Assembly on “Women's cultures”

Vatican City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) – A press conference was held in the Holy See Press Office this morning to present the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture on the theme “Women's Cultures: between equality and difference”, which will be held in Rome from 4 to 7 February. The speakers were Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Anna Maria Tarantola, president of RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana); Monica Maggioni, director of RAI News, and Nancy Brilli, actor.

The Assembly will be divided into four sessions in which the following themes will be considered: “Between equality and difference: the quest for equilibrium”, “Generativity as a symbolic code”, “The female body: between culture and biology” and “Women and religion: flight or new forms of participation in the life of the Church?”. The Congress will be attended only by members and consultors of the Pontifical Council by pontifical appointment, with the exception of the session on Wednesday 4 February, when there will be a moment of public participation at the Teatro Argentina in Rome. For a period of 50 minutes there will be a series of videos, brief interviews, readings and images, and live music. Entry will be free, subject to capacity.

Audiences

Vatican City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome;

- Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, archbishop of Vienna, Austria;

- Eleven prelates of the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference, on their “ad limina” visit:

-Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevicius of Kaunas, with his auxiliary, Bishop Kestutis Kevalas;

- Bishop Eugenijus Bartulis of Siauliai;

- Bishop Jonas Boruta of Telsia, with his auxiliary, Bishop Linas Vodopjanovas;

- Bishop Rimantas Norvila of Vilkaviskis;

- Archbishop Gintaras Grusas of Vilnius, with his auxiliary, Bishop Arunas Poniskaitis and the archbishop emeritus, Cardinal Audrys Juozas Backis;

- Bishop Jonas Ivanauskas of Kaisiadoris; and

- Bishop Lionginas Virbalas of Panevezys.

On Saturday, 31 January the Holy Father received in audience:

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

- Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands;

- Archbishop Yaser Rasmi Hanna Al-Ayyash of Petra and Philadelphia of the Greek-Melkites, Jordan;

- Don Notker Wolf, abbot primate of the Benedictine Confederation of Congregations;

- Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy.

Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:

- Msgr. Francisco Eduardo Cervantes Merino as bishop of Orizaba (area 2,012, population 663,000, Catholics 589,000, priests 89, religious 136), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Ocatan Merino Palafox, Mexico in 1953, and was ordained a priest in 1979. He holds a licentiate in pastoral theology from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome, and a licentiate in educational psychology from the Normal Superior School of Mexico. He has held a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Tuxpan, including parish vicar, parish priest of the “Corpus Christi” parish, professor at the diocesan seminary, diocesan coordinator of youth pastoral ministry, and member of the presbyteral council. He is currently parish priest of the Cathedral and vicar for pastoral ministry.

- Msgr. Liberatus Sangu as bishop of Shinyanga (area 50,000, population 2,440,000, Catholics 745,000, priests 55, religious 58), Tanzania. The bishop-elect was born in Mwazye, Tanzania in 1963 and ordained a priest in 1994. He studied sacramental theology at the St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum in Rome, and has held a number of pastoral and administrative roles, including formator in the minor seminary of Kaengesa, Sumbawanga; parish priest in Matai; director for vocations; formator at the preparatory seminary and head of youth pastoral ministry, and parish priest “ad tempus” in Sopa. He currently serves as an official of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

- Fr. Alphonsus Cullinan as bishop of Waterford and Lismore (area 2,542, population 157,358, Catholics 146,215, priests 134, religious 353), Ireland. The bishop-elect was born in County Clare in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1994. He taught in schools in Castleconnell, Limerick and Valladolid, Spain for ten years before preparing for the priesthood in the national seminary at Maynooth. He studied moral theology at the Alphonsianum Academy, Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in Christian anthropology and utilitarianism. He has served as parish vicar at St. Munchin, chaplain of the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick, and chaplain at the Limerick Institute of Technology. He is currently parish priest in the parish of Rathkeale, Limerick.

On Saturday, 31 January the Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Adelio Dell'Oro as bishop of Karaganda (area 711,208, population 3,590,000, Catholics 31,300, priests 18, religious 41), Kazakhstan, conserving “donec aliter provideatur” the role of apostolic administrator of Atyrau, Kazakhstan.

- Fr. Pietro Bovati, S.J., secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, as consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Pope recalls the “immense tragedy” of Syria and Iraq

Vatican City, 30 January 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Consistory Hall the Pope received thirty representatives of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, constituted in 2003 following an initiative of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the ecclesiastical authorities of the family of Oriental Orthodox Churches. During the last ten years, from a historical perspective, it has examined the roads through which the Churches have expressed their communion in the first centuries, and what this means for our search for communion today. During this week's meeting, the Commission embarked upon a deeper examination of the nature of the Sacraments, especially Baptism.

Francis recalled the inspiring commitment to dialogue of His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Was, Patriarch of the Syro-Orthodox Church of Antioch and all the East, who died last year, and joined in prayer with the clergy and the faithful for this “dedicated servant of God”.

“At this time we especially feel dismay and deep sadness at what is happening in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria. I think of all those living in the region, including our Christian brothers and sisters, and many minorities, who are experiencing the effects of a prolonged and painful conflict. I join you in praying for a negotiated solution and in imploring God's goodness and mercy upon all those affected by this immense tragedy. All Christians are called to work together, in mutual acceptance and trust, in order to serve the cause of peace and justice. May the intercession and example of many martyrs and saints who have borne courageous witness of Christ in all our Churches sustain and strengthen you and your Christian communities”.

Telegram from the Pope for the explosion in the Mexican maternity hospital of Cualjimalpa

Vatican City, 30 January 2015 (VIS) – Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram on behalf of the Holy Father to Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, archbishop of Mexico, Mexico, following an explosion in the Maternity Hospital of Cualjimalpa caused during the transfer of fuel to the centre, which claimed several victims and casualties including a number of babies.

Pope Francis, “greatly saddened by this tragic news”, according to the text, “offers his prayers for the eternal repose of the souls of the departed” and “wishes to convey his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased, along with expressions of comfort, his fervent hope for the swift recovery of the injured. He imparts the comfort of his apostolic blessing as a sign of hope in the Resurrected Lord”.