SUMMARY:
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NOTE CONCERNING THE RESULTS OF THE APOSTOLIC VISIT TO IRELAND
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THE COURTYARD OF THE GENTILES AND THE CULTURE OF LEGALITY
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CONFESSION IS A SOURCE OF TRUE PEACE AND JOY
-
TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF THE PATRIARCH OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
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EXCHANGE OF GREETINGS BETWEEN THE POPE AND THE ITALIAN PREMIER
-
MEETING BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND MONEYVAL ON MEASURES TO COUNTER
MONEY-LAUNDERING
-
AUDIENCES
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
_____________________________________
NOTE
CONCERNING THE RESULTS OF THE APOSTOLIC VISIT TO IRELAND
Vatican
City, 20 March 2012 (VIS) - Given below is a note released this
morning by the Holy See Press Office concerning the summary of the
findings of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland. It is, the
English-language text reads, "a synthesis of the results of the
Visitations to the four archdioceses, to religious institutes and to
the Irish seminaries. It has been approved by the offices which
conducted the Visitation and it also contains some further
observations from the Holy See, in addition to those that the
individual dicasteries communicated to the leaders of the respective
archdioceses or institutes.
"There
follows a list of some of the principal elements contained in the
summary:
"(a)
The Holy See reiterates the sense of dismay expressed by Pope
Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland and the
closeness that he has often manifested towards the victims of these
sinful and criminal acts committed by priests and religious.
"(b)
The Visitation, which was pastoral in nature, was able on the one
hand to acknowledge the seriousness of the shortcomings that gave
rise, in the past, not least on the part of various bishops and
religious superiors, to an inadequate understanding of and reaction
to the terrible phenomenon of the abuse of minors. On the other hand,
it is clearly pointed out that, beginning in the 1990s, decisive
progress has been made, leading to a greater awareness of the problem
and profound changes in the way of addressing it. It is recommended
that bishops and religious superiors keep up their commitment to
welcoming and supporting victims of abuse.
"(c)
The guidelines contained in the 2008 document Safeguarding Children
(which supersedes earlier documents) envisage: far-reaching
involvement of the lay faithful and of ecclesiastical structures in
the work of prevention and formation, close cooperation with civil
authorities in swift reporting of accusations, and constant reference
to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in matters that
pertain to its competence. These norms have proved to be an effective
instrument for handling accusations of abuse and for increasing the
awareness of the entire Christian community in the area of child
protection. The Guidelines are to be further updated on the basis of
the Circular Letter published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith on 3 May 2011, and periodically reviewed.
"(d)
The work of the National Board for Safeguarding Children is thorough
and far-reaching. Of particular value is its auditing of the
implementation of the guidelines in individual dioceses and religious
institutes. It is recommended that this auditing process be extended
as soon as possible to all the dioceses and religious institutes and
that it be regularly repeated.
"(e)
On the basis of the recently published document Interim Guidance,
bishops and religious superiors, in cooperation with the National
Board, will have to formulate norms for handling cases of priests or
religious who have been accused, but in whose case the Director of
Public Prosecutions has decided not to proceed. Similarly, norms
should be established for facilitating the return to ministry of
falsely accused priests, and for ensuring that proper pastoral
attention is given to priests or religious who are found guilty of
abuse of minors.
"(f)
The Visitation to the seminaries was able to appreciate the
commitment of the formators and the seminarians, and the attention
given to intellectual, human and spiritual formation. In the
seminaries, clear child protection norms are in place, with a broad
understanding of all that this involves for the life of the Church.
In order to improve the quality of the formation, it has been
recommended, among other things, to ensure that it is rooted in
authentic priestly identity, to reinforce the structures of episcopal
governance over the seminaries, to introduce more consistent
admissions criteria, to ensure that the seminarians are housed in
buildings reserved for their exclusive use, and to include in the
academic programme in-depth formation on matters of child protection.
"(g)
Each religious institute is invited to design a three-year programme
for focusing anew on the founding charism and on the fundamental
sources, developing adequate means for revitalising individual
communities in the areas of prayer, community life and apostolic
mission. The institutes are invited to develop a collaborative
ministerial outreach towards those who suffer the consequences of
abuse.
"(h)
The Visitation recognised that the painful events of recent years
have also opened many wounds within the Catholic community. On the
other hand, this time of trial has also brought to light the
continuing vitality of the Irish people’s faith. Among the signs of
hope are the dedication with which many bishops, priests and
religious live out their vocation, the human and spiritual bonds that
many of them have observed among the lay faithful at a time of
crisis, the deep faith of many men and women and a remarkable level
of involvement among priests, religious and lay faithful in the
structures of child protection. In this context, a renewed call to
communion is made - communion among the bishops themselves and with
the Successor of Peter, communion between bishops and priests,
between pastors and laypersons, between diocesan structures and
communities of consecrated life.
"(i)
Finally, certain pastoral priorities are mentioned which may help to
guide renewal: formation in the content of the faith, a new
appreciation of the commitment of the laity, the role of teachers of
religion, openness to the contribution offered by movements and
associations, and fidelity to the teachings of the Magisterium. It is
stated, moreover, that the Holy See and the Irish bishops have
already initiated a joint reflection on the present configuration of
dioceses in Ireland, with a view to adapting diocesan structures to
make them better suited to the present-day mission of the Church in
Ireland".
THE
COURTYARD OF THE GENTILES AND THE CULTURE OF LEGALITY
Vatican
City, 20 March 2012 (VIS) - A press conference was held this morning
in the Holy See Press Office to present the arrival in Palermo of the
"Courtyard of the Gentiles", an initiative of the
Pontifical Council for Culture which has the aim of promoting
dialogue between believers and non-believers on the great issues
facing the modern world. The event will take place in Palermo, Italy,
on 29 and 30 March and have as its theme "The Culture of
Legality and Multi-Religious Society".
Participating
in today's press conference were Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi,
president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Bishop Antonino
Raspanti of Acireale; Bishop Carmelo Cuttitta, auxiliary and vicar
general of Palermo; Giusto Sciacchitano, anti-Mafia prosecutor, and
Fr. Jean-Marie Laurent Mazas F.S.J., executive director of the
Courtyard of the Gentiles.
Following
Bologna, Paris, Bucharest, Florence, Rome and Tirana, the Courtyard
of the Gentiles is moving to Sicily where, according to a note
released by the Holy See Press Office, believers and non believers
face "a crucial challenge: responding with a culture of dialogue
and legality, rooted in the great multi-religious and multi-cultural
tradition of Sicily, to the non-culture of organised crime, and
opening bridges of dialogue with the reawakening which is stirring
Arab society on the south-eastern shore of the Mediterranean. Palermo
is the ideal place to do this, because of its dual nature as the
historical meeting point of cultures and religions, and as the
original 'cradle' of the Mafia while at the same time being symbolic
of the struggle against the Mafia (it was there that the United
Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime was signed
in 2000).
The
event will begin in the cathedral of Monreale on 29 March with a talk
by Cardinal Ravasi on "Society, Culture and Faith". "The
presence of the 'Courtyard' in Sicily", Cardinal Ravasi has
declared, "is an expression of the desire to officially relaunch
the Church’s commitment against illegality and any degeneration of
the law". On 30 March the "Courtyard" will move on to
the University of Palermo where philosophers, religious, jurists,
historians and intellectuals will discuss "divine law and human
justice", "religion and human rights", "pluralism
and universalism" and "religions and public space".
Speakers will include Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the philosopher
Remi Brague and the historian of the Mafia Salvatore Lupo. That
evening in the cathedral of Palermo, Cardinal Ravasi, anti-Mafia
prosecutor Piero Grasso, young people of the anti-Mafia association
"Addiopizzo" and Cardinal Paolo Romeo, archbishop of
Palermo will participate in an open meeting with citizens of Sicily
to reaffirm the popular and everyday character of the commitment to
dialogue and legality.
Other
aspects of the initiative include a "Narrative Courtyard"
for university students, to be held on 29 March in the Palermo branch
of LUMSA University, and a "Courtyard of Children" for
local boys and girls, to be held in front of Palermo cathedral on the
evening of 30 March.
CONFESSION
IS A SOURCE OF TRUE PEACE AND JOY
Vatican
City, 18 March 2012 (VIS) - Before praying the Angelus with pilgrims
gathered in St. Peter's Square today, the fourth Sunday of Lent, the
Pope dedicated some remarks to the importance of sacramental
Confession during this liturgical period which, he said, is "a
time in which to pay greater attention to the voice of God".
On
the horizon ahead of us during Lent is the profile of the cross of
Christ, "the apex of the love which brings us salvation. ...
Jesus was raised on the cross so that anyone in danger of dying
because of sin, by turning in faith to the One Who died for us, would
be saved".
Benedict
XVI explained how God's merciful love is infinite and reaches so far
as the giving of His only Son as a pledge for our sins. We therefore
have a great responsibility. "Each one of us must, in fact,
recognise we are sick in order to be healed. Each must confess our
sins, so that the forgiveness of God, already given on the cross, can
have an effect on our hearts and our lives".
"Sometimes",
the Pope went on, "man loves the shadows more than the light,
because he clings to his sin. But it is only by opening himself to
the light, by sincerely confessing his sins to God, that he can find
true peace and true joy. It is, then, important to make regular use
of the Sacrament of Penance, especially during Lent, in order to
receive the Lord's forgiveness and intensify our journey of
conversion".
The
Pope thanked people who were praying for him for his name day, on
tomorrow's Feast of St. Joseph. He likewise asked the faithful for
their prayers for his forthcoming apostolic trip to Mexico and Cuba,
which is due to begin on Friday. "I invite everyone to accompany
me with their spiritual proximity", he said, "so that this
visit may bring abundant fruits of Christian life and ecclesial
renewal, contributing to the authentic progress of peoples".
Following
the Marian prayer, the Holy Father remarked on the fact that the
Sixth World Water Forum came to an end yesterday in the French city
of Marseille, and that this Thursday will be World Water Day. "I
hope that these initiatives may contribute to ensuring equal, secure
and adequate access to water", he said, "thus promoting
every human being's right to life and nutrition, and the responsible
use of the goods of the earth for the benefit of present and future
generations".
TELEGRAM
FOR THE DEATH OF THE PATRIARCH OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
Vatican
City, 18 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram of
condolence to the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, for the
death of His Holiness Shenouda III, Patriarch of Alexandria, who died
on 17 March.
"I
gratefully recall", the Holy Father writes, "his commitment
to Christian unity, and his memorable visit to my predecessor Pope
Paul VI when, in Rome on 10 May 1973, they signed the Joint
Declaration of Faith in the Incarnation of the Son of God. I also
recall his meeting in Cairo with Pope John Paul II on 24 February
2000, during the course of the Great Jubilee. The entire Catholic
Church shares the mourning of Coptic Orthodox and, with fervent
prayer, asks the One Who is the resurrection and the life to welcome
His faithful servant to His side".
EXCHANGE
OF GREETINGS BETWEEN THE POPE AND THE ITALIAN PREMIER
Vatican
City, 19 March 2012 (VIS) - Today, Feast of St. Joseph and the Holy
Father's name day, Benedict XVI received telephone greetings from
Mario Monti, prime minister of Italy. In the course of the cordial
conversation, the Holy Father likewise congratulated the prime
minister, who today celebrates his sixty-ninth birthday.
MEETING
BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND MONEYVAL ON MEASURES TO COUNTER MONEY-LAUNDERING
Vatican
City, 17 March 2012 (VIS) - Between 14 and 16 March a number of
meetings took place between the authorities of the Holy See and
Vatican City State, and experts of MONEYVAL (the Department of the
Council of Europe which deals with the evaluation of systems adopted
by member States to counter money-laundering).
An
English-language communique made public today explains that "the
meetings made it possible to continue gathering information on the
steps taken thus far in the process of complying with international
standards in the area of preventing and countering money-laundering
and the financing of terrorism, such as the adoption of the Decree
No. CLIX of 25 January 2012, ... as well as the ratification of and
adhesion to certain international conventions pertinent to the
question. ... The present phase will lead to the drafting of a report
which, as scheduled, will be examined by the plenary assembly of
MONEYVAL next July".
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 17 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in
audience:
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Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops.
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Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy and president of
the Italian Episcopal Conference.
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Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars, France.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 20 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
-
Appointed Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, U.S.A., as archbishop
of Baltimore (area 12,430, population 3,119,000, Catholics 499,529,
priests 543, permanent deacons 158, religious 1,249), U.S.A.
-
Appointed Msgr. David J. Malloy of the clergy of the archdiocese of
Milwaukee, U.S.A., pastor of the parish of St. Francis de Sales at
Lake Geneva, as bishop of Rockford (area 16,717, population
1,665,000, Catholics 451,509, priests 288, permanent deacons 136,
religious 184), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Milwaukee in 1956
and ordained a priest in 1983. He studied in Rome then served for a
number of years in the diplomatic service of the Holy See before
becoming an official of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household.
From 2006 to 2011 he was secretary general of the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops. He succeeds Bishop Thomas G. Doran,
whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy
Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
-
Appointed Bishop Christian Lepine, auxiliary of the archdiocese of
Montreal, Canada, as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese
(area 1,103, population 2,574,000, Catholics 1,640,000, priests
1,163, permanent deacons 100, religious 4,158). He succeeds Cardinal
Jean-Claude Turcotte, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the
same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the
age limit.
-
Appointed Fr. Gregory L. Parkes of the clergy of the diocese of
Orlando, U.S.A., vicar general, chancellor for canonical affairs and
pastor of the parish of Corpus Christi at Celebration, as bishop of
Pensacola-Tallahassee (area 36,724, population 1,381,566, Catholics
74,868, priests 94, permanent deacons 67, religious 49), U.S.A. The
bishop-elect was born in Mineola, U.S.A. in 1964 and ordained a
priest in 1999. Before becoming a priest he worked in the banking
sector. He studied in Rome and, since ordination, has worked in
pastoral care in the diocese of Orlando.
On
Saturday 17 March it was made public that the Pope:
-
Appointed Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari, apostolic nuncio to South
Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland, also as apostolic nuncio to
Lesotho.
-
Appointed Bishop Rufin Anthony of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Pakistan, as
apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis"
of the diocese of Faisalabad, Pakistan.
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