HOLY SEE AND REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES

Vatican City, 22 February 2013 (VIS) – The Holy See and the Republic of South Sudan, desirous of promoting bonds of mutual friendship, have decided by common accord to establish diplomatic relations at the level of Apostolic Nunciature on the part of the Holy See and of Embassy on the part of the Republic of South Sudan, according to information provided in a communique today.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 22 February 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- appointed Fr. Miguel Angel Olaverri Arroniz, S.D.B., as bishop of Pointe-Noire (area 13,500, population 2,384,000, Catholics 1,392,000, priests 76, religious 89), Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bishop-elect was born in Pamplona, Navarre, Spain in 1948 and was ordained a priest in 1976. Since ordination he has served in several missionary, congregational, and pastoral roles in African dioceses, most recently in DR Congo as apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Pointe-Noire, director of National Caritas, Migrant Pastoral Services, and the Justice and Peace Commission, and president of the national office for Social Communications.

- erected the Diocese of Gamboma with territory taken from the Diocese of Owando, Democratic Republic of the Congo, making it a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Brazzaville.

- appointed Fr. Urbain Ngassongo as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Gamboma (area 38,400, population 193,000, Catholics 110,000, priests 15, religious 14), Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bishop-elect, previously secretary of the Episcopal Conference of DR Congo, was born in Kinshasa, DR Congo in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1996. Since ordination he has served in several academic and pastoral roles, most recently as pastoral administrator of Balvano in Potenza, Italy.

- appointed Msgr. Ettore Balestrero as apostolic nuncio to Colombia, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop and assigning him the titular see of Vittoriana. The archbishop-elect, previously under-secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States, was born in Genoa, Italy in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1993. On entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1996, he has served as a papal legate in Korea, Mongolia, Holland, and in the section of Relations with States of the Secretariat of State.

- appointed Archbishop Leon Kalenga Badikebele as apostolic nuncio to El Salvador. Archbishop Badikebele, titular of Magnetum, was previously apostolic nuncio to Ghana.

- appointed Msgr. Miroslaw Adamczyk as apostolic nuncio to Libera, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop and assigning him the titular see of Oticoli. The archbishop-elect was born in Gdansk, Poland in 1962 and was ordained a priest in 1987. On entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1993, he has served in the apostolic nunciatures of Madagascar, India, Hungary, Belgium, South Africa, and Venezuela.

- appointed Msgr. Michael W. Banach as titular archbishop of Memfi, at the same time assigning him the office of apostolic nuncio. The archbishop-elect was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA and was ordained a priest in 1988. He previously served as Holy See permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA), to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and to the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations Organization for Industrial Development (ONUDI), and to the Office of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria.

- appointed Msgr Brian Udaigwe as titular archbishop of Suelli, at the same time assigning him the office of apostolic nuncio. The archbishop-elect was born in Tiko, Southwest Province, Cameroon in 1964 and was ordained a priest in 1992. On entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1994, he has served as a papal legate in Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Bulgaria, Thailand, and Great Britain.

- appointed Msgr. Antoine Camilleri as under-secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States. Msgr. Camilleri was previously a nunciature counsellor of the Secretariat of State.

POPE'S FINAL ACTIVITIES, POSSIBILITY OF A MOTU PROPRIO, RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SOCIETY OF ST. PIUS X

Vatican City, 21 February 2013 (VIS) – This morning Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, presented information related to the Holy Father's calendar and clarified some issues that have been raised in the past few days.

At 9:00am on Saturday, 23 February, the Holy Father and the Roman Curia will conclude their spiritual exercises. Traditionally, the Pope addresses those present briefly. That same day, at 11:30am, he will meet with the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano. On Sunday, 24 February, Benedict XVI will pray the last Angelus of his pontificate with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. On Wednesday, 27 February, Benedict XVI's final general audience will take place in St. Peter's Square in the usual fashion, except for his re-entry to the Apostolic Palace, the path of which will wind around the square in the popemobile so that he may greet the many participants who are expected (to date, over 30,000 people have requested tickets). On 28 February, as announced in a notice from the Papal Household, he will personally greet all the cardinals present in Rome, that is, both those who are resident here and those who have come to the capitol in recent days. There will be no speech.

Regarding his departure from the Vatican, shortly before 5:00pm, the Pope will greet Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., in the San Damaso Courtyard and, upon reaching the Vatican heliport, will bid farewell to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals. On arrival at Castel Gandolfo he will be received by the president and secretary of the Governorate of Vatican City, the mayor of the town, and other civil authorities and will appear at the balcony of the Apostolic Palace to greet the faithful present.

On a different topic, the director of the Holy See Press Office has stated that the date of the conclave is established by the congregation of cardinals during the Sede vacante, independently of a possible Motu Proprio from the Holy Father that could specify some details of the Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis".

Regarding the issue of the Society of St. Pius X, he reaffirmed that the date of 22 February to decide the issue is pure hypothesis and that Benedict XVI has decided to entrust the matter to the next Pope, therefore, a definition of relations with that society should not be expected by the end of this pontificate.

In conclusion, he confirmed that the Commission of Cardinals (Julian Herranz, Jozef Tomko, and Salvatore De Giorgi) set up by the Holy Father to prepare a report on the Holy See has made its results known exclusively to the Pope. The cardinals will not grant interviews or otherwise comment on the results.

NOTICE FROM THE PREFECTURE OF THE PAPAL HOUSEHOLD

Vatican City, 21 February 2013 (VIS) – On Thursday, 28 February, at 11:00am in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Benedict XVI will meet and personally greet all of the cardinals who are present in Rome.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 21 February 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- appointed Bishop Ramon Alfredo Dus as archbishop of Resistencia (area 28,250, population 6000,000, Catholics 495,000, priests 62, permanent deacons 13, religious 114), Argentina. Archbishop-elect Dus, previously of the Diocese of Reconquista, Argentina, succeeds Archbishop Fabriciano Sigampa, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- appointed Fr. Marco Aurelio Gubiotti as bishop of Itabira-Favriciano (area 8,996, population 789,000, Catholics 565,000, priests 65, religious 77), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Ouro Fino, Minas Gerais, Brazil in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1989. He has served in several pastoral and academic roles in the archdiocese of Pouso Alegre, Brazil, most recently as a professor of theology, pastor of Nossa Senhora de Fatima parish, and member of the archdiocesan Presbyteral Council. He succeeds Bishop Odilon Guimaraes Moreira, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- erected the Apostolic Vicarate of Puerto Leguizamo-Solano with territory taken from the apostolic prefectures of San Vincente-Puerto Leguizamo and Leticia, Colombia.

- appointed Fr. Joaquim Humberto Pinzon Guiza, I.M.C., as the first apostolic vicar of Puerto Leguizamo-Solano (area 64,000, population 46,000, Catholics 36,000, priests 7, religious 8), Colombia. The bishop-elect was born in Berbeo, Boyaca, Colombia, in 1969 and was ordained a priest in 1999. He has served in several missionary, academic, and administrative roles in Colombia, most recently as the Institute's regional superior in Colombia-Ecuador.

- appointed Fr. Ilario Antoniazzi as archbishop of Tunis (area 162,155, population 10,549,000, Catholics 21,000, priests 32, permanent deacons 1, religious 149), Tunisia. The archbishop-elect was born in Rai, Treviso, Italy and was ordained a priest in 1972. He has served in several pastoral roles in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, most recently as pastor of Rameh in Galilee, Isreal.

- appointed Fr. Gabriele Marchesi as bishop of Floresta (area 15,806, population 253,000, Catholics 252,000, priests 21, religious 22), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Incisa Valdarno, Tuscany, Italy and was ordained a priest in 1978. He has served in several pastoral and administrative roles for the Diocese of Fiesole, Brazil, most recently as pastor of Sao Pedro Apostolo and Nossa Senhora do Rosario parishes, coordinator for Pastoral Service, and episcopal vicar.

- appointed Bishop Miguel Angel D’Annibale as bishop of Rio Gallegos (area 265,614, population 306,000, Catholics 214,000, priests 47, permanent deacons 11, religious 95), Argentina. Bishop D'Annibale, previously auxiliary of that same diocese and titular of Nasai, is a member of the Commission for the Liturgy in the Argentine Episcopal Conference.