Pope Benedict XVI

Monday, June 12, 2006

News Vatican Information Services 06/10-12/2006

SUMMARY: JUNE 10 - 12

- Cardinal Martino, Special Envoy to Singapore
- Other Pontifical Acts
- God Is Not Infinite Solitude, But Communion of Love
- Itinerary of Pope's Apostolic Trip to Valencia, Spain
- Audiences

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CARDINAL MARTINO, SPECIAL ENVOY TO SINGAPORE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter, written in Latin and dated May 18, in which the Pope appoints Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" and of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, as his special envoy to Singapore, for celebrations, due to be held from June 21 to 23, marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between that country and the Holy See.

The mission accompanying Cardinal Martino will be made up of: Msgr. Eugene Vaz, vicar general of the archdiocese of Singapore; Msgr. Brian Udaigwe and Msgr. John John Kallarackal, respectively counsellor and secretary of the apostolic nunciature to Singapore; and Fr. Patrick Goh, chancellor of the archdiocese of Singapore.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 1o, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Grenoble, France, presented by Bishop Louis Dufaux, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Guy de Kerimel.

- Appointed Fr. Ilidio Pinto Leandro, pastor of the parish of "Sao Salvador" in Viseu, Portugal and president of diocesan secretariat for the clergy, as bishop of Viseu (area 3,400, population 285,600 Catholics 271,300, priests 169, religious 160). The bishop-elect was born in Rio de Mel, Portugal in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1973.

- Appointed Fr. Anibal Nieto Guerra O.C.D., pastor of the parish of "San Judas Tadeo" in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Fr. Marco Perez Caicedo, rector of the major seminary of Guayaquil, as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Guayaquil (area 18,711, population 3,309,084, Catholics 2,978,176, priests 240, permanent deacons 25, religious 487). Bishop-elect Nieto Guerra was born in Formaselle, Spain in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1982. Bishop-elect Perez Caicedo was born in Daule, Ecuador in 1967 and ordained a priest in 1992.

- Appointed as consultors of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, for the Section of Religious Institutes: Bishop Jean-Louis Brugues O.P., of Angers, France; Msgr. Massimo Camisasca, superior general of the Priestly Society of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, Italy; Fr. Paolo Martinelli O.F.M. Cap., president of the Franciscan institute of spirituality at the Antonianum Pontifical Athenaeum, Rome; Fr. Sante Bisignano O.M.I., professor at the Pontifical Urban University, Rome; Fr. Benoit-Dominique de La Soujeole O.P., professor at the faculty of theology of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland; Fr. Bernard Pitaud P.S.S., provincial superior for France of the Suplician Fathers; Fr. Agostino Montan C.S.I., professor at the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome; Fr. Luigi Borriello O.C.D., professor at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Pontifical Theological Faculty, and the Pontifical "Teresianum" Institute of Spirituality, Rome; and Sr. Jolanta Olech U.S.J.K., superior general of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony, president of the conference of superiors major of Poland.
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GOD IS NOT INFINITE SOLITUDE, BUT COMMUNION OF LOVE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2006 (VIS) - Before praying the Angelus with thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI recalled that today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

"Thanks to the Holy Spirit, Who helps us to understand the words of Jesus and guides us to the truth entire," said the Pope, "believers can experience ... intimacy with God Himself, discovering that He is not infinite solitude, but communion of light and love."

"In this world, no one can see God, but He made Himself known so that, with John the Apostle, we can affirm: 'God is love.' We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. Whoever meets Christ and enters into friendship with Him, welcomes Trinitarian communion into his soul."

"For those with faith, all the universe speaks of God, One and Triune. ... Everything that exists leads back to a Being Who communicates Himself in the multiplicity and variety of elements, as in an immense symphony. All beings are ordered in a harmonic dynamism that we can analogously call 'love.' But only in human beings ... does this dynamism become spiritual, does it become responsible love: a response to God and to others in a sincere giving of self. In this love, human beings find their truth and happiness."

There are, said Benedict XVI, "various analogies of the ineffable mystery of God, One and Triune." In this context he mentioned the family, which "is called to be a community of love and of life, in which differences must come together to form a 'parabola of communion'." Another "masterwork of the Most Holy Trinity" is the Virgin Mary, because "divine love found perfect correspondence in her, and in her womb the only begotten Son became man."

After the Angelus prayer, the Pope invited the faithful to participate, on Thursday, June 15, in the traditional procession for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which every year passes from the Basilica of St. John Lateran, along Rome's Via Merulana, to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. It is, said the Holy Father, "an occasion that expresses the faith and love of the Christian community for their Lord present in the Eucharist."
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ITINERARY OF POPE'S APOSTOLIC TRIP TO VALENCIA, SPAIN

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was the itinerary of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic trip to Valencia for the Fifth World Meeting of Families, due to be held in that Spanish city on July 8 and 9.

The Holy Father will depart from Rome's Fiumicino airport at 9.30 a.m. on Saturday, July 8, whence a two-hour flight will take him to Manises airport in Valencia. Following the welcome ceremony, he will visit the cathedral of Valencia and the basilica of the "Virgen de los Desamparados," After praying the Angelus in the "Plaza de la Virgen," he will address some words of greeting to those present. He will then go on foot to the archbishop's palace where he will have lunch.

At 5.15 p.m., the Pope will pay a courtesy visit to King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain in the palace of the "Generalitat de Valencia." Thereafter, he will return to the archbishop's palace to meet with Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, prime minister of Spain.

At 8.30 p.m., the Pope will travel by popemobile to Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences where, at 9.00 p.m., a festive meeting is due to take place marking the closure of the Fifth World Meeting of Families. On this occasion, the Pope is due to deliver an address. After the meeting, he will return to the archbishop's palace where he will spend the night.

At 9.30 a.m. on Sunday, July 9, Pope Benedict will preside at a Eucharistic concelebration in the City of Arts and Sciences, and then pray the Angelus. At 12.30 p.m., he will travel by car to the airport of Manises where, following the departure ceremony, he will board his plane for Rome. He is due to arrive at Rome's Ciampino airport at 3.30 p.m.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Jurgen Ruttgers, minister president of North Rhine Westphalia, Germany, accompanied by an entourage.

- Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

- Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, apostolic nuncio to Brazil.

- Ludvik Toplak, ambassador of Slovenia, accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit.

On Saturday, June 10, he received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

- Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
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V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Friday, June 09, 2006

News Vatican Information Services 06/09/2006

SUMMARY:

- Telegram for Italian Soldier Killed in Iraq
- Promoting Family Is Essential for Development of Society
- Audiences

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TELEGRAM FOR ITALIAN SOLDIER KILLED IN IRAQ

VATICAN CITY, JUN 9, 2006 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, in the name of Benedict XVI, to Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, military ordinary for Italy, for the death of Corporal Alessandro Pibiri, a member of the Italian contingent in Iraq. Corporal Pibiri was killed in an attack on Monday, June 5. The telegram was read out during the course of his funeral, held this morning in the Roman Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls.

"Having learnt the news of the most recent of so many terrorist attacks in Iraq, which caused the death of Corporal Alessandro Pibiri and injured four other members of the Sassari Brigade, the Supreme Pontiff expresses his paternal spiritual closeness to relatives of the victim, to the injured and to the entire nation, which once again weeps a son fallen while generously accomplishing his duty at the service of order, security, justice and the peaceful recovery of the Iraqi people. Giving assurances of his fervent prayers for the young life so barbarously cut down, His Holiness sends those who are mourning the comfort of his apostolic blessing."
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PROMOTING FAMILY IS ESSENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIETY

VATICAN CITY, JUN 9, 2006 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano sent a message, in the Holy Father's name, to participants in the 36th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), which closed on June 6 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The principle theme of the assembly, the message says, "is the dignity of human beings and the absolute value of human life from conception to natural end." On this subject, the cardinal recalls how the American continent "has a long tradition of respecting life, now threatened by the pressure of opinions contrary to its nature."

"In the field of protecting human dignity," he writes, "another priority is to favor the conditions that reduce violence in its various forms: terrorism, attacks against innocent civilians, kidnappings, threats and drug trafficking."

Cardinal Sodano identifies another essential theme associated with that of human dignity: "The promotion of the family based on marriage. Promoting the family is an essential task for the development of society throughout the continent. The family is a place of education, knowledge, and of the basic formation of the future protagonists of social life. For this reason, the principal entity that States must protect and promote is the family."

"The role played by parents is fundamental," the message continues, "and it cannot be replaced by the State or by any other institution, which are a necessary and very beneficial complement but do not substitute the primordial role of parents, who must also choose the kind of education they want for their children."

After highlighting that the family "cannot adequately carry out its mission if it does not have the minimum material requirements to do so, the cardinal secretary of State deplored "the persistence, at times aggravated persistence, of poverty, and the growing gap between the richest and the poorest."

"It is not only a matter of fairer distribution of what is available, but also of improving production conditions and of seeking new ways to develop in peace and harmony for all. In this context. the Church's social doctrine offers a framework for laying the foundations of a society that has at its center man, not money or ideology."

Cardinal Sodano concludes his message by making a call "to continue down the path of constant dialogue between States," it being one of the OAS's functions "to guarantee such dialogue. The vast majority of inhabitants of the OAS countries are Christians, and Christian roots can make a decisive contribution to the social and political life of American States."
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 9, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

- Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

- Archbishop Lluis Martinez Sistach of Barcelona, Spain.

- Juan Manuel Suarez del Toro Rivero, president of the International Federation of the Red Cross.
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