SUMMARY:
- YOU ARE
NOT AND YOU WILL NOT BE ALONE! POPE TELLS EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN
EMILIA ROMAGNA
- NOTE
FROM THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
- OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
YOU
ARE NOT AND YOU WILL NOT BE ALONE! POPE TELLS EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN
EMILIA ROMAGNA
Vatican
City, 26 June 2012 (VIS) - At 9 a.m. today the Holy Father departed
by helicopter from the Vatican to fly to the Italian region of Emilia
Romagna which, beginning on 20 May, has been affected by a series of
earthquakes that have left many dead and hundreds of injured. The
tremors have forced thousands of people to abandon their homes,
destroyed historic buildings and seriously damaged the infrastructure
and economy of the entire area.
The
Pope's helicopter landed at 10.30 a.m. at the sports ground of San
Marino di Carpi where he was welcomed by Bishop Francesco Cavina of
Carpi and by Franco Gabrielli, head of the Italian Civil Protection
Department. The Pontiff then boarded a minibus to travel to Rovereto
di Novi where he made a brief visit to the church of St. Catherine of
Alexandria which partially collapsed during the earthquake killing
the pastor Fr. Ivan Martini. Subsequently the Holy Father boarded a
Jeep from which he greeted the faithful while being driven to the
central square of Rovereto di Novi where, in the presence of the
archbishops and bishops of the affected areas (Bologna, Carpi,
Modena, Mantua, Ferrara and Reggio Emilia) he delivered his address.
Ample
extracts from the Holy Father's words are given below:
"Ever
since the beginning of the earthquake which affected you I have been
close to you with my prayers and concern. But when I saw that the
trial had become more arduous, I felt the impelling need to come
among you in person, and I thank the Lord for having enabled me to do
so. Thus I greet all of you who are gathered here, as with my mind
and heart I embrace all the villages and all the people affected by
the earthquake, especially the families and communities mourning
their dead. May the Lord welcome them into His peace".
"I
was aware that, apart from suffering the material consequences, your
spirits were also being sorely tried by the continuation of the
seismic activity, including even strong tremors, and by the loss of
certain symbolic buildings in your towns and villages, in particular
many churches. Here in Rovereto di Novi in the collapse of a church -
which I have just visited - Fr. Ivan Martini lost his life. Paying
homage to his memory, I address a special greeting to you, dear
priests, and to all confreres who, as has happened at other difficult
moments in the history of these lands, are showing their generous
love for the people of God.
"As
you all know, we priests (as well as religious and no small number of
lay people) daily pray the 'Breviary' which contains the Liturgy of
the Hours, the prayer of the Church which marks the hours of the day.
We pray the Psalms in an order which is the same for the entire
Catholic Church. Why am I telling you this? Because in recent days I
came across this expression in Psalm 46: 'God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble'".
"These
words seem to contrast with the fear we inevitably feel following an
experience such as the one you have just been through; that is an
immediate reaction, which can become more profound if the phenomenon
is prolonged. However, the Psalm does not in fact refer to that kind
of fear; and the confidence it expresses in not that of supermen
untouched by normal feelings. The confidence expressed is that of the
faith. Yes we may feel fear and anguish - even Jesus did - but above
all is the certainty that God is with us. ... His Love is as solid as
a rock. We see this Love in the crucified Christ; at one and the same
time a sign of suffering and of love. This is the revelation of God
Love, Who remained united to us even unto extreme abasement.
"On
this rock, with this firm hope, we can build, we can rebuild. Italy
was rebuilt on the postwar ruins, and not just material ruins, thanks
also to help received, but above all thanks to the faith of so many
people animated by a spirit of genuine solidarity, by the will to
give a future to their families, a future of freedom and peace. You
are a people whom all Italians respect for your humanity and
sociability, for hard work and cordiality. These qualities have been
dealt a harsh blow by the current situation, but this must not and
cannot affect your identity as a people, your history and your
culture. Remain faithful to your vocation as a fraternal and united
people, and face everything with patience and determination,
rejecting the temptations which are unfortunately always associated
with such moments of weakness and need.
"The
situation you are going through has highlighted an aspect which I
hope will remain at the forefront of your minds: You are not and you
will not be alone! Over these days, amidst so much destruction and
pain, you have seen and felt how numerous people have expressed
closeness, solidarity and affection through so many signs and
concrete forms of assistance. My presence among you is intended to be
another such sign of love and hope. Looking at you lands I have been
profoundly moved by the sight of so many wounds, but I have also seen
many hands extended to cure those wounds with you. I have seen that
life restarts with force and courage, and that is the most beautiful
and lustrous sign of all.
"From
here I wish to launch an appeal to the institutions, and to all
citizens, despite the difficulties of the current time, to be like
the Good Samaritan of the Bible who did not walk by indifferent to
the one in need, but lovingly tended him, helped him, remained at his
side and took full responsibility for the other's needs. The Church
is close and will remain close with her prayers and with the concrete
help of her organisations, especially Caritas, which will also
undertake to rebuild the social fibre of parish communities".
Having
completed his address, the Holy Father greeted the civil and
religious authorities present. He then returned to the sports ground
of San Marino di Carpi where his helicopter took off at midday,
arriving in Rome shortly after 1.30 p.m.
NOTE
FROM THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Vatican
City, 26 June 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the text of an
English-language note issued today by the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Fatih concerning the appointment of Archbishop
Augustine Di Noia as vice president of the Pontifical Commission
"Ecclesia Dei":
"Pope
Benedict XVI has named Archbishop Augustine Di Noia, O.P., to the
post of vice president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei'.
The appointment of a high-ranking prelate to this position is a sign
of the Holy Father’s pastoral solicitude for traditionalist
Catholics in communion with the Holy See and his strong desire for
the reconciliation of those traditionalist communities not in union
with the See of Peter. The president of the commission is the Prefect
of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William
J. Levada.
"The
Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei' was established in 1988 by
Blessed John Paul II to facilitate 'full ecclesial communion of
priests, seminarians, religious communities or individuals until now
linked in various ways to the Fraternity founded by Archbishop
Lefebvre' and to promote the pastoral care of the faithful attached
to the ancient Latin liturgical tradition of the Catholic Church. In
2009, the Pontifical Commission was structurally linked to the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to address the doctrinal
issues in the ongoing dialogue between the Holy See and the Priestly
Fraternity of St. Pius X.
"As
a respected Dominican theologian, Archbishop Di Noia has devoted much
attention to these doctrinal issues, as well as to the priority of
the hermeneutic of continuity and reform in the right interpretation
of Vatican Council II - a critically important area in the dialogue
between the Holy See and the Priestly Fraternity. Under the guidance
of Cardinal Levada, with the assistance of Msgr. Guido Pozzo,
secretary of the Pontifical Commission, this dialogue has been
ongoing over the past three years.
"Previously,
Archbishop Di Noia served as secretary of the Congregation for Divine
Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments where, together with the
prefect, Cardinal Antonio Canizares, he oversaw the reorganisation of
the dicastery and the preparation of a new 'Regolamento' following
the directions of Pope Benedict’s 'motu proprio' of 30 August 2011,
'Quaerit Semper'. Archbishop Di Noia’s experience and continued
association with the Congregation for Divine Worship will facilitate
the development of certain desired liturgical provisions in the
celebration of the 1962 'Missale Romanum'.
"In
addition, the broad respect that Archbishop Di Noia enjoys in the
Jewish community will help in addressing some issues that have arisen
in the area of Catholic-Jewish relations as the journey towards the
reconciliation of traditionalist communities has progressed".
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 26 June 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
-
Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of
Merlo-Moreno, Argentina, presented by Bishop Fernando Maria Bargallo,
in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law,
appointing Bishop Alcides Jorge Pedro Casaretto, emeritus of the
diocese of San Isidro, Argentina, as apostolic administrator "ad
nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Merlo-Moreno.
-
Appointed Archbishop Jean-Louis Brugues O.P., secretary of the
Congregation for Catholic Education, as archivist and librarian of
Holy Roman Church.
-
Appointed Bishop Vincenzo Paglia of Terni-Narni-Amelia, Italy, as
president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, at the same time
elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. He succeeds Cardinal
Ennio Antonelli, whose resignation from the same office the Holy
Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
-
Appointed Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia, O.P., secretary of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
as vice president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".
-
Appointed Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds, England, as secretary of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop.
-
Appointed Bishop Protase Rugambwa of Kigoma, Tanzania, as adjunct
secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and
president of the Pontifical Missionary Works, at the same time
elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. He succeeds Archbishop
Piergiuseppe Vacchelli, whose resignation from the same offices the
Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
-
Appointed Msgr. Krzysztof Jozef Nykiel, official of the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, as regent of the Apostolic
Penitentiary. The bishop-elect was born in Osjakow, Poland in 1965
and ordained a priest in 1990. He studied in Rome and has also served
as an official of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care. He
succeeds Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv., whose resignation
from the same office the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached
the age limit.
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