By the Instruction of 23 February 1967, the Congregation for the Doctrine of   
   the Faith, on behalf of Blessed Pope Paul VI, had asked the Episcopal   
   Conferences to institute an internal Doctrinal Commission, as a advisory organ   
   for the same Episcopal Conferences and for the individual bishops in their   
   concern for matters of doctrine of the faith.   
    To strengthen collaboration between the Congregation for the Doctrine of the   
   Faith and the Doctrinal Commissions, in 1982 it was decided to periodically   
   gather together the presidents of the aforementioned Commissions at a   
   continental level. One of the original characteristics of these meetings was   
   the fact that the superiors of the Congregation travel to the various   
   continents, thus underlining the importance of local and regional issues and   
   their responsibility in facing doctrinal questions. The first of these   
   meetings, during the prefecture of the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, took   
   place in Latin America, in Bogota, (1984); it was followed by meetings in   
   Kinshasa, Africa (1987); Vienna, Europa (1989); Hong Kong, Asia (1993);   
   Guadalajara, Latin America (1996); and San Francisco, North America (1999).   
   During the prefecture of Cardinal William Levada another encounter took place   
   in Dar es Salaam (2009).   
    Now, Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and president of   
   the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE), has accepted the   
   request made by Cardinal Gerhard L. Muller, prefect of the Congregation for   
   the Doctrine of the Faith for a new meeting with the presidents of the   
   European Doctrinal Commissions in Esztergom. Such an encounter demonstrates   
   the will on the part of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to   
   support the local episcopates - as Pope Francis emphasises - in their   
   commitment to the promotion and protection of the doctrine of the faith,   
   taking into consideration the specific challenges to be faced in Europe today.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Note on security in the Vatican   
    Vatican City, 12 January 2014 (VIS) - The director of the Holy See Press   
   Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., gave the following declaration to   
   journalists today:   
    "Contrary to the claims made by some organs of the media, the Holy See has   
   not been informed of specific risks by the security services of other   
   Countries.   
    The Holy See maintains its usual, appropriate contacts with the security   
   services, and in view of the current situation advises a reasonable level of   
   attention and prudence, but concrete and specific risks have not been   
   indicated.   
    There is therefore no reason to arouse concerns that may needlessly affect   
   both those who live and work in the Vatican and the many pilgrims and tourists   
   who visit on a daily basis".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 10 January 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in   
   audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for   
   Bishops.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 12 January 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:   
    - Fr. Fernand J. Cheri, O.F.M., as auxiliary of the archdiocese of New   
   Orleans (area 10,898, population 1,238,228, Catholics 520,056, priests 352,   
   permanent deacons 211, religious 664), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in New   
   Orleans in 1952, was ordained a priest in 1978 and gave his solemn vows in   
   1996. He holds a master's degree in theology from Xavier University, New   
   Orleans, and has served in a number of pastoral roles, including administrator   
   of the "St. Joseph the Worker" parish; parish priest of the "St. Francis de   
   Sales" parish, New Orleans; administrator of the "St. Theresa of the Child   
   Jesus" parish, New Orleans; chaplain and teacher at the "Hales Franciscan High   
   School", Chicago; parish priest of the "St. Vincent de Paul" parish,   
   Nashville; teacher at the Althoff Catholic High School, Belleville; director   
   of the O.F.M. Office of Friar Life, vocation minister of the O.F.M. Vocation   
   Office and deputy director of the university chaplaincy of Xavier University,   
   New Orleans. He is currently director of campus ministry at Quincy University,   
   Quincy.   
    - Msgr. Janusz Urbanczyk, nunciature counsellor at the Holy See Permanent   
   Mission at the United Nations, New York, as Holy See Permanent Representative   
   at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organisation for   
   Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Preparatory Commission for   
   the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), and as Holy   
   See Permanent Observer at the United Nations Industrial Development   
   Organisation (UNIDO) and at the United Nations in Vienna.   
    On Saturday, 10 January, the Holy Father appointed:   
    - Bishop Juan Barros Madrid, military ordinary for Chile, as bishop of Osorno   
   (area 9,236, population 241,000, Catholics 125,000, priests 204, permanent   
   deacons 23, religious 97), Chile.   
    - Msgr. Nicolo Anselmi as auxiliary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Genoa   
   (area 966, population 812,246, Catholics 690,409, priests 553, permanent   
   deacons 31, religious 1,402), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Genoa, Italy   
   in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He holds a bachelor's degree in   
   theology from the theological faculty of Genoa and has served in a number of   
   pastoral and administrative roles, including parish vicar of the "Santi Pietro   
   e Bernardo alla Foce" parish in Genoa, head of the youth pastoral service for   
   the archdiocese of Genoa, regional head of youth pastoral care for the Liguria   
   Episcopal Conference, administrator of the parish of "San Giovanni Bosco della   
   Rimessa", lecturer at the major seminary of Genoa and head of the national   
   youth pastoral service. He is currently episcopal vicar for university, youth   
   and sport pastoral ministry; director of the office for youth pastoral   
   ministry; provost of the parish-basilica of Santa Maria delle Vigne; member of   
   the presbyteral council and member of the college of consultors. In 2012 he   
   was named Chaplain of His Holiness.   
    - Bishop Guglielmo Borghetti of Pitigliano-Sovana-Orbetello, Italy, as   
   coadjutor bishop of the diocese of Albenga-Imperia (area 979, population   
   170,010, Catholics 157,000, priests 181, permanent deacons 22, religious 388),   
   Italy.   
    - Archbishop Eugene Martin Nugent as apostolic nuncio in Haiti. Archbishop   
   Nugent was formerly apostolic nuncio in Madagascar, Mauritius and the   
   Seychelles, and apostolic delegate in the Cormoros Islands, with the function   
   of apostolic delegate in La Reunion, France.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    In Memoriam   
    Vatican City, 12 January 2014 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent   
   months:   
    - Bishop Sofron Stefan Wasyl Mudry, O.S.B.M., emeritus of Ivano-Frankivsk,   
   Ukraine, on 31 October 2014 at the age of 90.   
    - Bishop Alberto Johannes Först, O. Carm. emeritus of Dourados, Mato Grosso   
   do Sul, Brazil, on 1 November 2014 at the age of 87.   
    - Archbishop James Mwewa Spaita, emeritus of Kasama, Zambia, on 4 November   
   2014 at the age of 80.   
    - Archbishop Juan Antonio Flores Santana, emeritus of Santiago de los   
   Caballeros, Dominican Republic, on 9 November 2014 at the age of 87.   
    - Bishop Caetano Antonio Lima dos Santos, O.F.M. Cap., emeritus of Ilheus,   
   Bahia, Brazil, on 11 November 2014 at the age of 98.   
    - Bishop Henri Marie Raoul Brincard, C.R.S.A, of Le Puy-en-Velay, France, on   
   14 November 2014 at the age of 74.   
    - Bishop Javier Azagra Labiano, emeritus of Cartagena, Spain, on 16 November   
   2014 at the age of 91.   
    - Bishop Jeremiah Joseph Coffey, emeritus of Sale, Australia, on 19 November   
   2014 at the age of 81.   
    - Bishop Leonard James Olivier, S.V.D, auxiliary emeritus of Washington,   
   U.S.A., on 19 November 2014 at the age of 91.   
    - Bishop Sebelio Peralta Alvarez, of San Lorenzo, Paraguay, on 19 November   
   2014 at the age of 75.   
    -Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for   
   the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers (for Health Care Pastoral), on 22   
   November 2014 at the age of 98.   
    - Bishop Joseph Francis Maguire, emeritus of Springfield, U.S.A., on 23   
   November 2014 at the age of 95.   
    - Archbishop Joseph Thomas Dimino, military ordinary emeritus of the U.S.A.,   
   on 25 November 2014 at the age of 91.   
    - Bishop Alfredo Ernest Novak, C.SS.R. emeritus of Paranagua, Brazil, on 3   
   December 2014, at the age of 84.   
    - Bishop Patrick Edward O'Connor, emeritus of Tokelau, New Zealand, on 3   
   December 2014, at the age of 82.   
    - Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejia, archivist and librarian emeritus of the Holy   
   Roman Church, on 9 December 2014 at the age of 91.   
    - Bishop Georges Lagrange, emeritus of Gap, France, on 11 December 2014 at   
   the age of 85.   
    - Bishop Anthony Edward Pevec, auxiliary emeritus of Cleveland, U.S.A., on 14   
   December 2014 at the age of 89.   
    - Bishop Stephen Hector Youssef Doueihi, emeritus of St. Maron of Brooklyn   
   (Maronites), U.S.A., on 17 December 2014 at the age of 87.   
    - Bishop Claude Henri Edouard Frikart, C.I.M., auxiliary emeritus of Paris,   
   France, on 18 December 2014, at the age of 92.   
    - Archbishop Giuseppe Pittau, S.J. secretary emeritus of la Congregation for   
   Catholic Education, on 26 December 2014, at the age of 86.   
    - Bishop Gery-Jacques-Charles Leuliet, emeritus of Amiens, France, on 1   
   January 2015, at the age of 104.   
    - Archbishop Paulinus Costa, emeritus of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 3 January 2015   
   at the age of 78.   
    - Bishop Natalino Pescarolo, emeritus of Cuneo, Italy, on 4 January 2015 at   
   the age of 85.   
    - Bishop Bernard Joseph McLaughlin, auxiliary emeritus of Buffalo, U.S.A., on   
   5 January 2015, at the age of 102.   
    - Bishop Joseph Djida, O.M.I., of Ngaoundere, Cameroon, on 6 January 2015 at   
   the age of 69.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
   Copyright (VIS):  the news contained in the services of the Vatican   
   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
   the source:  V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.   
   http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)