OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 11, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia, presented by Bishop Joseph Peter O'Connell, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Gabriel Mbilingi C.S.Sp., of Lwena, Angola, as coadjutor archbishop of Lubango (area 118,000, population 3,085,651, Catholics 1,604,539, priests 83, religious 255), Angola. The archbishop-elect was born in Bandua, Angola, in 1958, he was ordained a priest in 1984 and consecrated a bishop in 2000.

  On Saturday, December 9, it was made public that he appointed Bishop Marcel Madila Basanguka, auxiliary of Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as archbishop of the same archdiocese (area 33,000, population 2,264,000, Catholics 1,363,000, priests 123, religious 345). The archbishop-elect was born in Demba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 1955 he was ordained a priest in 1981 and consecrated a bishop in 2004.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 11, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences seven prelates from the Italian Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Archbishop Vittorio Luigi Mondello of Reggio Calabria-Bova.

    - Archbishop Antonio Ciliberti of Catanzaro-Squillace.

    - Archbishop Salvatore Nunnari of Cosenza-Bisignano.

    - Bishop Domenico Tarcisio Cortese O.F.M., of Mileto-Nicotera-Tropea.

    - Bishop Luciano Bux of Oppido Mamertina-Palmi.

    - Archbishop Santo Marciano of Rossano-Cariati.

    - Msgr. Francesco Frandina, apostolic administrator of Crotone-Santa Severina.

  On Saturday, December 9, he received in separate audiences:

 - Six prelates from the Italian Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Bishop Delio Lucarelli of Rieti.

    - Bishop Luca Brandolini C.M., of Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo.

    - Bishop Giovanni Paolo Benotto of Tivoli.

    - Bishop Lorenzo Chiarinelli of Viterbo.

    - Bishop Fabio Bernardo D'Onorio O.S.B., ordinary abbot of Montecassino.

    - Fr. Emiliano Fabbricatore O.S.B.I., archimandrite of St. Mary's abbey at Grottaferrata.

 - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
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END OF EXCAVATIONS AT ST. PAUL'S OUTSIDE-THE-WALLS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 11, 2006 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, a press conference was held to present recent excavations that brought to light the sarcophagus of St. Paul in the Roman basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls.

  Participating in the conference were Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, Giorgio Filippi, archeologist, and Pier Carlo Visconti, an official from the administration of the basilica.

  In his talk, Cardinal Cordero Lanza de Montezemolo mentioned the new name to be given to the four great basilicas of Rome, which from now on will be referred to as papal rather than patriarchal basilicas. He also touched on a plan to completely reorganize the basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, part of which involves the creation of walking route for pilgrims and visitors including, among other things, a new museum area centered on the cloister. The cardinal also dwelt on the work taking place around the tomb of St. Paul and mentioned a new transparent floor which will make it possible to see the remains of the basilica's Constantinian apse.

  For his part, Giorgio Filippi pointed out that "although it is an incontrovertible historical fact that the basilica of St. Paul was built over the tomb of the Apostle, the location of the original tomb remains an open question.

  "The chronicles of the monastery," he added, "speaks of a great marble sarcophagus found during reconstruction work on the basilica following the great fire of 1823, in the area of the Confession, under the two stones with the inscription PAULO APOSTOLO MART[YRI]. However, there is no trace of it in the excavation documents, unlike the other sarcophagi unearthed on that occasion."

  "Archeological investigations in the area traditionally believed to be the Apostle's resting place, which began in 2002 and came to an end on November 22, 2006, brought to light an important area of stratification, formed by the apse of the Constantinian basilica enclosed within the transept of the building of the Three Emperors. On the floor of this building, under the papal altar, we found that great sarcophagus of which all trace had been lost, considered since the time of Theodosius to be the tomb of St. Paul."
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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL PAPPALARDO

VATICAN CITY, DEC 11, 2006 (VIS) - The Pope sent the following telegram of condolence to Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi, archbishop of Palermo, Italy for the death yesterday at the age of 88 of Cardinal Salvatore Pappalardo, emeritus of the same archdiocese:

  "With great sorrow I learned the sad news of the death of Cardinal Salvatore Pappalardo, archbishop emeritus of Palermo. As I raise fervent prayers to the Lord that He may grant eternal repose to this zealous and generous pastor, I unite myself spiritually to the diocesan community where he conscientiously exercised his episcopal ministry. With admiration, I recall his many and fruitful apostolic activities, animated by the desire to announce Christ and to accompany with his illuminated teaching the moral and cultural growth of society in Palermo. As I express my deepest condolences to the relatives of the beloved cardinal, I impart upon you, upon the clergy, upon the religious communities and upon all the faithful of that dear archdiocese a heartfelt and comforting apostolic blessing as a sign of faith and of Christian hope in the Risen Lord."
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BUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD AMONG MANKIND

VATICAN CITY, DEC 10, 2006 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study, to pray the Angelus with pilgrims gathered below in St. Peter's Square.

  The Pope recalled how a few hours previously he had inaugurated the new church of the Roman parish of St. Mary Star of Evangelization, an event that "assumes symbolic significance within the liturgical period of Advent as we prepare to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord. In these days the liturgy constantly reminds us that 'God is coming' to visit His people."

  "The church-building is a concrete sign of the Church-community, made up of the 'living stones' that are the believers," said the Pope. "St. Peter and St. Paul both highlight how the 'cornerstone' of this spiritual temple is Christ and that, united to Him, ... we too are called to participate in the construction of this living temple. If, then, it is true that it is God who takes the initiative to come and live among men, and that He is the principal architect of this project, it is also true that He does not want to accomplish it without our active collaboration. Therefore, preparing for Christmas means commitment to building the 'house of God with men.' ... At the end of time it will be complete, and it will be the 'heavenly Jerusalem'."

  "Advent invites us to turn our gaze towards the 'heavenly Jerusalem,' which is the final goal of our earthly pilgrimage. At the same time, it exhorts us to commit ourselves with prayer, conversion and good works, to welcoming Jesus into our lives, to constructing together with him that spiritual building in which each of us - our families and our communities - is a precious stone."

  After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father spoke of his concern for the situation in the Middle East, "where glimmers of hope for resolving the crises that afflict the region alternate with tensions and difficulties that cause us to fear fresh violence."

  In this context, he made special mention of Lebanon. There, he said quoting John Paul II's 1997 post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation A New Hope for Lebanon, "yesterday as today, 'men from different cultures and religions are called to live together, to build a nation of dialogue and coexistence and to work together for the common good.' Hence, in the face of recent developments, I share the great concern expressed by the patriarch, His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, and by Maronite bishops in a communique made public last Wednesday.

  "Together with them, I ask the Lebanese and their political leaders to have as their exclusive concern the good of the country and the harmony of its communities," in order to achieve "the unity which is the responsibility of all and of each, and which requires patient and persevering efforts and a trusting and permanent dialogue.

  "I also hope," the Pope concluded, "that the international community will help to find ... the peaceful and balanced solutions so necessary for Lebanon and for the entire Middle East, and I invite everyone to prayer at this difficult moment."
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