OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 13, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Elevated to the rank of diocese the territorial prelature of Coxim (area 45,998, population 124,999, Catholics 100,000, priests 17, religious 26), Brazil, with the same name and territorial configuration, making it suffragan of the metropolitan Church of Campo Grande.

- Appointed Bishop Antonino Migliore, bishop-prelate of Coxim, Brazil as first bishop of the same diocese.

- Appointed Fr. Guerrino Riccardo Brusati, fidei donum of the diocese of Paulo Afonso, Brazil, as bishop of Caetite (area 41,740, population 708,000, Catholics 637,000, priests 31, religious 50), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Bellanzago Novarese, Italy in 1945 and was ordained a priest in 1973. He succeeds Bishop Antonio Alberto Guimaraes Rezende, C.S.S., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted upon having reached the age limit.

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SERVANTS OF MARY: PRAY THE ROSARY AS YOU CARE FOR THE SICK

VATICAN CITY, NOV 13, 2002 (VIS) - A letter that the Pope addressed to the Servants of Mary, Ministers of the Sick, who participated in the work of their 23rd General Chapter, was made public today.

"The charism which characterizes you, attention to the sick in their homes," writes the Holy Father, "goes well with the creative strength of the charity that all ecclesiastical activity must have, which also means concretely conveying the exigency that each 'gesture of help be felt not as humiliating charity but as fraternal sharing'."

After emphasizing that in their chapter they highlighted the need to "know how to be with Mary and as Mary in the world of pain," John Paul II recalls that "last year ... I asked the Virgin Mary to enter homes with you to reveal Jesus, the true Savior and Redeemor of each human being. Now I repeat that, recommending that you do it while saying the Rosary frequently as you care for the sick. What better way to assimilate the 'same sentiments of Christ' than to implore his Mother to watch over her sick children or to participate more deeply in the meaning of suffering?"

At the end of the letter, the Pope invokes the intercession of St. Maria Soledad Torres Acosta, whose statue was blessed today after being moved to the exterior of St. Peter's Basilica, asking her to "make your Institute grow with new vocations."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 12, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, apostolic nuncio in India and Nepal, as apostolic nuncio in Brazil.

- Appointed Msgr. Antonios Aziz Mina, official of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, as bureau chief of the same congregation.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the eparchy of Mukacheve of the Byzantine Rite, presented by Bishop Ivan Semedi, in accordance with Canon 210, para. 2, of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

- Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary bishop of the eparchy of Mukacheve of the Byzantine Rite, presented by Bishop Ivan Marghitych, in accordance with Canon 210, para. 2, of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

- Appointed Fr. Milan Sasik, C.M., as apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the eparchy of Mukacheve, raising him to the dignity of bishop. The bishop-elect was born in 1952 in Lechina, Slovakia and was ordained a priest in 1976.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 12, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

- Six prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (Eastern Region II) on their "ad limina" visit:

- Bishop Anselmo Muller, M.S.F., of Januaria.

- Bishop Luiz Mancilha Vilela, SS.CC., of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim.

- Bishop Leonardo de Miranda Pereira of Paracatu.

- Bishop Joao Bosco Oliver de Faria of Patos de Minas.

- Bishop Werner Franz Siebenbrock, S.V.D., of Governador Valadares.

- Bishop Paulo Sergio Machado of Ituiutaba.

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COMMUNICATE THE GOSPEL WITH CURRENT LANGUAGE AND SENSITIVITY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 9, 2002 (VIS) - At noon today in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father received participants in the congress for representatives of the fields of communication and culture, promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference. During the past days, they have considered the theme, "Communication and culture: new paths for evangelization in the third millennium."

The Pope said that those who work in these fields are called to "read and interpret the current times and to search for ways to communicate the Gospel in the language and sensitivity of contemporary man."

The field of communication needs "people with the gift of faith who know how to interpret current cultural issues, committing themselves to live this era of communication not as a time of alienation and disorientation but as a beautiful time to search for the truth and to develop communion among people and different groups."

John Paul II urged them to fix their gaze on Jesus and to listen to His teachings "so that the proliferation of rooftop antennae ... may be a sign of communication which is growing in the service of man and the integral progress of humanity."

"The testimony of believers," he added, "finds a vast field of expression in the worlds of the media and culture. ... It is the duty of the lay faithful to give an example of professionalism and authentic Christian conscience."

The Pope asked those who work in the media and contribute to culture to be conscious of their responsibilities, "especially to the most defenseless subjects, who are frequently exposed without any guidance to violent programs and to a deformed vision of man, family and life." For this reason, he said, public authorities and associations must ensure that "the media maintain intact their primary purpose of service to people and society."

"The absence of control and vigilance is not a guarantee of liberty, as many would like to make others believe, and it ends rather in indiscriminately promoting the use of extremely powerful instruments which, if used inappropriately, produce disastrous effects in the consciences of people and in the life of society. In a communications system, ever more complex and extensive," he ended, "clear and just guidelines are useful, guidelines that guarantee pluralism, freedom, participation by and respect for users."

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