died upon the Cross."

  Turning to consider his meeting with the Austrian clergy, Benedict XVI pointed out how religious and priests always "strive to present everyone with a reflection of the goodness and beauty of God," by choosing the way of poverty, chastity and obedience, understood "in their authentic Christological sense, not individualist but relational and ecclesial."

  During Sunday's concelebrated Mass in Vienna's cathedral of St. Stephen, "I dwelt upon the importance of Sundays" said the Holy Father, "which give meaning to work and rest, renew the significance of creation and redemption, and express the value of freedom and of service to others."

  Benedict XVI also mentioned the joy he had felt when he visited the abbey of Heiligenkreuz and the Pontifical Theological Faculty. There, he recalled, he reiterated the value of prayer "as service of praise and adoration ... over which nothing must take precedence," and of the liturgy "oriented towards God," highlighting also how "theological study must never be separated from spiritual life and prayer."

  Finally, the Pope mentioned his meeting with voluntary groups in Vienna. "Volunteer work must not be seen as 'filling the gaps' left by the State and public institutions," he said, "rather as a complementary presence, vital to ensure that attention remains focused on the least advantaged."

  "In Vienna and Mariazell," he concluded, "the living, faithful and variegated truth of the Catholic Church appeared particularly clearly. ... A Church that implements and is witness to a generous 'yes' to life in all its dimensions, a Church that renews her bi-millennial tradition at the service of a future of peace and of true social progress for the entire human family."
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