OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 15 JUL 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Johannes Wilhelmus Maria Lisen of the clergy of Roermond, Netherlands, professor of biblical exegesis and theology at the major seminary of Roermond in Rolduc, and a member of the International Theological Commision, and Fr. Robertus Gerardus Leonia Maria Mutsaerts of the clergy of 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, pastor at Heeze and president of the diocesan commission for appointments, as auxiliaries of the diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch (area 3,826, population 2,058,000, Catholics 1,157,000, priests 845, permanent deacons 83, religious 3,341). Bishop-elect Lisen was born in Oosterhout, Netherlands in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1984. Bishop-elect Mutsaerts was born in Tilburg, Netherlands in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1993.

- Fr. Fernando Bascope Muller S.D.B., master of novices of the Salesian inspectorate of Bolivia and director of that formative community, and Fr. Eugenio Scarpellini of the clergy of the diocese of Bergamo, Italy, adjunct secretary general of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference, as auxiliaries of El Alto (area 23,000, population 1,266,000, Catholics 950,000, priests 61, permanent deacons 19, religious 191), Bolivia. Bishop-elect Bascope Muller was born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1991. Bishop-elect Scarpellini was born in Verdellino, Italy in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1978.

- Msgr. Joaquin Gimeno Lahoz, vicar general of Comodoro-Rivadavia, Argentina, as bishop of the same diocese (area 146,752, population 521,391, Catholics 400,060, priests 32, permanent deacons 1, religious 87). The bishop-elect was born in La Mata de Olmos, Spain in 1948 and ordained a priest in 1973.

- Fr. Marko Semren O.F.M., guardian of the Franciscan convent of Gorica-Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and professor of the Franciscan Theological Institute of Sarajevo, as auxiliary of the diocese of Banja Luka (area 16,457, population 550,000, Catholics 37,797, priests 68, religious 136), Bosnia and Herzegovina. The bishop-elect was born in Bila, Bosnia Herzegovina in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1981.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 15 JUL 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 - Fr. Johannes Wilhelmus Maria Lisen of the clergy of Roermond, Netherlands, professor of biblical exegesis and theology at the major seminary of Roermond in Rolduc, and a member of the International Theological Commision, and Fr. Robertus Gerardus Leonia Maria Mutsaerts of the clergy of 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, pastor at Heeze and president of the diocesan commission for appointments, as auxiliaries of the diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch (area 3,826, population 2,058,000, Catholics 1,157,000, priests 845, permanent deacons 83, religious 3,341). Bishop-elect Lisen was born in Oosterhout, Netherlands in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1984. Bishop-elect Mutsaerts was born in Tilburg, Netherlands in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1993.

 - Fr. Fernando Bascope Muller S.D.B., master of novices of the Salesian inspectorate of Bolivia and director of that formative community, and Fr. Eugenio Scarpellini of the clergy of the diocese of Bergamo, Italy, adjunct secretary general of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference, as auxiliaries of El Alto (area 23,000, population 1,266,000, Catholics 950,000, priests 61, permanent deacons 19, religious 191), Bolivia. Bishop-elect Bascope Muller was born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1991. Bishop-elect Scarpellini was born in Verdellino, Italy in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1978.

 - Msgr. Joaquin Gimeno Lahoz, vicar general of Comodoro-Rivadavia, Argentina, as bishop of the same diocese (area 146,752, population 521,391, Catholics 400,060, priests 32, permanent deacons 1, religious 87). The bishop-elect was born in La Mata de Olmos, Spain in 1948 and ordained a priest in 1973.

 - Fr. Marko Semren O.F.M., guardian of the Franciscan convent of Gorica-Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and professor of the Franciscan Theological Institute of Sarajevo, as auxiliary of the diocese of Banja Luka (area 16,457, population 550,000, Catholics 37,797, priests 68, religious 136), Bosnia and Herzegovina. The bishop-elect was born in Bila, Bosnia Herzegovina in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1981.

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CONSECRATION OF A BISHOP IN CHINA

VATICAN CITY, 14 JUL 2010 (VIS) - On Saturday 10 July, Msgr. Antonio Xu Jiwei, aged 75 and a priest for the last 25 years, was consecrated as bishop of Taizhou in the province of Zhejiang, China, according to a note released by the Holy See Press Office.

  The bishop had guided the diocese as diocesan administrator since 1999, and was approved by the Holy See as bishop of Taizhou. The government authorities also approved his episcopal ordination.

  The liturgical celebration was presided by Bishop Giuseppe Li Mingsu of Qingdao, Giuseppe Zhao Fengchang of Liaocheng, Giuseppe Xu Honggen of Suzhou and Giuseppe Han Yingjin of Sanyuan. These prelates are all in communion with the Holy See and recognised by the government.

  About a thousand faithful, who had also come from Shanghai and Ningbo, participated in the consecration of the new bishop, who is the second ordinary of the diocese which has been vacant since 1962. The ecclesiastical circumscription currently has some six thousand faithful, around fifteen priests and ten nuns. There are about twenty-five churches and other places of worship.

  Bishop Xu noted that his diocese is facing various challenges, but he is optimistic about a revival of evangelisation and a growth of the Catholic community.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 14 JUL 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Fr. Pedro Carlos Cipolini of the clergy of the archdiocese of Campinas, Brazil, pastor of the basilica cathedral "Nossa Senhora do Carmo", episcopal vicar and professor of theology at the Pontifical Catholic University, as bishop of Amparo (area 2,084, population 363,570, Catholics 296,770, priests 33, religious 168), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Caconde, Brazil in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1978. He succeeds Bishop Francisco Jose Zugliani, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Erected the apostolic exarchate for Syro-Malankar faithful in the United States of America (priests 15, religious 35), appointing Fr. Thomas Naickamparampil, secretary general of the major archiepiscopate of the Syro-Malankar Church, as first apostolic exarch of the new exarchate, at the same time appointing him also as apostolic visitor for Syro-Malankar faithful in Canada and Europe The bishop-elect was born in Mylapra, India in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1986.
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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, THE PATH TO PEACE

VATICAN CITY, 13 JUL 2010 (VIS) - "Religious freedom, the path to peace" is the theme chosen by Pope Benedict XVI for the celebration of the 2011 World Day of Peace.

"The World Day of Peace", reads a communique on the subject released today, "will therefore be dedicated to the theme of religious freedom. It is well known that in many parts of the world there are various forms of restriction or denial of religious freedom, from discrimination and marginalisation based on religion, to acts of violence against religious minorities".

"Religious freedom is authentically realised when it is experienced as the coherent search for truth and for the truth about man. This approach to religious freedom offers us a fundamental criterion for discerning the phenomenon of religion and its expressions. It necessarily rejects the 'religiosity' of fundamentalism, and the manipulation of truth and of the truth about man. Since such distortions are opposed to the dignity of man and to the search for truth, they cannot be considered as religious freedom".

The communique recalls words Benedict XVI's pronounced before the United Nations General Assembly in 2008: "Human rights, of course, must include the right to religious freedom, understood as the expression of a dimension that is at once individual and communitarian - a vision that brings out the unity of the person while clearly distinguishing between the dimension of the citizen and that of the believer".

The text continues: "Today there are many areas of the world in which forms of restrictions and limitations to religious freedom persist, both where communities of believers are a minority, and where communities of believers are not a minority, and where more sophisticated forms of discrimination and marginalisation exist, on the cultural level and in the spheres of public, civil and political activity. 'It is inconceivable', as Benedict XVI remarked, 'that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves - their faith - in order to be active citizens. It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights. The rights associated with religion are all the more in need of protection if they are considered to clash with a prevailing secular ideology or with majority religious positions of an exclusive nature'".

The communique concludes by highlighting how "man cannot be fragmented, and separated from what he believes, because that in which he believes has an impact on his life and on his person. 'Refusal to recognise the contribution to society that is rooted in the religious dimension and in the quest for the Absolute - by its nature, expressing communion between persons - would effectively privilege an individualistic approach, and would fragment the unity of the person'. It is for this reason that: 'Religious Freedom is the Path to Peace'".
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