Vatican Information Blog UK

Other Pontifical Acts

2009-07-23T14:00:00.001+01:00

Fr. Theodorus van Ruijven C.M., apostolic prefect of Jimma-Bonga, Ethiopia, and apostolic administrator of Nekemte, Ethiopia, as apostolic vicar of Nekemte (area 98,972, population 6,501,000, Catholics 45,000, priests 32, religious 48). The bishop-elect was born in Rijswijk, Holland in 1938 and ordained a priest in 1964. - Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, apostolic nuncio to Angola and to Sao Tome e Principe, as apostolic nuncio to Cuba.

POPE TO PRESIDE AT VESPERS IN THE CATHEDRAL OF AOSTA

2009-07-23T13:00:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow evening, Friday 24 July, Benedict XVI will preside at the celebration of Vespers in the cathedral of Aosta, Italy.

The Holy Father will cross the city centre by popemobile before moving on to the cathedral. The ceremony there is due to be attended by some 400 people including priests, religious, two lay people from each of Aosta's ninety-three parishes, and representatives from diocesan offices and ecclesial organisations.

Following Vespers of the day in Italian and in French, the Holy Father will pronounce a homily. At the end of the ceremony he will emerge onto the cathedral's balcony to bless other faithful present. On his return journey to his holiday villa at Les Combes, he will stop to greet elderly people at the old people's home of Introd.

Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., who is at Les Combes, has announced that Benedict XVI "is well and in good spirits. He is using a tape recorder to dictate his ideas as he finds it difficult to wield a pen, his right hand being in plaster because of his broken wrist".

Fr. Lombardi also indicated that the Holy Father takes two daily walks near the chalet in which he is staying, one after lunch and the other in the evening.

Yesterday the Holy Father received Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. They attended to certain pressing matters then had lunch together.

The Holy See Press Office Director also explained that Benedict XVI "makes regular phone calls to his brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger who, in a few day's time, will travel to Castelgandolfo to spend four weeks with the Pope".

Other Pontifical Acts

2009-07-22T14:00:00.000+01:00

Appointed Bishop Arlindo Gomes Furtado of Mindelo, Cape Verde, as bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde (area 1,803, population 345,000, Catholics 327,750, priests 40, religious 105), Cape Verde. He succeeds Bishop Paulino Do Livramento Evora C.S.Sp., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the prelature of Coari, Brazil, presented by Bishop Joercio Goncalves Pereira C.SS.R., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

CONGRESSES AND MEETINGS ON "CARITAS IN VERITATE"

2009-07-22T13:00:00.000+01:00

"Beyond the ideology of crisis. Development, ethics and the market in 'Caritas in veritate'" was the theme of a congress organised by the Magna Charta Foundation to study the Pope's recent Encyclical. The congress, held yesterday, 21 July, in the Roman church of Santa Marta, was attended by, among others, Archbishop-bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi of Trieste, Italy, and Maurizio Sacconi, Italian minister for social affairs and employment.

Also as part of initiatives to promote Benedict XVI's third Encyclical, at 6 p.m. this evening at the St. Pius X auditorium in Rome a meeting will be held on the theme "'Caritas in veritate', an Encyclical for understanding the future". Among those participating in the event will be Archbishop Rino Fisichella, rector of the Pontifical Lateran University and president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and Giulio Tremonti, Italian finance minister. The meeting has been organised by the Congregation of Sons of the Immaculate Conception and by the ELEA company.

Other Pontifical Acts

2009-07-21T15:00:00.000+01:00

The Holy Father appointed Bishop Jose Romero Orquejo Lazo of Kalibo, Philippines, as bishop of San Jose de Antique (area 2,552, population 552,000, Catholics 390,000, priests 40, religious 85), Philippines.

PAPAL GREETING TO TOUR DE FRANCE CYCLISTS

2009-07-21T14:00:00.000+01:00

Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. has announced that the Pope sends his greetings to cyclists participating in the Tour de France, who today are scheduled to pass near the Italian alpine town of Introd where the Holy Father is spending a holiday. "For the occasion of the passage of the Tour de France in the Valle d'Aosta, the Holy Father (who is spending some days at Les Combes near Introd) addresses his cordial greetings to all the athletes and to the organisers of the race, at the same time extending his thoughts to all sports men and women currently involved in various activities and competitions. His hope is that involvement in sport may contribute to the integral development of the person, and that it may never be separated from respect for moral and educational values".

Other Pontifical Acts

2009-07-20T15:00:00.000+01:00

Bishop Jose Manuel Lorca Planes of Teruel y Albarracin, Spain, as bishop of Cartagena (area 11,319, population 1,392,117, Catholics 1,230,910, priests 508, religious 1,052), Spain.

Msgr. Giovanni Carru, under secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy, as a member of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, at the same time making him secretary of that pontifical commission.

Fabrizio Bisconti, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, as archaeological superintendent for the catacombs.

Pope Prays the Angelus in Hometown of Cardinal Bertone

2009-07-20T14:00:00.000+01:00

This morning Benedict XVI travelled by helicopter from Les Combes in the Italian region of Valle d'Aosta, where he is spending a holiday, to Romano Canavese in the region of Piedmont, birthplace of Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. There the Pope prayed the Angelus in the main square of the town in the company of some three thousand faithful.

Before the Marian prayer the Pope greeted Cardinal Bertone whom he described as "my closest collaborator, as he was for a number of years in the past when I was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith". Benedict XVI also thanked the people who had expressed concern for his health over recent days, and mentioned the medical team of the hospital in Aosta where he underwent an operation on Friday for a fractured wrist. "As you see", he said, "because of my accident my agility is somewhat limited, yet I am fully here in heart and am filled with joy to be among you".

The Pontiff spoke of his Secretary of State's home region, its centuries-old ties with the Church of Rome and the industriousness of is inhabitants. "Yet", he went on, "I know that here too, in the area of Ivrea, many families are experiencing situations of economic hardship due to the lack of work. I have already spoken of this problem on a number of occasions and have dealt with it more profoundly in my recent Encyclical 'Caritas in veritate'".

"Do not be discouraged!" cried Pope Benedict. "Providence always helps people who work for good and are committed to justice, ... people who think not only of themselves but also of those less fortunate. You know this well because your forebears were compelled to emigrate because of a lack of work, but then economic development brought wellbeing and others have immigrated here from Italy and from abroad. The fundamental values of the family and respect for human life, sensitivity to social justice, an ability to face hardship and sacrifice, the powerful bond with Christian faith through parish life and especially through participation in Mass, have for many centuries been your true strength. These same values will allow today's generation to build their future with hope, giving life to a truly united and fraternal society in which ... institutions and the economy are permeated with evangelical spirit.

"I particularly address the young", he added. "It is important to ask what kind of culture is proposed to them, what examples and models they are presented with, and to decide if they are such as to encourage them to follow the ways of the Gospel and of true freedom. Young people are full of resources, but they must be helped to overcome the temptation to follow easy and illusory paths, and to find their way to the true and full Life".

Finally, the Pope recalled how the diocese of which Romano Canavese is part owes much "to the sons and daughters of Don Bosco, to their widespread and fruitful presence throughout the area. ... May this be a further cause of encouragement for your diocesan community to make ever greater efforts in the field of education and of stimulating vocations".

Telegram for the Death of Cardinal Margeot

2009-07-20T13:00:00.000+01:00

Made public yesterday afternoon was a telegram from the Pope to Bishop Maurice Piat C.S.Sp. of Port Louis, Mauritius, for the demise of Cardinal Jean Margeot, bishop emeritus of that diocese who died on 17 July at the age of 93.

The Holy Father expresses his "profound union in prayer with the diocese of Port-Louis, with the family of the deceased and with everyone affected by this loss. Entrusting him to the mercy of the Lord, I give thanks to God for the ministry of this zealous pastor who dedicated his entire life to the inhabitants of the Isle of Mauritius, as diocesan priest then as bishop of Port-Louis, giving the best of himself that Christ might be announced, especially through his generous commitment to serving the defence and promotion of the family.

"By the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, mother of the Church, may the Lord welcome His faithful servant into His Kingdom of peace and light. Upon you, upon the faithful of the diocese, upon the relatives of the deceased and upon everyone who gathers for the funeral liturgy," the Pope concludes, "I impart a heartfelt apostolic blessing".

Other Pontifical Acts

2009-07-18T02:00:00.000+01:00

The Holy Father appointed Fr. Adam Leszek Musialek S.C.I., pastor at Pietermaritzburg in the archdiocese of Durban, South Africa, as bishop De Aar (area 67,248, population 165,500, Catholics 5,824, priests 8, religious 27) South Africa. The bishop-elect was born in Wieruszow, Poland in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1983. He succeeds Bishop Joseph James Potocnak S.C.I., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

Meeting of "Populorum Progressio" Administrative Council

2009-07-18T01:00:00.000+01:00

The annual meeting of the administrative council of the "Populorum Progressio" Foundation is due to be held from 27 to 31 July at the Schwerte Catholic Academy in the archdiocese of Paderborn, Germany, to consider the financing of projects in support of poor indigenous mixed race and Afro-American rural communities of Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to a communique made public today, the administrative council is composed of the following members: Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico (president); Archbishop Edmundo Luis Flavio Abastoflor Montero of La Paz, Bolivia; Archbishop Alberto Taveira Correa of Palmas, Brazil; Archbishop Antonio Arregui Yarza of Guayaquil, Ecuador; Bishop Jose Luis Astigarraga Lizarralde C.P., apostolic vicar of Yurimaguas, Peru, and Msgr. Segundo Tejado Munoz, representative of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum". Also present at the meeting will be Msgr. Giovanni Battista Gandolfo, the new president of the Italian Episcopal Conference's committee for charitable initiatives in favour of the Third World, which is the main supporter of the Foundation.

"These meetings traditionally take place by rotation in the Latin American countries of origin of the members of the administrative council", explains the communique. "Having completed the round, it was decided (also with the aim of giving the Foundation's activities visibility in Europe) to hold the meeting in Germany, country of origin of Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Foundation and of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum".

After recalling how the Foundation, "with the help of contributions from benefactors all over the world, finances projects that focus on integral human formation", the communique specifies that "this year a total of 231 projects have been presented, covering 20 countries and various different sectors including: manufacturing (agricultural implements, production and marketing), healthcare, professional training, creation of community centres, school education and the construction of rural dwellings".

Among the countries that have presented the greatest number of projects are Colombia (52), Brazil (45), Peru (32) and Ecuador (17). They are followed by Bolivia (12), El Salvador (12), Haiti (11), Mexico (9), Guatemala (7), Argentina (6), Chile (6), Costa Rica (5), Nicaragua (3), Dominican Republic (3), Venezuela (3), Cuba (2), Honduras (2), Paraguay (2), Panama (1) and Uruguay (1).

Pope Successfully Operated for Wrist Fracture

2009-07-18T00:00:00.000+01:00

This morning Benedict XVI underwent surgery at the Umberto Parini hospital in the Italian town of Aosta for a fracture to his right wrist. He had suffered a fall last night in his chalet at Les Combes in Valle d'Aosta where he is spending a brief holiday.

The Holy Father arrived at the hospital at 9:45 a.m. this morning. "Even so", declared Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi, "he celebrated Mass and had breakfast early this morning".

Later the Pope "underwent an operation to realign the fractured fragments and fasten them through osteosynthesis, using a local anaesthetic then applying a cast. The Holy Father's general condition is good" added the Pope's doctor Patrizio Polisca, specifying that "the Pope will return shortly to his residence".