SUMMARY:
- CHRISTIAN
MARRIED COUPLES: MESSENGERS OF THE BEAUTY OF LOVE
-
CONCERNING THE PUBLICATION OF ARTICLES ON "VATILEAKS"
- THE POPE
SPEAKS ABOUT MARY MAGDALENE ON HER FEAST DAY
- POPE'S
SADNESS AT ATTACKS IN U.S.A. AND FERRY DISASTER IN ZANZIBAR
-
DECLARATION CONCERNING THE GRANTING OF HOUSE ARREST TO PAOLO GABRIELE
- HOLY SEE
PRESS OFFICE COMMUNIQUE
- OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
CHRISTIAN
MARRIED COUPLES: MESSENGERS OF THE BEAUTY OF LOVE
Vatican
City, 23 July 2012 (VIS) - Benedict XVI invites Christian married
couples to be "the sweet and smiling face of the Church" in
a message sent to the eleventh international meeting of the "Equipes
Notre Dame" Movement, currently being held in Brasilia, Brazil,
on the theme: "Daring with the Gospel". The "Equipes
Notre Dame" Movement, which promotes conjugal spirituality, was
founded in 1939 by the French priest Fr. Henri Caffarel.
In the
message, sent through Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone
S.D.B., the Pope expresses the view that Christian married couples
must be "the best and most convincing messengers of the beauty
of a love supported and nourished by the faith, a gift of God which
is given to everyone abundantly and generously, so that day after day
they can discover the meaning of their lives". The Holy Father
also notes that the "Equipes Notre Dame" encourage members
to avail themselves of the Sacraments, and to make simple concrete
commitments such as the "duty to sit down together"; that
is, to dedicate time to interpersonal dialogue between the spouses.
"In
our world, which is so deeply marked by individualism, activism,
haste and distraction, sincere and constant dialogue between spouses
is essential to avoid the emerge, development and degeneration of
misunderstandings which, unfortunately, often lead to irreparable
breaks which no one can then mend", the message concludes
CONCERNING
THE PUBLICATION OF ARTICLES ON "VATILEAKS"
Vatican
City, 23 July 2012 (VIS) - "Newspaper articles have been
published in recent days in Italy and Germany on the subject of
investigations into the leaking of reserved Vatican documents,
articles which hint at serious suspicions of complicity on the part
of certain persons close to the Holy Father. The Secretariat of State
expresses its firm and total disapproval of those publications, which
are not based on objective criteria and seriously damage the honour
of the people concerned, who have served the Holy Father faithfully
for many years".
These words
are contained in a note issued this morning by Holy See Press Office
Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., who adds: "The fact that
the results of the investigations have not yet been made known by the
authorities concerned, in no way legitimises the publication of
unfounded and false interpretations and theories. It is not this kind
of information that the public has the right to know".
At the same
time, in a statement transmitted by Vatican Radio, Fr. Lombardi notes
that he has "often repeated that being called before a
commission in the course of its investigations in no way means that a
person is a suspect. It is evident that the three people mentioned in
the article [Ingrid Stampa, Cardinal Paolo Sardi and Bishop Joseph
Clemens] many have been called to appear, but this says nothing about
their being suspected of shared responsibility or 'complicity'".
"As
regards their having been 'dismissed' from office, Cardinal Sardi
completed his service at the Secretariat of State when he reached the
age of seventy-five, and Ingrid Stampa continues to work in the
Secretariat of State. As for Bishop Clemens, he has been secretary of
the Pontifical Council for the Laity for a number of years, and it is
not true that he received a letter from the Pope such as the one
described in the article in 'Die Welt' (a letter to which the Italian
newspaper 'La Repubblica' makes only indirect reference)".
THE POPE
SPEAKS ABOUT MARY MAGDALENE ON HER FEAST DAY
Vatican
City, 22 July 2012 (VIS) - Before praying the Angelus at midday
today, Benedict XVI dedicated some remarks to what he described as "a
fundamental and ever enthralling theme of the Bible": the fact
that "God is the Pastor of humankind".
Addressing
faithful gathered in the inner courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of
Castelgandolfo, the Pope explained how this phrase means that "God
wants life for us, He wants to guide us to good pastures where we can
find nourishment and rest. He does not want us to lose our way and
die, but to reach the goal of our journey, which is fullness of life.
This is what any mother or father wants for their children: goodness,
happiness, fulfilment. In the Gospel Jesus presents Himself as the
Pastor of the lost sheep of the House of Israel. His gaze over His
people is a 'pastoral' gaze".
"Among
the 'lost sheep' whom Jesus saved there was a woman by the name Mary
from the village of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, for which reason
she is known as Mary Magdalene. Her feast day falls today. Luke the
Evangelist tells us that Jesus freed her from seven demons; in other
words, He saved her from utter servitude to the Evil One. And ,in
what does this profound healing that God achieves through Jesus
consist? It consists in true and complete peace, which is the result
of the reconciliation of people in themselves and in all their
relations: with God, with others and with the world.
"In
fact", the Pope added, "the Evil One always seeks to
destroy the work of God by sowing strife in the human heart, between
body and soul, between man and God, in interpersonal, social and
international relations, even between man and the creation. The Evil
One spreads war; God creates peace".
POPE'S
SADNESS AT ATTACKS IN U.S.A. AND FERRY DISASTER IN ZANZIBAR
Vatican
City, 22 July 2012 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today, the Holy
Father spoke of his profound shock at "the senseless violence
which took place in Aurora, Denver", and at "the loss of
life in the recent ferry disaster near Zanzibar. I share the distress
of the families and friends of the victims and the injured,
especially the children. Assuring all of you of my closeness in
prayer, I impart my blessing as a pledge of consolation and strength
in the risen Lord".
The Holy
Father then went on to note that in a few days time the thirtieth
Olympic Games are due to begin in London, England. "The
Olympics", he said, "are the greatest sporting event in the
world, in which athletes from many different nations participate, and
thus they have great symbolic value. For this reason the Catholic
Church looks to the to Olympics with particular sympathy and
interest. Let us pray that, according to God’s will, the London
Olympics may be a true experience of brotherhood among the peoples of
the Earth".
DECLARATION
CONCERNING THE GRANTING OF HOUSE ARREST TO PAOLO GABRIELE
Vatican
City, 21 July 2012 (VIS) - Late this afternoon, Holy See Press Office
Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. made the following declaration:
"Judge
Piero Antonio Bonnet, Examining Magistrate of the Tribunal of Vatican
City State, in the wake of today's interrogation of Paolo Gabriele,
has decided it is no longer necessary to keep him in custody. He has
therefore granted Mr Gabriele parole, meaning that, having provided
the necessary guarantees, he will remain under house arrest.
"Mr
Gabriele will, then, reside with his family in his own home inside
the Vatican, and will follow the norms laid down by the Judge
vis-a-vis his contacts and dealings with others.
"The
next stage of the procedure, which is expected within a few days,
will be the indictment of the Promoter of Justice regarding Mr
Gabriele's responsibility for aggravated theft, and the subsequent
decision of the Examining Magistrate to send the accused for trial or
acquit him.
"As
regards the Commission of Cardinals, it submitted its final report to
the Holy Father a few days ago".
HOLY SEE
PRESS OFFICE COMMUNIQUE
Vatican
City, 21 July 2012 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today issued the
following communique:
"The
Holy See, by Decree of the secretary of State acting on a specific
pontifical mandate, has decided, in conformity with canonical
legislation, to withdraw the right of the Pontifical Catholic
University of Peru to use the titles of 'Pontifical' and 'Catholic'.
"Since
1967 the University - which was founded in 1917 and canonically
erected by Decree of the Holy See in 1942 - has on various occasions
unilaterally modified its Statues, seriously prejudicing the
interests of the Church.
"Beginning
in 1990, the University has been repeatedly requested by the Holy See
to bring its Statutes into line with the Apostolic Constitution 'Ex
Corde Ecclesiae' (15 August 1990), but has failed to respond to this
legal requirement.
"Following
the canonical visit of December 2011 and the meeting of the rector
with the cardinal secretary of State in February this year, a further
attempt at dialogue was made, with a view to adapting the Statutes to
Church law.
"Recently,
via two letters addressed to the secretary of State, the rector
stated that it was impossible to carry out the requirements imposed
upon him, and he made the modification of the Statutes conditional on
the archdiocese of Lima renouncing its administration of the
University's property.
"The
participation of the archdiocese of Lima in administering the
patrimony of the University has been confirmed on various occasions
by the civil courts of Peru.
"In
the face of this position taken by the University, which has been
confirmed by other initiatives, the Holy See has been obliged to
adopt the aforementioned measures. At the same time it reiterates the
fact that the University still has a duty to continue to observe
canonical legislation.
"The
Holy See will carefully follow the evolution of the situation of the
University, hoping that in the near future the competent academic
authorities may reconsider their position, making it possible to
revise the present measures. The renewal requested by the Holy See
will make the University better able to respond to its mission of
carrying the message of Christ to mankind, society and different
cultures, in keeping with the mission of the Church in the world".
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 23 July 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Pier
Luigi Celata as vice chamberlain of Holy Roman Church.
On Saturday
21 July it was made public that the Holy Father:
- Accepted
the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Vigevano,
Italy, presented by Archbishop-Bishop Vincenzo Di Mauro, in
accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
- Appointed
Bishop Edward Janiak, auxiliary of Wroclaw, Poland, as bishop of
Kalisz (area 10,800, population 756,400, Catholics 746,400, priests
573, religious 807), Poland. He succeeds Bishop Stanislaw Napierala,
whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy
Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Erected
the new eparchy of Notre-Dame du Liban de Paris of the Maronites,
based in Paris, France. He appointed Fr, Nasser Gemayel, pastor of
the parish of "Sainte Tekla" in Masqua, Lebanon, as first
eparchal bishop of the new eparchy and apostolic vicar to Maronite
faithful in Western and Northern Europe. The bishop-elect was born in
Ain Kharroube, Lebanon in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1981. He
studied in Lebanon and France, has been active in pastoral care and
education and is the author of several books on the Maronite Church.
- Appointed
Fr. Borys Gudziak, rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, as
apostolic exarch for Ukrainian faithful of Byzantine rite resident in
France. The bishop-elect was born in Syracuse, U.S.A. in 1960 and
ordained a priest in 1998. He is the author of more than fifty works
on the Church, theological formation and various cultural themes. He
succeeds Bishop Michel Hrynchyshyn, whose resignation from the same
office the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 210 para. 1
of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.
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