AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Pierre Christophe, apostolic nuncio in Uganda.
- Archbishop Alain Paul Lebeaupin, apostolic nuncio in Ecuador.
- Bishop Affonso Felippe Gregory of Imperatriz, Brazil on his "ad limina" visit.
- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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HOLY SEE REPLIES TO NORMS WRITTEN BY U.S. BISHOPS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2002 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, to Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in answer to the "Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests, Deacons or Other Church Personnel" ("Norms") written by the American bishops.

The American bishops asked for a "recognitio" of this document, which had been approved at the plenary meeting of the USCCB in Dallas on June 13-15.

Following are excerpts from Cardinal Re's Letter, dated October 14, 2002:
"The Holy See, above all, would like to convey full solidarity with the Bishops of the United States in their firm condemnation of sexual misdeeds against minors and is deeply concerned about the distressing situation that has arisen in recent months in the Church in the United States. Likewise, the Holy See wishes to encourage the efforts of the Episcopal Conference in assisting the Bishops to address these difficult problems.

"The sexual abuse of minors is particularly abhorrent. Deeply moved by the sufferings of the victims and their families, the Holy See supports the American Bishops in their endeavor to respond firmly to the sexual misdeeds of the very small number of those who minister or labor in the service of the Church. But such a very small number cannot overshadow 'the immense spiritual, human and social good that the vast majority of priests and religious in the United States have done and are still doing' (Pope John Paul II, Address to the Cardinals and to the Presidency of the Episcopal Conference of the United States, April 23, 2002).

"The Apostolic See likewise acknowledges the efforts which the Bishops of the United States have made through the 'Norms' and the guidelines contained in the Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People ('Charter') to protect minors and to avoid future recurrences of these abuses. Such efforts should also help to preserve or restore the trust of the faithful in their pastors.

"Despite these efforts, the application of the policies adopted at the Plenary Assembly in Dallas can be the source of confusion and ambiguity, because the Norms and Charter contain provisions which in some aspects are difficult to reconcile with the universal law of the Church."

"For these reasons, it has been judged appropriate that before the 'recognitio' can be granted, a further reflection on and revision of the Norms and the Charter are necessary. In order to facilitate this work, the Holy See proposes that a Mixed Commission be established, composed of four bishops chosen from the Episcopal Conference of the United States, and four representatives from those Dicasteries of the Holy See which have direct competence in the matter: the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for Clergy, and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts."

Bishop Gregory, in a reply to the cardinal prefect, dated October 15, said, in part: "The Bishops of the United States are profoundly grateful to the Holy See, both for the fraternal solicitude that has been shown to the Church in the United States at this difficult time and for the gracious consideration that has been given to our request.

"In view of the issues that Your Eminence raises in your letter to me regarding the best way for us to pursue effectively the 'recognitio' of our proposed Norms, I am happy to accept, on behalf of our Episcopal Conference, the suggestion of the Apostolic See that a Mixed Commission be established in order to reflect further on and consider revision of certain aspects of the Charter accepted by the Bishops in Dallas and the Norms proposed to the Holy See for 'recognitio'."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. Tommaso Ghirelli, episcopal vicar of the diocese of Bologna, Italy, as bishop of Imola (area 820, population 140,000, Catholics 135,000, priests 133, permanent deacons 9, religious 177), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Forli, Italy in 1944 and was ordained a priest in 1969. The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese presented by Bishop Guiseppe Fabiani, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. Cataldo Naro, lecturer of Church History in the Faculty of Theology at St. John the Baptist in Sicily, as archbishop of Monreale (area 1,509, population 190,000, Catholics 185,000, priests 150, religious 343), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in San Cataldo, Italy in 1951 and was ordained a priest in 1974.

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POPE ANNOUNCES 5 NEW MYSTERIES OF ROSARY, YEAR OF THE ROSARY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 16, 2002 (VIS) - During today's weekly general audience held in St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul signed an apostolic letter dedicated to the Rosary, announced that he had added five new mysteries to this eight-century old prayer and said that October 2002 to October 2003 would be the Year of the Rosary. Today also marked the 24th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul to the papacy.

Tradition has it that St. Dominic spread the practice of praying the Rosary as a devotion to Mary in the 13th century. The image of Our Lady of the Rosary from the shrine of the same name in Pompeii was brought to Rome for today's audience by 1,500 pilgrims from this Italian town near Naples.

At the start of his catechesis today, the Holy Father repeated words he spoke last August during a trip to his native Poland: "Most holy Mother, ... obtain for me strength of body and spirit so that I may fulfill to the end the mission entrusted to me by the Risen One. To you I give the fruits of my life and my ministry; to you I entrust the destiny of the Church; ... In you I trust. ... 'Totus tuus, Maria! Totus tuus!' Amen."

"Very shortly," announced the Pope, "I will sign the Apostolic Letter 'Rosarium Virginis Mariae' (The Rosary of the Virgin Mary). In addition, together with this document, dedicated to the prayer of the Rosary, I am proclaiming the year that goes from October 2002 to October 2003 the Year of the Rosary."

John Paul II then asked: "For the demanding, but extraordinarily rich task of contemplating the face of Christ together with Mary, is there a better instrument than the prayer of the Rosary? ... Repeating the invocation 'Ave Maria', we can more deeply reflect on the essential events of the mission of the Son of God on earth, which have been transmitted to us by the Gospel and Tradition. In order for this synthesis of the Gospel to be more complete and to offer greater inspiration, in the Apostolic Letter 'Rosarium Virginis Mariae', I proposed adding five more mysteries to those currently contemplated in the Rosary, and I called them 'the mysteries of light'."

These mysteries, he underscored, focus on Jesus' public life: His Baptism in the Jordan, the wedding feast of Cana, His proclamation of the Kingdom of God, His institution of the Eucharist and the Transfiguration.

"Mary, Queen of the Rosary," the Holy Father concluded his catechesis, "whom we see here in the image venerated in Pompeii, lead the children of the Church to the fullness of union with Christ in His glory!"

The Pope them summarized his catechesis and announcements in French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese, and greeted the numerous pilgrims present in Dutch, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Slovakian, Romanian, Italian and Polish.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 17, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Robert J. Hermann, vicar general of the archdiocese of St. Louis, U.S.A., as auxiliary of the same archdiocese. The bishop-elect was born in 1934 in St. Louis and was ordained a priest in 1963.

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