OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 4, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Msgr. Faustino Armendariz Jimenez, vicar general of the archdiocese of Hermosillo, Mexico, as bishop of Matamoros (area 19,457, population 3,070,306, Catholics 2,844,000, priests 123, permanent deacons 4, religious 91), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Magdalena de Kino, Mexico, in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1982.

- Fr. Rafael Sandoval Sandoval M.N.M., pastor at Monterrey and former superior general of the Missionaries of the Nativity of Mary, as bishop of Tarahumara (area 31,354, population 227,450, Catholics 216,070, priests 32, religious 137), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Guascaro Michoacan, Mexico, in 1947 and ordained a priest in 1974.
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NEW ROMAN MARTYROLOGY LISTS 7,000 SAINTS AND BLESSEDS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 4, 2005 (VIS) - In Rome at the beginning of last month, the second edition of the Roman Martyrology was presented. The new Martyrology is an updated list not, as the name might suggest, of martyrs, but of all the saints and blesseds venerated by the Church.

  The latest edition of the Martyrology was presented during an event promoted by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to commemorate the conciliar constitution on liturgical reform "Sacrosanctum Concilium", promulgated on December 4, 1963.

  The new edition contains certain differences with respect to the earlier edition, which was published in 2001 and was the first since Vatican Council II. A number of typographical errors have been corrected and the 117 people canonized or beatified between 2001 and 2004 have been added. Moreover, many saints, mostly Italian-Greek monks, whose names have not thus far been listed in the Martyrology but who are effectively much venerated, especially in southern of Italy, have also been included.

  The updated Martyrology contains 7,000 saints and blesseds currently venerated by the Church, and whose cult is officially recognized and proposed to the faithful as models worthy of imitation.
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PROMOTE PEACE USING COHERENT MEANS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 1, 2005 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father presided at the celebration of Mass for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, on the occasion of the 38th World Day of Peace. The principal celebrant was Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano.

  In his homily, the Pope said that the World Day of Peace "constitutes an invitation to Christians and to all people of good will to renew their decisive commitment to build peace. This means accepting a fundamental moral requirement, well expressed in the words of St Paul: 'Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good'," which is the theme of World Peace Day this year.

  The Holy Father went on: "In the face of the multiple expressions of evil, which unfortunately afflict the human family, the main requirement is to promote peace, using consistent means, giving importance to dialogue and works of justice, and educating for forgiveness".

  John Paul II highlighted the fact that "each individual can contribute to the peace of everyone. This is the path along which Christians and believers of other religions are called to walk, together with all those who recognize a universal moral law. Beloved brothers and sisters, promoting peace in the world is our shared mission! May the Virgin Mary help us to carry out the words of the Lord, 'blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God'."

  At midday, the Pope appeared at the window of his private study in order to pray the angelus with thousands of people crowding St Peter's Square.

  "The Most Holy Virgin offered the world the Messiah, who is God's blessing for each man and woman, and for the whole world", the Holy Father affirmed. "This blessing is the foundation for the greetings we exchange this year: greetings of goodness because in Christ, God has filled us with all goodness; greetings of peace, because 'He is our peace'."

  After recalling the words from his message for the World Day of Peace that evil "is the result of human freedom", the Pope underlined the fact that evil "is defeated when freedom, under the influence of grace, is firmly oriented towards good, in other words definitively towards God".

  "Mary, Queen of Peace, help us all to build together this fundamental good of human coexistence, Only in this way will the world be able to progress down the paths of justice and fraternal solidarity".

  Following the angelus, and before wishing those present a Happy New Year in various languages, John Paul II reiterated his prayers "for the victims of the catastrophe (in Asia) and for their families. I note with favor the contest of solidarity growing throughout the world. Upon this sense of human solidarity, as well as upon God's help, is founded the hope for better times in the course of this year that begins today".
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THE POPE GIVES THANKS TO GOD FOR GIFTS RECEIVED IN 2004

VATICAN CITY, DEC 31, 2005 (VIS) - This evening in the Vatican Basilica, the Pope presided at the first vespers for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God and the singing of the Te Deum of thanksgiving for the end of the year.

  "We thank you, Lord Jesus our Redeemer. ... In this Year of the Eucharist, we want to thank you more fervently for the gift of your Body and your Blood in the Sacrament of the altar. We praise and thank you, Holy Spirit Paraclete, because you make us aware of our condition of sonship, and you teach us to turn to God, calling Him Father, Abba".

  The Holy Father went on: "Let us praise God together for the expressions of goodness and mercy with which, over these months, he has accompanied our City. May He bring to fruition all apostolic plans and all initiatives for good".

  "Holy Mother of the Redeemer", the Pope concluded, "accompany us in this passage to a new year. Obtain the gift of peace for Rome and for the whole world. Mother of God, pray for us!"

  Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls announced that "the Pope will celebrate Mass in his private chapel for all the victims of the tidal wave in southeast Asia. The Pope will also remember the families of the victims and all those who are suffering over these days as a consequence of that disaster, as well as those who strive to alleviate the enormous suffering of the people stricken".
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TELEGRAM FOR VICTIMS OF DISCOTHEQUE FIRE IN BUENOS AIRES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 31, 2005 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano has sent a telegram of condolence in the Holy Father's name to Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the victims of the fire that destroyed a discotheque in that city in the early hours of this morning.

"His Holiness John Paul II, deeply saddened on learning the painful news of the many dead, among them so many young people, resulting from the fire that broke out in a Buenos Aires discotheque and that has filled many families of the beloved Argentinian people with mourning, offers his prayers for the eternal repose of the deceased and raises an appeal to the Lord that He may give comfort and serenity to those who weep the loss of their loved ones. I ask Your Eminence to pass on the Holy Father's deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to express his paternal solicitude and closeness to all the injured, at the same time as he imparts a heartfelt apostolic blessing".
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