Pope Benedict XVI

Monday, March 06, 2006

News From Vatican Information Services 03/04-06/2006

SUMMARY: MARCH 4 - 6

- Christian Values Indispensable in World of Business
- President of Italian Senate Received by the Pope
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
- Freedom from Sin in Order to Find Peace and Happiness

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CHRISTIAN VALUES INDISPENSABLE IN WORLD OF BUSINESS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 4, 2006 (VIS) - In the Paul VI Hall today, Benedict XVI received 8,000 members of the UCID ("Unione Cristiana Imprenditori Dirigenti" or Christian Union of Entrepreneurs and Managers), the statutes of which have the approval of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

In his address to them, the Holy Father praised their express intent "to tend towards an ethic that goes beyond a simple professional code of conduct" which, he added, made him think of the relationship between justice and charity, one of the themes of his recent Encyclical "Deus caritas est."

"Christians are called always to seek justice, yet they carry in themselves the impulse of love, which even goes beyond justice. The road travelled by lay Christians from the middle of the nineteenth century to today, has brought them to an awareness that works of charity must not substitute the commitment to social justice. The Church's social doctrine, and above all the activity of so many Christian-inspired groups such as your own, show just how far the ecclesial community has travelled in this matter."

In this context, the Pope recalled the publication two years ago of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, prepared by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. It is, he said, "an educational instrument, extremely useful for all those people who aim to allow themselves be guided by the Gospel in their working and professional lives." And he went on to express the hope that "it may become a constant point of reference" for the members of the UCID in drawing up projects and seeking solutions to the "complex problems of the world of work and the economy," an area that represents their "road to sanctification."

With reference to the "Charter of Values" of the youth members of the UCID, the Holy Father commended "the positive spirit of faith in the human person" that animates the document, and the fact that its declaration of principles is backed up by a positive commitment to put them into practice.

"I particularly appreciated," said the Holy Father, "the stated aim of valuing all individuals for what each of them is or can give, according to their talents, while avoiding all forms of exploitation; as well as the recognition of the importance of the family and of personal responsibility. Unfortunately such values, also thanks to current economic difficulties, often risk not being followed by those business people who lack solid moral inspiration. For this reason, the contribution of those who draw from their own Christian formation is indispensable."

Benedict XVI concluded by calling on the members of the UCID to draw inspiration from St. Joseph, patron saint of workers, both "in your daily tasks, ... and in your tenacious search for God's justice in human affairs."
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PRESIDENT OF ITALIAN SENATE RECEIVED BY THE POPE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 4, 2006 (VIS) - This morning, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following declaration to journalists:

"This morning, the Holy Father received in audience Marcello Pera, senator and president of the senate of the Italian Republic, with whom he discussed certain aspects of contemporary culture, in the context of the current international situation."
AP/PRESIDENT ITALIAN SENATE/PERA VIS 060306 (70)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 4, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi, archbishop emeritus of Tokyo, Japan.

- Cardinal Desmond Connell, archbishop emeritus of Dublin, Ireland.

- Archbishop Orlando Antonini, apostolic nuncio to Paraguay.

- Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 4, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Antonio Javellana Ledesma S.J., bishop-prelate of Ipil, Philippines, as archbishop of Cagayan de Oro (area 3,799, population 1,284,478, Catholics 1,071,399, priests 130, religious 218), Philippines. The archbishop-elect was born in Iloilo City, Philippines in 1943, ordained a priest in 1973 and consecrated a bishop in 1996. He succeeds Archbishop Jesus B. Tuquib, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Bernardo Vastres Florence S.D.B., provincial inspector of the Salesians in Chile, as bishop of Punta Arenas (area 112,310, population 150,826, Catholics 120,208, priests 24, permanent deacons 8, religious 45), Chile. The bishop-elect was born in Santiago de Chile in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1982. He succeeds Bishop Tomas Osvaldo Gonzalez Morales S.D.B., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- Appointed Fr. George Beluso Rimando of the clergy of the diocese of Tagum, Philippines, administrator of the quasi-parish of the Assumption in Merville, Tagum, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Davao (area 2,615, population 1,369,913, Catholics 1,109,498, priests 128, religious 462), Philippines. The bishop-elect was born in Tagum in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1980.

- Appointed Sabatino Napolitano, vice-director of Economic Services of the Governorate of Vatican City State, as director of the same office for a five-year period.

- Appointed Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins C.M.F., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, as a member of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.

- Appointed Fr. Andreas Thiermeyer, rector of the 'Collegium Orientale' in Eichstatt, Germany, as a consultor to the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

- Appointed Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid, Spain, as his special envoy to solemn celebrations due to be held in Javier, Spain, on April 7, 2006, to mark the fifth centenary of the birth of St. Francis Xavier.
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FREEDOM FROM SIN IN ORDER TO FIND PEACE AND HAPPINESS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 5, 2006 (VIS) - At midday today, before praying the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope recalled that Lent began last Wednesday, "and today we celebrate the first Sunday of this liturgical period that encourages Christians to commit themselves on a preparatory journey that leads Easter."

"Today's Gospel," he continued, "reminds us that Jesus, after having been baptized in the River Jordan and moved by the Holy Spirit which descended upon Him and identified Him as the Christ, withdrew to the desert of Judah for 40 days where He overcame the temptations of Satan. Following their Lord and Master, and in order to face with Him 'the struggle against the spirit of evil,' Christians spiritually enter the Lenten desert."

In meditating upon this Gospel passage, said Benedict XVI, "we understand that in order to live fulfilling lives in freedom, it is necessary to overcome the trial that freedom itself brings: in other words, temptation. Only when freed from the slavery of lies and sin can human beings - through obedience to the faith that opens them to truth - discover the full meaning of their lives and achieve peace, love and happiness.

"Precisely for this reason," he went on, "Lent represents an appropriate moment for an attentive examination of life in meditation, prayer and penance." In this context, he mentioned the spiritual exercises which begin this evening in the Vatican and last until next Saturday. They will, he said, "help me and my collaborators in the Roman Curia to enter with greater awareness into this characteristic Lenten atmosphere."

The Pope then called on the faithful to accompany him with their prayers over these days and assured them of his own prayers to the Lord on their behalf, in the hope that "for all Christians Lent may be a moment of conversion and of more courageous commitment to sanctity. To this end, we invoke the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary."

Following the Angelus, Benedict XVI announced that in the Paul VI Hall at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, there will be a Marian vigil organized by Roman university students. Many students from other European and African countries will also participate through radio and television links. "It will be," said the Holy Father, "an appropriate occasion to pray to the Most Holy Virgin that the Gospel may open new channels of communication between the peoples of Europe and of Africa. Dear young people, I hope you will participate in large numbers!"
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V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Catholic

Friday, March 03, 2006

News From Vatican Information Services 03/03/2006

SUMMARY:

- Traditional Lenten Meeting with the Clergy of Rome
- Pope Visits Vatican Radio for Its 75th Anniversary
- Design Policies to Favor Women
- Other Pontifical Acts

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TRADITIONAL LENTEN MEETING WITH THE CLERGY OF ROME

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2006 (VIS) - Yesterday, in the Hall of Blessings in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, Benedict XVI celebrated the traditional Lenten meeting between the Pope and the clergy of the diocese of Rome. Participating in the event were Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's vicar general for Rome, the auxiliary bishops, and more than 800 priests who work in the city's 337 parishes.

The Holy Father chose not to pronounce an address, and instead dedicated the meeting to answering questions from the assembled pastors. The event, which lasted around two hours, began with a remembrance of Fr. Andrea Santoro, the Roman priest murdered recently in Trabzon, Turkey.

The Pope called on the priests of Rome to pay "particular attention" to the position of families in the capital. He also dwelt on the subject of the defense of life, recalling how "above all during Lent, we must reaffirm our vocation, which is a fundamental choice in favor of life." In this context he also recalled John Paul II's Encyclical "Evangelium Vitae."

Benedict XVI also spoke on the question of opening reflection of the role - including the institutional role - of women in the Church, and he quoted the examples of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Bridgit and St. Hildegard, who all made such extraordinary contributions to Church life.

Throughout the meeting, the Holy Father made various references to his recent meetings with bishops from Africa, affirming how we are debtors of the people of that continent and must transmit them a living and joyful faith.

The Pope also quoted from his own recent Encyclical "Deus caritas est," expressing his thanks to all those who, as witnesses of Christian love, dedicate themselves to the service of others, especially the poor and the sick. The "ultimate significance of the Cross," he stressed, is the offer of one's life for others.
AC/CLERGY/ROME VIS 060303 (330)

POPE VISITS VATICAN RADIO FOR ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2006 (VIS) - This morning, Benedict XVI visited the headquarters of Vatican Radio, which this year is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The station was inaugurated in 1931 under the pontificate of Pius IX, and all Popes since then have visited its headquarters at least once during their pontificates, with the exception of John Paul I, the brevity of whose pontificate did not enable him to do so.

Benedict XVI was welcomed by the three directors of Vatican Radio: Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., director general, Fr. Andrej Koprowski S.J., director of programs, and Alberto Gasbarri, technical and administrative director.

The Pope went first to the fourth floor of the Radio building in order to bless a plaque with the inscription "Cardinal Karol Wojtyla" affixed to the wall of recording studio 3, in which the last pontiff had taped various interviews in the days when he was still a cardinal. After the blessing, Benedict XVI sat before the microphones in the same studio and delivered some off-the-cuff remarks which were transmitted live.

"Today the voice of Vatican Radio can reach to every part of the world, to many homes," he said. "There is above all great reciprocity, not only speaking but also welcoming replies, in a true dialogue that aims to understand and respond, and so to build the family of God. This, I feel, is the significance of a means of communication such as this: to help build the great family that knows no frontiers and in which, with their multiplicity of languages and cultures, all are brothers and sisters and thus represent a force for peace. I would like everyone now listening to me to feel they are truly involved in this great dialogue of truth. In the world of the communications media there is no lack, as we know, of contrasting voices. So it is all the more important that this voice should exist, which truly desires to place itself at the service of truth and of Christ, thus placing itself at the service of peace and reconciliation in the world."

The Pope continued his visit by greeting the editorial staff of "One-O-Five Live," the station's new FM and Internet channel. He then paused for a few moments of prayer in the Chapel of the Annunciation, before going on to visit the editorial offices of each of the language groups.

Finally, he arrived in the building's Marconi Hall where he delivered a brief address in which he greeted all Vatican Radio personnel, reserving a particular greeting for Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) whom he thanked "for the service that, ever since the initial stages of Vatican Radio, the Jesuits have rendered to the Holy See, faithful to St. Ignatius' charism of complete dedication to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff."

He then went on to trace certain aspects of the station's history, recalling Pius XI's awareness "of the importance that the new means of communication ... would have for disseminating the pontifical Magisterium around the world," and how during the Second World War, thanks to the station, Pius XII was able to ensure that the whole world heard his "impassioned exhortations for hope and peace."

The Pope referred to the years of Communism, during which the station "increased its programs and its languages, in order to assure Christian communities oppressed by totalitarian regimes of the closeness and solidarity of the Pope and the Universal Church." He also mentioned Vatican Council II, which stressed "the importance communications media would have in spreading the evangelical message in our time."

"Yours is 'the good fight of the faith' to spread the Gospel of Christ." said the Holy Father. "This consists, as it says in your Statutes, in announcing the Christian message freely, faithfully and effectively, and linking the center of Catholicism with the countries of the world. ... This is always an important mission, though the circumstances and ways of carrying it out change over time."

Vatican Radio today, the Pope concluded, "is a chorus of voices sounding out in more than 40 languages, and capable of maintaining dialogue with different cultures and religions." He encouraged the staff to continue "to work in the great Areopagus of modern communications, drawing upon the wealth of the extraordinary experience you underwent during the Great Jubilee 2000, and even more so on the occasion of the death of the beloved John Paul II, an event that showed how much humanity wishes to understand the reality of the Church."
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DESIGN POLICIES TO FAVOR WOMEN

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2006 (VIS) - Yesterday in New York, the Holy See Delegation participated in the 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), which is meeting to consider themes arising from the Fourth World Conference on Women and from the 23rd special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century."

The delegation recalled how the purpose of the Commission "is to prepare recommendations and reports to the ECOSOC on promoting women's rights," and expressed the view that "policies should be designed that restore balance and fairness to social and political structures in such a way that their very success persuades all people to work towards the true advancement of women."

The Holy See delegation had words of praise for the recently-completed Year of Microcredit which was particularly aimed at women entrepreneurs in developing countries, pointing out that this phenomenon "has had the support of local Catholic Churches for many years." On a different matter, the delegation again drew attention to the dangers of human trafficking which "has a particularly negative impact on women," and highlighted the fact that "in armed conflicts, women and girls are also victims of systematic rape for political purposes."

The delegation issued a stern condemnation of "the sexual violence that frequently has women and girls for its object," and encouraged "the passing of laws that will effectively defend them from such violence." It also condemned "the widespread culture which encourages the systematic exploitation of sexuality and corrupts even very young girls into letting their bodies be used for profit in a world-wide three billion dollar industry."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Felix Lian Khen Thang, secretary to the bishop and chancellor of the diocese of Hakha, Myanmar, as auxiliary of the same diocese (area 32,280, population 923,637, Catholics 74,866, priests 51, religious 93). The bishop-elect was born in Gam Ngai, Myanmar in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1990.
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