AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 7 APR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

 - Archbishop Ubaldo Ramon Santana Sequera F.M.I., of Maracaibo, Venezuela, president of the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela, accompanied by Archbishop Roberto Luckert Leon of Coro and Cardinal Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino, archbishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela, vice presidents of the same episcopal conference; and by Bishop Ramon Jose Viloria Pinzon of Puerto Caballo, secretary general.

  On Sunday 6 April, he received in audience Cardinal Christoph Schonborn O.P., archbishop of Vienna, Austria.

  On Saturday, 5 April, he received in separate audiences:

 - Bishop Luigi Antonio Secco S.D.B. of Willemstad, Dutch Antilles, on his "ad limina" visit.

 - Giovanni Galassi, ambassador of the Republic of San Marino, on his farewell visit.
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CARDINAL CORDES MEETS WITH BISHOPS OF ENGLAND AND WALES

VATICAN CITY, 7 APR 2008 (VIS) - Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", is to meet with bishops of England and Wales gathered in plenary assembly in the northern English city of Leeds from 7 to 10 April.

  At the invitation of the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales (CBEW), the cardinal will dialogue with the bishops in the light of the Holy Father's first Encyclical "Deus caritas est" on "how to promote the Catholic identity of the Church's charitable organisations in a rapidly changing environment, characterised by challenges to the Church's traditional outreach in this field", according to a communique made public today.

  "While the Church in England and Wales has reached out to those in need in an efficacious way", the communique continues, "historical and cultural changes warrant a reflection upon the role of the bishop as the primordial locus for charitable activity".

  On 8 April at Birmingham's Maryvale Institute, the president of "Cor Unum" will deliver a public lecture on the Church's charitable activities.
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BISHOPS OF ANTILLES: DIOCESAN PASTORAL RENEWAL

VATICAN CITY, 7 APR 2008 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received prelates from the Antilles Episcopal Conference, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

  Addressing the bishops in English, the Holy Father reminded them how "your shores have been battered by negative aspects of the entertainment industry, exploitative tourism and the scourge of the arms and drugs trade; influences which not only undermine family life and unsettle the foundations of traditional cultural values, but tend to affect negatively local politics".

  Benedict XVI went on to encourage the prelates: "Be audacious witnesses to the light of Christ, which gives families direction and purpose, and be bold preachers of the power of the Gospel, which must permeate their way of thinking, standards of judgement, and norms of behaviour".

  "Pastoral renewal is an indispensable task for each of your dioceses", said the Holy Father, highlighting the vital importance of "the tireless promotion of vocations together with the guidance and ongoing formation of priests. ... Your solicitude for the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation of your seminarians and priests is a sure expression of your care and concern for the constant deepening of their pastoral commitment". He encouraged the prelates to support the Saint John Vianney and Ugandan Martyrs Seminary, and noted how "the establishment of a Francophone seminary in the region is a welcome sign of hope".

  "Your pastoral concern for the decline in religious vocations exemplifies your deep appreciation of consecrated life. I too appeal to your religious communities, encouraging them to reaffirm their calling with confidence and, guided by the Holy Spirit, to propose afresh to young people the ideal of consecration and mission".

  Concluding his remarks in French, the Pope noted that each of the bishops "feels the great responsibility to do everything possible to support marriage and family life, which is the primary source of cohesion in communities and hence of vital importance in the eyes of the government authorities. In this perspective, the great network of Catholic schools throughout your region can make a great contribution. Values rooted in the way of truth presented by Christ illuminate the spirit and heart of young people and encourage them to continue along the path of faithfulness, responsibility and real freedom. Good young Christians make good citizens".
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THE ROAD TO EMMAUS IS THE ROAD ALL CHRISTIANS FOLLOW

VATICAN CITY, 6 APR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square in order to pray the Regina Coeli with pilgrims gathered there.

  Commenting on today's Gospel reading of the meeting on the road to Emmaus, the Pope recalled how that locality, "which has not been definitively identified, ... in fact represents all places. The road leading there is the road each Christian, indeed all mankind, follows. The risen Jesus becomes our travelling companion on the roads of our life, to rekindle in our hearts the flame of faith and hope and to break the bread of eternal life".

  Dwelling then on the phrase "we had hoped ... " used by one of the disciples of Emmaus, the Pope explained the significance of the use of the past tense: "We had believed, we had followed, we had hoped, ... but now all is over. Even Jesus of Nazareth Who showed Himself so powerful a prophet in deed and word has failed and we have been disillusioned.

  "The drama faced by the disciples of Emmaus", the Holy Father added, "appears to mirror the situation of many Christians of our own time. It seems as if the hope of faith has failed. Faith itself is in crisis because of negative experiences that make us feel we have been abandoned by the Lord. But this road to Emmaus along which we are walking can become a path of purification and maturity for our belief in God".

  He continued: "Today too we can enter into dialogue with Jesus, listening to His Word. Today too He breaks the bread for us and gives Himself as our bread. And thus the encounter with the risen Christ, which is also possible today, gives us a more profound and authentic faith, tempered so to say by the fire of the events of Easter. A robust faith because it is nourished not by human ideas by the Word of God and His real presence in the Eucharist".

  Following the Marian prayer, Benedict XVI recalled that today marks the close of the first World Congress of Divine Mercy. "Go and be witnesses of God's mercy ", he told the participants, "the source of hope for each human being and for the world entire".
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TELEGRAM FOR KILLING OF SYRIAN ORTHODOX PRIEST IN IRAQ

VATICAN CITY, 6 APR 2008 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. has sent a telegram in the Pope's name for yesterday's killing of a Syrian Orthodox priest in Baghdad, Iraq.

  In the telegram, sent via the apostolic nunciature to Iraq to the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Mar Saverius Jamil Hawa of Baghdad, the Holy Father expresses his deep sadness at the death of Fr. Yousef Adel Abudi and "assures Your Eminence, the priests and the religious of the archdiocese of his closeness in prayer.

  "Entrusting this devoted servant's soul to the infinite mercy of God, His Holiness prays that all people will follow the ways of peace in order to build a just and tolerant society in the beloved land of Iraq".
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