OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 11 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Fabio Duque Jaramillo O.F.M. of Armenia, Colombia, as bishop of Garzon (area 9,667, population 542,000, Catholics 522,000, priests 111, religious 144), Colombia.

- Fr. Constantino Barrera Morales of the clergy of the diocese of San Vicente, El Salvador, rector of the major national seminary "San Jose de la Montana", as bishop of Sonsonate (area 1,225, population 551,000, Catholics 441,000, priests 47, religious 61), El Salvador. The bishop-elect was born in Canton Rojita, El Salvador in 1963 and ordained a priest in 1990. He studied in El Salvador and in Spain, and has worked in pastoral care in parishes and as vicar forane.

On Saturday 9 June it was made public that the Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. Max Leroy Mesidor of the clergy of the diocese of Les Gonaives, Haiti, vicar general and pastor of the cathedral, as bishop of Fort-Liberte (area 1,600, population 480,000, Catholics 345,600, priests 46, religious 78), Haiti. The bishop-elect was born in Saint-Marc, Haiti in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1988. He has served as pastor in a number of different parishes and presides the diocesan commissions for catechises and for the liturgy.

- Appointed Msgr. Juan Antonio Anarez Cobo, vicar general of the archdiocese of Pamplona and Tudela, Spain, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 10,421, population 636,924, Catholics 629,094, priests 674, permanent deacons 2, religious 1,975). The bishop-elect was born in Eibar, Spain in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1990. He studied in Spain and in Rome and, apart from working as pastor in various parishes, is professor of Sacred Scripture at, among other places, the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre.

- Accepted the resignation from the office of librarian and archivist of Holy Roman Church presented by Cardinal Raffaele Farina S.D.B., upon having reached the age limit.

THE CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO THE COMMON GOOD IN SRI LANKA

Vatican City, 8 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique at midday today:

"This morning the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in audience Mahinda Rajapaksa, president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president subsequently went on to meet with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

"During the cordial discussions the parties illustrated the steps taken to favour socio-economic development, and reconciliation among the communities hit by the long internal conflict which has affected the country. The hope was expressed that a global joint solution may soon be found corresponding to the legitimate expectations of all the parties involved.

"Finally, emphasis was given to to how the Catholic Church - which makes an important contribution to the life of the country with her religious witness and educational, healthcare and social assistance activities - will continue to commit herself to the common good, reciprocal understanding and the integral development of all citizens".

EUCHARISTIC COMMUNION AND CONTEMPLATION ARE INSEPARABLE

Vatican City, 8 June 2012 (VIS) - At 7 p.m. today, Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in the basilica of St. John Lateran, then led a Eucharistic procession along Via Merulana to the basilica of St. Mary Major.

During the liturgical celebration, the Pope pronounced a homily in which he focused on the sacredness of the Eucharist, and in particular on the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

"A unilateral interpretation of Vatican Council II has penalised this dimension", the Holy Father explained, "effectively limiting the Eucharist to the moment of celebrating Mass. It is, of course, very important to recognise the importance of celebration, in which the Lord calls His people, bringing them together around the table of the Word and Bread of life, nourishing them and uniting them to Himself in the sacrificial offering. This interpretation of the liturgical gathering, in which the Lord works and achieves His mystery of communion, naturally retains all its validity, but a rightful balance must be restored. ... By concentrating our relationship with the Eucharistic Christ only on Mass we run the risk that the rest of time and space is emptied of His presence. Thus our perception of Jesus' constant, real and close presence among us and with us is diminished".

"It is a mistake to establish a contrast between celebration and adoration, as if they were in competition with one another. The opposite is true. The cult of the Blessed Sacrament represents the spiritual 'environment' within which the community can celebrate the Eucharist correctly and truthfully. Only if preceded, accompanied and followed by this interior attitude of faith and adoration, can liturgical activity express its full meaning and value", the Pope said.

He then went on to explain that, at the moment of adoration, we are all at the same level, "on our knees before the Sacrament of Love. The common and ministerial priesthood come together in the cult of the Eucharist. ... By remaining together in silence before the Lord, present in His Sacrament, we have one of the most authentic experiences of being Church, one that is complementary to our celebration of the Eucharist. ... Communion and contemplation cannot be separated, they go together", and if contemplation is lacking "even sacramental communion can become a superficial gesture on our part".

Turning then to consider the sacredness of the Eucharist, Benedict XVI noted that here too, in the recent past, there has been "some misunderstanding of the authentic message of Holy Scripture. The Christian novelty of worship has been influenced by a certain secularist mentality of the 1960s and 1970s. It is true, and it remains valid, that the centre of worship is no longer in the ancient rites and sacrifices, but in Christ Himself, His person, His life, His Paschal Mystery. Yet this fundamental novelty must not lead us to conclude that the sacred no longer exists".

Christ "did not abolish the sacred but brought it to fulfilment, inaugurating a new worship which is entirely spiritual but which nonetheless, as long as our journey in time continues, still uses signs and rites. These will only fall into disuse at the end, in the celestial Jerusalem where there will be no temple".

Moreover, the Holy Father went on, "the sacred has an educational function. Its disappearance inevitably impoverishes culture, and especially the formation of the new generations. ... Our Father God ... sent His Son into the world, not to abolish the sacred but to bring it to fulfilment. At the culmination of this mission, at the Last Supper, Jesus established the Sacrament of His Body and His Blood, the Memorial of His Paschal Sacrifice. By doing so he put Himself in the place of the ancient sacrifices, but He did so in the context of a rite, which he ordered the Apostles to perpetuate as a supreme sign of the true sacrifice, which is Him. With this faith, ... day after day we celebrate the Eucharistic Mystery, and adore it as the centre of our lives and the heart of the world".

THE CHURCH IS NOT INDIFFERENT TO SPORT

Vatican City, 8 June 2012 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has sent a message to Archbishop Jozef Michalik, president of the Polish Episcopal Conference, for the European Football Championships, which will be held over coming weeks in Poland and Ukraine.

"This sporting event involves not only the organisers, the athletes and the fans but, in various ways, the whole of society", the Pope writes. "The Church cannot remain indifferent to such an event, and in particular to the spiritual needs of the participants".

Benedict XVI quoted words of Blessed John Paul II, who said that "the potentialities of sport make it an important instrument for the overall development of the person, and a useful factor for the construction of a more human society".This is because "the sense of brotherhood, magnanimity, honesty and respect for the body - virtues which are undoubtedly indispensable for every good athlete - contribute to building a civil society where competition replaces antagonism, where agreement replaces conflict and loyal confrontation replaces rancorous opposition".

Pope Benedict goes on: "Team sports such as football are an important way to educate people to respect one another including their adversaries, to show a spirit of personal sacrifice for the good of the entire group, and to respect the gifts of each member of the team; in a word, to overcome the logic of individualism and selfishness which often characterise human dealings, and so leave space for the logic of fraternity and love, the only thing capable of authentically promoting the common good, at all levels".

The Pope concludes his message by encouraging participants in the championships "to work to ensure that this event is experienced as an expression of the most noble human virtues and actions, in a spirit of joy and peace".

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 8 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:

- Eleven prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, on their "ad limina" visit

- Archbishop John Ribat M.S.C. of Port Moresby.

- Bishop Rolando Santos C.M. of Alotau-Sideia.

- Bishop Gilles Cote S.M.M. of Daru-Kiunga.

- Bishop Patrick Taval M.S.C. of Kerema.

- Archbishop Francesco Panfilo S.D.B. of Rabaul.

- Bishop Bernard Unabali of Bougainville.

- Bishop William Fey O.F.M. Cap. of Kimbe.

- Archbishop Adrian Thomas Smith S.M. of Honiara, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop John Doaninoel S.M.

- Bishop Christopher Cardone O.P. of Auki.

- Bishop Luciano Capelli S.D.B. of Gizo.

- Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.