POPE REPLIES TO JOURNALISTS' IN-FLIGHT QUESTIONS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 10, 2007 (VIS) - During the course of his flight to Brazil yesterday, the Holy Father held his traditional press conference for the journalists accompanying him.

  "I love Latin America very much," said the Pope expressing his joy at having the opportunity to visit the "continent of hope." The aim of this journey, he said, "is specifically religious: to give life in Christ and to [help people become] disciples of Christ."

  Answering a question about liberation theology, the Holy Father recalled that "with the changing political situation, the position of liberation theology is also radically different. It is clear that simplistic forms of millenarianism promising immediate and real conditions of a just life were mistaken. The question now is how the Church must be present in the struggle and the reforms necessary to guarantee conditions of justice. It is precisely on this point that theologians are divided."

  Benedict XVI also spoke of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of San Salvador, murdered in 1980 as he was celebrating Mass. Describing him as "a great witness of the faith," the Pope expressed his conviction that the late archbishop "merits beatification, although his memory must be liberated from the ideological deformations of those who have sought to appropriate it for political reasons."

  Going on to consider the proliferation of religious sects in Latin America, the Holy Father said "they are a sign that people thirst for God. The Church must respond to this need with a highly concrete plan and in the awareness that, apart from announcing the Christian message, it is important to help people achieve just living conditions."

  Replying to a question concerning the Mexican parliament, which has just approved a law in favor of abortion, the Pope highlighted "the need for Christian politicians to remain coherent to their principles." The Church, he said, "announces the Gospel of life; life is a gift and not a threat."

  For his part, Holy See Press office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. made it clear that "the Mexican bishops have not excommunicated those politicians, and neither has Benedict XVI." However, he added, "legislation in favor of abortion is not compatible with participation in the Eucharist." Upon being asked whether this meant that the politicians were effectively excommunicated, Fr. Lombardi said "no, they exclude themselves from communion."

  In his replies to journalists, Benedict XVI had declared that "such excommunication is laid down in the Code, it is not arbitrary, it is simply written in the Code of Canon Law. The death of an innocent, of an unborn child, is inconceivable. It is not arbitrary, and the Church express appreciation for life and for the individuality of life from the first moment of conception."
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CHRISTIAN VALUES WILL NEVER BE ERADICATED

VATICAN CITY, MAY 9, 2007 (VIS) - Today at 4 p.m. (9 p.m. in Rome), the Pope's plane landed at the international airport of Sao Paulo / Guarulhos in Brazil, thus beginning the sixth apostolic trip outside Italy of his pontificate. Benedict XVI was received by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of the Federal Republic of Brazil, accompanied by the civil, military and religious authorities.

  In his welcome address, the Pope affirmed that his visit "has a scope that goes beyond national borders: I have come to preside at the opening Session of the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean at Aparecida. This country, in the providence and goodness of the Creator, will become the cradle of the ecclesial proposals that, with God's help, will give renewed vigor and missionary impetus to this continent."

  The fact that Catholics represent a majority in Brazil, he went on, "means that they must make a particular contribution to the common good of the nation. The word solidarity will acquire its full meaning when the living forces of society, each in its own sphere, commit themselves seriously to building a future of peace and hope for all."

  "I am well aware that the soul of this people, as of all Latin America, safeguards values that are radically Christian, which will never be eradicated. I am certain that at Aparecida, during the bishops' general conference, this identity will be reinforced through the promotion of respect for life from the moment of conception until natural death as an integral requirement of human nature. It will also make the promotion of the human person the axis of solidarity, especially towards the poor and abandoned.

  "The Church," he added, "seeks only to stress the moral values present in each situation and to form the conscience of citizens so that they may make informed and free decisions. She will not fail to insist on the need to take action to ensure that the family, the basic cell of society, is strengthened, and likewise young people, whose formation is a decisive factor for the future of any nation. Last but not least, she will defend and promote the values present at every level of society, especially among indigenous peoples."

  The welcome ceremony over, the Pope travelled by helicopter to the "Campo de Marte" airport in Sao Paulo where he was received by the local authorities. He then went by popemobile to the monastery of Sao Bento where, following a moment of prayer in the chapel, he appeared at the balcony to greet and bless the faithful awaiting him below.
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POPE DEPARTS ON HIS APOSTOLIC TRIP TO BRAZIL

VATICAN CITY, MAY 9, 2007 (VIS) - At 9 a.m. this morning, the Pope departed by plane from Rome's Fiumicino airport bound for Brazil. The 9,477-kilometer flight is expected to last twelve and a half hours and the papal plane is scheduled to land at the international airport of Sao Paulo / Guarulhos in Brazil at 4.30 p.m. local time, 9.30 p.m. in Rome.

  The Holy Father will be greeted at the airport by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of the Federal Republic of Brazil. Following the welcome ceremony, during which Benedict XVI will deliver a talk, the Pope will travel by helicopter to the "Campo de Marte" airport where he will be received by the local authorities.

  At 6.10 p.m. (11.10 p.m. in Rome), the Holy Father will travel by popemobile to the monastery of Sao Bento where he will be staying during his time in Sao Paulo. The complex of buildings includes, apart from the Benedictine monastery, the Sao Benito College, one of the most prestigious schools in Sao Paulo, and the basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption.

  Following a moment of prayer in the monastery's chapel, the Pope will appear at the balcony to greet and bless the faithful gathered below.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 8, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Giuseppe Zenti of Vittorio Veneto, Italy, as bishop of Verona (area 3,059, population 859,825, Catholics 792,000, priests 1,005, permanent deacons 26, religious 2,817), Italy. He succeeds Bishop Flavio Carraro O.F.M. Cap., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Msgr. Alberto Silvani of the clergy of the diocese of Massa Carrara-Ponteromli, Italy, pastor of the parish of St. Peter the Apostle in Avenza, as bishop of Volterra (area 1,743, population 82,580, Catholics 81,080, priests 65, religious 128), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Virgoletta di Villafranca in Lunigiana, Italy, in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1970.

 - Appointed Bishop Robert Harris, auxiliary of Sault Sainte Marie, Canada, as bishop of Saint John, New Brunswick (area 60,000, population 282,600, Catholics 113,700, priests 75, permanent deacons 2, religious 137), Canada.

 - Appointed Fr. Michael John Zielinski O.S.B. Oliv., abbot of the abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Pecos, U.S.A., as vice-president of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church and of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology. He also appointed Msgr. Jose Manuel Del Rio Carrasco, official of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church, as under-secretary of that pontifical commission.
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VATICAN APOSTOLIC LIBRARY TO CLOSE FOR RESTORATION

VATICAN CITY, MAY 8, 2007 (VIS) - The Vatican Apostolic Library is to close to the public for a period of three years beginning on July 14, due to renovation work in some parts of the Renaissance building in which it is housed.

  The wing in which the collections are kept is in need of structural repair work including strengthening the floor which is showing signs of subsiding, bringing large areas of the building into line with safety norms, and moving a number of sectors in order to rationalize access to the works.

  According to the "Osservatore Romano," the decision to close the library was reached only after various other solutions to resolve the above-mentioned problems had been considered. Over the last few months everything possible has been done to intervene without disturbing the 20,000 scholars and researchers who use the library each year, including the transfer of some 300,000 books to nearby areas in order to lighten the load on the floor.

  During the period of closure, all the other functions of the library will continue, including the photographic reproduction of manuscripts for researchers.

  The library was established by Pope Nicholas V who, in 1448, transferred around 350 Greek, Latin and Hebrew codices acquired by his predecessors to the Vatican. In earlier times, collections had been kept at the Lateran Palace in Rome (until the end of the 13th century) and at Avignon (during the years Popes resided in that French city). Between 1370, when the papacy returned to Rome, and 1447, the collections were dispersed, with parts in Rome and others in Avignon and elsewhere.

  The real foundation of the library, however, is due to Pope Sixtus IV. On June 14 1475, with the Bull "Ad decorem militantis Ecclesiae," he assigned a budget to the institution and appointed as librarian Bartolomeo Platina, who drew up the first catalogue in 1481. At that time, the library possessed 3,500 manuscripts and was the largest in the western world. Around the year 1587, Pope Sixtus V commissioned the architect Domenico Fontana to construct a new building to house the library, which is where it is still located today.

  In 1623, Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria donated the entire Palatine Library of Heidelberg, containing some 3,500 manuscripts, to Gregory XV as a sign of gratitude for the Pope's support during the Thirty Years War. In 1657 the Vatican Apostolic Library acquired the manuscripts of the dukes of Urbino, and in 1689 the collections of Queen Christina of Sweden.

  Today, the Vatican Apostolic Library houses some 75,000 manuscripts, 1,600,000 printed books and 8,300 incunabula, while the Vatican Secret Archives, which were separated from the library at the beginning of the 17th century, contain around 150,000 volumes. Among the most important manuscripts is the "Codex Vaticanus," the oldest known manuscript of the Bible.
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