OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 17, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Fr. Guillermo Orozco Montoya of the clergy of the diocese of Sonson-Rionegro, Colombia, departmental director at the Secretariat of the Colombian Episcopate, as bishop of San Jose del Guaviare (area 42,327, population 120,000, Catholics 108,500, priests 23, permanent deacons 3, religious 4), Colombia. The bishop-elect was born in Sonson in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1970. He succeeds Bishop Belarmino Correa Yepes M.X.Y., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Erected the new diocese of El Banco (area 11,855, population 389,641, priests 18) Colombia, with territory taken from the dioceses of Santa Marta and Valledupar, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Barranquilla. He appointed Fr. Jaime Enrique Duque Correa M.X.Y., pastor of Emaus in Medellin, Colombia, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Medellin in 1943 and ordained a priest in 1967.

 - Appointed Fr. Paul Hwang Cheol-soo, former diocesan chancellor, as auxiliary of Pusan (area 3,267, population 5,437,906, Catholics 379,030, priests 313, religious 661), Korea. The bishop-elect was born in Miriang, Korea in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1983.
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WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 17, 2006 (VIS) - The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, traditionally celebrated every year from January 18 to 25, begins tomorrow. The theme for this year's initiative, taken from the Gospel of Matthew, is: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

  The texts for reflection and prayer this year have been prepared by an ecumenical group from Dublin, Ireland, chosen by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and by the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches.

  Each day of the Week will have a different theme:

January 18: United through the presence of Christ. "One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism" (Ephesians 4: 5, 6).

January 19: Building Christian unity with Jesus in our midst - daily ecumenism. "You also ought to wash one another's feet" (John 13: 14).

January 20: Praying together in Jesus' name. "The Lord waits to be gracious to you" (Isaiah 30: 18).

January 21: From the past to the future - forgiveness and healing of memories. "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy times seven " (Matthew 18: 22).

January 22: God's presence among us: a call to peace. "The Lord is with us" (Psalm 46).

January 23: Mission in Jesus' name. "So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost" (Matthew 18: 14).

January 24: Recognizing and welcoming God's presence in the other in Jesus' name
"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me" (Matthew 18: 5).

January 25: One in hope. "On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you" (John 14:20).

  Although the traditional period for celebrating this week of prayer is in the month of January, in the southern hemisphere Churches sometimes seek other periods such as, for example, around the time of Pentecost, which is also a symbolically significant date for the unity of the Church, and was suggested by the Faith and Order movement in 1926.

  In the basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls at 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25, Feast of the Conversion of the Apostle Paul, Benedict XVI will preside at the celebration of Vespers to mark the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 16, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Saint-Flour, France presented by Bishop Rene Sejourne, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. John Hung Shan-chuan S.V.D., director of the Catholic school of Kiayi and teacher at the Catholic Universtiy of Taipei, Taiwan, as bishop of Kiayi (area 3,244, population 1,573,098, Catholics 10,033, priests 57, religious 58), Taiwan. The bishop-elect was born in Penghu, Taiwan in 1943 and ordained a priest in 1973.

  On Saturday, January 14, it was made public that he:

 - Appointed Msgr. Marlo Mendoza Peralta of the clergy of the diocese of Urdaneta, Philippines, vicar general and pastor, as coadjutor bishop of Alaminos (area 2,449, population 562,364, Catholics 445,573, priests 37, religious 82), Philippines. The bishop-elect was born in San Carlos, Philippines, in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1975.

- Appointed Msgr. Roberto Calara Mallari of the clergy of the archdiocese of San Fernando, Philippines, pastor of the parish of Our Lord's Ascension, as auxiliary of San Fernando (area 2,180, population 3,000,000, Catholics 2,800,000, priests 162, religious 204). The bishop-elect was born in Masantol, Philippines, in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1982.

 - Appointed Hsin-Chi Kuan, president of the department of government and public administration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, China, as an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

  Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, C.SS.R., major archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, with the consent of the permanent synod and in conformity with canon 210 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Kottayam of the Syro-Malabars, India, presented by Metropolitan Archbishop Kuriakose Kunnacherry. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Mathew Moolakkattu O.S.B.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 16, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Filip Vujanovic, president of the Republic of Montenegro, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

 - Seven prelates from the Episcopal Conference of the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

    - Cardinal Frederic Etsou-Nzabi-Bamungwabi C.I.C.M., archbishop of Kinshasa, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Daniel Nlandu Mayi, Dominique Bulamatari, and Edouard Kisonga S.S.S.

    - Bishop Cyprien Mbuku C.I.C.M., of Boma.

    - Bishop Louis Mbwol-Mpasi O.M.I., of Idiofa.

    - Bishop Philippe Nkiere Kena C.I.C.M., of Inongo.

  On Saturday, January 14, he received in separate audiences:

 - Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, archbishop emeritus of Paris, France.

 - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
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TOGETHER TRANSMIT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 16, 2006 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received a delegation from the Jewish community in Rome, headed by Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni.

  Benedict XVI began his short address by referring to Moses' song of thanksgiving after his passage through the Red Sea. "Your visit fills me with joy," he said "and it motivates me to renew with you this song of thanks for salvation. The people of Israel have been liberated many times from the hands of their enemies and, in times of anti-Semitism, in the dramatic moments of the Shoah, the hand of the Almighty guided and sustained them. The favor of the God of the Covenant has always accompanied them, giving them the strength to overcome trials. Your Jewish community, present in the city of Rome for more than two thousand years, can also bear witness to this divine loving attention."

  "The Catholic Church," he continued, "is close to you and is your friend. ... Following Vatican Council II the reciprocal esteem and trust between us has increased. Ever more fraternal and cordial contacts have developed, becoming even more intense during the pontificate of my venerated predecessor, John Paul II."

  "In Christ we partake in your heritage of the Fathers, in order to serve the Almighty, ... grafted onto the one 'holy tree' of the people of God. As Christians, this fact makes us aware that, with you, we share in the responsibility of cooperating for the good of all people, in justice and peace, in truth and freedom, in holiness and love. Keeping in mind this shared mission we cannot fail to denounce and fight firmly against the hatred and misunderstanding, the injustice and violence that continue to worry the soul of men and women of good will. In this context, how can we not be pained and concerned over the renewal of manifestations of anti-Semitism?"

  The Pope concluded by expressing his best wishes to the rabbi, affirming that "the many challenges and needs of Rome and the world demand that we unite our hands and hearts in concrete initiatives of solidarity, justice and charity. Together, we can work to transmit the torch of the Ten Commandments and of hope to the young generation."
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