News Vatican Information Service 07/28/2011

SUMMARY:

- New "iGPII" Application For World Youth Day
- Papal, Holy See Highlights for 2011: January - March

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NEW "iGPII" APPLICATION FOR WORLD YOUTH DAY

VATICAN CITY, 28 JUL 2011 (VIS) - At 12.30 p.m. tomorrow in the Holy See Press Office a press conference will be held to present the new "iGPII" application for World Youth Day (WYD), which will be held next month in the Spanish capital Madrid. The application works on iPhones, iPods, iPads and devices which run the iOS operating system.

  The new application, an initiative of the John Paul II Youth Foundation, has been developed by Futurtech & Adv Production and is available in five languages (Italian, French, English, Spanish and Portuguese). A communique released today explains that it will provide WYD participants with documents relating to the history of previous World Youth Days, an events programme and timetable, GPS positioning, and information on accommodation, food and drink, etc. Although it is principally aimed at participants in WYD, it will also be very useful for journalists.

  Tomorrow's presentation will be presided by Marcello Bedeschi, president of the John Paul II Youth Foundation, and by Iacopo Barberini and Giovanni Leone of Futurtech. A number of iPads and iPhones will be available for journalists to consult, and those who wish to do so may download the new application onto their own devices.
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PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2011: JANUARY - MARCH

VATICAN CITY, 28 JUL 2011 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of January to March 2011. Another summary, covering the period from April to July, will be published tomorrow.

JANUARY

14: Benedict XVI authorises the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree of the miracle attributed to the intercession of Venerable Servant of God John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla).

15: In accordance with the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution "Anglicanorum coetibus" of Pope Benedict XVI (4 November 2009), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith erects a Personal Ordinariate within the territory of England and Wales for those groups of Anglican clergy and faithful who have expressed their desire to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church. The Decree of Erection specifies that the Ordinariate will be known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and will be placed under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman..

24: Presentation of the Holy Father's Message for the forty-fifth World Day of Social Communications, on the theme: "Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age". The Day is celebrated on 5 June.

24: Benedict XVI receives a group from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany, visiting Rome for the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

25: Publication of the Pope's Message for the eighty-fifth World Mission Day, which falls on Sunday 23 October. The theme of the document is: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you".

FEBRUARY

1: Publication of a Message from Benedict XVI to the second Latin-American Continental Congress for Vocations, being held in Cartago, Costa Rica, from 31 January to 5 February.

3: Presentation of Benedict XVI's Message for the nineteenth World Day of the Sick, to be held on 11 February

3: Benedict XVI receives the Letters of Credence of Alfons M. Kloss, the new ambassador of Austria to the Holy See.

10: Publication of the Pope's Message for the forth-eighth World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be celebrated on 15 May on the theme: "Proposing Vocations in the Local Church".

17: The Holy Father receives in audience Dimitry Medvedev, president of the Russian Federation.

18: Benedict XVI receives a group of prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

22: Presentation of the 2011 Lenten Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI, entitled: "You were buried with Him in Baptism, in which you were also raised with Him".

24: The Holy Father receives in audience Michel Sleiman, president of the Republic of Lebanon.

28: The Holy Father receives in audience Jerzey Buzek, president of the European Parliament.

MARCH

1: A new "Law concerning citizenship, residency and access" to Vatican City, promulgated by Benedict XVI on 22 February, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, comes into effect today.

2: The Holy Father receives in private audience Josette Sheeran, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

3: The Holy Father receives in audience Sebastian Pinera Echenique, president of the Republic of Chile.

3: Benedict XVI receives a group of prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines at the end of their "ad limina" visit.

4: The Holy Father receives in audience Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, president of the Republic of Iceland.

10: Presentation of the second volume of Benedict XVI's book on Jesus of Nazareth: "From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection".

15: Activation of a new Facebook page concerning John Paul II in view of his beatification, at the address: www.facebook.com/vatican.johnpaul2.

16: Publication of a Message from the Holy Father addressed to Giorgio Napolitano, president of the Italian Republic, for the 150th anniversary of the political unity of Italy, on 17 March.

18: Presentation of the "Courtyard of the Gentiles", an initiative by the Pontifical Council for Culture involving two days of meeting and dialogue between believers and non-believers in Paris, France, on 24 and 25 March.

20: Benedict XVI makes a pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Corbinian, where he celebrates Mass and consecrates the new church.

25: Benedict XVI receives prelates of the Syro-Malankar Church, who have just completed their five-yearly "ad limina" visit.

25: The Pope grants the "Ecclesiastica Communio" requested of him in accordance with canon 76 para. 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches by His Beatitude Bechara Rai, canonically elected as Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites by the Synod of Bishops of the Maronite Church meeting in Bkerke, Lebanon, on 15 March.

27: Benedict XVI visits Rome's "Fosse Ardeatine" to commemorate the 335 victims executed there in 1944 by German occupying forces in Rome, in reprisal for a bomb attack which had left thirty-three Germans dead.

28: The Holy Father receives in audience His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus, primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, accompanied by Fr. Demosthenis Demosthenous and by Ioannis Charilaou.
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The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
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Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

News Vatican Information Service 07/27/2011

SUMMARY:

- Holy See and Malaysia Establish Diplomatic Relations
- Other Pontifical Acts

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HOLY SEE AND MALAYSIA ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

VATICAN CITY, 27 JUL 2011 (VIS) - The Holy See and Malaysia, desirous of promoting bonds of mutual friendship, have decided by common accord to establish diplomatic relations at the level of apostolic nunciature on the part of the Holy See and of embassy on the part of Malaysia.

  A communique published today explains that Malaysia is the 179th nation to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See. The country has a surface area of 329,750 square kilometres and a multi-racial and multi-cultural population of 28,306,700. The religion of State is Islam, professed by 60.4 percent of the inhabitants. The next largest religious group is the Buddhists (19.2 percent), followed by Christians (9.1 percent), Hindus (6.3 percent), Chinese religions (2.6 percent) and Animists (2.4 percent).

  The Catholic Church has had a presence in the country since 1511, when the first Portuguese missionaries reached Malacca. St. Francis Xavier also arrived in that city in 1545. Today the Church has nine ecclesiastical circumscriptions centred on the archdioceses of Kuala Lumpur (on the peninsula) and of Kuching and of Kota Kinabalu (on the island of Borneo). There are eleven bishops, 274 diocesan priests, 119 regular priests, 123 male religious, 759 female religious and 270 major seminarians. Catholics number 850,720, around three percent of the population.

  The Catholic Church, the communique explains, is active in evangelisation and in the pastoral care of families and young people. While fully respecting people's cultural and religious identity, she works in the fields of education, charity and social work, running numerous primary and secondary schools, as well as institutions for the poor and for migrant workers. Initiatives exist to promote social harmony and reconciliation among the various religious communities, through dialogue, equality of rights and duties, and mutual respect.

  The apostolic delegation to Malaysia was created on 2 February 1998 and has existed until now.

  On 18 July Benedict XVI received Najib Bin Abdul Razak, prime minister of Malaysia, in audience at the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo. During that meeting agreement was reached to establish diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the Holy See.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 27 JUL 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Manoel dos Reis de Farias of Patos, Brazil, as bishop of Petrolina (area 15,622, population 421,836, Catholics 337,468, priests 36, religious 67), Brazil. He succeeds Bishop Paulo Cardoso da Silva O. Carm., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same bishop the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Ivo Muser of the clergy of the diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone, Italy, dean of the cathedral chapter in Bressanone, as bishop of the same diocese (area 7,400, population 500,030, Catholics 485,029, priests 700, permanent deacons 18, religious 800). The bishop-elect was born in Brunico, Italy in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1987. He succeeds Bishop Karl Gosler, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

 - Appointed Msgr. Gilson Andrade da Silva of the clergy of the diocese of Petropolis, Brazil, rector of the diocesan seminary "Nossa Senhora do Amor Divino", as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Sao Salvador da Bahia (area 3,859, population 3,210,878, Catholics 2,284,477, priests 283, permanent deacons 93, religious 1,070), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1966 and ordained a priest in 1991.

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You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:

V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City