Pope Benedict XVI

Friday, March 16, 2012

News Vatican Information Service 03/16/2012

Summary

- COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING THE SOCIETY OF ST. PIUS X

- CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH HAS A NEW DOMAIN: WWW.DOCTRINAFIDEI.VA

- AUDIENCES

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COMMUNIQUE CONCERNING THE SOCIETY OF ST. PIUS X

Vatican City, 16 March 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a communique relating to the Society of St. Pius X, released this morning by the Holy See Press Office.

"During the meeting of 14 September 2011 between Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei', and Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X, the latter was presented with a Doctrinal Preamble, accompanied by a Preliminary Note, as a fundamental basis for achieving full reconciliation with the Apostolic See. This defined certain doctrinal principles and criteria for the interpretation Catholic doctrine, which are necessary to ensure faithfulness to the Church Magisterium and 'sentire cum Ecclesia'.

"The response of the Society of St. Pius X to the aforesaid Doctrinal Preamble, which arrived in January 2012, was examined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before being submitted to the Holy Father for his judgement. Pursuant to the decision made by Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop Fellay was, in a letter delivered today, informed of the evaluation of his response. The letter states that the position he expressed is not sufficient to overcome the doctrinal problems which lie at the foundation of the rift between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X.

"At the end of today's meeting, moved by concern to avoid an ecclesial rupture of painful and incalculable consequences, the superior general of the Society of St. Pius X was invited to clarify his position in order to be able to heal the existing rift, as is the desire of Pope Benedict XVI".

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH HAS A NEW DOMAIN: WWW.DOCTRINAFIDEI.VA

Vatican City, 16 March 2012 (VIS) - The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has opened a new domain (www.doctrinafidei.va) within the official website of the Holy See. In this way, the congregation hopes to facilitate the consultation of its documents which, having the express approbation of the Holy Father, participate in his ordinary Magisterium as the Peter's Successor. Attentive reception of these texts is important for all members of the faithful and in particular for those who are engaged in theological and pastoral work.

The major documents are available in eight languages: Latin, French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German and Polish. Certain documents are also available in Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, and Dutch. There is a general list of all the texts organised chronologically, and three subgroups of these texts, divided into doctrinal, disciplinary and sacramental documents.

The new domain also presents information on the Congregation's series "Documenti e Studi", which are individual printed volumes presenting a major document of the Congregation together with commentaries by noted theologians. There is also a description of the volumes containing the proceedings of various symposia organised by the Congregation in recent years, as well as speeches and other contributions by cardinal prefects.

A communique by the congregation published this morning explains how "wider distribution of the teaching of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is necessary in today's world. The documents of the congregation which have been published since the time of Vatican Council II ... deal with significant questions for the life and mission of the Church and give important doctrinal responses to the challenges of our times. ... The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is convinced that the enhanced availability of these documents will be of significant value in communicating the teaching of the Church to people throughout the world".

The old domain address of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith remains active within the official website of the Holy See.

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 16 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:

- Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

- His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of Kyiv-Halyc, Ukraine.

- Thirteen prelates of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, on their "ad limina" visit:

- Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller M.Sp.S. of San Antonio, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantu.

- Bishop Patrick James Zurek of Amarillo.

- Bishop Kevin Joseph Farrell of Dallas, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops John Douglas Deshotel and Mark Joseph Seitz.

- Bishop Kevin William Vann of Fort Worth.

- Bishop James Anthony Tamayo of Laredo.

- Bishop Placido Rodriguez C.M.F. of Lubbock.

- Bishop Michael David Pfeifer O.M.I. of San Angelo.

- Archbishop Paul Stagg Coakley of Oklahoma City.

- Bishop Anthony Basil Taylor of Little Rock.

- Bishop Edward James Slattery of Tulsa.

- Manuel Tomas Fernandes Pereira, ambassador of Portugal, on his farewell visit.

This evening he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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

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V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

News Vatican Information Service 03/15/2012

SUMMARY:

- TELEGRAM FOR THE VICTIMS OF COACH ACCIDENT IN SWITZERLAND
- STATIONS OF THE CROSS DEDICATED TO THE FAMILY
- HOLY SEE AND MOZAMBIQUE RATIFY THEIR 2011 AGREEMENT
- PRESENTATION OF THE HOLY FATHER'S BOOK ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH IN ST. AUGUSTINE
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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TELEGRAM FOR THE VICTIMS OF COACH ACCIDENT IN SWITZERLAND

Vatican City, 15 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram of condolence, through Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., to Archbishop Andre-Mutien Leonard of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, for the victims of a coach accident in Sierre. Switzerland, in which twenty-eight people lost their lives, twenty-two of them Belgian children on a school outing.

"Having learned of the tragic coach accident in Switzerland, which caused numerous victims many of them children, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI associates himself in prayer with the suffering of the mourning families, entrusting the victims to the mercy of God and asking Him to welcome them into His light. He expresses his profound sympathy to the injured and their families, and his closeness to rescue workers, praying the Lord to give them help and consolation in their moment of trial. As a token of comfort, the Holy Father confers a special apostolic blessing upon everyone affected by this drama".

STATIONS OF THE CROSS DEDICATED TO THE FAMILY

Vatican City, 15 March 2012 (VIS) - The texts for meditation during this year's Way of the Cross, to be held at the Colosseum on Good Friday, have, by order of the Holy Father, been written by Danilo and Anna Maria Zanzucchi, a married couple and founders of the New Families Movement, which is part of the "Focolari" Movement. The theme of the meditations will be the family, and the Way of the Cross will follow its traditional fourteen stations.

HOLY SEE AND MOZAMBIQUE RATIFY THEIR 2011 AGREEMENT

Vatican City, 15 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today released a communique announcing that the Holy See and the Republic of Mozambique have - with Notes Verbales dated 12 March - given notification of their ratification of the "Agreement on the Principles and Juridical Dispositions Governing Relations between the Holy See and Mozambique", signed in Maputo on 7 December 2011.

"The Agreement", the communique reads, "is made up of a preamble and twenty-three articles which cover various areas such as the juridical status of the Catholic Church in Mozambique, the recognition of academic titles and of canonical marriage, and the fiscal regime. The entry into force of the Agreement consolidates the existing ties of friendship and collaboration between the two parties".

PRESENTATION OF THE HOLY FATHER'S BOOK ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH IN ST. AUGUSTINE

Vatican City, 15 March 2012 (VIS) - Yesterday eventing in the German embassy to the Holy See, the presentation took place of a work by Joseph Ratzinger: "The People and the House of God in Doctrine of the Church". The book, the Pope's doctoral thesis from 1953, is part of a series of sixteen volumes which aims to bring together all Joseph Ratzinger's theological works up to the time of his election to the papal throne in 2005.

During the presentation, Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller of Regensburg, Germany, who has published the book in collaboration with the Pope Benedict XVI Institute, also based in Regensburg, recalled that "St. Augustine is a thinker, bishop and saint who still spiritually accompanies our Holy Father. The Pope continues to maintain a familiar but in-depth dialogue with the saint, to which his Wednesday catecheses bear ample witness".

Among others, the presentation was attended by Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum"; Cardinal Walter Brandmuller, and Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg im Breisgau, president of the German Episcopal Conference.

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 15 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:

- His Beatitude Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites, Syria.

- Nine prelates of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, on their "ad limina" visit:

- Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, accompanied Auxiliary Bishop-elect George A. Sheltz.

- Bishop Joe Steve Vasquez of Austin.

- Bishop Curtis John Guillory S.V.D. of Beaumont.

- Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Raymundo Joseph Pena.

- Bishop William Michael Mulvey of Corpus Christi.

- Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio S.J. of Tyler.

- Bishop David Eugene Fellhauer of Victoria in Texas.

- Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 15 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Edwin Frederick O'Brien, pro-grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, as grand master of that Order.