News Vatican Information Services 10/5/2006

SUMMARY:

- The Pope Receives the Austrian President
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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THE POPE RECEIVES THE AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 2006 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy See Press Office published the following notice:

"Benedict XVI received Mr. Heinz Fischer, the President of the Federal Republic of Austria, in an audience today. After, the President met with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State of His Holiness".

"In an atmosphere of great cordiality, the activities of the Catholic Church in Austrian society was discussed during the meetings, and joy was expressed on the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and Austria, as well as on the mutual harmony on the theme of the cultural and spiritual identity of Europe. Certain topics of great importance to today's world context were then taken into consideration: the promotion of dialogue between cultures and religions, in particular between Christianity and Islam, and refuting any sort of terrorism".

"The Holy Father gladly accepted the renewed invitation to visit the Marian Sanctuary of Mariazell next year, extended by the Austrian Federal President".
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 2006 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received the following in separate audiences:

- Heinz Fischer, President of the Republic of Austria, his wife and following.

- Five Prelates from the Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops, Canada, on their "ad limina" visit:

- Archbishop Raymond Roussin, S.M., of Vancouver.

- Bishop David John James Monroe, of Kamloops.

- Archbishop Emilius Goulet, P.S.S., of Saint-Boniface.

- Bishop Albert LeGatt, of Saskatoon.

- Bishop Blaise-Ernest Morand, of Prince-Albert.

This evening he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 2006 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father appointed Monsignor Lucas Martinez Lara, of the clergy of the archdiocese of San Luis Potosi, as Bishop of Matehuala (area 26,912, population 255,923, Catholics 219,148, priests 29, religious 45) Mexico. The bishop elect was born in 1943 in a small town in the Archdiocese of San Luis Potosi and ordained in 1968. At the time, he was Episcopal Vicar of the "Medina Zone" and parish priest for Santa Catalina of Rioverde.
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News Vatican Information Services 10/4/2006

SUMMARY:

- Bartholomew: Adhering To Jesus Without Sensational Acts
- The Pope Blesses A Statue Of Saint Genevieve Torres
- Justice And Peace Document: The Fight Against Corruption
- In Memoriam
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BARTHOLOMEW: ADHERING TO JESUS WITHOUT SENSATIONAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2006 (VIS) - During today's general audience and in continuation of the catechesis dedicated to the apostles, Benedict XVI spoke about Bartholomew. The audience was celebrated in St. Peter's Square with approximately 30,000 present.

The Pope said: This apostle, "of whom we have little news (...) is traditionally identified with Nathaniel, a name that means 'God has given'." In the evangelical vocation, the Apostle Phillip tells him of having encountered Jesus, the Messiah, who had come from Nazareth and Nathaniel answers in a prejudiced way; "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

The Holy Father explained that "this sort of opposition is important for us. It shows us that, according to the Judaic expectations, the Messiah could never come from such an obscure town (...) At the same time however, it emphasizes God's freedom, which surprises our expectations by being found where least expected".

He continues: "The story of Nathaniel also offers another reflection: in our relationship with Jesus, words are not enough. Phillip invites Nathaniel meet Jesus personally: "Come and see!" Our knowledge of Jesus, above all, needs the live experiencing: the witness of others is certainly important, since, usually, all our Christian life begins with the proclamation that comes to us from one or more witnesses. However, it is up to us to become personally involved in an intimate and deep relationship with Jesus".

Later, in his dialogue with Jesus, Nathaniel would conclude with a profession of faith: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" These words spoken by Nathaniel "highlight a dual, complementary aspect on the identity of Jesus: (...) His special relationship with God the Father, being the one and only Son, and with the people of Israel, having been declared their king".

Benedict XVI said: "We must never lose sight of these two dimensions because if we only proclaim the heavenly dimension of Jesus, we run the risk of making Him and ethereal and evanescent being; while, to the contrary, if we only recognize His physical presence in history, we would end up forgetting His Divine dimension, which qualifies Him."

The Pope concluded: "We do not have detailed news about Bartholomew's later apostolic activities. (...) The figure of Saint Bartholomew remains before us to tell us that deep adhesion to Jesus can be lived and witnessed even without the achievement of sensational works".
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THE POPE BLESSES A STATUE OF SAINT GENEVIEVE TORRES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2006 (VIS) - Before the general audience held in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI blessed a marble statue of Saint Genevieve Torres Morales, placed in an alcove in the external, back part of the Vatican Basilica.

The Spanish Saint founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Holy Angels (Angelics) and was canonized by John Paul II on May 4 2003 in Madrid.

At the end of the audience, the Holy Father went to a small room, of the Paul VI Hall, where during a brief ceremony he was given the title of honorary citizen of Aschau am Inn (Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Germany).
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JUSTICE AND PEACE DOCUMENT: THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2006 (VIS) - Today, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace published a note entitled "The Fight Against Corruption", which synthesizes the main points of the conference held by this dicastery on this theme this past month of June, with the participation of international officials, diplomats and experts on this phenomenon.

According to a summary on the booklet, it emphasizes that "corruption crosses all social sectors (...) and cannot be attributed only to those who work in the economic sector or only to public officials" and is favored, among other things, "by the disparity between the level at which corruption is fought, often limited to the level of single states, while its range of action is (...) international".

According to the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, corruption distorts the role of the governing institutions, using them as grounds of political exchange between private requests and governmental actions. This way, political choices promote the limited objectives of those having the means to influence them and create obstacles to the realization of common good for all the citizens. Also, corruption is one of the causes contributing to underdevelopment and poverty, depriving the peoples of the fundamental common good that is legality".

To overcome corruption, according to the note, "a positive factor is the passage from an authoritarian society to a democratic society, (...) from centralized to participating society", and warns that this process of social aperture may "demolish the solidity of moral convictions" and "facilitate the exportation of corruption".


The note specifies that the Church "can have an evermore relevant role in the prevention of corruption, efficiently contributing to the moral education and formation of citizens, especially with the fundamental principles of her social doctrine: the dignity of the human person, the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity, a preferential option towards the poor, the universal destination of goods".

As stated in the International Conference in June, the Note by this Dicastery repeats that "the fight against corruption is a value, but also a need; corruption is an evil, but also a cost; refusing corruption is a good, but also an advantage; abandoning corrupt actions may generate development and well-being; honest attitudes should be promoted, the dishonest ones punished".

Therefore on the international level, "since organized crime knows no boundaries, collaboration between governments must be increased, even with agreements on the procedures for confiscating and recuperating what has been illegally gained".
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IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2006 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

- Cardinal Louis-Albert Vachon, Archbishop emeritus of Quebec, Canada, on September 29, at the age of 94.

- Bishop Louis Cornet, emeritus of Meaux, France, on September 11, at the age of 82.

- Archbishop Domenico De Luca, Apostolic Nuncio, on September 16, at the age of 78.

- Bishop Benedict Charles Franzetta, former auxiliary of Youngstown, USA, on September 26, at the age of 85.

- Bishop Mario Teixeira Gurgel, S.D.S., emeritus of Itabira-Fabriciano, Brazil, on September 11, at the age of 84.

- Bishop Gianfranco Masserdotti, M.C.C.I., of Balsas, Brazil, on September 17, at the age of 65.

- Archbishop Cataldo Naro, of Monreale, Italy, on September 30, at the age of 55.

- Archbishop Vital Komenan Yao, of Bouake, Ivory Coast, on September 23, at the age of 68.
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