BENEDICT XVI TO DEPART FOR AUSTRALIA TOMORROW

VATICAN CITY, 11 JUL 2008 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. tomorrow, Benedict XVI is due to depart from Rome's Fiumicino airport bound for Sydney, Australia, thus beginning his ninth apostolic trip outside Italy.

  Following a flight of 13,269 kilometres lasting 15 hours and 45 minutes, the Pope's plane is due to land at Darwin in northern Australia. After a brief stopover, the flight will continue to Richmond airbase near Sydney, in the Australian state of New South Wales, where the Holy Father is expected to land at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. in Rome) on Sunday 13 July.

  Descending from the aircraft, the Pope will be greeted on the tarmac by Kevin Rudd, prime minister of Australia, Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, and other civil and religious authorities. He will then travel by car to the Kenthurst Study Centre, a private house for retreats and formation belonging to the Prelature of Opus Dei, where he will spend the time privately until the evening of Wednesday 16 July.

  On the morning of Thursday 17 July, the Pope's visit to Australia will officially begin with the welcome ceremony in the presence of the authorities at Government House in Sydney, where he will deliver his first discourse. Following the ceremony he will travel to the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel for a moment of prayer, before moving on to Admiralty House for a meeting with the Australian prime minister.

  Early that afternoon the Pope will go to Rose Bay Quay in Sydney where he will be greeted with a display of traditional Aboriginal dances and songs. He will then board the vessel "Sydney 2000" and cross the bay to the city's Bangaroo East Darling Harbour where he will be welcomed by tens of thousands of young people.

  Events scheduled for Friday 18 July include an ecumenical meeting and an encounter with representatives of other religions in St. Mary's Cathedral of Sydney.

  The culminating moment of this apostolic trip to Oceania will be the prayer vigil and Mass to be presided by the Pope at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday 20 July and Sunday 21 July, in the presence of thousands of young people gathered from all over the world for 23rd World Youth Day.
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HOLY SEE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR 2007

VATICAN CITY, 10 JUL 2008 (VIS) - The Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organisational and Economic Problems of the Holy See held its 42nd meeting in the Vatican on 3 and 4 July, under the presidency of Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B.

  A communique published yesterday afternoon explains that the consolidated financial statements of the Holy See in 2007 - presented to the assembled cardinals by Archbishop Velasio De Paolis C.S., president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See - showed a deficit of nine million euro: the difference between an income of 236,737,207 euro and outgoings of 245,805,167. This follows a three year period (2004, 2005 and 2006) that had showed a total surplus of 15,206,587 euro.

  As regards the institutional activity of the Holy See (Secretariat of State, congregations, councils, tribunals, the Synod of Bishops and various other offices), the communique recalls that this produces no revenue.

  The sector of financial activities (seven consolidated administrations, the most important of which is the Extraordinary Section of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, APSA) showed a surplus of 1.4 million euro, as compared with the 2006 surplus of 13.7 million euro. This decrease of about 12 million euro, the note explains, "is due above all to a sudden very strong reversal of trend in fluctuations of the rate of exchange, especially of the US dollar."

  The real estate sector closed with a net gain of 36.3 million euro, higher than that of 2006 which stood at around 32.3 million.

  The activity of the five media institutions connected with the Holy See (Vatican Radio, the Vatican Printing Office, the Osservatore Romano newspaper, the Vatican Publishing House and the Vatican Television Centre), closed with a deficit of 14.6 million euro, "substantially due to the deficit of Vatican Radio and the publication costs of the 'Osservatore Romano'". Nonetheless, the Vatican Printing Office and the Vatican Television Centre closed with a surplus of 1 million euro and 458,754 euro respectively. The Vatican Publishing House also closed the year with a surplus of 1.6 million euro.

  The Roman Curia employs a totals of 2,748 people (44 more than in 2006), of whom 778 are clergy, 333 religious and 1,637 lay people (including 425 women). Pensioners number 929.

  The communique goes on to announce that the consolidated financial statements of the Governorate of Vatican City State in 2007 closed with a surplus of 6.7 million euro, a drop with respect to last year's surplus of 21.8 million. "There has been", says the note, "a considerable and sustained economic and financial commitment to the protection, maintenance and restoration of the artistic patrimony of the Holy See (restoration of the Pauline Chapel, interventions on the basilicas of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls and St. Mary Major), as well as elevated costs for the internal security of Vatican City State".

  "For the financial year 2007, the Governorate of Vatican City State undertook to support the costs of Vatican Radio, contributing to covering half its deficit (12.2 million euro)", says the communique.

  Offers from the faithful to Peter's Pence, the fund which goes to the Holy Father's works of evangelical solidarity, fell considerably with respect to the preceding year. In 2006 they stood at 74.6 million euro, while in 2007 they only reached 50.8 million. The communique mentions a single individual "who has chosen to remain anonymous" who made an offer of 9.09 million euro to the Holy See.

  Finally, contributions from dioceses in accordance with canon 1271 of the Code of Canon Law, reached the sum of 18.7 million euro in 2007.
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POPE RECEIVES THE KING OF BAHRAIN

VATICAN CITY, 9 JUL 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo, Benedict XVI received in audience King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, according to a communique released by the Holy See Press Office. The sovereign subsequently went on to meet with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

  "In the course of the discussions, which took place in a cordial atmosphere", the text reads, "the Vatican authorities had the opportunity to thank the king for the welcome he has shown to many Christian immigrants.

  "Emphasis was given to the shared commitment in favour of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, and to the importance of collaboration between Christians, Muslims and Jews for the promotion - in the Middle East and throughout the world - of peace, justice and spiritual and moral values. The king invited the Holy Father to visit his country".
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 9 JUL 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop David L. Ricken of Cheyenne, U.S.A., as bishop of Green Bay (area 27,775, population 1,008,000, Catholics 373,000, priests 293, permanent deacons 137, religious 698), U.S.A.

 - Appointed Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He succeeds Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins C.M.F., whose resignation from the same office the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer S.J., professor of dogmatic theology at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and secretary general of the International Theological Commission, as secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Manacor, Spain in 1944 and ordained a priest in 1973.
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STATISTICS CONCERNING THE CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA

VATICAN CITY, 8 JUL 2008 (VIS) - For the occasion of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic trip to Sydney, Australia, due to take place from 12 to 21 July for the 23rd World Youth Day, statistics concerning the Catholic Church in that country have been published. The information, updated to 31 December 2006, comes from the Central Statistical Office of the Church.

  Australia has a population of 20,700,000 of whom 5,704,000 (27.56 percent) are Catholic. There are 33 ecclesiastical circumscriptions, 1,390 parishes and 109 pastoral centres of other kinds. Currently, there are 65 bishops, 3,125 priests, 7,950 religious, 40 lay members of secular institutes and 8,192 catechists. Minor seminarians number 83, and major seminarians 244.

  A total of 736,288 children and young people attend 2,252 centres of Catholic education, from kindergartens to universities. Other institutions belonging to the Church, or run by priests or religious in Australia include 58 hospitals, 5 clinics, 407 homes for the elderly or disabled, 164 orphanages and nurseries, 210 family counselling centres and other pro-life centres, 480 centres for education and social rehabilitation, and 24 institutions of other kinds.
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