OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 26 JUL, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Hobart, Australia, presented by Archbishop Joseph Eric D'Arcy, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Adrian Leo Doyle.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Ilagan, Philippines, presented by Archbishop Miguel G. Purugganan, in accordance with canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Sergio Utleg.

- Appointed Fr. Miguel La Fay Barbi O. Carm, responsible for the formation of candidates to the Carmelite order in Lima, Peru, as bishop-prelate of Sicuani (area 15,440, population 353,000, Catholics 334,000, priests 20, religious 39), Peru. The bishop-elect was born in Chelsea, U.S.A. in 1934 and ordained a priest in 1960.

On Saturday, July 24, it was made public that the Holy Father:

- Erected the diocese of Ambositra (area 15,000, population 540,000, Catholics 262,233, priests 75, religious 147), Madagascar, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Fianarantsoa, Madagascar, making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan church of Fianarantsoa. He appointed Fr. Fulgence Rabemahafaly, former rector of the major seminary of Vohitsoa, Madagascar, as bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born at Miarinavaratra, Madagascar, in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1980.

- Appointed Archbishop Adriano Bernardini, apostolic nuncio in Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles, as apostolic nuncio in Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia and apostolic delegate in Laos, Malaysia, Brunei and Myanmar.

- Appointed Msgr. Orlando Antonini, nunciature counsellor, as apostolic nuncio in Zambia and Malawi, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Villa S. Angelo, Italy in 1944 and ordained a priest in 1968.

- Appointed Archbishop Mario Zenari, apostolic nuncio in the Ivory Coast and Niger, as apostolic nuncio in Burkina Faso.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 22, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of San Juan Bautista de las Misiones, Paraguay, presented by Bishop Carlos Milciades Villalba Aquino, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor bishop Mario Melanio Medina Salinas.

- Appointed Fr. Marian Chovanec as auxiliary of Nitra (area 5,321, population 830,828, Catholics 664,968, priests 283, permanent deacons 4, religious 714), Slovakia. The bishop-elect was born in Trencin in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1989 and since 1993 has been professor of dogmatic theology at the technological institute of Nitra.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Santa Rosa, U.S.A., presented by Bishop George Patrick Ziemann, in accordance with canon 401, para.2 of the Code of Canon Law. He appointed Archbishop William Joseph Levada of San Francisco as apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Santa Rosa.

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HEAVEN IS UNION WITH GOD, NOT AN ABSTRACTION

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 1999 (VIS) - This morning the Pope travelled by helicopter from Castelgandolfo to the Vatican where, at 10 a.m., the general audience took place in the Paul VI Hall. The theme of this Wednesday's catechesis was "Heaven, The Fullness of Communion with God."

Faith, said John Paul II, teaches us that at the end of our earthly existence "those who have welcomed God into their lives and who have sincerely opened themselves to His love, at least at the moment of death, will be able to enjoy full communion with Him."

"Participation in full intimacy with the Father, after completing our earthly life, comes about through insertion into Christ's paschal mystery."

The Holy Father recalled that "within the framework of Revelation we know that the 'heaven' or 'beatitude' in which we will find ourselves, is not an abstraction nor a physical place in the clouds, but a living and personal relationship of unity with the Holy Trinity. Heaven is our meeting with the Father which takes place in the Risen Christ through the communion of the Holy Spirit."

"It is important to always maintain a certain moderation in describing these 'ultimate realities,' as any description of them is always inadequate. Today, personalistic language manages to express, in a less inappropriate fashion, the peace and happiness which definitive union with God will bring us."

The Pope indicated that ultimate reality "can nonetheless be anticipated now, both in sacramental life, of which the Eucharist is the center, and in the gift of ourselves in fraternal charity. ... We know that in this world everything is subject to limits, but thoughts of our 'ultimate' reality help us to live better this 'penultimate' reality."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of Corumba, Brazil, presented by Bishop Jose Alves da Costa D.C., in accordance with canon 401, para.2 of the Code of Canon Law.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 20, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Palayamkottai, India, presented by Bishop Savarinathan Iruthayaraj in accordance with canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- Appointed Bishop Thierry Jordan of Pontoise, France, as metropolitan archbishop of Reims (area 6,931, population 598,000, Catholics 584,000, priests 212, permanent deacons 12, religious 398), France. The archbishop-elect was born in Shanghai, China, in 1943, ordained a priest in 1966 and consecrated a bishop in 1987.

- Appointed as members of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church: Cardinals Christoph Schonborn O.P., archbishop of Vienna, Austria and Francis Eugene George O.M.I., archbishop of Chicago, U.S.A.; Archbishops Csaba Ternyak, secretary of the Congregation for Clergy and Marin Barsic, auxiliary of Split-Makarska, Croatia; Msgr. Giancarlo Santi, director of the national office for ecclesiastical cultural heritage of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Italy; Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer S.J., director of the "corso superiore" (advanced course) for the cultural patrimony of the Church, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy; Sandro Benedetti, director of the technical office of the Fabric of St. Peter and professor at "La Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy and Giuseppe Basile, director of the Central Institute for Restoration, Rome, Italy.

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