News Vatican Information Services 11/25-27/2006

SUMMARY: NOVEMBER 25 - 27

- Catholic Weeklies: the Voice of Small Communities
- Love and Truth Never Impose Themselves
- Pope Calls for Prayers for His Apostolic Trip to Turkey
- In Brief
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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CATHOLIC WEEKLIES: THE VOICE OF SMALL COMMUNITIES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 25, 2006 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received representatives from the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies (FISC) who have just concluded a congress dedicated to the theme: "Catholics in political life, free or missing?"

The Pope greeted Bishop Giuseppe Bertori, secretary of the Italian Episcopal Conference, and Fr. Giorgio Zucchelli, president of the FISC, as well as the directors and staff of more than 160 diocesan newspapers. He also recalled how this year the FISC "is celebrating the fortieth anniversary of its foundation."

The idea to create a federation of Catholic weeklies arose, said the Holy Father, "from a desire to make the Church's pastoral activity and presence more visible and incisive."

The pages of diocesan newspapers give a picture "of the life of the Church and society in Italy," said the Pope, emphasizing the fact that "the special role of the Christian-inspired social communications media is to educate minds and to form public opinion in accordance with the spirit of the Gospel.

"Their function," he added, "is to serve the truth courageously, helping public opinion to contemplate, understand and experience reality with the eyes of God. The aim of the diocesan newspaper is to give everyone a message of truth and hope, highlighting events and situations where the Gospel is put into practice, where goodness and truth triumph, and where man laboriously and imaginatively builds and rebuilds the fabric ... of small communities."

"The rapid evolution of social communications and the advent of many forms of advanced technology in the media have not rendered your role ineffective," he went on. "Quite the contrary, in some ways it has become even more meaningful and important because it gives a voice to the local communities that are not adequately represented in the great information channels. ... You can reach those places where traditional pastoral care methods fail to arrive."

"Your weekly publications are rightly described as 'papers of the people,' because they retain their link with the events and lives of people on the ground, transmitting the popular traditions and the rich cultural and religious heritage of your towns and cities."

"Continue to ensure that your newspapers create a network facilitating relations ... between individual citizens and institutions, between associations, the various social groups, parishes and ecclesial movements. This is a service you can also undertake in the social and political field," the Holy Father concluded, "your weeklies can become significant 'meeting places' ... for lay faithful involved in the political and social fields, places in which to hold a dialogue and to discover convergence and shared aims in the service of the Gospel and the common good."
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LOVE AND TRUTH NEVER IMPOSE THEMSELVES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 26, 2006 (VIS) - Before praying the Angelus today, Solemnity of Christ the King and the last Sunday of the liturgical year, Benedict XVI recalled how today's Gospel reading recounts the meeting between Jesus and Pontius Pilate.

"Answering the Roman governor's questions, Jesus affirms His kingship but says it is not of this world. He did not come to dominate peoples and lands, but to free mankind from the slavery of sin, and to reconcile him with God. And He added: 'For this ... I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth'."

"But what is this 'truth'," the Holy Father asked, "to which Christ has come to bear witness in the world?" And he answered: "His entire existence reveals that God is love. This is, then, the truth to which He bore full witness with the sacrifice of His life at Calvary. The Cross is the 'throne' from which he demonstrated the sublime regality of God-Love. Offering Himself in atonement for the sin of the world, He defeated the dominion of 'the ruler of this world' and definitively established the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom that will be fully realized at the end of time, after all the enemies - and in the last instance, death - will have been defeated. Then the Son will consign the Kingdom to the Father and, finally, God will 'be everything to everyone.'

"The road to reach this goal," the Pope added, "is long and no shortcuts are allowed. Indeed, it is necessary for each individual to freely accept the truth of God's love. He is Love and Truth, and neither love nor truth ever impose themselves; they knock at the door of the heart and the mind and, where they are allowed in, they bring peace and joy. This is the way God reigns, this is His process of salvation, a 'mystery' in the biblical sense of the word, in other words a plan that is revealed little by little over history."

Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by pointing out how "the Virgin Mary is associated with Jesus' regality. ... God asked that humble girl from Nazareth to become the mother of the Messiah, and Mary answered this call with all of herself, uniting her unconditional 'yes' to that of the Son Jesus and making herself, with Him, obedient even unto sacrifice. For this reason, God exalted her over all other creatures, and Christ crowned her Queen of heaven and earth."
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POPE CALLS FOR PRAYERS FOR HIS APOSTOLIC TRIP TO TURKEY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 26, 2006 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus with the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope recalled how tomorrow, Tuesday, he begins his apostolic trip to Turkey where, between November 28 and December 1, he will visit Ankara, Ephesus and Istanbul.

"From this moment," he said, "I would like to send my cordial greetings to the dear Turkish people, so rich in history and culture. To that people, and to their representatives, I extend sentiments of respect and sincere friendship."

Benedict XVI also mentioned the "deep emotion" he felt at having the opportunity to meet the country's "small Catholic community, which is ever present in my heart, and to unite myself fraternally with the Orthodox Church for the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle," on November 30.

"I trustingly follow the footsteps of my venerated predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, and I invoke the celestial protection of Blessed John XXIII who for ten years was apostolic delegate in Turkey and nourished great affection and respect for that country."

The Holy Father concluded his remarks by asking everyone to accompany him "with prayer, that this pilgrimage may bring the fruits that God desires."

Pope Benedict then went on to recall World AIDS Day which falls on December 1. "May this circumstance," he said, "favor greater responsibility in the treatment of the illness, and a commitment to prevent all discrimination against those afflicted by it. Invoking the comfort of the Lord upon the sick and the families, I encourage the many initiatives the Church operates in this field."
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IN BRIEF

THE POPE SENT A LETTER TO CARDINAL Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, for the Solemnity of Christ the King. On Saturday, November 25, the eve of the Solemnity, the great door of the basilica was opened "in the course of a special procession," the Pope writes, "during which the faithful were given the opportunity to meditate upon sacred music and the art of the basilica, evoking the 'Basilica domus,' the house of the King. ... Christ, Who declared His kingship, but not of this world, ... overcomes evil with good, hatred and violence with forgiveness and love. The throne of this King, Whom we adore today, is the Cross, and His victory is Love, an omnipotent love that from the Cross scatters is gifts upon humanity of all times and places."

MADE PUBLIC TODAY, NOVEMBER 27, WAS A LETTER from Benedict XVI to Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture and of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, for a pan-Asian meeting of members and consultors of the Pontifical Council for Culture with presidents of the national episcopal commissions for culture. The meeting is being held in Denpasar, Bali, from November 26 to 30. "It was in Asia that God revealed and fulfilled His saving purpose from the beginning," writes the Pope in his English-language Letter, "and it was there too, in the fullness of time, that He sent His only-begotten Son to be our Savior. I pray, therefore, that this continent, in which the great events of the history of salvation took place, may encounter anew the living Lord, the Word made flesh, in the context of its rich variety of cultures."

CARDINAL GIOVANNI BATTISTA RE, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, is to be the Holy Father's special envoy to the solemn closing ceremony of celebrations marking the ninth centenary of the dedication of the cathedral of Parma, Italy. The event is due to take place on December 3. The Holy Father's Letter appointing Cardinal Re to this mission, written in Latin and dated October 6, was made public on November 25.

ARCHBISHOP SILVANO M. TOMASI C.S., permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and International Institutions in Geneva, delivered a talk on November 20 before the 6th review conference of States-parties to the "Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction" (BWC). In his talk, the archbishop affirmed that "the universal application of this convention must be a priority. No State must remain outside, under whatever pretext. ... This must translate into complete cooperation, over and above the economic and commercial interests of each."
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 27, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

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

- Archbishop Agostino Superbo of Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo, accompanied by Archbishop emeritus Ennio Appignanesi.

- Archbishop Giovanni Ricchiuti of Acerenza, accompanied by Archbishop emeritus Michele Scandiffio.

- Archbishop Salvatore Ligorio of Matera-Irsina.

- Bishop Gianfranco Todisco P.O.C.R., of Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Vincenzo Cozzi.

- Bishop Vincenzo Carmine Orofino of Tricarico.

- Bishop Francescantonio Nole O.F.M. Conv., of Tursi-Lagonegro.

- Cardinal Agostino Cacciavillan, president emeritus of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

On Saturday, November 25, he received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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

- Archbishop Tommaso Valentinetti of Pescara-Penne.

- Bishop Michele Seccia of Teramo-Atri.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 27, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Sarat Chandra Nayak, chancellor of the archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, India, as bishop of Berhampur (area 51,289, population 7,761,600, Catholics 103,800, priests 119, religious 205), India. The bishop-elect was born in Kerubadi, India, in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1990. He succeeds Bishop Joseph Das, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

On Saturday, November 25, it was made public that the Holy Father:

- Erected the new ecclesiastical province of Bujumbura, Burundi, separating the diocese of that name from the county's only existing ecclesiastical province of Gitega. The new ecclesiastical province will have as suffragans the dioceses of Bubanza and Bururi. He appointed Bishop Evariste Ngoyagoye of Bujumbura, as the first metropolitan archbishop of the new circumscription. The archbishop-elect was born in Jenda, Burundi in 1942, he was ordained a priest in 1966 and consecrated a bishop in 1980.

- Erected the new ecclesiastical province of Goa and Damao (area 25,293, population 7,092,068, Catholics 645,194, priests 644, religious 959), India. Until now, the archdiocese of that name has been immediately subject to the Holy See. The new ecclesiastical province will have as suffragan the diocese of Sindhudurg. He appointed Archbishop Filipe Neri Antonio Sebastiao do Rosario Ferrao of Goa and Damao, patriarch "ad honorem" of the East Indies, as the first metropolitan archbishop of the new circumscription.

- Consenting to the request of the Mexican episcopate, he ordered the following restructuring of the ecclesial provinces of Mexico:

A) He erected the ecclesiastical provinces of:

- Baja California, elevating the diocese of Tijuana to the status of metropolitan archdiocese and assigning it as suffragans the dioceses of La Paz and Mexicali. He appointed Bishop Rafael Romo Munoz of Tijuana, as the first metropolitan archbishop of the new circumscription.
- Bajio, elevating the diocese of Leon to the status of metropolitan archdiocese and assigning it as suffragans the dioceses of Celaya, Irapuato and Queretaro. He appointed Bishop Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago of Leon, as the first metropolitan archbishop of the new circumscription.
- Hidalgo, elevating the diocese of Tulancingo to the status of metropolitan archdiocese and assigning it as suffragans the dioceses of Huejutla and Tula. He appointed Bishop Pedro Aranda Diaz-Munoz of Tulancingo, as the first metropolitan archbishop of the new circumscription.
- Hidalgo, elevating the diocese of Tuxtla Gutierrez to the status of metropolitan archdiocese and assigning it as suffragans the dioceses of San Cristobal de las Casas and Tapachula. He appointed Bishop Rogelio Cabrera Lopez of Tuxtla Gutierrez, as the first metropolitan archbishop of the new circumscription.

B) He assigned the following suffragans:

- To the metropolitan church of Hermosillo, the dioceses of Ciudad Obregon and Culiacan.
- To the metropolitan church of Durango, the dioceses of Mazatlan and Torreon, and the territorial prelature of El Salto.
- To the metropolitan church of Monterrey, the dioceses of Ciudad Victoria, Linares, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Saltillo, Piedras Negras and Tampico.
- To the metropolitan church of San Luis Potosi, the dioceses of Ciudad Valles, Matehuala and Zacatecas.
- To the metropolitan church of Guadalajara, the dioceses of Aguascalientes, Autlan, Ciudad Guzman, Colima, San Juan de los Lagos and Tepic, and the territorial prelature of Jesus Maria.
- To the metropolitan church of Morelia, the dioceses of Apatzingan, Ciudad Lazaro Cardenas, Tacambaro and Zamora.
- To the metropolitan church of Mexico, the dioceses of Atlacomulco, Cuernavaca and Toluca.
- To the metropolitan church of Acapulco, the dioceses of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Ciudad Altamirano and Tlapa.
- To the metropolitan church of Puebla de los Angeles, Puebla, the dioceses of Huajuapan de Leon, Tehuacan and Tlaxcala.
- To the metropolitan church of Antequera, Oaxaca, the dioceses of Puerto Escondido, Tehuantepec, Tuxtepec and the territorial prelatures of Huautla and Mixes.

C) He confirmed the following as suffragans:

- To the metropolitan church of Chihuahua, the dioceses of Ciudad Juarez, Cuauhtemoc-Madera, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Parral and Tarahumara.
- To the metropolitan church of Tlalnepantla, the dioceses of Cuautitlan, Ecatepec, Netzahualcoyotl, Texcoco and Valle de Chalco.
- To the metropolitan church of Jalapa, the dioceses of Coatzacoalcos, Cordoba, Orizaba, Papantla, San Andres Tuxtla, Tuxpan and Veracruz.
- To the metropolitan church of Yucatan, the dioceses of Campeche and Tabasco, and the territorial prelature of Cancun-Chetumal.

- Appointed Bishop Peter Kihara Kariuki I.M.C., of Muranga, Kenya, as bishop of Marsabit, (area 78,078, population 205,291, Catholics 22,914, priests 23, religious 56), Kenya. He succeeds Bishop Ambrogio Ravasi I.M.C., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Paul R. Ruzoka of Kigoma, Tanzania, as archbishop of Tabora (area 76,151, population 1,534,314, Catholics 269,956, priests 55, religious 243), Tanzania. The archbishop-elect was born in Kigoma in 1948, he was ordained a priest in 1975 and consecrated a bishop in 1990.

- Appointed Msgr. Joseph Karikassery, vicar general of the archdiocese of Verapoly, India, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 1,500, population 2,804,307, Catholics 270,188, priests 359, religious 1,484). The bishop-elect was born in Karthedom, India in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1973.

- Appointed as members of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications: Cardinals Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid, Spain, and Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; Archbishops Simon Victor Tonye Bakot of Yaounde, Cameroon; and George Hugh Niederauer of San Francisco, U.S.A.

- Appointed as consultors of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications: Msgr. Owen F. Campion of the diocese of Nashville, U.S.A., director of "Our Sunday Visitor;" Msgr. Claudio Giuliodori, director of the national office for social communications of the Italian Episcopal Conference; Msgr. Stanislas Lalanne, secretary general of the French Episcopal Conference; Jose Maria Gil Tamayo, director of the secretariat of the Spanish Episcopal Conference's episcopal commission for the social communication media; David Gutierrez Gutierrez of the archdiocese of Coro, Venezuela, director of the press office of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM); Fr. Antonio Pereira Rego, coordinator of religious programs for Portuguese television; Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, and director general of Vatican Radio and of the Vatican Television Center; Fr. Silvio Sassi S.S.P., superior general of the Society of St. Paul; Fr. Jacob Srampikal S.J., director of the interdisciplinary center for social communications at the Gregorian University in Rome; Sr. Maria Antonietta Bruscato F.S.P., superior general of the Daughters of St. Paul; Carl Albert Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Order of the Knights of Columbus, U.S.A.; Benedict Assorow, director of CEPACS, the communications office of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM); Ettore Bernabei of Rome; Jesus Colina, director of the Zenit news agency, Rome; Ignatius Handoko, president of Indosiar, Jakarta, Indonesia; Giancarlo Leone of Rome; Albert Scharf, former director of "Bayerischer Rundfunk," Germany; Anthony Spence, director of the Catholic News Service, Washington, U.S.A.; and Dirk H. Voss, director of the "St. Ulrich Verlag," Augsburg, Germany.
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