THE POPE APPOINTS THE PRELATE SECRETARY OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE ECONOMY

Vatican City, 22 March 2014 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today announced that, following the motu proprio: Fidelis dispensator et prudens, which established the Secretariat for the Economy presided over by Cardinal George Pell, and following the institution of the Council for the Economy and the appointment of Cardinal Reinhard Marx as Cardinal coordinator of this organ, the Holy Father has nominated Msgr. Brian Ferme as Prelate Secretary of the Council for the Economy.

The Prelate Secretary has the task of assisting the Cardinal Coordinator in the fulfilment of the functions of the Council for the Economy, whose competences are associated with the guidance and supervision of the administrative and financial activities of the economic entities of the Holy See.

Msgr. Brian Ferme was born in 1955, and is a priest in the diocese of Portsmouth, England. He completed his philosophical, theological and canonical studies in Melbourne, Oxford and Rome. He is the author of numerous scientific publications and articles. He has served as professor of canon law at the Gregorian Pontifical University and subsequently at the Pontifical Lateran University, where he became dean of the faculty of canon law in 2000. In 2003, in Washington, he became dean of the faculty of canon law at the Catholic University of America, after which he transferred to Venice as head of the St. Pius X faculty of canon law. He collaborates with various dicasteries of the Roman Curia; in particular, he is a consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

CARDINAL RYLKO, POPE'S SPECIAL ENVOY TO KRAKOW

Vatican City, 22 March 2014 (VIS) – A letter was published today, written in Latin and dated 26 February, in which the Holy Father appoints Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, as his special envoy to the celebration commemorating the 650th anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral of Krakow, Poland, which will take place on 28 March.

The Cardinal will be accompanied by a mission composed of Msgr. Jacek Urban, canon of the metropolitan Chapter, and Msgr. Jan Machniak, canon of the Chapter of the Collegiate Church of St. Florian.

THE POPE TO THE MAFIA: REPENT, YOU CANNOT TAKE YOUR BLOODSTAINED MONEY AND POWER TO THE NEXT LIFE

Vatican City, 22 March 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday Pope Francis visited the Roman Church of San Gregorio VII, where he met with more than 700 families of the victims of the mafia, representing approximately 15,000 persons who have lost loved ones as a result of mafia violence. Since 1996 the first day of spring, 21 March, has been dedicated to the memory of the victims of mafia groups and every year the “Libera” association organises a demonstration in a different town. This year it took place in Latina, where today the 19th Day of Memory and Commitment is to be held on the theme “Roots of memory, fruit of commitment”.

The prayer vigil in the Church of San Gregorio began with an address by the priest Don Luigi Ciotti, founder of “Libera”, after which the names of the 900 victims of the mafia were read aloud. Following the reading of the Gospel and the Beatitudes, the Pope addressed the following words to those present:

“I wish to share with you a hope, and it is this: that the sense of responsibility might gradually prevail over corruption, in every part of the world. … And this must begin from within, from consciences, and from there it is necessary to heal, to restore to health forms of behaviour, relations, choices, the social fabric, so that justice gains space, spreads, takes root, and supplants iniquity.

“I know that you feel this hope strongly, and I want to share it with you, to tell you that I will be close to you also tonight and tomorrow, in Latina – even if I cannot be there in person, I will be with you on this journey, which requires tenacity and perseverance.

“In particular, I wish to express my solidarity with those who have lost a loved one, as a victim of mafia violence. Thank you for your witness, because you are not closed, you are open, you have come forward to tell your story of pain and hope. This is so important, especially for the young. I would like to pray with you, and I do so from the heart, for all victims of the mafia. Even just a few days ago, near Taranto, a crime was committed in which even a child was not spared. But at the same time let us pray together, to ask for the strength to go on, not to be discouraged, but instead to continue to fight against corruption.

Pope Francis continued, speaking off the cuff, “I feel that I cannot finish without saying a word to those who are absent today, to the absent protagonists: to the men and women of the mafia. Please, change your lives, convert, stop what you are doing, stop doing harm. And we pray for you. Convert, I ask you this on my knees; it is for your own good. This life you are living now will not bring you pleasure, it will not bring you joy, it will not bring you happiness. Power, the money you have now from your many dirty dealings, from your many mafia crimes, is blood money, it is power that is stained with blood, and you will not be able to take it with you to the next life. Repent, there is still time, so as not to end up in hell. This is what awaits you if you continue on this path. You have a father and a mother: think of them. Cry a little, and repent”.

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 24 March 2014 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

- Three prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Guinea, on their “ad limina” visit:

- Archbishop Vincent Coulibaly of Conakry;

- Bishop Emmanuel Felemou of Kankan;

- Bishop Raphael Balla Guilavogui of N'Zerekore.

On Saturday, 22 March, the Holy Father received in audience:

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

- Nguyen Sinh Hung, president of the parliament of Vietnam.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 22 March (VIS) – The Holy Father has:

- accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam, presented by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man, upon reaching the age limit. He is succeeded by Bishop Paul Bui Van Doc, coadjutor of the same archdiocese.

- appointed Rev. Juan Armando Perez Talamantes and Rev. Alfonso Gerardo Miranda Guardiola as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Monterrey (area 17,886, population 7,387,000, Catholics 5,910,000, priests 595, permanent deacons 44, religious 1228), Mexico.

Bishop-elect Perez Talamantes was born in Nuevo Leon, Mexico in 1970, and was ordained a priest in 1997. He holds a licentiate in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and has served in the following pastoral roles: vicar, spiritual director, coordinator of discipline and prefect of studies in the major seminary of Monterrey, and priest of the parishes of “Sagrada Familia” and “San Francisco de Asis” in Apocada. He is currently episcopal vicar for the Zone X and director of the Benedict XVI Institute for the formation of laypersons in ordinary pastoral care.

Bishop-elect Miranda Guardiola was born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1998. He holds a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical University of Mexico. He has held the following pastoral roles: prefect of discipline and studies in the minor seminary, lecturer in the major seminary, deputy priest in the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, assessor for groups of divorced persons and rector of the temple of “St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe”. He is currently secretary chancellor of the Curia and director of the ecclesiastical archive and department of history of the archdiocese of Monterrey. He is the author of nine books.

- appointed Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, apostolic nuncio in Lituania, as apostolic nuncio in Estonia and Latvia.

- appointed Archbishop Pierre Nguyen Van Tot as apostolic nuncio in Sri Lanka. Archbishop Nguyen Van Tot was previously apostolic nuncio in Costa Rica.