OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 4, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Richard Gerard Lennon, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Boston, U.S.A., as bishop of Cleveland (area 8,842, population 2,853,155, Catholics 802,767, priests 583, permanent deacons 191, religious 1,446), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop Anthony Michael Pilla, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
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HOLY WEEK CELEBRATIONS PRESIDED BY THE POPE

VATICAN CITY, APR 4, 2006 (VIS) - Given below is the schedule of Holy Week activities to be presided over by Benedict XVI, as made public today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff:

SUNDAY, April 9: Palm Sunday and Our Lord's Passion. 21st World Youth Day on the theme: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." At 9.30 a.m. in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father will bless palms and olive branches and, at the end of the procession, will celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Passion.

THURSDAY, April 13: Holy Thursday. In St. Peter's Basilica at 9.30 a.m., the Holy Father will preside at the concelebration of the Chrism Mass with cardinals, bishops, and diocesan and religious priests present in Rome, as a sign of the close union between the pastor of the Universal Church and his brothers in the priestly ministry. The Easter Triduum of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection will begin in the Basilica of St. John Lateran at 5.30 p.m. with the Mass of Our Lord's Last Supper. The Holy Father will preside at the concelebration of the Mass. After the homily, the rite of the washing of the feet of 12 priests will take place. During this rite, those present will be invited to give alms for the victims of landslides in Maasin, Philippines. The sum collected will be given to the Holy Father at the presentation of the gifts. At the end of the celebration the Blessed Sacrament will be transferred to the chapel of reposition.

FRIDAY, April 14: Good Friday. The Holy Father will preside at the celebration of the Passion of Our Lord in the Vatican Basilica at 5 p.m. He will lead the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum at 9.15 p.m. and, in conclusion, will address some words to the faithful and impart his apostolic blessing.

SATURDAY, April 15: Easter Saturday. The Easter Vigil will begin at 10.00 p.m. in St. Peter's Basilica, when the Pope will bless the new fire in the atrium of the church. After the entrance procession with the Easter candle and the singing of the "Exultet," he will preside at the Liturgy of the Word and the Baptismal and Eucharistic liturgies, which he will concelebrate with the cardinals.

SUNDAY, April 16. Easter Sunday. At 10.30 a.m., Benedict XVI will celebrate Mass in St. Peter's Square, after which he will impart the "Urbi et Orbi" blessing ("to the city and the world") from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica.

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JOHN PAUL II: A STRONG AND AUTHENTIC FAITH

VATICAN CITY, APR 4, 2006 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square yesterday afternoon, Benedict XVI celebrated a Mass to mark the first anniversary of the death of John Paul II.

  Various cardinals concelebrated with the Pope, among them Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, and Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, former secretary to John Paul II and now archbishop of Krakow, Poland.

  The event was attended by thousands of faithful from many different countries, the majority from Poland. In his homily, Benedict XVI reminded them how on April 2 last year the late Pontiff, "to whom God gave so many human and spiritual gifts," died. "Passing through the crucible of apostolic labors and of illness, he appeared ever more as a 'rock' in the faith."

  The Holy Father continued: "Those who had the opportunity of frequenting him personally were able almost to touch that pure and solid faith which, if it impressed his inner circle of collaborators, did not fail to spread its beneficial influence, during his long pontificate, throughout the Church in a crescendo that reached its peak in the final months and days of his life."

  Benedict XVI described his predecessor's "committed, strong and authentic faith, free from fear and compromise," which "touched the hearts of so many people, thanks also to his numerous apostolic pilgrimages all over the world, and especially thanks to that final 'journey' of his agony and death."

  After recalling the motto of John Paul II's pontificate "Totus tuus," the Pope highlighted how the Polish Pope's life was "completely oriented towards Christ through Mary."

  "This evening," he continued, "our thoughts turn with emotion to the moment of the beloved Pontiff's death, but at the same time it is as if our hearts are compelled to look ahead. We hear, resounding in our hearts, his repeated invitations to advance fearlessly down the road of faithfulness to the Gospel in order to be heralds and witnesses of Christ in the third millennium.

  "We remember his incessant exhortations to cooperate generously in creating a more just and united humanity, to be workers for peace and builders of hope."

  The Holy Father concluded by saying: "May our gaze always remain fixed upon Christ, 'the same yesterday and today and forever,' Who firmly guides His Church. ... May the strength of Jesus' Spirit be for everyone, as it was for Pope John Paul II, a source of peace and joy."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 3, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Msgr. Raphael Dabire Kusiele, episcopal vicar for social and pastoral projects of the diocese of Diebougou, Burkina Faso, as bishop of the same diocese (area 18,346, population 752,412, Catholics 109,834, priests 124, religious 78). The bishop-elect was born in Dissin, Burkina Faso in 1948 and ordained a priest in 1975. He succeeds Bishop Jean-Baptiste Some, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

  The Synod of Bishops of the Coptic Catholic Church, meeting in Cairo, Egypt from March 27 to 30, 2006 accepted - in accordance with canon 126 para. 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, and having consulted the Supreme Pontiff - the resignation from office of His Beatitude Stephanos II Ghattas, C.M., patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts. On March 30, the same Synod, elected Bishop Antonios Naguib, emeritus of Minya of the Copts, Egypt as the new patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts. The patriarch-elect was born in Samalout, Egypt in 1935, and ordained a priest in 1960.

  On Saturday, April 1, it was made public that the Holy Father:

 - Appointed Fr. Darwin Rudy Andino Ramirez C.R.S., pastor of the parish of St. John the Baptist in Tegucigalpa and provincial councilor of the Somascan Fathers, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa (area 15,167, population 1,695,285, Catholics 1,240,648, priests 153, religious 524), Honduras. The bishop-elect was born in Tegucigalpa in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1990.

 - Appointed Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo, apostolic nuncio to New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Tonga, Vanuatu, and apostolic delegate to the Pacific Ocean, as apostolic nuncio to Samoa.

 - Appointed Msgr. Francisco Montecillo Padilla, counsellor at the apostolic nunciature to Australia, as apostolic nuncio to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Cebu City, Philippines, in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1976.

 - Appointed Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, as his special envoy to celebrations due to be held in Singapore from June 21 to 23 marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between that country and the Holy See.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 3, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

 - Rene van der Linden, president of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly.

 - Jorge Dezcallar de Mazarredo, ambassador of Spain, on his farewell visit.

 - Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.

  On Saturday, April 1, he received in separate audiences:

 - Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola of the Belgians, accompanied by an entourage.

 - Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia.

 - Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

 - Archbishop Michael Louis Fitzgerald M. Afr., apostolic nuncio to the Arab Republic of Egypt and delegate to the Organization of the League of Arab States.

 - Bishop Salomon Letzoutie of Odienne, Ivory Coast, on his "ad limina" visit.

 - Archbishop Francesco Monterisi, secretary of the Congregation for Bishops.
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