NEW BASIC LAW OF VATICAN CITY STATE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2001 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following declaration this afternoon:

"In a few days the new Fundamental Law of Vatican City State will be made public.

"The new text updates the previous law, establishing greater distinction between the legislative, executive, and judicial powers, while enforcing a closer tie between the Governorate and the Secretary of State, which maintains the international relations of the Vatican City State.

"The new Fundamental Law makes no mention of the death penalty, which was already abolished by Paul VI in law n. 50 of June 21, 1969."

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EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION: FIFTH DAY OF CONSECRATED LIFE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2001 (VIS) - On February 2, feast of the Presentation of the Lord, at 5:30 p.m. in St. Peter's Basilica, the Holy Father will deliver a homily, give thanksgiving to God for the gift of consecrated life, and impart the final blessing, during the mass to mark the Fifth Day of Consecrated Life.

The Eucharistic celebration, to be presided over by Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, will be preceded by the blessing of candles and a procession.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. John Hine, vicar general of the archdiocese of Southwark, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 3,000, population 4,048,900, Catholics 380,979, priests 449, permanent deacons 64, religious 1040), England. The bishop-elect was born in Tunbridge Wells in 1938, and ordained a priest in 1962. He succeeds Bishop Charles Joseph Henderson, whose resignation as the auxiliary of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Confirmed the election of Bishop Lubomyr Husar as major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians (area 10,800, population 1,826,700, Catholics 1,607,000, priests 555, permanent deacons 2, religious 866), Ukraine, effected in Lviv on January 25, 2001 by the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Church. The archbishop-elect was born in Lviv in 1933, ordained a priest in 1958 and a bishop in 1977.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Twelve prelates of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Laszlo Paskai, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Antal Spanyi and Miklos Beer.
- Archbishop Istvan Seregely of Eger, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Endre Kovacs, Istvan Katona, and Andras Veres.
- Archbishop Gyula Marfi of Veszprem.
- Bishop Balazs Babel of Kalocsa-Kecskemet, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Laszlo Biro.
- Bishop Szilard Keresztes of Hajdudorog for Byzantine-rite Catholics, and apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the apostolic exarchate of Miskolc for the parishes of Byzantine-rite faithful in Hungarian territory.
- Bishop Endre Gyulay of Szeged-Csanad.
- Archbishop Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Bishop Diarmuid Martin and Msgr. Giampaolo Crepaldi, respectively president, secretary and under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
This evening he is scheduled to receive Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, emeritus of Vercelli, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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NEW WORKING GROUP TO FURTHER ANGLICAN-CATHOLIC RELATIONS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 25, 2001 (VIS) - A communique published this morning announced that a new high-level working group has been set up by the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church to further relations between the two.

"Comprising prominent Church leaders from a variety of countries, assisted by specialists, the Anglican-Roman Catholic Working Group will have the task of reviewing the relationship between Catholics and Anglicans worldwide, consolidating the results of more than 30 years of ecumenical contact and dialogue, and charting a course for the future.

"The Working Group has been set up as a direct result of a special international meeting of Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops, held in Mississauga, Canada in May 2000. That meeting, chaired by the archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey, and Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, spent a week in prayer, worship and discussion, and surveying relationships in different parts of the world. In a concluding statement, "Communion in Mission," the bishops spoke of their belief that Anglicans and Catholics share a degree of common faith 'such that greater cooperation and mission is possible than is currently the case'. They called for a new commission to be put in place to help bring this about, suggesting that the preparation of a joint affirmation of faith be at the top of the agenda."

The communique listed the names of both the Anglican and Roman Catholic members and concluded: "Since 1970, the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church have been engaged in theological dialogue through a special commission, ARCIC - The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission - which continues this work."

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