OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 12, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Martin J. Amos, auxiliary of the diocese of Cleveland, U.S.A., as bishop of Davenport (area 29,632, population 744,990, Catholics 105,650, priests 121, permanent deacons 46, religious 191), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop William Edwin Franklin, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Boston, presented by Bishop John P. Boles, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. John A. Dooher of the clergy of the archdiocese of Boston, U.S.A., pastor of the parish of St. Mary in Dedham, and Fr. Robert F. Hennessey of the clergy of the archdiocese of Boston, pastor of the parish of the Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston, as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Boston (area 6,386, population 4,000,403, Catholics 2,079,730, priests 1,451, permanent deacons 254, religious 3,252). Bishop-elect Dooher was born in Dorchester in 1943 and ordained a priest in 1969. Bishop-elect Hennessey was born in Boston in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1978.

 - Appointed Msgr. Juan Pedro Juarez Melendez, vicar general of the diocese of Tlaxcala, Mexico, as bishop of Tula (area 8,289, population 1,228,000, Catholics 982,000, priests 73, permanent deacons 1, religious 96) Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Tlalcuapan, Mexico, in 1951, and ordained a priest in 1975.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 12, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences four prelates from the Zambia Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Archbishop James Spaita of Kasama.

    - Coadjutor Archbishop Telesphore George Mpundu of Lusaka, apostolic administrator of Mpika.

    - Bishop Paul Francis Duffy O.M.I., of Mongu.

    - Bishop Noel Charles O'Regan S.M.A., of Ndola, apostolic administrator of Solwezi.

  This evening, he is scheduled to receive Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, archbishop of Bologna, Italy.
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HOLY FATHER RECEIVES PRIME MINISTER OF POLAND

VATICAN CITY, OCT 12, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today released the following declaration:

  "This morning Jaroslaw Kaczynski, prime minister of the Republic of Poland, paid a visit to His Holiness Benedict XVI. He subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B.

  "In the course of the discussions, there was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, with particular reference to the process of European integration and to questions associated with the Christian roots of the continent. Attention was also given to the moral and religious problems affecting the life of States today, especially those concerning bioethics and the defense and promotion of life and the family, solidarity, religious freedom, and dialogue between cultures."
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NOT JUST TOLERANCE BUT AUTHENTIC RESPECT AMONG RELIGIONS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 12, 2006 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received a group from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The league was founded in 1913 and its aim, according to its founding charter, is "to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people."

  Speaking English, Pope Benedict recalled how members of the ADL had visited John Paul II on a number of occasions and expressed his own happiness at being able "to continue to meet representative groups of the Jewish people.

  "In our world today," he added, "religious, political, academic and economic leaders are being seriously challenged to improve the level of dialogue between peoples and between cultures. To do this effectively requires a deepening of our mutual understanding and a shared dedication to building a society of ever greater justice and peace. We need to know each other better and, on the strength of that mutual discovery, to build relationships not just of tolerance but of authentic respect. Indeed, Jews, Christians and Muslims share many common convictions, and there are numerous areas of humanitarian and social engagement in which we can and must cooperate.

  "The Vatican Council II Declaration 'Nostra Aetate' reminds us that the Jewish roots of Christianity oblige us to overcome the conflicts of the past and to create new bonds of friendship and collaboration. It affirms in particular that the Church deplores all forms of hatred or persecution directed against the Jews and all displays of anti-Semitism at any time and from any source.

  "The four decades since the Declaration have brought many positive advances, and they have also witnessed some early steps, perhaps still too tentative, towards a more open conversation on religious themes. It is precisely at this level of frank exchange and dialogue that we will find the basis and the motivation for a solid and fruitful relationship."

  The Holy Father concluded by calling upon the Lord to "bless every effort to eliminate from our world any misuse of religion as an excuse for hatred or violence."
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ARCHBISHOP MIGLIORE SPEAKS ON DEVELOPMENT FINANCING

VATICAN CITY, OCT 11, 2006 (VIS) - Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, yesterday pronounced a talk before the second committee of the 61st session of the UN General Assembly, which is considering: "Follow-up to and implementation of the outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development."

  In his English-language address, the apostolic nuncio highlighted the need to help developing countries because "foreign direct investment is unlikely to be significant, primarily because it is not meant to resolve problems of poverty and development as such," although "it may help do so if properly regulated."

  He went on: "The Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, prepared by developing country governments through participatory processes, have an important role in this process since they could provide an appropriate framework for defining national development strategies.

  "External debt, which has crippled many economies for decades, also remains a concern although several useful initiatives are making inroads into the problem. The G8 proposal of July 2006 that the International Monetary Fund, the International Development Association and the African Development Fund cancel 100 percent of their claims over the poorest countries, most of them in Africa, is a welcome addition to the other initiatives in this regard."
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