News From Vatican Information Services 01/11/2006

SUMMARY:

- The Victory of the Messiah Frees Us From Evil
- Strengthen Commitment to Promoting Christian Unity
- Audiences

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THE VICTORY OF THE MESSIAH FREES US FROM EVIL

VATICAN CITY, JAN 11, 2006 (VIS) - In today's general audience, Benedict XVI continued his catechesis on the Psalms, turning his attention to the first part of Psalm 143, "The king's prayer for victory and peace." The audience was held in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall and was attended by 8,000 people.

Bearing in mind the period in which the psalm was written, said the Pope, it is easy to see "that the king who appears no longer has the profile of a Davidic sovereign, as the Hebrew royal line had ended with the Babylonian exile of the sixth century BC, rather he represents the luminous and glorious figure of the Messiah, whose victory is no longer warlike and political but an intervention of freedom against evil."

The hymn begins with a string of praises exalting the greatness of the Lord, yet before His omnipotence "the psalmist, despite his regal dignity, feels weak and fragile. He makes a profession of humility , ... describing himself as a 'passing shadow' ... immersed in the flow of fleeting time and marked by the limits of his status as a created being."

The Holy Father continued: "Here, then, is the question: why does God concern Himself and think of such a poor and lowly creature? The question is answered by the great bursting forth of the divinity; this so-called theophany is accompanied by a series of cosmic elements and historical events that all tend to celebrate the transcendence of the supreme King of life, the universe and history."

The Pope explained how the early Christian writer Origen, in his commentary on this psalm, writes: "Lord, you cannot save the misery that is man if You do not take that misery upon Yourself. ... You came down, you lowered the heavens and stretched out Your hand from on high, you deigned to take upon Yourself the flesh of man, and many believed in You."

Benedict XVI concluded: "The psalm, which began with our discovery of being weak and far from divine splendor, reaches a surprising conclusion: near us is the God-Emmanuel, Who for Christians has the loving face of Jesus Christ, God-made-man."
AG/PSALM 143/... VIS 060111 (370)

STRENGTHEN COMMITMENT TO PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 11, 2006 (VIS) - Following his catechesis on Psalm 143, the Pope addressed greetings in various languages to the pilgrims present at the general audience.

The Holy Father offered his "heartfelt greetings" to a group of students and teachers of the ecumenical institute of Bossey in Switzerland, saying: "I hope that your visit to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, together with your meetings, will be a stimulus to strengthen your commitment to the vital task of promotion of unity among Christians."

Benedict XVI then greeted representatives from the Italian Federation of Therapeutic Communities, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its activities, encouraging them "to continue in the work of providing support and shelter for victims of drugs and marginalization."

The Pope gave assurances of his thoughts for the young, the sick, and newlyweds saying: "May the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which brought the Christmas period to a close, stimulate you so that, in recalling your own Baptism, you are ready to bear joyful witness to faith in Christ in all situations: in health and in sickness, in the family, in the work place and everywhere else."

The Pope also had greetings for a group of 30 children from Beslan in the Russian region of North Ossetia who survived a terrorist attack on their school in September 2004 which left over 300 people dead including children, teachers and parents. The youngsters, invited by the Italian Civil Protection, have spent some days visiting Milan and Rome and are due to return to their country tomorrow.
AG/GREETINGS/... VIS 060111 (270)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 11, 2006 (VIS) - Following today's general audience, the Holy Father received in audience Archbishop Alain Paul Lebeaupin, apostolic nuncio to Kenya.

Yesterday evening he received in audience Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, Germany.
AP/.../... VIS 060111 (40)

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Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

News From Vatican Information Services 01/10/2006

SUMMARY:

- Analyze Causes behind the Demand for Arms
- Other Pontifical Acts

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ANALYZE CAUSES BEHIND THE DEMAND FOR ARMS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 10, 2006 (VIS) - Yesterday, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, addressed the "Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in All Its Aspects."

The nuncio described the forthcoming review conference as the most important such meeting since the adoption in 2001 of the "Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate Illicit Trade in SALW in All its Aspects," which is "having important repercussions on the promotion of disarmament, peace and post-conflict reconstruction, the fight against terrorism and large- and small-scale organized crime." He went on: "The 2006 conference should agree to establish major international cooperative programs and mechanisms to promote key parts of the Program of Action, which may include stockpile management and security, weapons and ammunitions collection and their safe and secure destruction, and national controls on SALW production and transfers. It would therefore be most useful to start a serious reflection on the possibility of negotiating a legally binding instrument on international arms trade ... based on the more important principles of international law."

"The 2006 review conference could take useful steps to promote effective engagement on SALW, ... by launching a process enabling interested States and relevant organizations to flesh out principles, policies and programs that address the links between efforts to prevent and reduce SALW trafficking, proliferation and misuse.

"Often this process has focused its attention on the supply side of arms sale," added the permanent observer. "However, if we consider both the humanitarian costs of SALW and the profound connection between them, and the process of human and sustainable development, then it becomes clear that greater attention now needs to be paid to reducing the demand for SALW. To reduce drastically the demand for small arms requires not only political will but better focused research into the dynamics of conflicts, crimes and violence. This obliges us to act responsibly to promote a real culture of peace and life among all members of society.

"Adequate international norms and programs to address the question of demand are also needed urgently, as well as the implementation of educational and awareness activities through, among other things, the involvement of civil society."
DELSS/SALW/UN:MIGLIORE VIS 060110 (400)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 10, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Francisco Javier del Rio Sendino of the clergy of Palencia, Spain, rector of the basilica of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, as bishop of Tarija (area 37,623, population 391,226, Catholics 301,785, priests 45, permanent deacons 1, religious 130), Bolivia. The bishop-elect was born in Palencia in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1965.
NER/.../DEL RIO VIS 060110 (70)

V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City