Pope Benedict XVI

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

News From Vatican Information Services 02/22/2006

SUMMARY:

- Chair of St. Peter: Honor and Obligation for Roman Church
- Pope Encourages the Study of Latin
- Benedict XVI Names 15 New Cardinals

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CHAIR OF ST. PETER: HONOR AND OBLIGATION FOR ROMAN CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2006 (VIS) - The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, which falls today, provided the theme for Benedict XVI's catechesis during the general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall.

This is the feast, said the Pope, "with which we give thanks to God for the mission entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his Successors. The 'cathedra' is literally the seat of the bishop. ... It is the symbol of his authority and, particularly, of his 'Magisterium,' in other words of the evangelical teaching that he, as successor to the Apostles, is called to protect and transmit to the Christian community."

The Holy Father then recalled that the first "seat" of the Church was the Cenacle, saying "it is probable that a special place was reserved for Simon Peter in that room, where Mary Mother of Jesus also prayed together with the disciples. Subsequently, Peter's seat became Antioch." From there, Providence led him to Rome "where he crowned with martyrdom his journey in the service of the Gospel. For this reason the see of Rome, which obtained the greatest honor, also received the obligation entrusted by Christ to Peter to be at the service of all particular Churches, for the edification and unity of the entire People of God."

"To celebrate the 'Chair' of Peter means, then, giving it a strong spiritual significance, and recognizing therein a privileged sign of the love of God, the good and eternal Shepherd Who wishes to unite the whole of His Church and lead her along the way of salvation. ... As the Father of the Church St. Jerome writes: 'I follow no leader save Christ, so I consult the Chair of Peter, for this I know is the rock upon which the Church is built'."

Benedict XVI concluded his catechesis with an invitation to pray, "especially for the ministry with which God has entrusted me. ... Call upon the Holy Spirit to support with His light and strength my daily service to the whole Church."

The audience in the Paul VI Hall was preceded by a meeting in St. Peter's Basilica between the Pope and pilgrims and students from the Italian schools of St. Francis in the city of Lodi, and Mary Immaculate in Rome. The Holy Father told them that "today's feast, inviting us to look to the Chair of St. Peter, encourages us to nourish the individual and community life of faith, founded upon the testimony of Peter and of the other Apostles."
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POPE ENCOURAGES THE STUDY OF LATIN

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2006 (VIS) - At the end of the general audience, the Pope addressed a greeting in Latin to students at the faculty of Christian and Classical Literature of the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome.

"My predecessors rightly encouraged the study of [this] great language," said the Pope in Latin, "in order to achieve a better understanding of the sound doctrine contained in the ecclesiastical and humanistic disciplines. In the same way, we encourage the continuation of this activity, so that as many people as possible may perceive the importance of this treasure and attain it."
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BENEDICT XVI NAMES 15 NEW CARDINALS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2006 (VIS) - After the general audience today, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Benedict XVI announced the names of 15 prelates who will be created cardinals in a concistory due to be held on March 24.

Following the March 24 concistory, the first of his pontificate, the College of Cardinals will number 193 members of whom 120, under the age of 80, will be electors.

In announcing the names, the Holy Father affirmed that today's feast is "a particularly appropriate day" to announce the concistory because cardinals "have the duty to help and support Peter's Successor in carrying out the apostolic task entrusted to him in the service of the Church."

"The cardinals," Benedict XVI went on, "constitute a sort of Senate around the Pope upon which he relies in carrying out the duties associated with his ministry as 'permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and communion'."

The Holy Father also made it clear that with the new appointments he wished "to make up the number of 120 cardinal electors, as established by Pope Paul VI."

Given below is a list of the new cardinal electors:

- Archbishop William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

- Archbishop Franc Rode C.M., prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

- Archbishop Agostino Vallini, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.

- Archbishop Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino of Caracas, Venezuela.

- Archbishop Gaudencio B. Rosales of Manila, Philippines.

- Archbishop Jean-Pierre Ricard of Bordeaux, France.

- Archbishop Antonio Canizares Llovera of Toledo, Spain.

- Archbishop Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk of Seoul, Korea.

- Archbishop Sean Patrick O'Malley O.F.M. Cap., of Boston, U.S.A.

- Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland.

- Archbishop Carlo Caffarra of Bologna, Italy.

- Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun S.D.B. of Hong Kong, China

The Pope then announced that he had also decided to elevate to the dignity of cardinal "three prelates over the age of 80, in consideration of the service they have rendered to the Church with exemplary faithfulness and admirable dedication." They are:

- Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls.

- Archbishop Peter Poreku Dery, emeritus of Tamale, Ghana.

- Fr. Albert Vanhoye S.J., formerly rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute and secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

The new cardinals, said the Pope, "well reflect the universality of the Church. In fact, they come from various parts of the world and undertake different duties in the service of the People of God. I invite you to raise a special prayer to the Lord for them, that He may concede them the grace necessary to carry out their mission with generosity."

In closing, the Holy Father expressed his intention to preside at a concelebration with the new Cardinals on the day following the concistory, March 25 and Solemnity of the Annunciation. "For that occasion I will invite all members of the College of Cardinals, with whom I also intend to hold a meeting of reflection and prayer on March 23," the day prior to the concistory.
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V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

News From Vatican Information Services 02/21/2006

SUMMARY:

- Telegram for Clashes in Nigeria
- Pope Recalls Don Giussani on First Anniversary of His Death
- Vatican Radio: A Bridge Between the Pope and the World
- Other Pontifical Acts

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TELEGRAM FOR CLASHES IN NIGERIA

VATICAN CITY, FEB 21, 2006 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano sent a telegram, in the name of the Holy Father, to the ecclesiastical and civil authorities of Nigeria, following recent violent clashes in the north of the country which led to a number of deaths.

"Saddened to learn of the tragic consequences of the recent violent protests in northern Nigeria, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI assures all those affected of his closeness in prayer and commends the late Reverend Father Michael Gajere and all the deceased to the loving mercy of the Almighty. Upon their grieving families the Holy Father invokes divine blessings of strength and consolation. He likewise prays for all involved in providing security, encouraging them in their efforts to ensure peace and to promote the rule of law for which all people of good will long."
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POPE RECALLS DON GIUSSANI ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH

VATICAN CITY, FEB 21, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was a letter from the Pope addressed to Fr. Julian Carron, president of the Communion and Liberation association and successor to Msgr. Luigi Giussani, founder of the same association, the first anniversary of whose death falls tomorrow.

In his Letter, the Holy Father recalls Msgr. Giussani as "a father and teacher of so many young people to whom he indicated Christ as the center of their lives." The Pope also gives thanks to God "for the gift of such a zealous pastor, who loved man because he loved Christ."

Benedict XVI continues: "With emotion I recall the solemn celebration of his funeral in the Duomo of Milan, when I had a further opportunity to note the respect and appreciation that he, in the course of his fruitful life, was able to arouse around his person, his teaching and his apostolic work.

"As I said during the funeral service, the most striking things about Don Giussani were his solid faithfulness to Christ and his incessant efforts to communicate the wealth of the evangelical message to all social groups."

The Pope then calls on Don Giussani's spiritual followers to continue "in his footsteps and his teaching," and always to remain "in communion with bishops and other ecclesial figures. To that end, I give assurances of my prayers, asking the Lord that Communion and Liberation may serve the cause of the Gospel with joy, continuing the work begun by their venerated predecessor."
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VATICAN RADIO: A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE POPE AND THE WORLD

VATICAN CITY, FEB 21, 2006 (VIS) - A press conference was held this morning in the Holy See Press Office to mark the 75th anniversary of Vatican Radio. The title of the conference was "Vatican Radio at 75. New ways to serve the Church and future prospects."

Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., director general of Vatican Radio recalled how the mission of the station, as laid down in its Statutes, is: "To announce the Christian message freely, faithfully and effectively, and to link the center of Catholicism with the countries of the world by: diffusing the voice and teachings of the Roman Pontiff; providing information on the activities of the Holy See; reflecting Catholic life around the world; and encouraging the evaluation of contemporary problems in the light of ecclesial Magisterium and with constant attention for the signs of the times."

Fr. Lombardi, pointed out how Vatican Radio is characterized by its flexible and multicultural approach, transmitting programs in 45 languages. Radio in a general sense, he added, "is vital everywhere and in some parts of the world - such as, for example, Africa - it is the means most capable of deep and effective penetration."

After explaining how Vatican Radio has passed from analogue to digital technology and is experimenting with "digital transmissions on medium- and short-wave" frequencies, Fr. Lombardi revealed that the station has also developed "an original system for publishing text and audio files on Internet, in many different languages and alphabets." Through its web site http://www.radiovaticana.org/ the station is able "to act as a news agency, especially for those countries in which no Catholic news agency exists, and to carry out a useful service for the lay world of communication, e.g., the Japanese page, which is the most visited for searches under the word 'Vatican'."

Fr. Lombardi concluded his remarks by highlighting the fact that Vatican Radio offers training courses to young journalists and students of social communications, "an average of 50 a year," although "there were 140 during the Jubilee Year 2000."

Vatican Radio currently employs 384 people - priests, religious and male and female lay people - from 59 countries. Its average daily transmission time is 64 hours, and its annual running expenses stand in the region of 25-30 million euro, of which 57 percent represent staff costs.

Fr. Andrzej Koprowski S.J., director of programs at the station, recalled how one of the objectives of Vatican Radio is that of being "a bridge between the Holy Father - the Holy See - the Universal Church and the respective societies and the respective particular Churches."

Fr. Koprowski mentioned the language sections of Vatican Radio in the media and ecclesial context of the world. Each of these sections, he said, "came into being at specific moments in the life of the Church and the world," explaining how after World War II and the Communist takeover in the countries of eastern Europe the station directed its efforts towards the countries and particular Churches that were suffering most. "For this reason," he added, "we have a wealth of programs and languages above all from European countries, especially eastern and southern Europe."

In our own times and with a view to the future, Fr. Koprowski went on, Vatican Radio remains highly aware "of the development of the Church in Latin America, Africa and Asia." He made particular reference to "Arabic language and culture, which is no longer the exclusive preserve of the Middle East but also of various regions of Europe and the world, because the view of the 'Arab world' and the 'Muslim world' is not just a political matter, but also a cultural, social and ecclesial question of primary importance, as the last few weeks have shown."

Another key area identified by Fr. Koprowski is Asia. "We know of the development of the Church in India, and we are aware of the role Indian Christianity has for the future of the Universal Church, just as we are aware of ... the vital need for the Church to enter into dialogue and to understand the cultures of other countries in the immense continent of Asia: China, Japan, Vietnam, etc."

Fr. Koprowski concluded by referring to the cultural and religious situation in former-Communist European countries, which "currently favors new forms of collaboration through the local media, both public and private, Catholic and non-Catholic."
OP/VATICAN RADIO/LOMBARDI VIS 060221 (740)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 21, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. Eduardo Eliseo Martin vicar general and pastor of the cathedral of the diocese of Venado Tuerto, Argentina, as bishop of Villa de la Concepcion del Rio Cuarto (area 58,516, population 412,000, Catholics 391,400, priests 91, permanent deacons 17, religious 75), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Venado Tuerto in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1980. He succeeds Bishop Ramon Artemio Staffolani, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Cardinal Attilio Nicora, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, as pontifical legate to the Basilicas of St. Francis and of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, Italy.
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V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.