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Friday, December 4, 2009

SW2S: Perspectives: V.I.S -Vatican Information Service dispatches: VISnews 091204: SUMMARY: 04 December 2009 from their service!

Area for Reference: Vatican City

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(See What We See News And Archive)

Perspectives article by Marc Aupiais

VIS is a news service officially connected with, and thereby representing: the Holy See, something its sister: L'Osservatore Romano, cannot claim to be. It (VIS) follows mainly the activities surrounding the Roman Curia and the Papacy. The Roman Curia, are a bit like the Vatican's / Church's Cabinet.

V.I.S. / VIS : Vatican Information Service: is a news service run via the Vatican’s site, it is a service: which is connected with the hierarchy of the church and the Holy See Press office: it generally covers news involving the views of important people in the church, or events involving it. See our disclaimer below!

"

SUMMARY:

- Holy See and Russia Establish Full Diplomatic Relations

- Pope Attends Sermon for Advent

- Benedict XVI Praises the Spiritual Renewal of Albania

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________

HOLY SEE AND RUSSIA ESTABLISH FULL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

VATICAN CITY, 4 DEC 2009 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique yesterday evening:

"This afternoon, 3 December 2009, His Holiness Benedict XVI received in audience Dimitri Medvedev, president of the Russian Federation. The president had previously met with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.

"During the cordial discussions pleasure was expressed on both sides at the cordial relations that currently exist between them, and it was agreed to establish full diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the Russian Federation.

"Following an exchange of opinions on the international economic and political situation - also in the light of the Encyclical "Caritas in veritate" of which the Holy Father presented the president with a copy in Russian - attention turned to the challenges currently facing security and peace. The talks then turned to cultural and social questions of mutual interest, such as the value of the family and the contribution believers make to life in Russia".

OP/AUDIENCE/PRESIDENT RUSSIA VIS 091204 (190)

POPE ATTENDS SERMON FOR ADVENT

VATICAN CITY, 4 DEC 2009 (VIS) - At 9 a.m. today, in the presence of the Holy Father and of the Pontifical Family, the first sermon for Advent was delivered in the "Redemptoris Mater" Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

In this Year for Priests the theme of the meditations - pronounced, as is customary, by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa O.F.M. Cap, preacher of the Pontifical Household - is: "Servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries".

The next two sermons will be delivered on Friday 11 and Friday 18 December.

.../ADVENT SERMONS/CANTALAMESSA VIS 091204 (100)

BENEDICT XVI PRAISES THE SPIRITUAL RENEWAL OF ALBANIA

VATICAN CITY, 4 DEC 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience His Beatitude Anastas, archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, who was accompanied by other representatives of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.

"As is well known", said the Pope in his English-language address to the group, "Illyricum received the Gospel in apostolic times. Since then, Christ's saving message has borne fruit in your country down to our own day. As the very earliest writings of your culture bear witness, through the survival of an ancient Latin baptismal formula along with a Byzantine hymn about the Lord's Resurrection, the faith of our Christian forefathers left wonderful and indelible traces in the first lines of the history, literature and arts of your people.

"Yet", he added, "the most impressive witness is surely always found in life itself. During the latter half of the past century, Christians in Albania, both Orthodox and Catholic, kept the faith alive there in spite of an extremely repressive and hostile atheistic regime; and, as is well known, many Christians paid cruelly for that faith with their lives".

The Holy Father went on: "The fall of that regime has happily given way to the reconstruction of the Catholic and Orthodox communities in Albania". In this context he praised the archbishop's missionary activity, "particularly in the reconstruction of places of worship, the formation of the clergy and the catechetical work now being done, a movement of renewal which Your Beatitude has rightly described as 'Ngjallja' (Resurrection).

"Since it acquired its freedom, the Orthodox Church of Albania has been able to participate fruitfully in the international theological dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox. Your commitment in this regard happily mirrors the fraternal relations between Catholics and Orthodox in your country and offers inspiration to the entire Albanian people, demonstrating how it is possible for fellow Christians to live in harmony.

"In this light, we would do well to emphasise the elements of faith which our Churches share: a common profession of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed; a common Baptism for the remission of sins and for incorporation into Christ and the Church; the legacy of the first ecumenical councils; the real if imperfect communion which we already share, and the common desire and collaborative efforts to build upon what already exists".

Benedict XVI then went on to mention two initiatives currently underway in Albania: the establishment of the Inter-confessional Biblical Society and the creation of the Committee for Inter-religious Relations, describing them as " timely efforts to promote mutual understanding and tangible co-operation, not only between Catholics and Orthodox, but also among Christians, Muslims and Bektashi".

Closing his remarks the Pope expressed his joy at the "spiritual renewal" of the Albanian people, and gave assurances to Archbishop Anastas that the Catholic Church "will do all she can to offer a common witness of brotherhood and peace, and to pursue with you a renewed commitment to the unity of our Churches".

AC/ALBANIA/ANASTAS VIS 091204 (500)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 4 DEC 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences eleven prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, on their "ad limina" visit:

- Archbishop Murilo Sebastiao Ramos Krieger S.C.I. of Florianopolis.

- Bishop Aloisio Alberto Dilli O.F.M. of Uruguaiana.

- Bishop Gilio Felicio of Bage.

- Bishop Irineu Gassen O.F.M. of Vacaria.

- Bishop Paulo Antonio De Conto of Montenegro.

- Bishop Antonio Carlos Rossi Keller of Frederico Westphalen.

- Bishop Liro Vendelino Meurer, auxiliary of Passo Fundo.

- Bishop Giuseppe Negri P.I.M.E. of Blumenau.

- Bishop Walmir Alberto Valle I.M.C. of Joacaba.

- Bishop Irineu Roque Scherer of Joinville.

- Bishop Manoel Joao Francisco of Chapeco.

AL/.../... VIS 091204 (120)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 4 DEC 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted:

- The resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Southwark, England, presented by Archishop Kevin John Patrick McDonald, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- The resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Nha Trang, Vietnam, presented by Bishop Paul Nguyen Van Hoa, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Vo Duc Minh.

RE/.../MCDONALD:NGUYEN:VO VIS 091204 (90)
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Thursday, December 3, 2009

SW2S: Perspectives: V.I.S -Vatican Information Service dispatches: VISnews 091203: SUMMARY: 03 December 2009 from their service!

Area for Reference: Vatican City

Reactions:

"
SUMMARY:

- Message for the World Day of the Sick 2010

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________

MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD DAY OF THE SICK 2010

VATICAN CITY, 3 DEC 2009 (VIS) - Made public today was the Pope's Message for the eighteenth World Day of the Sick, which is due to be celebrated in the Vatican Basilica on 11 February 2010, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Noting how the forthcoming Day coincides with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the foundation of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, the Holy Father expresses the hope that this fact "will be the occasion for a more generous apostolic commitment at the service of the sick and of their carers".

"In the mystery of Christ's passion, death and resurrection", writes the Pope, "human suffering finds meaning and fullness of light. ... At the Last Supper the Lord Jesus, before returning to the Father, bent to wash the Apostles' feet in a foretaste of His supreme act of love upon the Cross. With this gesture He invited His disciples to follow His own logic of a love that especially gives itself to the weakest and to those most in need. Following His example all Christians are called to relive, in different contexts, the parable of the Good Samaritan".

Jesus, says the Holy Father, "exhorts us to attend to the bodily and spiritual wounds of so many of our brothers and sisters whom we meet on the roads of the world. He helps us to understand that, with the grace of God accepted and lived in everyday life, the experience of sickness and suffering can become a school of hope".

"At the current historical-cultural time", the Message continues, "there is an increasing need for an attentive and extensive ecclesial presence alongside sick people, as well as a presence in society capable of effectively transmitting evangelical values for the protection of human life in all its phases, from conception until natural end".

The Pope expresses his heartfelt thanks "to the people who daily 'serve the sick and suffering' ensuring that 'that their apostolate of mercy may ever more effectively respond to people’s needs'".

In the current Year for Priests, Benedict XVI also addresses the "'ministers of the sick', sign and instrument of Christ's compassion which must reach everyone who suffers". In this context he invites clergy "to show no reserve in offering help and comfort. Time spent alongside the suffering is rich in grace for all other dimensions of pastoral care.

"Finally," he adds in conclusion, "I address you, dear sick people, and I ask you to pray and to offer your suffering for priests, that they may remain faithful to their vocation and that their ministry may be rich in spiritual fruits for the benefit of the entire Church".

MESS/WORLD DAY OF SICK/... VIS 091203 (460)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 3 DEC 2009 (VIS) - This evening the Holy Father is scheduled to receive in audience Dimitrij Anatolievic Medvedev, president of the Russian Federation, accompanied by an entourage.

AP/.../... VIS 091203 (40)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 3 DEC 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Joseph Atanga S.J. of Bafoussam, Cameroon, as archbishop of Bertoua (area 26,320, population 327,550, Catholics 122,655, priests 56, religious 97), Cameroon. The archbishop-elect was born in Akok-Bekoe, Cameroon in 1952 he was ordained a priest in 1987 and consecrated a bishop in 1999. He succeeds Archbishop Roger Pirenne C.I.C.M., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Sosthene Leopold Bayemi Matjei of the clergy of Eseka, Cameroon, professor of philosophy at the University of Central Africa in Yaounde and collaborator of the apostolic nunciature to Cameroon, as bishop of Obala (area 14,849, population 713,842, Catholics 407,865, priests 91, religious 80), Cameroon. The bishop-elect was born in Matomb, Cameroon in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1994. He succeeds Bishop Jerome Owono-Mimboe, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Faustin Ambassa Ndjodo C.I.C.M., provincial superior of the Scheut Fathers and president of the conference of superiors major of Cameroon and of that of Africa and Madagascar, as bishop of Batouri (area 15,981, population 205,000, Catholics 47,000, priests 27, religious 44), Cameroon. The bishop-elect was born in Ekouda, Cameroon in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1997.

- Appointed Fr. Gines Ramon Garcia Beltran, canon of the cathedral of Almeria, Spain, as bishop of Guadix (area 5,677, population 109,982, Catholics 107,000, priests 66, religious 131), Spain. The bishop-elect was born in Lora, Spain in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1985. He succeeds Bishop Juan Garcia-Santacruz Ortiz, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Barthelemy Adoukonou of the clergy of the diocese of Abomey, Benin, secretary general of the "Conference Episcopale Regionale de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Francophone" (CERAO) and of the Association of the Episcopal Conferences of Anglophone West Africa (AECAWA), and consultor of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, as secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

- Appointed Fr. Bernard Ardura O. Praem., secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, as president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences.

NER:RE:NA/.../... VIS 091203 (390)
"

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

SW2S: Perspectives: V.I.S -Vatican Information Service dispatches: VISnews 091202: SUMMARY: 02 December 2009 from their service!

Area for Reference: Vatican City

Reactions:

"
SUMMARY:

- William of St. Thierry: Cantor of Love

- Twenty-Fifth Anniversary "Reconciliatio et Paenitentia"

- Other Pontifical Acts

- In Memoriam

___________________________________________________________

WILLIAM OF ST. THIERRY: CANTOR OF LOVE

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2009 (VIS) - William of St. Thierry was the subject of the Holy Father's catechesis during his general audience, celebrated this morning in St. Peter's Square.

William, a friend and admirer of Bernard of Clairvaux, was born in Liege between the years 1075 and 1080. A member of a noble family, he was educated in the most famous schools of the time and later entered the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Nicaise in Reims. He subsequently became abbot of the monastery of Saint-Thierry where, however, he was unable to reform the community as he wished and abandoned the Benedictines to enter the Cistercian abbey of Signy. There he wrote a number of important works of monastic theology.

"De natura et dignitate amoris" (The nature and the dignity of love) contains, the Pope explained, one of William's fundamental ideas, which also holds true for us today: "The principal force that moves the human soul is love. ... The truth is that only one task is entrusted to each human being: learning to love sincerely, authentically and freely. But only at the school of God can this task be achieved and can man attain the end for which he was created".

"Learning to love is a long and arduous path", said the Holy Father. "In this journey people must impose an effective asceticism upon themselves ... in order to eliminate any disordered affections ... and unify their lives with God - source, goal and power of love - until reaching the summit of spiritual life, which William defined as 'wisdom'. At the end of this ascetic itinerary, we experience great serenity and sweetness".

William likewise attributes considerable importance "to the emotional dimension" because "our heart is made of flesh and when we love God, Who is Love, how can we not express our human feelings in this relationship with the Lord? ... The Lord Himself, becoming man, chose to love us with a heart of flesh".

For this Cistercian monk, love "illuminates the mind and enables a better and more profound understanding of God and, in God, of people and events". Love "produces attraction and communion to the point of effecting a transformation, an assimilation, between the lover and the loved. ... And this holds true, above all, for knowledge of God and of His mysteries, which surpass our mind's capacity to understand. God is known if he is loved", Benedict XVI affirmed.

He concluded by quoting from the "Epistola aurea" addressed to the Cistercians of Mont-Dieu, a summary of William of St. Thierry's ideas on the subject of love: "The image of God present in man impels him towards resemblance; that is, towards an ever fuller identification between his will and the divine will. This perfection, which William calls 'unity of spirit', cannot be achieved through individual effort, ... but by the action of the Holy Spirit which ... purifies and ... transforms into charity all the desire for love present in the human being. ...In this way ... man becomes by grace what God is by nature".

AG/WILLIAM OF ST. THIERRY/... VIS 091202 (520)

TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY "RECONCILIATIO ET PAENITENTIA"

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2009 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, the Pope recalled the fact that today marks twenty-five years since the promulgation of John Paul II's Apostolic Exhortation "Reconciliatio et paenitentia" which, said Pope Benedict, "drew attention to the importance of the Sacrament of Penance in the life of the Church.

"On this important anniversary", he added, "I wish to mention some outstanding figures of 'apostles of the confessional', tireless dispensers of divine mercy such as St. John Mary Vianney, St. Joseph Cafasso, St. Leopold Mandic and St. Pio of Pietrelcina.

"May their witness of faith and charity encourage you, dear young people, to shun sin and to plan your future as a generous service to God and mankind. May it help you, dear sick people, to experience the mercy of the crucified Christ in your suffering. May it stimulate you, dear newlyweds, to create a family in an abiding climate of faith and mutual understanding.

Finally, may the example of these saints, assiduous and faithful ministers of divine forgiveness be for clergy - and especially in the current Year for Priests - and for all Christians an invitation always to trust in the goodness of God, faithfully practicing and celebrating the Sacrament of Penance".

AG/CONFESSION/... VIS 091202 (220)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Camilo Fernando Castrellon Pizano S.D.B. of Tibu, Colombia, as bishop of Barrancabermeja (area 15,000, population 556,000, Catholics 400,000, priests 69, permanent deacons 1, religious 59), Colombia.

- Msgr. Petar Rajic, nunciature counsellor, as apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, and as apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Toronto, Canada in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1987.

NER/.../CASTRELLON VIS 091202 (90)

IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC 2009 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

- Bishop Martino Gomiero, emeritus of Adria - Rovigo, Italy, on 20 November at the age of 84.

- Bishop Ambrose Mathalaimuthu, emeritus of Coimbatore, India, on 15 November at the age of 84.

.../DEATHS/... VIS 091202 (50)
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

SW2S: Perspectives: V.I.S -Vatican Information Service dispatches: VISnews 091201: SUMMARY: 01 December 2009 from their service!

Area for Reference: Vatican City

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"

SUMMARY:

- Papal Mass with International Theological Commission

- Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for December

- America: Inculturation and Formation of the Laity

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PAPAL MASS WITH INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGICAL COMMISSION

VATICAN CITY, 1 DEC 2009 (VIS) - Early this morning Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in the Pauline Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, with members of the International Theological Commission.

In his homily the Pope described the figure of the true theologian, who does not succumb to the temptation of using the measure of his own intelligence to fathom the mystery of God. In the study of Holy Scripture over the last two hundred years, he said, "there have been great specialists and ... masters of the faith who have penetrated into the details ... of the history of salvation. But they were unable to see the mystery in itself, the central nucleus: that Christ truly was the Son of God".

Yet the history of the Church, the Holy Father went on, contains a long list of men and women who were capable of humility and of reaching the truth. Among these he mentioned St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Damian de Veuster, "little people who were also wise", models from which to draw inspiration because "they were touched in the depths of their heart".

"Following His Resurrection the Lord touched the heart of Saul on the road to Damascus", the Pope concluded, "Saul, who was one of the wise who could not see. ... He became blind and thus truly came to see. The great man becomes a small man and so sees the ... wisdom of God, ... which is greater than all human wisdom".

.../MASS/ITC VIS 091201 (260)

BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR DECEMBER

VATICAN CITY, 1 DEC 2009 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for December is: "That children may be respected and loved and never be the victims of exploitation in its various forms".

His mission intention is: "That at Christmas the peoples of the earth may recognise in the Word Incarnate the light which illuminates every man, and that the nations may open their doors to Christ, the Saviour of the world".

BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/DECEMBER/... VIS 091201 (80)

AMERICA: INCULTURATION AND FORMATION OF THE LAITY

VATICAN CITY, 1 DEC 2009 (VIS) - A communique concerning the fourteenth meeting of the Special Assembly for America of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops was published yesterday afternoon. The meeting took place on 17 and 18 November this year, while the Synod for America was held in the Vatican in 1997.

The meeting - presided by Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops - was attended by four cardinals and six archbishops and bishops. They examined the ecclesial and social situation on the American continent, and the inculturation of the Good News there.

The communique explains that "the process of inculturation depends to a large extent on a balanced education in the faith. This task particularly falls to families, schools and Catholic universities and, especially urgently today, to the media which, if used correctly and competently, are a vehicle of extraordinary pastoral effectiveness".

The cardinals and bishops likewise express their concern over "drug trafficking, the recycling of illicit profits, corruption, violence, the arms race, racial discrimination, foreign debt, inequality between social groups and the thoughtless destruction of nature".

On the subject of corruption, the communique explains that "the Church supports the efforts being made by the civil authorities to defeat it, or at least limit its extent. For her part, the Church is ready to make an effective contribution to eradicate this evil from civil society through the education of the faithful and through a greater presence of qualified lay Christians who - by virtue of their family, school and parish education - promote the practice of such values as truth, honesty, hard work and the service of the common good".

Another subject of concern is "the ease with which arms are able to circulate". In this context the communique calls for the particular Churches in America "to raise a prophetic voice denouncing rearmament and the scandalous trade in the materials of war, which absorb huge sums of money that should, in fact, be used for combating poverty and promoting development".

The communique also mentions migration, "which particularly affects many people and families from Latin American States, who have moved to the northern regions of the continent".

"One promising initiative is the great continental mission, currently underway in the countries of Latin America with the aim of promoting new evangelisation. Other signs of hope include the Church's pastoral initiatives, her human promotion, and her solidarity with the poor and the marginalised".

"On the basis of the Gospel, it is necessary to promote a culture of solidarity that stimulates appropriate initiatives in support of the poor and marginalised, especially refugees", say the prelates in their communique.

The text concludes by announcing that the fifteenth meeting of the Special Assembly for America of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops will be held on 16 and 17 November 2010.

SE/MEETING SYNOD AMERICA/ETEROVIC VIS 091201 (490)
"

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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Italy: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may lose Catholic Vote!- Bloomberg

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(See What We See News and Archive; Bloomberg (Secular; Independent; American) 29 / 10 | October / 2009)

According to Bloomberg:

"Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may face the biggest challenge from Catholic voters since he entered politics in 1994 as his sex scandals alienate some values voters and opposition Catholic leaders unite.

“The Catholic vote had been dispersed, but it could carry more weight if they all get back together,” Antonio Noto, director of Rome-based IPR Marketing, said in a phone interview.

The Christian Democrats dominated politics in a country where more than 95 percent of the population is Roman Catholic until a corruption scandal led to its dissolution in 1992. The remnants of that party are now attracting other Catholic opposition politicians and values voters who are abandoning Berlusconi after a series of sex scandals."
(Bloomberg (Secular; Independent; American) 29 / 10 | October / 2009

The Italian Prime Minister's anti-abortion, anti-euthanasia stance has previously gained him Catholic support, but he has been accused by some of causing women to be treated more like objects in Italian society, and sex scandals, and an attack on an influential Catholic editor, the previous editor of the Italian Bishops' conference's l'Avvenire, by a paper, owned by his family, have not helped relations with the church.

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Friday, October 23, 2009

SW2S: Perspectives: V.I.S -Vatican Information Service dispatches: VISnews 091022: SUMMARY: 22 October 2009 from their service!

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"

SUMMARY:

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 22 OCT 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

- Archbishop Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, accompanied by Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, secretary of the same council.

- Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care.

- Archbishop Vincenzo Pelvi, military ordinary for Italy.

AP/.../... VIS 091022 (80)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 22 OCT 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Budjala, Democratic Republic of Congo, presented by Bishop Joseph Bolangi Egwanga Ediba Tasame, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Philibert Tembo Nlandu.

- Appointed Msgr. Jean Laffitte, vice president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, as secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of bishop. The bishop-elect was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1989.

- Appointed Fr. Mario Toso S.D.B., consultor of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, as secretary of the same council, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of bishop. The bishop-elect was born in Mogliano Veneto, Italy in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1978.

RE:NA/.../... VIS 091022 (160)
"

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SW2S: Perspectives: V.I.S -Vatican Information Service dispatches: VISnews 091021: SUMMARY: 21 October 2009 from their service!

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SUMMARY OF SYNOD OF BISHOPS:

- Synod Fathers Meet in Language Groups

OTHER NEWS:

- Bernard of Clairvaux, Last of the Church Fathers

- Audiences

- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________

SYNOD FATHERS MEET IN LANGUAGE GROUPS

VATICAN CITY, 21 OCT 2009 (VIS) - This morning, the Synod Fathers who are currently participating in the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops met in language groups to prepare and examine the collective amendments to the propositions.

The next General Congregation will be held on Friday 23 October, during which the presentation and vote on the final message of the Synod is scheduled to take place.

SE/LANGUAGE GROUPS/... VIS 091021 (80)

BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, LAST OF THE CHURCH FATHERS

VATICAN CITY, 21 OCT 2009 (VIS) - In the catechesis he delivered during his general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father turned his attention to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), known as the last of the Church Fathers "because in the twelfth century he renewed and updated the great theology of the Fathers".

Born in Fontaines, France, Bernard entered the monastery of Citeaux at the age of twenty. In 1115 he was sent by St. Stephen Harding, third abbot of Citeaux, to found a new monastery at Clairvaux where Bernard himself became abbot. At Clairvaux the saint "insisted on the importance of a sober and restrained lifestyle, in food, in clothing and in the structures of the monastery, at the same time encouraging support and assistance for the poor", the Holy Father explained.

From Clairvaux, where the community grew steadily, Bernard corresponded regularly and often with people of all kinds, and wrote a large number of sermons and treatises. As of 1130 he also concerned himself with serious questions affecting the Holy See and the Church. With his writings he combated the heresy of the Cathars who, by spurning matter and the human body, also spurned the Creator. Likewise, he "defended the Jews, condemning the ever more widespread outbreaks of anti-Semitism".

The two central aspects of the saint's doctrine concern Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. He "did not introduce novelties to the academic discipline of theology but, with great decisiveness, likened the theologian to the contemplative and the mystic", in the belief that "true knowledge of God consists in a personal and profound experience of Jesus Christ and His love.

"This", the Pope added, "applies to all Christians. Faith is first and foremost an individual and intimate encounter with Jesus, it means experiencing His closeness, His friendship, His love". Thus Bernard was in no doubt that "through Mary we are led to Jesus", and he clearly demonstrated "the privileged place of the Virgin in the economy of salvation, thanks to her entirely unique participation in the sacrifice of her Son".

Even today St. Bernard's ideas "stimulate not only theologians but all believers. At times we think we can resolve the fundamental questions about God, mankind and the world using only the power of reason. St. Bernard however, solidly rooted in the Bible and the Fathers of the Church, reminds us that without a profound faith in God, nourished by prayer and contemplation, ... our reflections upon the divine mysteries risk becoming a vain intellectual exercise and lose their credibility".

Benedict XVI concluded: "Theology defers to the 'science of the saints' - to their intuition concerning the mysteries of the living God, to their wisdom (a gift of the Holy Spirit) - who become a point of reference for theological thought. ... In the end, the most authentic figure of theologian and of evangeliser remains that of St. John, who placed his head against the Master's heart".

AG/BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX/... VIS 091021 (510)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 21 OCT 2009 (VIS) - Following this morning's general audience, the Holy Father received Nasser Judeh, foreign minister of Jordan.

AP/.../... VIS 091021 (30)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 21 OCT 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, secretary of the Congregation for Bishops, also as secretary of the College of Cardinals.

- Appointed Fr. Otacilio Luziano da Silva of the clergy of the diocese of Assis, Brazil, rector of the "Sagrado Coracao de Jesus" provincial seminary of Marilia, as bishop of Catanduva (area 4,601, population 282,000, Catholics 218,000, priests 41, religious 31), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Maracai, Brazil in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1987. He succeeds Bishop Antonio Celso Queiroz, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

NA/.../MONTEIRO:DA SILVA:QUEIROZ VIS 091021 (120)
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