possibility of confession, by which a man expresses his inner conversion, and   
   contrition, the gateway to atonement and expiation, to reach an encounter with   
   God's merciful and healing justice. It is furthermore frequently used by   
   totalitarian regimes and groups of fanatics for the extermination of political   
   dissidents, minorities, and any subject labelled as 'dangerous' or who may be   
   perceived as a threat to its power or to the achievement of its ends".   
    "The death penalty is contrary to the sentiment of humanitas and to divine   
   mercy, which must be the model for human justice. ... There is discussion in   
   some   
   quarters about the method of killing, as if it were possible to find ways of   
   'getting it right'. ... But there is no humane way of killing another person".   
    "On the other hand, life imprisonment entails for the prisoner the   
   impossibility of planning a future of freedom, and may therefore be considered   
   as a sort of covert death penalty, as they deprive detainees not only of their   
   freedom, but also of hope. However, although the penal system can stake a claim   
   to the time of convicted persons, it can never claim their hope".   
    "Dear friends, I encourage you to continue with your work, as the world needs   
   witnesses of God's mercy and tenderness, and may the Lord Jesus grant the gift   
   of wisdom, so that the action taken against this cruel punishment may be   
   successful and fruitful".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Press release from the Dean of the College of Cardinals   
    Vatican City, 20 March 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has accepted the   
   resignation of the rights and privileges of a Cardinal, expressed in canons   
   349,   
   353 and 356 of the Code of Canon Law, presented by His Eminence Cardinal Keith   
   Michael Patrick O'Brien, archbishop emeritus of St. Andrews and Edinburgh,   
   after   
   a long period of prayer. With this provision, His Holiness would like to   
   manifest his pastoral solicitude to all the faithful of the Church in Scotland,   
   and to encourage them to continue with hope the path of renewal and   
   reconciliation.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope's telegram for terrorist attack in Tunisia   
    Vatican City, 20 March 2015 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin   
   has sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Holy Father to the   
   Archbishop of Tunis, Ilario Antoniazzi, for the victims of the terrorist attack   
   on 18 March.   
    "Having learned of the grave terrorist attack on the city of Tunis, which   
   caused numerous deaths and injuries, Pope Francis reiterates his strong   
   condemnation of any act against peace and the sacredness of human life, and   
   joins in prayer with the suffering of the families who mourn their loved ones   
   and all those affected by this tragedy, as well as with all the Tunisian   
   people.   
   He asks the Lord to welcome the departed in His peace and to comfort those who   
   are seriously injured. As a pledge of consolation, the Pope asks that God might   
   grant His abundant blessings to all.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 20 March 2015 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in   
   audience:   
    - Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for   
   Promoting   
   New Evangelisation   
    - Sixteen prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, on their "ad   
   Limina" visit:   
    - Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki;   
    - Bishop Dominic Ryoji Miyahara of Fukuoka;   
    - Bishop Paul Kenjiro Koriyama of Kagoshima;   
    - Bishop Berard Toshio Oshikawa of Naha;   
    - Bishop Paul Sueo Hamaguchi of Oita;   
    - Archbishop Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda of Osaka, with his auxiliary, Bishop   
   Michael Goro Matsuura;   
    - Bishop Paul Yoshinao Otsuka of Kyoto;   
    - Bishop Augustinus Jun-ichi Nomura of Nagoya;   
    - Bishop John Eijiro Suwa of Takamatsu;   
    - Archbishop Peter Takeo Okada of Tokyo, apostolic administrator "sede vacante   
   et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Saitama, with his auxiliary, Bishop James Kazuo   
   Koda;   
    - Bishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Niigata;   
    - Bishop Bernard Taiji Katsuya of Sapporo;   
    - Bishop Martin Tetsuo Hiraga of Sendai; and   
    - Bishop Rafael Masahiro Umemura of Yokohama.   
    - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 20 March 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:   
    - appointed Rev. Fr. Mario Eduardo Dorsonville-Rodriguez as auxiliary of the   
   archdiocese of Washington, (area 5,447, population 2,824,893, Catholics   
   621,476,   
   priests 793, permanent deacons 246, religious 1,176), U.S.A. The bishop-elect   
   was born in 1960 in Bogota, Colombia, and was ordained a priest in 1985. He   
   holds a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Xaverian University of   
   Bogota   
   and a D.Min. from the Catholic University of America, Washington. In Bogota, he   
   served as deputy priest and parish priest, associate chaplain and professor of   
   ethics at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and professor of pastoral   
   counsel and catechesis at the major seminary of Bogota. In Washington, he has   
   served as deputy priest and is currently director of the "Spanish Catholic   
   Centre", vice president for the Mission of Catholic Charities, adjunct   
   spiritual   
   director at the St. John Paul II Seminary, and member of the college of   
   consultors and the presbyteral council.   
    - reorganised the Hungarian Greek-Catholic Church, elevating it to the status   
   of "sui iuris Metropolitan Church, by the following measures:   
    - elevation of the eparchy of Hajdudorog for Catholics of Byzantine rite   
   (Cathlics 270,000, priests 190, permanent deacons 4, religious 13) to a   
   metropolis, with its seat in Debrecen, appointing eparchal Bishop Fulop Kocsis   
   as the first Metropolitan;   
    - elevation of the apostolic exarchate of Miskolc (Catholics 56,200, priests   
   70) for Catholics of Byzantine rite to the status of eparchy, making it a   
   suffragan of the metropolitan see of Hajdudorog, appointing Msgr. Atanaz Orosz,   
   formerly apostolic exarch of Miskolc, as the first eparchal bishop;   
    - erection of the eparchy of Nyiregyhaza for Catholics of Byzantine rite, with   
   territory taken from the eparchy of Hajdudorog, making it a suffragan of the   
   metropolitan see of Hajdudorog, appointing Bishop Atanaz Orosz as apostolic   
   administrator "sede vacante".   
    On Thursday, 19 March, the Holy Father:   
    - appointed Msgr. Vlastimil Krocil as bishop of Ceske Budejovice (area 12,500,   
   population 760,600, Catholics 291,700, priests 136, permanent deacons 19,   
   religious 164), Czech Republic. The bishop-elect was born in Brno, Czech   
   Republic in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1994. Following studies at the   
   Pontifical Lateran University and the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, he   
   obtained a degree in theology and philosophy from the Catholic University of   
   Ruzomberok, Slovakia. He has served as chaplain in Jindrichuv Hradec, and is   
   currently professor of patrology and early Christian literature in the faculty   
   of theology at Ceske Budejovice, parish administrator at Veseli nad Luznici,   
   member of the presbyteral council and the college of consultors, and diocesan   
   representative for pastoral ministry.   
    - erected the diocese of Nogales, Mexico, with territory from the archdiocese   
   of Hermosillo, Mexico, making it a suffragan of the same archdiocese.   
    - appointed Bishop Jose Leopoldo Gonzalez Gonzalez, auxiliary of the   
   archdiocese of Guadalajara, Mexico, as bishop of the new diocese of Nogales   
   (area 44,243, population 483,180, Catholics 381,398, priests 44, religious 62),   
   Mexico.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   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)