OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 15, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the Military Ordinariate for the United States presented by Bishop Francis X. Roque, upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation from the office of Auxiliary of the Military Ordinariate for the United States presented by Bishop Joseph Madera, upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Luziania, Brazil, presented by Bishop Agostinho Stefan Januszewicz, O.F.M. Conv., in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.  Coadjutor Bishop Afonso Fioreze, C.P.,  succeeds him.

- Appointed Msgr. Martin Vidovic, an official in the Secretariat of State, as apostolic nuncio in Belarus, raising him at the same time to the dignity of archbishop.
RE:NN/…/…                                   VIS 20040915 (140) 

GENERAL AUDIENCE: CHRIST, LAMB OF GOD, REDEEMS HUMANITY

VATICAN CITY, SEP 15, 2004 (VIS) - In today's general audience, celebrated in St. Peter's Square and attended by 10,000 people, the Pope spoke about the hymn in chapter 19 of the Book of Revelation, "The marriage of the Lamb."

  John Paul II said that in this canticle "we encounter the frequent use of the word Alleluia which means 'praise to the Lord.' … The Church on earth joins its song of thanksgiving with the voice of the just in heaven, who unceasingly contemplate the glory of God. In this way, a channel of communication is established between history and eternity."

  The canticle, he continued, "exalts the 'kingdom' of the Lord, the divine plan of the salvation of the human race. … The Book of Revelation celebrates the objective toward which history is driven through the effective work of God, despite the storms, the lacerations, and the devastations caused by evil, man and Satan."

  The Holy Father indicated that the other theme of this hymn "is typical of the Book of Revelation and its symbolism: 'The marriage of the Lamb has come and the Bride has made herself ready. … The expression 'the marriage of the Lamb has come' refers to the supreme moment of intimacy between the Creator, the creature, the joy and peace of salvation."

  During greetings at the end of the audience, the Pope recalled that today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, "who faithfully stood by the Cross of Jesus. My desire is that you may be able to find in her consolation and help to overcome all the obstacles in your daily life."
AG/CANTICLE/REVELATION/…                        VIS 20040915 (280) 

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Paolo Mario Virgilio Atzei, O.F.M. Conv., of Tempio-Ampurias, Italy as metropolitan archbishop of Sassari (area 1,978, population 224,603, Catholics 223,100, priests 162, permanent deacons 3, religious 309), Italy.  The archbishop-elect was born in Mantova, Italy in 1942 and was ordained a priest in 1966.
NER/…/ATZEI                                VIS 20040914 (60)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Avraham Poraz, interior minister of Israel and an entourage.

- Five prelates from the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron of Agana, Guam.

    - Archbishop Michel-Marie-Bernard Calvet of Noumea, New Caledonia.

    - Bishop Amando Samo of Caroline Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.

    - Bishop Tomas Aguon Camacho of Chalan Kanoa, Southern Mariana Islands.

    - Fr. James C. Gould, S.J., apostolic prefect of the Marshall Islands.
AP:AL/…/…                                    VIS 20040914 (100)

POPE MEETS WITH ISRAELI INTERIOR MINISTER

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2004 (VIS) -  Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, made the following declaration today at noon:

  "Israeli Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, accompanied by Israeli Ambassador Oded Ben-Hur, by an advisor, Paltiel Varon, and by the director of the Department for Relations with Christians, Cesar Marjeh, were received this morning at 9:45 a.m. by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of State. Joining the cardinal were Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, secretary of Relations with States, and Msgrs. Franco Coppola and Joseph Murphy, officials of the Secretariat of State.

  "The cardinal secretary of State -  having recalled that the positions of the Holy See on peace, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in general, on the situation in the Middle East were well-known to the Israeli government, and that he personally had the possibility to illustrate these positions over the course of visits to the Vatican by the Head of the State of Israel and the Minister of Foreign Affairs - suggested that today's meeting focus on the questions of the minister's jurisdiction.

  "In the course of the meeting, they talked about the Fundamental Agreement of 1993 and the Legal Personality Agreement of 1997.  In particular, they spoke about the issue of entrance visas to Israel for religious personnel of the Catholic Church, a question about which the minister gave assurances of having given the necessary instructions for a satisfactory solution. They also discussed the progress of negotiations underway in Jerusalem for the realization of an agreement that defines the fiscal questions of ecclesiastical institutions in Israel.

  "The minister then went to Castelgandolfo where he was received in audience by the Holy Father."
OP/INTERIOR MINISTER ISRAEL/SODANO        VIS 20040914 (280)