News Vatican Information Service 01/25/2013

Summary

- POPE RECEIVES MEMBERS OF JOINT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE

- RESPONSIBILITY FOR SEMINARIES MOVED TO CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY

- PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING NEW EVANGELISATION MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR CATECHESIS

- WORLD DAY FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST LEPROSY: INTENSIFYING THE SERVICE OF CHARITY

- AUDIENCES

- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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POPE RECEIVES MEMBERS OF JOINT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE

Vatican City, 25 January 2013 (VIS) – Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received the members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The commission was instituted ten years ago as a initiative of the ecclesial authorities of the family of the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The commission has dedicated this week to exploring "more fully the communion and communication which existed between the Churches in the first five centuries of Christian history", Benedict XVI said, expressing his hope that "relations between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches will continue to develop in a fraternal spirit of cooperation, particularly through the growth of a theological dialogue capable of helping all the Lord’s followers to grow in communion and to bear witness before the world to the saving truth of the Gospel."

"Many of you," he concluded, "come from areas where Christians, as individuals and communities, face painful trials and difficulties which are a source of deep concern to us all. Through you, I would like to assure all the faithful of the Middle East of my spiritual closeness and my prayer that this land, so important in God’s plan of salvation, may be led, through constructive dialogue and cooperation, to a future of justice and lasting peace. All Christians need to work together in mutual acceptance and trust in serving the cause of peace and justice in fidelity to the Lord’s will. May the example and intercession of the countless martyrs and saints, who throughout the ages have borne courageous witness to Christ in all our Churches, sustain and strengthen all of us in meeting the challenges of the present with confidence and hope in the future which the Lord is opening before us."

RESPONSIBILITY FOR SEMINARIES MOVED TO CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY

Vatican City, 25 January 2013 (VIS) – 'Ministrorum institutio' is the title of the Motu Proprio by which the Holy Father modifies the Apostolic Constitution 'Pastor bonus', (John Paul II, 1988) and transfers the competency for seminaries from the Congregation for Catholic Education to the Congregation for the Clergy. Following are ample extracts from the document.

"The formation of sacred ministers was one of the main concerns of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, who wrote that, 'fully aware that the desired renewal of the whole Church depends to a great extent on the ministry of its priests, [the Council] proclaims the extreme importance of priestly training'. In this context, canon 232 of the Code of Canon Law claims 'the duty and the proper and exclusive right' of the formation of those who are designated for the sacred ministries?that by regulation takes place in seminaries?as belonging to the Church."

"The first body of a universal character entrusted with the foundation, government, and administration of seminaries … was the Congregatio Seminariorum instituted by Benedict XIII in the constitution 'Creditae Nobis' (1725). Over time that organisation became defunct and the seminaries continued to receive the Holy See's particular consideration through the Sacred Congregation of the Council (which today is the Congregation for the Clergy) or also through the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars and, from 1906, only by means of the latter."

"With the Apostolic Constitution 'Sapienti consilio' (1908), St. Pius X reserved jurisdiction over seminaries to the Sacred Consistorial Congregation. … With the Motu Proprio 'Seminaria clericorum' (1915), Benedict XV … created a new dicastery that took the name 'Sacra Congregatio de Seminariis et Studiorum Universitatibus'. The Holy Father explained his decision as due to concern for the increasing amount of issues and the importance of the office. … The new dicastery ... was adopted by the Code of Canon Law of 1917."

"It is significant to note that, during the drafting of the new Code, there was discussion regarding the possibility of maintaining the same provision but, in the end, it seemed more appropriate to premise the entire norm as an introduction to the part that dealt with the clergy. Thus the rules and directives regarding seminaries were included … under the apt title of 'The Formation of Clerics'. … The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council again recalled that 'major seminaries are necessary for priestly formation' … Therefore, according to the Second Vatican Council and the Code of Canon Law of 1983, seminaries fall under the sphere of the 'formation of clerics' that, to be true and effective, must seal permanent formation with seminary formation …"

"As my venerated predecessor, Blessed John Paul II, affirmed in the Apostolic Exhortation 'Pastores dabo vobis' (1992) … 'It is particularly important to be aware of and to respect the intrinsic link between formation before ordination to the priesthood and formation after ordination. Should there be a break in continuity, or worse a complete difference between these two phases of formation, there would be serious and immediate repercussions on pastoral work and fraternal communion among priests, especially those in different age groups'."

"I find it opportune, therefore, to assign the promotion and governance of everything regarding the formation, the life, and the ministry of priests and deacons to the Congregation for the Clergy: from the pastoral care for vocations and the selection of candidates for Holy Orders?including their personal, spiritual, doctrinal, and pastoral formation in seminaries and special centres for permanent deacons?to their permanent formation?including living conditions and procedures for exercising their ministry and their welfare and social assistance."

PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING NEW EVANGELISATION MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR CATECHESIS

Vatican City, 25 January 2013 (VIS) – With the Motu Proprio “Fides per doctrinam” that was signed 16 January and published today, the Holy Father modifies the apostolic constitution "Pastor bonus", transferring responsibility for catechesis from the Congregation for the Clergy to the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation. Following are ample extracts from the document.

"Faith," the Pope writes, "needs to be supported by doctrine that is capable of illuminating the minds and hearts of believers. This particular historical moment in which we are living, marked among other things by a dramatic crisis of faith, requires an awareness that is able to respond to the high expectations that arise in the hearts of believers when facing the new questions that challenge the world and the Church. Understanding faith, therefore, always requires that its content be expressed in a new language, one capable of presenting the living hope of believers to those inquiring into its purpose."

"On the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II, while the Church continues to reflect on the richness of the teaching contained its documents and to find new ways of putting it into practice, it is possible to see the long path travelled over these decades in the area of catechesis. It has been a path, however, that in the years following the Council has not been without mistakes, even serious ones, both in method and in content. All of this has brought about profound reflection and led to the development of post-conciliar documents that represent a new wealth in catechesis."

"The Council's teachings and the subsequent Magisterium, as interpreters of the Church's great tradition in this field, have connected the Catechism ever more closely to the process of evangelisation. The Catechism, therefore, represents a significant step in the daily life of the Church, announcing and communicating the Word of God in a living and effective manner, so that it might reach all and that believers might be trained and educated in Christ to build His body, which is the Church."

"In the Apostolic Letter, formulated as a Motu Proprio, 'Ubicumque et sempter' of 21 September, 2010, I instituted the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation to pursue 'its own ends both by encouraging reflection on topics of the new evangelisation, and by identifying and promoting suitable ways and means to accomplish it'. In particular, I wanted to assign the task of promoting 'the use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an essential and complete formulation of the content of the faith for the people of our time' to the new dicastery."

"Given all this, I believe it opportune that that dicastery assume as part of its institutional tasks the one of caring for, on behalf of the Roman Pontiff, the relevant instrument of evangelisation that the Catechism, along with catechetical teaching in all its diverse forms, represents for the Church in order to bring about a more organic and effective pastoral outreach. This new pontifical council will be able to provide the local churches and the diocesan bishops an appropriate service in this area."

"Accepting the agreement proposed by the heads of the dicasteries concerned, therefore, I have decided to transfer the competency for catechesis that the Apostolic Constitution 'Pastor bonus' had entrusted to the Congregation for the Clergy on 28 June 1988, to the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation, with the same jurisdiction in the matter as previously exercised by the Congregation as required by canon law."

WORLD DAY FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST LEPROSY: INTENSIFYING THE SERVICE OF CHARITY

Vatican City, 25 January 2013 (VIS) – This Sunday, 27 January, will mark the 60th World Day for the Fight Against Leprosy. For the occasion, Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, has published a message entitled: "A Fitting Occasion for Intensifying the Service of Charity". In the text of the document the archbishop notes that Hansen's disease is "a malady that is as old as it is grave when we consider the suffering, the social exclusion and the poverty that [it] involves".

"According to the most recent data of the WHO," the message states, "about 220,000 people?men, women and children?contracted leprosy in 2011 and many of these new cases were diagnosed when the disease was at an advanced stage. These data demonstrate the continuation?notwithstanding the praiseworthy action of international and national, governmental and non-governmental, institutions, such as the WHO and the Raoul Follereau Foundation and the Sasakawa Foundation?of a still insufficient level of access to centres that offer diagnoses and of a lack of education as regards prevention in communities that run the risk of contagion, as well as the need for specifically designed medico-hygienic initiatives. All of this is fundamental in the case of leprosy, which by now does not lead to death if it is suitably treated, as it is the case, to a greater extent, of the other ‘neglected diseases’ ... These are pathologies that constitute authentic scourges in some parts of the world but which do not receive sufficient attention from the international community; amongst these pathologies we find dengue fever, sleeping sickness, bilharziosis, onchocerciasis, leishmaniasis, and trachoma."

"In the face of such a health-care emergency, in the light of the Year of Faith as well, and with the wish to commit ourselves increasingly intensely, as Catholics, to carrying out what Jesus requested by his commandment ‘Euntes docete et curate infirmos’ and by our baptism, I wish to renew my invitation to work to ensure that this Sixtieth World Leprosy Day constitutes a new ‘fitting occasion for intensifying the service of charity in our ecclesial communities, so that each one of us can be a good Samaritan for others, for those close to us’."

"An equally important role should also be played by all those people who are victims of leprosy, who are called to cooperate in the establishment of a more inclusive and just society that will allow the integration of those people who have been cured of leprosy; in spreading and promoting its forms of diagnosis and treatment; in stressing the need to receive therapies so as to be cured, thereby contributing to a weakening of the disease; and in distributing those medico-hygienic criteria that are indispensable to hindering its further propagation in the contexts to which they belong."

"As a Christian, a person who has been afflicted by leprosy also has the possibility of living his or her condition in a perspective of faith, ‘finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love’, praying and offering up his or her suffering for the good of the Church and humanity. In awareness that what has been emphasised is certainly not easy, and requires charity towards themselves and their neighbours, hope, courage, patience and determination, I would like to observe, employing the words of St. Paul, that none of us ‘received a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear’: we have ‘received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"’. And, ‘if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him’. Even in the most adverse situations, a Christian is certain that ‘nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’," concludes the text.

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 25 January 2013 (VIS) – This morning, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, and

- Mr. Nikolay Sadchikov, ambassador of the Russian Federation, on his farewell visit.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 25 January 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Kalookan, Philippines presented by Bishop Deogracias S. Iniguez in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- appointed Bishop Buenaventura Malayo Famadico as bishop of San Pablo (area 1,203, population 2,821,000, Catholics 2,466,000, priests 172, religious 508), Philippines. Bishop Famadico was born in 1956 in Banton, Romblon, Philippines, was ordained to the priesthood in 1983, and received episcopal ordination in 2002. He was previously bishop of Gumaca, Philippines from 2003. He succeeds Bishop Leo M. Drona, S.D.B., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of San Pablo the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

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V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

News Vatican Information Service 01/24/2013

Summary

- TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL JOZEF GLEMP

- POPE ASSESSES SOCIAL MEDIA POSITIVELY

- MESSAGE FOR 47TH WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY

- TELEGRAM IN COMMEMORATION OF GIOVANNI AGNELLI

- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL JOZEF GLEMP

Vatican City, 24 January 2013 (VIS) – The Holy Father has sent a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, metropolitan archbishop of Warsaw, Poland for the death of Cardinal Jozef Glemp, archbishop of that archdiocese from 1981 to 2006. Cardinal Glemp died yesterday at the age of 83.

Following are ample excerpts from his telegram.

"'Caritati in iustitia'—for charity in justice—this episcopal motto accompanied him throughout his entire life and guided his way of thinking, of judging , of making decisions, and in offering guidelines of pastoral outreach. He was a 'just' man, in the spirit of St. Joseph, his patron, and those who, in biblical tradition, knew how to listen to the voice of God's call, addressed not just to them personally, but also to the communities to which they were sent. Such justice, full of humble obedience to God's will, was the basis of his deep love for God and man, which was his light, inspiration, and strength in the difficult ministry of leading the Church at a time when significant social and political transformations were affecting Poland and Europe."

"The love of God and of Church and his concern for the life and dignity of every person made him an apostle of unity against division, of harmony in the face of confrontation, of the building of a happy future based on the past joyous and sorrowful experiences of the Church and the nation. Continuing the work of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, in constant communion with and spiritually connected to Pope John Paul II, he resolved many issues and problems in the political, social, and religious life of the Polish people with great prudence. Trusting in Divine Providence, he looked hopefully toward the new millennium into which he led the community of believers in Poland."

"The last stage of his life was tried by suffering, which he endured with a serenity of spirit. Even in this test he remained a witness to trusting in the goodness and love of omnipotent God."

"Personally, I always appreciated his sincere goodness, his simplicity, his openness, and his cordial dedication to the cause of the Church in Poland and in the world. Thus will he remain in my memory and my prayers. May the Lord welcome him in His glory."

POPE ASSESSES SOCIAL MEDIA POSITIVELY

Vatican City, 24 January 2013 (VIS) – Benedict XVI's message for the 47th World Communications Day was presented this morning in the Press Office of the Holy See. The Day, which will take place this year on Sunday, 12 May, has the theme of "Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelisation". Participating in the presentation were Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and Msgr. Paul Tighe, secretary of that same dicastery.

"The message of this World Communications Day," said Archbishop Celli, "presents a positive assessment, though not a naive one for that matter, of social media. They are considered an opportunity for dialogue and debate and capable of strengthening the bonds of unity among people and effectively promoting the harmony of the human family. However, this positive character requires that one's actions be conducted with concern for privacy, with responsibility and dedication to the truth, and with authenticity, given that it has to do not only with information and knowledge but, essentially, with communicating a part of our very selves."

"The social dynamic of the social media, it is appropriate to point out, lies within the even richer and more profound dynamic of the human heart's existential search. There is an interweaving of questions and answers that gives meaning to the human person's path. In this context, the Pope touches upon a delicate aspect of the matter when he speaks of the ocean of excessive information that overwhelms 'the gentle voice of reason'."

"The theme of the Day speaks of new spaces for evangelisation: evangelisation that announces the Word, that proclaims Jesus Christ. In this regard we must remember what Benedict XVI wrote in his message for the World Communications Day in 2011, when he emphasized that it was not only an explicit expression of the Faith, but essentially, an effective witness 'in the way one communicates choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically'."

Following Archbishop Celli's address, Msgr. Tighe explained that "the Pope takes for granted the importance of the digital environment as a reality in the lives of many people. It is not some sort of parallel or merely virtual world but an existential environment where people live and move. It is a ‘continent’ where the Church must be present and where believers, if they are to be authentic in their presence, will seek to share with others the deepest source of their joy and hope, Jesus Christ. The forum created by the social networks allows us to share the truth that the Lord has passed to His Church, to listen to others, to learn about their cares and concerns, to understand who they are and for what they are searching."

Likewise, the Holy Father "identifies some of the challenges that we must address if our presence is to be effective. We must become more fluent in the language of the social networks; a language that is born of the convergence of text, image and sound, a language that is characterized by brevity and that seeks to engage hearts and minds as well as the intellect. In this regard, the Pope reminds us to draw on our Christian heritage which is rich in signs, symbols and artistic expression. We need to remember a basic truth of communications: our witness – our actions and our patterns of behaviour – is often more eloquent than our words and proclamations in expressing who we are and what we believe. In the digital arena, the Pope suggests that our willingness to engage patiently and respectfully with the questions and doubts of those we encounter in the networks can be a powerful expression of our care and concern for them. Notwithstanding the challenges, we should always be hopeful."

MESSAGE FOR 47TH WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY

Vatican City, 24 January 2013 (VIS) – "Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelisation" is the title chosen by the Pope for his message for the World Communications Day this year. The message is dated from the Vatican, 24 January, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers and journalists. Following is the full text of the message.

"As the 2013 World Communications Day draws near, I would like to offer you some reflections on an increasingly important reality regarding the way in which people today communicate among themselves. I wish to consider the development of digital social networks which are helping to create a new 'agora', an open public square in which people share ideas, information, and opinions, and in which new relationships and forms of community can come into being.

These spaces, when engaged in a wise and balanced way, help to foster forms of dialogue and debate that, if conducted respectfully and with concern for privacy, responsibility, and truthfulness, can reinforce the bonds of unity between individuals and effectively promote the harmony of the human family. The exchange of information can become true communication, links ripen into friendships, and connections facilitate communion. If the networks are called to realize this great potential, the people involved in them must make an effort to be authentic since, in these spaces, it is not only ideas and information that are shared, but ultimately our very selves.

The development of social networks calls for commitment: people are engaged in building relationships and making friends, in looking for answers to their questions and being entertained, but also in finding intellectual stimulation and sharing knowledge and know-how. The networks are increasingly becoming part of the very fabric of society, inasmuch as they bring people together on the basis of these fundamental needs. Social networks are thus nourished by aspirations rooted in the human heart.

The culture of social networks and the changes in the means and styles of communication pose demanding challenges to those who want to speak about truth and values. Often, as is also the case with other means of social communication, the significance and effectiveness of the various forms of expression appear to be determined more by their popularity than by their intrinsic importance and value. Popularity, for its part, is often linked to celebrity or to strategies of persuasion rather than to the logic of argumentation. At times the gentle voice of reason can be overwhelmed by the din of excessive information and it fails to attract attention, which is given instead to those who express themselves in a more persuasive manner. The social media thus need the commitment of all who are conscious of the value of dialogue, reasoned debate and logical argumentation; of people who strive to cultivate forms of discourse and expression that appeal to the noblest aspirations of those engaged in the communication process. Dialogue and debate can also flourish and grow when we converse with and take seriously people whose ideas are different from our own. 'Given the reality of cultural diversity, people need not only to accept the existence of the culture of others, but also to aspire to be enriched by it and to offer to it whatever they possess that is good, true and beautiful'.

The challenge facing social networks is how to be truly inclusive: thus they will benefit from the full participation of believers who desire to share the message of Jesus and the values of human dignity which His teaching promotes. Believers are increasingly aware that, unless the Good News is made known also in the digital world, it may be absent in the experience of many people for whom this existential space is important. The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young. Social networks are the result of human interaction, but for their part they also reshape the dynamics of communication which builds relationships: a considered understanding of this environment is therefore the prerequisite for a significant presence there.

The ability to employ the new languages is required, not just to keep up with the times, but precisely in order to enable the infinite richness of the Gospel to find forms of expression capable of reaching the minds and hearts of all. In the digital environment the written word is often accompanied by images and sounds. Effective communication, as in the parables of Jesus, must involve the imagination and the affectivity of those we wish to invite to an encounter with the mystery of God’s love. Besides, we know that Christian tradition has always been rich in signs and symbols: I think for example of the Cross, icons, images of the Virgin Mary, Christmas cribs, stained-glass windows and pictures in our churches. A significant part of mankind’s artistic heritage has been created by artists and musicians who sought to express the truths of the faith.

In social networks, believers show their authenticity by sharing the profound source of their hope and joy: faith in the merciful and loving God revealed in Christ Jesus. This sharing consists not only in the explicit expression of their faith, but also in their witness, in the way in which they communicate 'choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically'. A particularly significant way of offering such witness will be through a willingness to give oneself to others by patiently and respectfully engaging their questions and their doubts as they advance in their search for the truth and the meaning of human existence. The growing dialogue in social networks about faith and belief confirms the importance and relevance of religion in public debate and in the life of society.

For those who have accepted the gift of faith with an open heart, the most radical response to mankind’s questions about love, truth and the meaning of life – questions certainly not absent from social networks – are found in the person of Jesus Christ. It is natural for those who have faith to desire to share it, respectfully and tactfully, with those they meet in the digital forum. Ultimately, however, if our efforts to share the Gospel bring forth good fruit, it is always because of the power of the word of God itself to touch hearts, prior to any of our own efforts. Trust in the power of God’s work must always be greater than any confidence we place in human means. In the digital environment, too, where it is easy for heated and divisive voices to be raised and where sensationalism can at times prevail, we are called to attentive discernment. Let us recall in this regard that Elijah recognized the voice of God not in the great and strong wind, not in the earthquake or the fire, but in 'a still, small voice'. We need to trust in the fact that the basic human desire to love and to be loved, and to find meaning and truth – a desire which God himself has placed in the heart of every man and woman – keeps our contemporaries ever open to what Blessed Cardinal Newman called the 'kindly light' of faith.

Social networks, as well as being a means of evangelisation, can also be a factor in human development. As an example, in some geographical and cultural contexts where Christians feel isolated, social networks can reinforce their sense of real unity with the worldwide community of believers. The networks facilitate the sharing of spiritual and liturgical resources, helping people to pray with a greater sense of closeness to those who share the same faith. An authentic and interactive engagement with the questions and the doubts of those who are distant from the faith should make us feel the need to nourish, by prayer and reflection, our faith in the presence of God as well as our practical charity: 'If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal'.

In the digital world there are social networks which offer our contemporaries opportunities for prayer, meditation and sharing the word of God. But these networks can also open the door to other dimensions of faith. Many people are actually discovering, precisely thanks to a contact initially made online, the importance of direct encounters, experiences of community and even pilgrimage, elements which are always important in the journey of faith. In our effort to make the Gospel present in the digital world, we can invite people to come together for prayer or liturgical celebrations in specific places such as churches and chapels. There should be no lack of coherence or unity in the expression of our faith and witness to the Gospel in whatever reality we are called to live, whether physical or digital. When we are present to others, in any way at all, we are called to make known the love of God to the furthest ends of the earth.

I pray that God’s Spirit will accompany you and enlighten you always, and I cordially impart my blessing to all of you, that you may be true heralds and witnesses of the Gospel. 'Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation'."

TELEGRAM IN COMMEMORATION OF GIOVANNI AGNELLI

Vatican City, 24 January 2013 (VIS) – Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone ,S.D.B., sent a telegram in the Holy Father's name to Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of Turin, Italy for the memorial Mass of Sen. Giovanni Agnelli, president of the Fiat automobile manufacturer, on the tenth anniversary of his death.

In the text the Pope recalls the senator who, "over more than a half century, was the centre of national and international attention for his remarkable entrepreneurial skills" as well as "his Christian faith, which crowned a long and fruitful existence."

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 24 January 2013 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father appointed as members of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology: Dr. Carlo Ebanista, associate professor of Christian and Medieval Archaeology in the Humanities and Social Sciences faculty of the University of Molise, Italy and professor of Antiquities and Medieval Archaeology in the Arts and Philosophy department of the Federico II University in Naples, Italy; Dr. Emilio Marin, tenured professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Split, Croatia and member of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres of the Institut de France.

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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:

V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

News Vatican Information Service 01/23/2013

SUMMARY:

- BELIEVING IN GOD FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ABRAHAM

- POPE CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY WITH POPULATION OF INDONESIA

- HOLY SEE BECOMES EXTRA-REGIONAL OBSERVER OF CENTRAL AMERICAN INTEGRATION SYSTEM

- AUDIENCES

- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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BELIEVING IN GOD FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ABRAHAM

Vatican City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) - "I believe in one God", the first article of the profession of faith that accompanies our lives as believers, was the theme of Benedict XVI's catechesis during this morning's general audience. This sentence is "a fundamental affirmation, seemingly simple in essence, but which opens us to the infinite world of a relationship with the Lord and with His mystery. Believing in God means adherence, … acceptance, … and obedience … Faith is a personal act and a free response... Being able to say that you believe in God is thus both a gift and … a human responsibility in an experience of dialogue with God who, out of love 'speaks to men and women as friends'."

Where can we hear the voice of God who speaks to us? "Fundamentally," the Pope said, in "Sacred Scripture, … which speaks to us of faith … narrating a story in which God carries out His plan of redemption and draws near to humanity through … persons who believe in Him and who entrust themselves to Him." One of these persons is Abraham, "the first great role model in speaking about faith in God." Abraham, who was able to leave his homeland, trusting in God alone and His promise, is considered the "father of all believers". His was a leap in darkness, "but the darkness of the unknown is illuminated by the light of a promise. … In the divine plan he was destined to become 'father of a multitude of nations' and to enter a new land to live in."

"Faith," the pontiff continued, "leads Abraham along a paradoxical path. He will be blessed, but without the visible signs of blessing. He receives the promise of becoming a great nation, but has a life marked by the sterility of his wife, Sarah. He is led to a new land, but will have to live there as a foreigner." … Nevertheless, "Abraham is blessed because, with faith, he is able to discern the divine blessing, going beyond appearance, trusting in God's presence even when His paths seem mysterious."

That is why, "when we affirm that 'I believe in God', we are saying, as does Abraham, 'I trust in You. I entrust myself to You, Lord'. … Saying 'I believe in God' means basing my life on Him, letting His Word guide me every day in my concrete choices, without fear of losing something of myself. … Abraham, the believer, teaches us faith and, like a foreigner on earth, points out our true homeland. Faith makes us pilgrims on earth, situated in the world and in history, but on the path toward our heavenly homeland. Believing in God thus makes us heralds of values that often do not coincide with fashion or the opinion of the moment. … In many societies, God has become the 'great absentee' and many idols have taken His place, above all the desire for possessions and the autonomous 'I'. Also, the significant and positive progress in science and technology has given humanity the illusion of omnipotence and self-sufficiency and a growing selfishness has created many imbalances in personal relationships and in social behaviour."

"And yet," the Holy Father emphasized, "the thirst for God is not quenched and the Gospel message continues to resonate through the words and deeds of many men and women of faith. Abraham, the father of all believers, continues to be the father of the many children who are willing to walk in his footsteps and who make their way in obedience to the divine call, trusting in the Lord's benevolent presence and accepting His blessing in order to become a blessing for all. It is the blessed world of faith to which we are all called, to walk without fear following the Lord Jesus Christ."

"Affirming that 'I believe in God', then, compels us to leave, to continuously go out of ourselves just as Abraham did, in order to bring the certainty that comes to us from faith into our daily realities. It is the certainty of God's presence in history, even today; a presence that brings life and salvation."

POPE CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY WITH POPULATION OF INDONESIA

Vatican City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) – Following the Wednesday catechesis of this morning's general audience, the Holy Father made an appeal for assistance to Indonesia, which has been struck by a wave of bad weather. "I am following with concern," he said, "the news arriving from Indonesia", where a flood has devastated the capital, Jakarta, "causing casualties, leaving thousands of people homeless, and creating massive damage. I want to express my nearness to the people affected by this natural disaster, assuring them of my prayers, and I ask for assistance so that no one may be left without the necessary help."

HOLY SEE BECOMES EXTRA-REGIONAL OBSERVER OF CENTRAL AMERICAN INTEGRATION SYSTEM

Vatican City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) – According to information made public by the Press Office of the Holy See today, on Monday, 21 January, at the headquarters of the Central American Integration System (SICA) in San Salvador, El Salvador, an agreement was signed between the Holy See and SICA that makes the Holy See an extra-regional observer of that organization. The signatories were, for the Holy See, Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto, apostolic nuncio to El Salvador and, for SICA, Juan Daniel Aleman, secretary general of SICA. Many ambassadors to the nations of the South American continent attended the ceremony.

Previously, the Ordinary Summit of heads of state and government of the countries of SICA, which took place in Managua, Nicaragua, this past December, had welcomed the Holy See's interest in participating in SICA as an extra-regional observer owing to the contribution that the Holy See and the Catholic Church offer to development in the social, cultural, and educational sectors as well as those of human rights and democratic security.

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father received in audience six prelates from the Calabria region of the Italian Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:

- Archbishop Vittorio Luigi Mondello of Reggio Calabria-Bova,

- Archbishop Santo Marciano of Rossano-Cariati,

- Bishop Luigi Renzo of Mileto-Nicotera-Tropea,

- Bishop Giuseppe Fiorini Morosini, O.M., of Locri-Gerace,

- Bishop Nunzio Galantino of Cassano all’Jonio, and

- Bishop Francesco Milito of Oppido Mamertina-Palmi.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Francesco Gioia, O.F.M. Cap., as president of the "Peregrinatio ad Petri Sedem" (Pilgrimage to the See of Peter) for the next three years. Archbishop Gioia, emeritus of Camerino-San Severino Marche, Italy, is also the pontifical delegate to the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy.

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

News Vatican Information Service 01/22/2013

SUMMARY:

- POPE RECEIVES GENERAL SECRETARY OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM

- CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VATICAN COUNCIL II AND CODE OF CANON LAW

- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

______________________________________

POPE RECEIVES GENERAL SECRETARY OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM

Vatican City, 22 January, 2013 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father received in audience the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, His Excellency Nguyen Phu Trong. Following the audience with the Pope, First Secretary Trong and his entourage then went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

This is the first time that a general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam has met with the Supreme Pontiff and other administrators of the Secretariat of State. During the course of cordial discussions, topics of interest to Vietnam and the Holy See were covered, expressing the hope that some pending situations may be resolved and that the existing fruitful cooperation may be strengthened.

CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VATICAN COUNCIL II AND CODE OF CANON LAW

Vatican City, 22 January, 2013 (VIS) – This morning in the Press Office of the Holy See, the schedule for the Study Day “The Code: A Reform Desired and Requested by the Council” (25 January, Pius X Hall, Rome) marking the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law was presented. The study day has been organized by the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and the International Institute of Canon Law and Comparative Studies of Religion in Lugano, Switzerland and is sponsored by the Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) Vatican Foundation and the John Paul II Foundation. Participating in the conference were Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of that dicastery, and Msgr. Giuseppe Antonio Scotti, president of the Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) Vatican Foundation.

Cardinal Coccopalmerio began his address with the recollection that Blessed John XXIII, in his speech convening Vatican Council II in 1959, explained that the Council’s legal scope was to bring about the awaited revision of the 1917 Code. “In his broad perspective, the Pope saw clearly that the revision of the Code had to be guided by the new ecclesiology that emerged from an ecumenical and a global summit such as the Council.” Blessed John Paul II, under whose pontificate the Code was promulgated, also repeated that “the council’s ecclesiological structure clearly required a renewed formulation of its laws”.

“As John Paul II emphasized at the beginning of the Apostolic Constitution ‘Sacrae disciplinae leges’, the reason for the close relationship between Vatican Council II and the Code of Canon Law was that the 1983 Code was the culmination of Vatican II … in two ways: on the one hand, it embraces the Council, solemnly reproposing fundamental institutions and major innovations and, on the other, establishing positive norms for implementing the Council.”

The president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts then cited various examples of the strong bond between Vatican Council II and the Code of Canon Law.

The first is the “doctrine regarding the episcopate and the relationship between the episcopate and the primate, that is, episcopal collegiality. This is not entirely new doctrine in the deep consciousness of the Church but rather a happy discovery. The Code firstly, in canons 330–341, represents this clearly, and secondly, in canons 342–348, accompanies it with the positive view that constitutes the structure of the Synod of Bishops, allowing effective implementation of the structure of episcopal collegiality.”

A second example is the “Council’s teaching on the laity and therefore on the appropriate and active mission of the lay faithful in the life of the Church. Once again, this is not absolutely new but more a rediscovery … through a series of regulations … regarding the diocesan pastoral council or … the parochial pastoral council. They are structures that allow the faithful laity to effectively participate in the pastoral decisions of the bishop or the pastor. This innovation is also the eloquent voice of the faithful relationship between Council and Code.”

“A third example may come from the conception of the parish as presented by the Council and implemented by the Code. Ultimately, the Council conceives of the parish as a community of believers, not as a structure or a territory. This represents an important innovation with respect to the previous point of view. The Code receives this concept, particularly in canon 515, and sanctions it with the positive regulations of the following canons.”

A final example of doctrine and innovation provided by the Council in the area of ecumenism “resides in the conciliar documents ‘Lumen gentium’, ‘Orientalium Ecclesiarum’, and ‘Unitatis redintegratio’, which show the doctrine of ecclesial communion as still imperfect yet real and existent between the Catholic Church and other Churches or non-Catholic communities. This is also a fact of incalculable value and scope already found in the Council and then later in the Code (cf. canon 844), with the possibility of welcoming non-Catholic Christians, even if under specific conditions, into the sacraments of the Catholic Church.

“In conclusion,” finished the cardinal, “we can affirm that the happy union between Vatican Council II and the Code of Canon Law has produced fruits of renewal in the life of the Church in many areas and on many levels.”

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 22 January 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Daniel Jodoin as bishop of Bathurst (area 18,770, population 113,900, Catholics 103,700, priests 47, religious 166), Canada. The bishop-elect was born in 1957 in Granby, Quebec, Canada, was a novice of the Verbites, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1992, having completed his formation at the seminary of Sherbrooke, Canada. He holds a licentiate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Since his ordination he has served in several pastoral and administrative roles, most recently as pastor of Bon-Pasteur parish in Sherbrooke, director of the Office for the Clergy, and coordinator of the Sherbrooke Seminary.

- Msgr. Gerardo Antonazzo as bishop of Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo (area 1,426, population 155,900, Catholics 152,900, priests 103, religious 187, permanent deacons 16), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Supersano, Puglia, Italy in 1956 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1981, having completed his formation at the Major Seminary of Rome, Italy. He holds a licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He has served in several pastoral, administrative, and academic roles, most recently as rector of the Basilica-Sanctuary Santa Maria de finibus terrae in Leuca, Italy and diocesan administrator of Ugento-Santa Maria di Leuca. He was named a chaplain of His Holiness in 2007.

- Msgr. Dario Edoardo Vigano as director of Vatican Television and secretary of the Administrative Council of that same agency. Msgr. Vigano teaches in the “Redemptor hominis” Pastoral Institute of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, Italy.

- Mr. Angelo Scelzo as vice director of the Holy See Press Office for the accreditation of journalists. Mr. Scelzo was previously undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communication.

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

News Vatican Information Service 01/19-21/2013

SUMMARY:

- PRESENTATION OF LAMBS FOR FEAST OF ST. AGNES

- MASS FOR WORLD DAY FOR CONSECRATED LIFE

- POPE PRAYS FOR PEACE AND HALT TO KILLING OF UNARMED CIVILIANS

- CHARITY, CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY, AND NEW GLOBAL ETHICS

- POPE CONGRATULATES NEW PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA OF THE COPTS

- AUDIENCES

- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

______________________________________

PRESENTATION OF LAMBS FOR FEAST OF ST. AGNES

Vatican City, 21 January 2013 (VIS) - This morning in the Urban VIII Chapel of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, the Pope was presented with two lambs that had been blessed earlier in the morning for today's feast of St. Agnes. The blessing took place in the basilica on Rome's Via Nomentana which bears the saint's name and where she is buried. The lamb's wool will be used to make the palliums that will be bestowed on the new metropolitan archbishops on 29 June, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles.

The pallium, a white woollen band embroidered with six black silk crosses, is a sign of honour and liturgical jurisdiction that is worn by the Pope and by metropolitan archbishops in their churches and those of their provinces. The Trappist Fathers of the Abbey of the Three Fountains in Rome raise the lambs, the symbolic animal of St. Agnes who was martyred in Rome around the year 305. The sisters of St. Cecilia will make the palliums from the newly-shorn wool of the lambs.

MASS FOR WORLD DAY FOR CONSECRATED LIFE

Vatican City, 21 January 2013 (VIS) – Next Saturday, 2 February, at 5:30pm in the Vatican Basilica, Benedict XVI will celebrate Holy Mass on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, marking the World Day for Consecrated Life.

Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, will concelebrate with the Holy Father, along with the sub-secretary of that dicastery and all those who have been invited by the Congregation. Members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life are especially invited to participate in the Mass.

POPE PRAYS FOR PEACE AND HALT TO KILLING OF UNARMED CIVILIANS

Vatican City, 20 January 2013 (VIS) – Jesus' first miracle, turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, was the Pope's subject of reflection before praying the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square this afternoon.

The Holy Father recalled that, at a wedding that Jesus and Mary had been invited to, there was not enough wine for the guests. Mary informed her son of the situation but he answered her that his hour had not yet come. In the end, however, he agrees to his mother's request and, after making the servers fill six jars with water, transformed it into the best wine of the banquet. "With this sign Jesus publicly reveals his glory, inspiring the faith of his disciples … and revealing himself as the messianic Bridegroom, come to establish the new and everlasting covenant with his people". In this story, "the wine is a symbol of joy and love, but it also alludes to the blood that Jesus will shed in the end, to seal his nuptial pact with humanity."

"The Church," Benedict XVI continued, "is the bride of Christ, made holy and beautiful through his grace. Nevertheless, this bride, formed by human beings, is always in need of purification. One of the most serious sins that disfigure the face of the Church is the one against her visible unity, particularly the historical divisions that have separated Christians and that still have not been overcome. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is taking place in these days, a very welcome time for believers and communities, which awakens the desire for and spiritual commitment to achieving full communion."

The theme of this year's Week is "What does the Lord require of us?". It was proposed by some Christian communities in India who "invite us to walk with decision toward the visible union between all Christians and to overcome, as brothers and sisters in Christ, all kinds of unjust discrimination."

"To the prayer for unity among Christians," the pontiff concluded, "I would like to add once more, a prayer for peace so that in, all the various ongoing conflicts, the slaughter of unarmed civilians might stop, that there may be an end to all violence, and that the value of dialogue and negotiation may be found."

CHARITY, CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY, AND NEW GLOBAL ETHICS

Vatican City, 19 January 2013 (VIS) – This morning Benedict XVI received participants in the plenary session of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum including the council's president, Cardinal Robert Sarah. The theme of this year's meeting is “Charity, Christian Anthropology, and Global Ethics". Following are ample excerpts from the address given by the Holy Father.

"All of Christian ethics receives its meaning from faith as an 'encounter' with Christ's love, which offers a new horizon and a decisive orientation to life. … Trusting obedience to the Gospel gives charity its typically Christian expression and constitutes its principle of discernment. Christians, especially those who work for charitable organizations, should be guided by the principles of the faith in which we can abide by 'God's point of view', by His plan for us. This new view of the world and of humanity that faith offers provides the proper criteria for evaluating charitable expressions in the current situation."

"In every age that humanity did not seek God's plan it became the victim of cultural temptations that wound up enslaving it. In recent centuries, the ideologies that celebrated a cult of nationality, of race, or of social class have proven to be idolatries. The same can be said of unbridled capitalism with its cult of profit, which has resulted in crises, inequality, and poverty. More and more today, we share a common feeling regarding the inalienable dignity of every human being and the reciprocal and interdependent responsibility toward one another and therefore to the benefit of true civilization, a civilization of love."

"On the other hand, unfortunately, our time knows shadows that obscure God's plan. I'm referring particularly to that tragic anthropological reduction that reproposes an ancient hedonistic materialism, to which, however, is added a 'technological Promethanism'. From the union between a materialistic view of humanity and the great development in technology emerges an anthropology that is atheistic at heart. It presupposes that human beings are reduced to autonomous functions: the mind to the brain, human history to a destiny of self-realization. All of this disregards God, disregards our properly spiritual dimension and our more-than-earthly horizon."

"From the perspective of a humanity deprived of its soul and therefore deprived of a personal relationship with the Creator, what is technologically possible becomes morally licit, every experiment is acceptable, every population policy is permitted, every manipulation is legitimized. The most dangerous pitfall of this line of thought is, in fact, humanity's absolutization: human beings want to be 'ab-solutus', released from every tie and every natural constitution."

“Faith and healthy Christian discernment lead us, therefore, to pay prophetic attention to this ethical problematic and to the mentality underlying it. The proper collaboration with international bodies in the areas of human development and promotion shouldn’t close our eyes to these serious ideologies. The pastors of the Church … have the duty of warning faithful Catholics, as well as every person of good will and right reason, against these tendencies.”

“It is, in fact, a negative tendency for humanity, even if disguised with good intentions, as a teaching of alleged progress, or alleged rights, or an alleged humanism. In the face of this anthropological reduction, what duty falls to each Christian, and particularly to you, who are engaged in charitable activity and thus have a direct relationship with many other social actors? Certainly we must exercise a critical vigilance and at times refuse funding and collaborations that, directly or indirectly, favour actions or projects that are at odds with Christian anthropology.”

“Positively, however, the Church has always been committed to promoting humanity according to God’s plan, in its full dignity, in respect of its both vertical and horizontal dimension. This is also what ecclesial organizations work to develop. The Christian vision of humanity, in fact, is a great ‘yes’ to the dignity of the person, who is called to an intimate communion with God, a filial, humble, and confident communion. The human being is neither an isolated individual nor an anonymous element of a collective but rather a singular and unique person, intrinsically ordered to relationship and socialness. The Church, therefore, reaffirms its great ‘yes’ to the dignity and beauty of marriage as the expression of faithful and fruitful covenant between a man and a woman, and its ‘no’ to philosophies such as gender philosophies is based on the fact that the reciprocity between male and female is an expression of the beauty of nature willed by the Creator.”

"Faced with these critical challenges, we know that the answer is the encounter with Christ. In Him, human beings can fully realize their personal good and the common good."

POPE CONGRATULATES NEW PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA OF THE COPTS

Vatican City, 21 January 2013 (VIS) – The Holy Father has written a message to the new Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, His Beatitude Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak, in which he writes that his election to the patriarchal throne is "an important event for the entire Church". In the same letter he grants the "Ecclesiastica Communio", "in conformity with the custom and the desire of the Catholic Church".

"I am sure," continues the pontiff, "that, with the power of Christ, victor over evil and death by His resurrection, and with the cooperation of the fathers of your patriarchal synod, in communion with the college of bishops, you will have the courage to guide the Coptic Church. … May the Lord help you in your ministry as 'Father and Head', to proclaim the Word of God, so that it may be lived and celebrated with piety according to the ancient spiritual and liturgical traditions of the Coptic Church and may all the faithful find comfort in the paternal care of their new patriarch."

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 21 January 2013 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, and

six prelates from the Calabria region of the Italian Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:

- Archbishop Salvatore Nunnari of Cosenza-Bisignano,

- Archbishop Domenico Graziani of Crotone-Santa Severina,

- Archbishop Vincenzo Bertolone, S.d.P., of Catanzaro-Squillace,

- Bishop Luigi Antonio Cantafora of Lamezia Terme,

- Bishop Leonardo Antonio Paolo Bonanno of San Marco Argentano-Scalea, and

- Bishop Donato Oliverio of Lungro of the Italo-Albanians of continental Italy.

On Saturday, 19 January, the Holy Father received Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops in audience.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 19 January 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- elevated the apostolic exarchate for Ukrainian faithful of the Byzantine rite resident in France, to the rank of eparchy with the title "Saint Wladimir-Le-Grand de Paris des Byzantins-Ukrainiens". He appointed Bishop Borys Andrij Gudziak, previously apostolic exarch of France (Ukrainian) and titular of Carcabia, as first bishop of the new eparchy. Bishop Gudziak was born in 1960 in Syracuse, New York, USA, was ordained to the priesthood in 1998, and received episcopal ordination in 2012.

- appointed Msgr. Piotr Sawczuk as auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Siedlce (area 11,440, population 736,800, Catholics 725,800, priests 666, religious 385), Poland. The bishop-elect was born in 1962 in Puczyce, Poland and was ordained a priest in 1987. Bishop-elect Sawczuk, previously vicar general and chancellor of the curia of that same diocese, was assigned the titular see of Ottana.

- appointed Bishop Mathieu Madega Lebouakehan as bishop of Mouila (area 59,035, population 124,000, Catholics 48,500, priests 16, religious 26), Gabon. Bishop Madega Lebouakehan was born in 1960 in Mbigou, Gabon, was ordained to the priesthood in 1991, and received episcopal ordination in 2000. Previously bishop of Port-Gentil, Gabon since 2003, Bishop Madega Lebouakehan was also named apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of that diocese. He succeeds Bishop Dominique Bonnet, C.S.Sp., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Moiula the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

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