OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Martin Drennan, auxiliary of Dublin, Ireland, as bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh (area 2,610, population 105,079, Catholics 102,425, priests 113, religious 277), Ireland. He succeeds Bishop James McLoughlin whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

  On Saturday, May 21, it was made public that he appointed Fr. Juan Jose Pineda Fasquelle C.M.F., professor at the major national seminary of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, director of pastoral care at the Catholic University of Honduras and secretary of the archbishop of Tegucigalpa, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa (area 23,106, population 2,135,516, Catholics 1,601,637, priests 165, permanent deacons 1, religious 503). The bishop-elect was born in Tegucigalpa in 1960 and ordained to the priesthood in 1988.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Georgi Parvanov, president of the Republic of Bulgaria, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

 - Two prelates from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Burundi, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Archbishop Simon Ntamwana of Gitega.

    - Bishop Jean Ntagwarara of Bubanza.

 - Vlado Buchkovski, prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

  On Saturday, May 21, he received in separate audiences:

 - Superiors and officials of the Secretariat of State.

 - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
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PAPAL LETTER TO SPANISH BISHOPS FOR NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2005 (VIS) - Made public today was a letter from the Holy Father to the Spanish bishops on the occasion of the national pilgrimage to the shrine of Pilar de Zaragoza to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and the 50th anniversary of the consecration of Spain to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

  "Mary Immaculate," he writes in the Letter dated May 19,  "reflects the mercy of the Father. Conceived without sin, she was capable of pardoning even those who abandoned and wounded her Son at the foot of the Cross. As our Advocate, she helps us in our needs and intercedes for us to her Son."

   "Accompanied by the paternal solicitude of Joseph," he adds, "Mary welcomed her Son. In the home at Nazareth Jesus reached maturity in a family that was humanly splendid and marked by the divine mystery, one that has been a model for all families. In this respect, in domestic coexistence the family realizes its vocation of human and Christian life, sharing joys and expectations in a climate of understanding and reciprocal help. Thus, the human person, who is born, grows and is formed in the family, is capable of undertaking with certainty the path of goodness, without letting himself or herself be disoriented by methods or ideologies foreign to the human person."

   Benedict XVI said he knows "the Catholic Church in Spain is disposed to take firm steps in her evangelizing projects. Thus, it is to be hoped that she will be understood and accepted in her natural truth and mission because it is a question of promoting the common good for everyone, with respect both to persons and to society. In effect, the transmission of the faith and religious practices of believers cannot remain confined to the purely private sphere."
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BENEDICT XVI ON ROLE OF SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS IN EUROPE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2005 (VIS) - Prime Minister Vlado Buchkovski of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and an entourage were welcomed to the Vatican today by Pope Benedict on the occasion of the feast of St. Cyril and Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs. Their feast is celebrated in the East on May 11, and in the West on February 14.

  "When I received the new ambassador a few days ago," said the Holy Father, speaking English, "I wanted to acknowledge how strongly the traditions and culture of the Macedonian people resonate with the values which permeate the spirit of Europe. The brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius, Apostles of the Slav peoples, contributed significantly to its formation. Their human and Christian activity left indelible traces in the history of your own country. The pilgrimage which you make every year to the tomb of Saint Cyril provides a fitting occasion to return to the roots of your history."

  The Pope added, "I am convinced that the way to give life to a society truly attentive to the common good is to seek in the Gospel the roots of shared values, as the experience of Saints Cyril and Methodius demonstrates.  This is the ardent desire of the Catholic Church which has no other interest but to spread and bear witness to Jesus Christ's words of hope and love, words of life which down the centuries have inspired many martyrs and confessors of the faith.

  "I sincerely hope," concluded Benedict XVI, "that your pilgrimage today will contribute to keeping vibrant throughout the Nation these high human and Christian ideals. I pray too that your country will confidently open up to Europe, thereby contributing significantly to building its future, inspired by your invaluable religious and cultural heritage."
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POPE WELCOMES PRESIDENT PARVANOV OF BULGARIA

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2005 (VIS) - Pope Benedict today received Georgi Parvanov, president of the Republic of Bulgaria, with his wife and a delegation, who are in Rome for the traditional annual homage to the tomb of St. Cyril who, together with his brother Methodius, are Apostles to the Slavs. With St. Benedict, they were proclaimed co-patrons of Europe by John Paul II on December 31, 1980.

  The Holy Father noted that Cyril and Methodius "forged in a Christian perspective the human and cultural values of the Bulgarians and other Slav nations. One could also say that, through their evangelizing action, it is Europe that was shaped, this Europe of which Bulgaria feels itself to be a convincing partner. Bulgaria even realizes that it has a special duty towards other peoples, knowing it is one of the bridges between West and East."

  Highlighting "the good relations that exist between the Holy See and the nation you represent," the Pope then asked: "How can we not thank Divine Providence for this rediscovered capacity of friendly and constructive dialogue after the long and difficult period of the communist regime?"

  In closing remarks, Benedict XVI thanked Bulgaria and its people for the "closeness shown to the Holy See in these last two months You, the government, the parliament, and so many citizens wished to show the Catholic Church their sincere sentiments on the occasion of the death of John Paul II and of my election as his successor."
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