SUMMARY:
- MAN IS
CONSIDERED IN BIOLOGICAL TERMS OR AS "HUMAN CAPITAL"
- THE
POPE ADDRESSES THE VENERABLE ENGLISH COLLEGE OF ROME
- THE
POPE ON TWITTER: VOICE OF UNITY AND LEADERSHIP FOR THE CHURCH
- ADVENT:
THE COMING OF THE LORD CONTINUES
- FIRST
VESPERS OF ADVENT WITH ROME UNIVERSITIES
- THE
POPE PRAISES THE VALUES OF ITINERANT PERFORMERS
- MOTU
PROPRIO ON THE SERVICE OF CHARITY
-
SENTENCE OF THE VATICAN TRIBUNAL IN THE CLAUDIO SCIARPELLETTI TRIAL
- THE
HOLY FATHER'S SPECIAL ENVOYS
-
AUDIENCES
- OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
MAN IS
CONSIDERED IN BIOLOGICAL TERMS OR AS "HUMAN CAPITAL"
Vatican
City, 3 December 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today gave an address
to the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council of Justice and
Peace.
"Man
is nowadays considered in predominantly biological terms or as 'human
capital', a 'resource', part of a dominant productive or financial
mechanism. Although we continue to proclaim the dignity of the
person, new ideologies - the hedonistic and egotistic claim to sexual
and reproductive rights, or unregulated financial capitalism that
abuses politics and derails the true economy - contribute to a
concept of the worker and his or her labour as 'minor' commodities
and undermine the natural foundations of society, especially the
family. In fact, the human being, .... transcendent by comparison to
other beings or earthly goods, enjoys true supremacy and
responsibility for himself and for creation. ... For Christianity,
work is fundamental for man, for his identity, socialisation, the
creation of a family and his contribution to peace and the common
good. For precisely this reason, the aim of access to work for all is
always a priority, even in periods of economic recession.
"From
new evangelisation of the social sphere, we can derive a new humanism
and renewed cultural and prospective commitment", the Pope
continued. The new evangelisation "helps to dethrone modern
idols, replacing individualism, materialistic consumerism and
technocracy with a culture of fraternity and gratuity, and with
mutual love. Jesus Christ summarised these precepts and gave them the
form of a new commandment - 'Just as I have loved you, you also
should love one another' - and here lies the secret of every fully
human and pacific social life, as well as the renewal of politics and
of national and global institutions. Blessed John XXIII motivated
efforts to build a world community, with a corresponding authority
precisely on love for the common good of the human family".
"The
Church certainly does not have the task of suggesting, from a
judicial or political point of view, the precise configuration of an
international system of this type, but rather offers a set of
principles for reflection, criteria for judgement and practical
guidelines able to guarantee an anthropological and ethical structure
for the common good. However, it is important to note that one should
not envisage a superpower, concentrated in the hands of the few,
dominating all peoples and exploiting the weakest among them, but
rather that such an authority should be understood primarily as a
moral force, a power to influence according to reason, or rather as a
participatory authority, limited in competence and by law",
concluded the Holy Father.
THE
POPE ADDRESSES THE VENERABLE ENGLISH COLLEGE OF ROME
Vatican
City, 3 December 2012 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI addressed
members of the Venerable English College of Rome, the Catholic
seminary for the formation of priests from England and Wales. The
College, which celebrates its 650th anniversary this year, has its
origins in an ancient English hospice which accommodated British
pilgrims to Rome.
The Holy
Father, following his greeting to Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, a
former rector of the College, emphasised the "long tradition of
zeal for the faith and loyalty to the Apostolic See" in the
Catholic community in England and Wales. He remarked that it was his
predecessor, Pope Gregory the Great, who sent St. Augustine of
Canterbury to "plant the seeds of Christian faith on Anglo-Saxon
soil. The fruits of that missionary endeavour are only too evident in
the six-hundred-and-fifty-year history of faith and martyrdom that
distinguishes the English Hospice of Saint Thomas à Becket and the
Venerable English College that grew out of it".
Addressing
the seminarians, he continued, "you too ... are the men God has
chosen to spread the message of the Gospel today, in England and
Wales, in Canada, in Scandinavia ... Your first task, then, is to
come to know Christ yourselves, and the time you spend in seminary
provides you with a privileged opportunity to do so. Learn to pray
daily, especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, listening
attentively to the word of God and allowing heart to speak to heart,
as Blessed John Henry Newman would say. ... Allow the fascination of
His person to capture your imagination and warm your heart. He has
chosen you to be His friends, not His servants, and He invites you to
share in His priestly work of bringing about the salvation of the
world".
"You
have heard much talk about the new evangelization, the proclamation
of Christ in those parts of the world where the Gospel has already
been preached, but where to a greater or lesser degree the embers of
faith have grown cold and now need to be fanned once more into a
flame. ... Fire in sacred Scripture frequently serves to indicate the
divine presence. ... Just as a small fire can set a whole forest
ablaze, so the faithful testimony of a few can release the purifying
and transforming power of God’s love so that it spreads like
wildfire throughout a community or a nation".
Benedict
XVI concluded by mentioning his visit to the United Kingdom in 2010.
He said, "I saw for myself that there is a great spiritual
hunger among the people. Bring them the true nourishment that comes
from knowing, loving and serving Christ. Speak the truth of the
Gospel to them with love. Offer them the living water of the
Christian faith and point them towards the bread of life, so that
their hunger and thirst may be satisfied. Above all, however, let the
light of Christ shine through you by living lives of holiness,
following in the footsteps of the many great saints of England and
Wales, the holy men and women who bore witness to God’s love, even
at the cost of their lives".
THE
POPE ON TWITTER: VOICE OF UNITY AND LEADERSHIP FOR THE CHURCH
Vatican
City, 3 December 2012 (VIS) - A press conference was held this
morning in the Holy See Press Office to explain the presence of the
Pope on Twitter and to provide additional information on the use of
the new media in the Vatican.
The
conference was presented by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president
of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Msgr. Paul
Tighe, secretary of the same dicastery, Fr. Federico Lombardi,
director of the Holy See Press Office, Vatican Radio and the Vatican
Television Centre, Professor Gian Maria Vian, editor of
'L'Osservatore Romano' and Greg Burke, media advisor to the
Secretariat of State. Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Twitter's director of Social
Innovation, was also present.
Given
below are extracts from the English-language Note explaining the
presence of the Holy Father on Twitter:
"The
Pope's presence on Twitter is a concrete expression of his conviction
that the Church must be present in the digital arena. ... The Pope's
presence on Twitter can be seen as the 'tip of the iceberg' that is
the Church's presence in the world of new media. The Church is
already richly present in this environment – there exist a whole
range of initiatives from the official websites of various
institutions and communities to the personal sites, blogs and
micro-blogs of public church figures and of individual believers. The
Pope's presence on Twitter is ultimately an endorsement of the
efforts of these 'early adapters' to ensure that the Good News of
Jesus Christ and the teaching of his Church is permeating the forum
of exchange and dialogue that is being created by social media. His
presence is intended to be an encouragement to all Church
institutions and people of faith to be attentive to develop an
appropriate profile for themselves and their convictions in the
'digital continent'. The Pope's tweets will be available to believers
and non-believers to share, discuss and to encourage dialogue. It is
hoped that the Pope's short messages, and the fuller messages that
they seek to encapsulate, will give rise to questions for people from
different countries, languages and cultures".
"Part
of the challenge for the Church in the area of new media is to
establish a networked or capillary presence that can effectively
engage the debates, discussions and dialogues that are facilitated by
social media and that invite direct, personal and timely responses of
a type that are not so easily achieved by centralized institutions.
Moreover, such a networked or capillary structure reflects the truth
of the Church as a community of communities which is alive both
universally and locally. The Pope's presence on Twitter will
represent his voice as a voice of unity and leadership for the Church
but it will also be a powerful invitation to all believers to express
their 'voices', to engage their 'followers' and 'friends' and to
share with them the hope of the Gospel that speaks of God’s
unconditional love for all men and women".
"In
addition to the direct engagement with the questions, debates and
discussions of people that is facilitated by new media, the Church
recognizes the importance of new media as an environment that allows
to teach the truth that the Lord has passed to His Church, to listen
to others, to learn about their cares and concerns, to understand who
they are and for what they are searching. ... It is for this reason
that it has been decided to launch the Pope's Twitter channel with a
formal question and answer format. This launch is also an indication
of the importance that the Church gives to listening and is a
warranty of its ongoing attentiveness to the conversations,
commentaries and trends that express so spontaneously and insistently
the preoccupations and hopes of people".
The first
tweets from the Pope's handle on Twitter will be given on 12
December, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Initially tweets will be
published with the Wednesday general audiences, although they may
subsequently become more frequent. The first tweets, on 12 December,
will respond to questions put to the Pope on matters of faith. The
public can send questions between now and 12 December in the
languages listed below. The official Papal handle is @pontifex.
In
addition to English, tweets will also be published in the following
languages:
Spanish
@pontifex_es
Italian
@pontifex_it
Portuguese
@pontifex_pt
German
@pontifex_de
Polish
@pontifex_pl
Arabic
@pontifex_ar
French
@pontifex_fr
Other
languages may be added in the future. Further information can be
obtained at http://blog.twitter.com/
ADVENT:
THE COMING OF THE LORD CONTINUES
Vatican
City, 3 December 2012 (VIS) - "The word 'advent' means 'coming'
or 'presence', said the Pope to the faithful gathered yesterday in
St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus, as the Church began a new
liturgical year. "In the ancient world it indicated the visit of
the king or emperor to a province; in the language of Christianity it
refers to the coming of God, to his presence in the world; a mystery
that involves the entire cosmos and all of history, and with two
culminating moments: the first and the second coming of Jesus
Christ".
Benedict
XVI explained that these two culminating moments are first the
Incarnation, and then the glorious return of Christ at the end of
time. "These two moments, chronologically distant – and it is
not given to us to know how far apart they are – touch us deeply,
because by His death and resurrection Jesus has already accomplished
that transformation of humanity and of the cosmos that is the final
goal of creation. But before that end, it is necessary that the
Gospel be proclaimed to all nations, as Jesus says in the Gospel of
Saint Mark. The coming of Christ is continuous; the world must be
infused by His presence. This permanent coming of the Lord in the
proclamation of the Gospel requires our continual collaboration; and
the Church ... in communion with her Lord, collaborates in this
coming of the Lord, in which His glorious return has already begun".
The Word
of God traces "a line of conduct to pursue in order to be ready
for the coming of the Lord. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says to the
disciples, 'Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from
carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life ... Be
vigilant at all times and pray', inviting them to simplicity and
prayer. The apostle Paul encourages them to 'increase and abound in
love' among themselves and towards others. ... In the midst of the
turmoil of the world, or the desert of indifference and materialism,
Christians accept the salvation of God and bear witness to it by
following a different way of life. ... The community of believers is
a sign of the love of God, of His justice that is already present and
working in history, but not yet fully realised, and that therefore
should always be awaited, invoked, and sought after with patience and
courage".
Following
the Angelus, the Pope mentioned that today in Kottar, India, the
layperson and martyr Devasahayam Pillai, who lived in the eighteenth
century, was beatified. "We unite ourselves to the joy of the
Church in India and pray that the new Blessed may sustain the faith
of Christians in that great and noble country".
"Tomorrow",
he added, "we celebrate the International Day for Persons with
Disabilities. Each individual, with his or her physical or
psychological limits, including those of a serious nature, is always
of inestimable value and must be considered as such. I encourage
ecclesial communities to take care to welcome these brothers and
sisters of ours, and urge legislators and governors to protect those
with disabilities and to promote their full participation in the life
of our society as a whole".
FIRST
VESPERS OF ADVENT WITH ROME UNIVERSITIES
Vatican
City, 1 December 2012 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at 5.30 p.m.
today, Benedict XVI presided at first Vespers for the First Sunday of
Advent with academics from the Roman and pontifical universities on
the occasion of the beginning of the academic year.
In his
homily, the Holy Father remarked that "the entire journey of the
year of the Church is directed to discovering and reliving God's
trust in Jesus Christ who came to us in Bethlehem, as a child. The
full history of salvation is a journey of love, mercy and
benevolence, from creation to the liberation of the people of Israel
from the slavery of Egypt, from the giving of the Law at Sinai to the
return to the homeland from Babylonian slavery. ... God is not closed
away in heaven, but rather inclines towards the affairs of mankind, a
great mystery that exceeds any possible expectation. ... He does all
this out of his unwavering love for humanity. ... 'God is love'. ...
God, in Jesus of Nazareth, takes upon himself the whole of humanity,
the entire history of humanity, setting it on a decisive new course
to transformation into a new human being, engendered by and tending
towards God".
"The
liturgical year that we begin with these Vespers will also form part
of the path in which you once more relive the mystery of this trust
in God, upon whom you are called to base your life, as on a solid
rock", said the Pope, addressing the students present. "By
celebrating and undertaking this itinerary of faith with the Church,
you will experience that Jesus Christ is the sole Lord of the cosmos
and of history, without Whom any human construction would amount to
nothing. The liturgy, lived in its true spirit, is always the
fundamental school for life in Christian faith, a 'theological' faith
involving your whole being - body, heart and soul - to enable you to
become living stones in the construction of the Church and
collaborators in new evangelisation".
He
continued, "We live in a context in which we often encounter
indifference towards God. But I believe that, in the inner depths of
those people ... whose lives are distant from God, there resides a
nostalgia for the infinite, for transcendence. It is your task,
within the university halls, to bear witness to God Who is close to
us, and Who is made manifest also in the search for the truth, which
is the soul of any intellectual pursuit. ... Faith is the door that
God opens in our lives in order to lead us to the encounter with
Christ, in which the present day of humanity meets that of God.
Christian faith is not the adhesion to a generic or undefined god,
but rather to the living God Who in Jesus Christ, the Word made
flesh, entered into human history and revealed Himself as man's
Redeemer. To believe means to entrust one's own life to Him, as only
He can give it fullness in time and open it to hope beyond time".
"In
this Year of Faith I wish to invite the academic community of Rome to
reflect upon faith. The continuing dialogue between the state or
private and pontifical universities allows us to hope for an
increasingly significant presence of the Church in the cultural life
not only of Rome but also in Italian and international contexts".
The Pope
concluded by remarking that that the next World Youth Day in Rio de
Janeiro will provide "an important opportunity for offering your
testimony and commitment to the moral and social renewal of the
world".
At the
end of the ceremony a delegation from the University of Rome "Roma
3" presented an icon of Mary "Sedes Sapientiae" ("Seat
of Wisdom") to a university delegation from Brazil, the country
which will host the next World Youth Day.
THE
POPE PRAISES THE VALUES OF ITINERANT PERFORMERS
Vatican
City, 1 December 2012 (VIS) - At midday today in the Vatican's Paul
VI Hall, Benedict XVI received the participants in the pilgrimage of
the "World of Itinerant Performers", promoted on the
occasion of the Year of Faith by the Pontifical Council for the
Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, in collaboration
with the diocese of Rome and the "Migrantes" foundation of
the Italian Episcopal Conference. Thousands of circus performers,
fairground workers, puppeteers, acrobats, street performers, musical
band members, mechanical musicians, folk groups and pavement artists
were present.
"Your
great family is distinguished above all by your ability to use the
particular and specific language of your art", which, the Pope
said, "constitutes an immediate form of communication for
entering into dialogue with children and adults, kindling feelings of
serenity, joy and harmony".
"With
these characteristics and style, you show the values that form a part
of your tradition: love for the family, care for the young, attention
to the disabled, care for the sick, and respect for the elderly and
their experience. In your environment, dialogue between generations,
a sense of friendship, and the pleasure of working as a team all
flourish. You excel in hospitality and the welcome you extend to
others, along with your attention to responding to the most authentic
wishes, especially those of the young generations. Your crafts
require sacrifices, responsibility and perseverance, courage and
generosity; virtues today's society does not always appreciate, but
which have contributed to shaping entire generations within your
great family".
The Pope
continued, "I am also aware of the many problems you face due to
your itinerant condition, such as the education of your children, the
search for appropriate locations for performances, obtaining
authorisation for shows and stay permits for foreigners. I hope that
the local authorities will make efforts to protect you as a group,
recognising the social and cultural value of travelling shows, and
encourage both you and the rest of civil society to overcome
prejudice, aspiring to a good level of integration in local
contexts".
"The
Church takes pleasure in the commitment you show and appreciates your
loyalty to the traditions you are justly proud of. Like you, the
Church is a pilgrim in the world, and invites you to participate in
her divine mission through your daily work. ... Although the
itinerant life can prevent you from stable participation in a parish
community and does not facilitate regular participation in catechesis
and divine worship, new evangelisation is necessary even in your
world. I hope that you are able to find welcoming and accommodating
people, able to help meet your spiritual needs, in the communities
within which you temporarily stay. However, do not forget that the
family is the first route by which faith is transmitted; it is the
little domestic Church entrusted with the role of introducing Jesus
and His Gospel, and educating in accordance with God's law, so that
everyone might reach full human and Christian maturity".
"Assuring
you of the closeness of the Church, who shares your path, I entrust
you all to the Virgin Mary, the star of your journey, whose maternal
presence will accompany you in every moment of your life",
concluded Benedict XVI.
MOTU
PROPRIO ON THE SERVICE OF CHARITY
Vatican
City, 1 December 2012 (VIS) - Given below is Benedict XVI's Apostolic
Letter issued "motu proprio" on "The Service of
Charity", dated 11 November 2012.
"'The
Church's deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold
responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria),
celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia) and exercising the ministry
of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are
inseparable'.
"The
service of charity is also a constitutive element of the Church's
mission and an indispensable expression of her very being; all the
faithful have the right and duty to devote themselves personally to
living the new commandment that Christ left us, and to offering our
contemporaries not only material assistance, but also refreshment and
care for their souls. The Church is also called as a whole to the
exercise of the diakonia of charity, whether in the small communities
of particular Churches or on the level of the universal Church. This
requires organization 'if it is to be an ordered service to the
community', an organization which entails a variety of institutional
expressions.
"With
regard to this diakonia of charity, in my Encyclical Deus Caritas Est
I pointed out that 'in conformity with the episcopal structure of the
Church, the Bishops, as successors of the Apostles, are charged with
primary responsibility for carrying out in the particular Churches'
the service of charity; at the same time, however, I noted that 'the
Code of Canon Law, in the canons on the ministry of the Bishop, does
not expressly mention charity as a specific sector of episcopal
activity'. Although 'the Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of
Bishops explored more specifically the duty of charity as a
responsibility incumbent upon the whole Church and upon each Bishop
in his Diocese', there was still a need to fill the aforementioned
lacuna and to give adequate expression in canonical legislation to
both the essential nature of the service of charity in the Church and
its constitutive relationship with the episcopal ministry, while
outlining the legal aspects of this ecclesial service, especially
when carried out in an organised way and with the explicit support of
the Bishops.
"In
view of this, with the present Motu Proprio I intend to provide an
organic legislative framework for the better overall ordering of the
various organized ecclesial forms of the service of charity, which
are closely related to the diaconal nature of the Church and the
episcopal ministry.
"It
is important, however, to keep in mind that 'practical activity will
always be insufficient, unless it visibly expresses a love for man, a
love nourished by an encounter with Christ'. In carrying out their
charitable activity, therefore, the various Catholic organisations
should not limit themselves merely to collecting and distributing
funds, but should show special concern for individuals in need and
exercise a valuable educational function within the Christian
community, helping people to appreciate the importance of sharing,
respect and love in the spirit of the Gospel of Christ. The Church's
charitable activity at all levels must avoid the risk of becoming
just another form of organised social assistance.
"The
organised charitable initiatives promoted by the faithful in various
places differ widely one from the other, and call for appropriate
management. In a particular way, the work of Caritas has expanded at
the parish, diocesan, national and international levels. Caritas is
an institution promoted by the ecclesiastical Hierarchy which has
rightly earned the esteem and trust of the faithful and of many other
people around the world for its generous and consistent witness of
faith and its concrete ability to respond to the needs of the poor.
In addition to this broad initiative, officially supported by the
Church's authority, many other initiatives have arisen in different
places from the free enterprise of the faithful, who themselves wish
to help in various ways to offer a concrete witness of charity
towards those in need. While differing in their origin and juridical
status, both are expressions of sensitivity and a desire to respond
to the same pressing need.
"The
Church as an institution is not extraneous to those organised
initiatives which represent a free expression of the concern of the
baptised for individuals and peoples in need. The Church's Pastors
should always welcome these initiatives as a sign of the sharing of
all the faithful in the mission of the Church; they should respect
the specific characteristics and administrative autonomy which these
initiatives enjoy, in accordance with their nature, as a
manifestation of the freedom of the baptised.
"Alongside
these, the Church's authority has, on its own initiative, promoted
specific agencies which provide institutionally for allocating
donations made by the faithful, following suitable legal and
administrative methods which allow for a more effective response to
concrete needs.
"Nevertheless,
to the extent that such activities are promoted by the Hierarchy
itself, or are explicitly supported by the authority of the Church's
Pastors, there is a need to ensure that they are managed in
conformity with the demands of the Church’s teaching and the
intentions of the faithful, and that they likewise respect the
legitimate norms laid down by civil authorities. In view of these
requirements, it became necessary to establish in the Church’s law
certain essential norms inspired by the general criteria of canonical
discipline, which would make explicit in this sector of activity the
legal responsibilities assumed by the various subjects involved,
specifying in particular the position of authority and coordination
belonging to the diocesan Bishop. At the same time, the norms in
question need to be broad enough to embrace the significant diversity
of the institutions of Catholic inspiration which are engaged as such
in this sector, whether those originating from the Hierarchy or those
born of the direct initiative of the faithful, received and
encouraged by the local Pastors. While it was necessary to lay down
norms in this regard, there was also a need to consider the
requirements of justice and the responsibility of Bishops before the
faithful, with respect for the legitimate autonomy of each
institution.
Dispositive
Part
"Consequently,
upon the proposal of the Cardinal President of the Pontifical Council
Cor Unum, and after consultation with the Pontifical Council for
Legislative Texts, I establish and decree the following:
"Art.
1. - § 1. The faithful have the right to join in associations and to
establish agencies to carry out specific charitable services,
especially on behalf of the poor and suffering. To the extent that
these are linked to the charitable service of the Church's Pastors
and/or intend to use for this purpose contributions made by the
faithful, they must submit their own Statutes for the approval of the
competent ecclesiastical authority and comply with the following
norms.
§ 2.
Similarly, it is also the right of the faithful to establish
foundations to fund concrete charitable initiatives, in accordance
with the norms of canons 1303 of the Code of Canon Law (CIC) and 1047
of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO). If foundations
of this type correspond to the characteristics set forth in § 1,
they will also observe, congrua congruis referendo, the provisions of
the present law.
§ 3. In
addition to observing the canonical legislation, the collective
charitable initiatives to which this Motu Proprio refers are required
to follow Catholic principles in their activity and they may not
accept commitments which could in any way affect the observance of
those principles.
§ 4.
Agencies and foundations for charitable purposes promoted by
Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life are
required to comply with these norms, and they must follow the
prescriptions of canons 312 § 2 CIC and 575 § 2 CCEO.
"Art.
2. - § 1. The Statutes of each charitable agency referred to in the
preceding article must also contain, in addition to its institutional
offices and structures of governance in accordance with canon 95 § 1
CIC, the guiding principles and objectives of the initiative, the
management of funds, the profile of its workers, as well as the
reports and information which must be presented to the competent
ecclesiastical authority.
§ 2. A
charitable agency may use the name 'Catholic' only with the written
consent of the competent authority, as laid down by canon 300 CIC.
§ 3.
Agencies promoted by the faithful for charitable purposes can have an
Ecclesiastical Assistant appointed in accordance with the Statutes,
according to the norm of canons 324 § 2 and 317 CIC.
§ 4. At
the same time, the ecclesiastical authority must bear in mind its
duty to regulate the exercise of the rights of the faithful in
accordance with canons 223 § 2 CIC and 26 § 3 CCEO, and thus to
avoid the proliferation of charitable initiatives to the detriment of
their activity and effectiveness with regard to their stated goals.
"Art.
3. - § 1. With regard to the preceding articles, it is understood
that the competent authority at the respective levels is that
indicated by canons 312 CIC and 575 CCEO.
§ 2. For
agencies not approved at the national level, even though they operate
in different Dioceses, the competent authority is understood to be
the diocesan Bishop of the place where the agency has its principal
office. In any event, the agency has the duty to inform the Bishops
of other Dioceses where it operates and to respect the guidelines for
the activities of the various charitable agencies present in those
Dioceses.
"Art.
4. § 1. The diocesan Bishop exercises his proper pastoral solicitude
for the service of charity in the particular Church entrusted to him
as its Pastor, guide and the one primarily responsible for that
service.
§ 2. The
diocesan Bishop encourages and supports the initiatives and works of
service to neighbour in his particular Church, and encourages in the
faithful the spirit of practical charity as an expression of the
Christian life and sharing in the mission of the Church, as indicated
in canons 215 and 222 CIC and 25 and 18 CCEO.
§ 3. It
is the responsibility of the diocesan Bishop to ensure that in the
activities and management of these agencies the norms of the Church's
universal and particular law are respected, as well as the intentions
of the faithful who made donations or bequests for these specific
purposes.
"Art.
5. - The diocesan Bishop is to ensure that the Church enjoys the
right to carry out charitable activities, and he is to take care that
the faithful and the institutions under his supervision comply with
the legitimate civil legislation in this area.
"Art.
6. – It is the responsibility of the diocesan Bishop, as indicated
by canons 394 § 1 CIC and 203 § 1 CCEO, to coordinate within his
territory the different works of charitable service, both those
promoted by the Hierarchy itself and those arising from initiatives
of the faithful, without prejudice to their proper autonomy in
accordance with their respective Statutes. In particular, he is to
take care that their activities keep alive the spirit of the Gospel.
"Art.
7. - § 1. The agencies referred to in Article 1 § 1 are required to
select their personnel from among persons who share, or at least
respect, the Catholic identity of these works.
§ 2. To
ensure an evangelical witness in the service of charity, the diocesan
Bishop is to take care that those who work in the Church's charitable
apostolate, along with due professional competence, give an example
of Christian life and witness to a formation of heart which testifies
to a faith working through charity. To this end, he is also to
provide for their theological and pastoral formation, through
specific curricula agreed upon by the officers of various agencies
and through suitable aids to the spiritual life.
"Art.
8. – Wherever necessary, due to the number and variety of
initiatives, the diocesan Bishop is to establish in the Church
entrusted to his care an Office to direct and coordinate the service
of charity in his name.
"Art.
9. - § 1. The Bishop is to encourage in every parish of his
territory the creation of a local Caritas service or a similar body,
which will also promote in the whole community educational activities
aimed at fostering a spirit of sharing and authentic charity. When
appropriate, this service is to be established jointly by various
parishes in the same territory.
§ 2. It
is the responsibility of the Bishop and the respective parish priest
to ensure that together with Caritas, other charitable initiatives
can coexist and develop within the parish under the general
coordination of the parish priest, taking into account, however, the
prescriptions of Article 2 § 4 above.
§ 3. It
is the duty of the diocesan Bishop and the respective parish priests
to see that in this area the faithful are not led into error or
misunderstanding; hence they are to prevent publicity being given
through parish or diocesan structures to initiatives which, while
presenting themselves as charitable, propose choices or methods at
odds with the Church's teaching.
"Art.
10. - § 1. It is the responsibility of the Bishop to supervise the
ecclesiastical goods of the charitable agencies subject to his
authority.
§ 2. It
is the duty of the diocesan Bishop to ensure that the proceeds of
collections made in accordance with canons 1265 and 1266 CIC and
canons 1014 and 1015 CCEO are used for their stated purposes.
§ 3. In
particular, the diocesan Bishop is to ensure that charitable agencies
dependent upon him do not receive financial support from groups or
institutions that pursue ends contrary to Church's teaching.
Similarly, lest scandal be given to the faithful, the diocesan Bishop
is to ensure that these charitable agencies do not accept
contributions for initiatives whose ends, or the means used to pursue
them, are not in conformity with the Church's teaching.
§ 4. In
a particular way, the Bishop is to see that the management of
initiatives dependent on him offers a testimony of Christian
simplicity of life. To this end, he will ensure that salaries and
operational expenses, while respecting the demands of justice and a
necessary level of professionalism, are in due proportion to
analogous expenses of his diocesan Curia.
§ 5. To
permit the ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Article 3 § 1 to
exercise its duty of supervision, the agencies mentioned in Article 1
§ 1, are required to submit to the competent Ordinary an annual
financial report in a way which he himself will indicate.
"Art.
11. – The diocesan Bishop is obliged, if necessary, to make known
to the faithful the fact that the activity of a particular charitable
agency is no longer being carried out in conformity with the Church’s
teaching, and then to prohibit that agency from using the name
'Catholic' and to take the necessary measures should personal
responsibilities emerge.
"Art.
12. - § 1. The diocesan Bishop is to encourage the national and
international activity of the charitable agencies under his care,
especially cooperation with poorer ecclesiastical circumscriptions by
analogy with the prescriptions of canons 1274 § 3 CIC and 1021 § 3
CCEO.
§ 2.
Pastoral concern for charitable works, depending on circumstances of
time and place, can be carried out jointly by various neighbouring
Bishops with regard to a number of Churches, in accordance with the
norm of law. When such joint activity is international in character,
the competent Dicastery of the Holy See is to be consulted in
advance. For charitable initiatives on the national level, it is
fitting that the Bishop consult the respective office of the Bishops’
Conference.
"Art.
13. – The local ecclesiastical authority retains the full right to
give permission for initiatives undertaken by Catholic agencies in
areas of his jurisdiction, with due respect for canonical norms and
the specific identity of the individual agencies. It is also the duty
of the Bishop to ensure that the activities carried out in his
Diocese are conducted in conformity with ecclesiastical discipline,
either prohibiting them or adopting any measures needed in cases
where that discipline is not respected.
"Art.
14. – Where appropriate, the Bishop is to promote charitable
initiatives in cooperation with other Churches or Ecclesial
Communities, respecting the proper identity of each.
"Art.
15. - § 1. The Pontifical Council Cor Unum has the task of promoting
the application of this legislation and ensuring that it is applied
at all levels, without prejudice to the competence of the Pontifical
Council for the Laity with regard to associations of the faithful as
provided for in Article 133 of the Apostolic Constitution Pastor
Bonus, the competence of the Secretariat of State’s Section for
Relations with States, and the general competences of other
Dicasteries and Institutes of the Roman Curia. In particular, the
Pontifical Council Cor Unum is to take care that the charitable
service of Catholic institutions at the international level is always
to be carried out in communion with the various local Churches.
§ 2. The
Pontifical Council Cor Unum is also competent for the canonical
establishment of charitable agencies at the international level; it
thus takes on the responsibilities of discipline and promotion
entailed by law.
"I
order that everything I have laid down in this Apostolic Letter
issued Motu Proprio be fully observed, notwithstanding anything to
the contrary, even if worthy of particular mention, and I decree that
it be promulgated by publication in the daily newspaper L’Osservatore
Romano and enter into force on 10 December 2012".
SENTENCE
OF THE VATICAN TRIBUNAL IN THE CLAUDIO SCIARPELLETTI TRIAL
Vatican
City, 1 December 2012 (VIS) - This morning the Tribunal of Vatican
City State issued its sentence in the trial against Claudio
Sciarpelletti, charged with complicity in the "Vatileaks"
case:
"The
Tribunal rules that the defendant Claudio Sciarpelletti is guilty of
the offence of assisting in the elusion of the investigations by the
Authorities and therefore sentences him to prison for four months.
"Pursuant
to Article 26 of the Law of 21 June 1969, in view of the accused's
service record and lack of previous convictions, the Tribunal reduces
the sentence to imprisonment for two (2) months; pursuant to Article
9 of the Law of 21 June 1969; orders the suspension of the sentence
for a period of five years, according to the conditions of law; in
the light of Article 427 of the Penal Code, orders the suspension of
mention of the sentence on the record of previous offences until such
time as the accused commits further offence; pursuant to Articles 39
of the Penal Code and 429 of the Code of Penal Procedure, orders
Claudio Sciarpelletti to defray the costs of the trial and reimburses
him the sum of one thousand euros he had deposited as bail".
The
sentence was deposited on 1 December 2012 and signed by Giuseppe
Dalla Torre, president; Paolo Papanti-Pelletier, reporting judge;
Venerando Marano, judge; and Raffaele Ottaviano, substitute
registrar.
THE
HOLY FATHER'S SPECIAL ENVOYS
Vatican
City, 1 December 2012 (VIS) - Today it was made public that the Pope
has appointed Cardinal Franc Rode C.M., prefect emeritus for the
Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies
of Apostolic Life, as his special envoy to the closing celebrations
of the 550th anniversary of the archdiocese of Ljubjuana, Slovenia,
which will be held on Sunday 9 December. The cardinal will be
accompanied by two prelates from the archdiocese of Ljubjuana, Msgr.
Anton Slabe, member of the Cathedral Chapter, and head of the
eleventh Archdiaconate of the Archdiocese and judge at the
metropolitan ecclesiastical tribunal, and Msgr. Stanislaw Zidar, head
of the Commission for archdiocesan pastoral care of parish councils.
Today it
was also made public that the Pope has nominated Cardinal Guadencio
B. Rosales, archbishop emeritus of Manila (Philippines) as his
special envoy to the tenth Plenary Assembly of the Federation of
Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), which will take place in the
diocesan pastoral centre of Xuan Loc, Vietnam, from 11 to 16 December
and will close with a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City cathedral. The
mission accompanying the cardinal will be composed of Msgr. Peter
Nguyen Van Tai, Vietnamese, head of Radio Veritas Asia based in
Quezon City, Philippines, and Fr. Antonio Maralit, Philippino, parish
priest of San Francisco de Sales in the archdiocese of Lipa,
Philippines.
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 3 December 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in
audience eight prelates from the Episcopal Conference of France on
their "ad limina" visit:
-
Archbishop Robert Le Gall O.S.B., of Toulouse.
-
Archbishop Jean Legrez O.P., of Albi.
-
Archbishop Maurice Gardes of Auch.
- Bishop
Norbert Jose Henri Turini of Cahors.
- Bishop
Bernard Ginoux of Montauban.
- Bishop
Philippe Mousset of Pamiers.
- Bishop
Francois Fonlupt of Rodez.
- Bishop
Nicolas Brouwet of Tarbes et Lourdes.
On
Saturday 1 December 2012, the Holy Father received in audience eight
prelates from the Episcopal Conference of France on their "ad
limina" visit:
-
Archbishop Georges Pontier of Marseilles.
-
Archbishop Christophe Dufour of Aix.
- Bishop
Olivier de Germay of Ajaccio.
-
Archbishop Jean-Pierre Cattenoz of Avignon.
- Bishop
Francois-Xavier Loizeau of Digne.
- Bishop
Dominique Rey of Frejus-Toulon.
- Bishop
Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri of Gap.
- Bishop
Louis Sankale of Nice.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 1 December 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
-
Appointed Bishop Luigi Negri, bishop of San Marino-Montefeltro, as
archbishop of Ferrara-Comacchio, (area 3,138, population 276,000,
Catholics 272,000, priests 173, permanent deacons 12, religious 282),
Italy. He succeeds Archbishop Paolo Rabitti, whose resignation from
the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted,
upon having reached the age limit.
-
Accepted the resignation from the archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu,
Malaysia, presented by Archbishop John Lee Hiong Fun-Yit Yaw upon
having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop
John Wong Soo Kau.
-
Appointed Fr. Jean-Paul Vesco, O.P., provincial superior of the
Dominicans in France, as bishop of Oran (area 77,353, population
8,304,000, Catholics 800, priests 10, religious 47), Algeria. He
succeeds Bishop Alphonse Georger, whose resignation from the pastoral
care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having
reached the age limit. The bishop-elect was born in Lyon, France in
1962 and ordained a priest in 1996. He was appointed vicar general of
the diocese of Oran in 2005. He was elected superior of the Community
of Dominicans in Tlemcen in 2007, and provincial superior in France
in 2011.
-
Appointed Msgr. Antoni Stankiewicz as member of the Supreme Tribunal
of the Apostolic Signatura.
-
Appointed Bishop Charles J. Scicluna of Malta as member of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
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