Subject: VISnews 110624
Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
TWENTY FIRST YEAR - N. 118
ENGLISH
FRIDAY, 24 JUNE 2011
SUMMARY: 23 - 24 JUNE
- Building a More United, Just and Fraternal Society
- Christians Are Citizens Not Strangers in the East
- Pope Receives Prime Minister of Montenegro
- Agreement between the Holy See and Montenegro
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
___________________________________________________________
BUILDING A MORE UNITED, JUST AND FRATERNAL SOCIETY
VATICAN CITY, 23 JUN 2011 (VIS) - At 7 p.m. today, Solemnity of the Blessed
Body and Blood of Christ, Benedict XVI celebrated Mass in Rome's basilica of
St. John Lateran, then presided at the Eucharistic procession to the
basilica of St. Mary Major.
In his homily the Pope recalled how today "the Blessed Sacrament is
carried in procession along the streets of towns and villages to show that
the risen Christ walks among us and guides us to the kingdom of heaven. What
Jesus gave us in the Upper Room we openly display today, because the love of
Christ is not reserved for the few but is intended for everyone".
Referring to Eucharistic communion, the Holy Father said that "while
bodily food is assimilated by and helps sustain our organism, the Eucharist
is a different kind of bread. We do not assimilate it; rather, it
assimilates us to itself so that we are conformed to Jesus Christ, become
limbs of His Body, a single thing with Him. This is a decisive step: indeed,
precisely because it is Christ Who transforms us to Himself in Eucharistic
communion, so in this meeting our individuality is opened, freed from
egocentrism and inserted into the Person of Jesus, Who in turn is immersed
in the communion of the Trinity.
"Thus the Eucharist, while uniting us to Christ, also opens us to others,
makes us limbs of one another: no longer are we divided but a single being
in Him", the Pope added. "Eucharistic communion unites me to my neighbour
with whom perhaps I am not even on good terms, but it also unites me to my
distant brothers and sisters all over the world".
"Those who recognise Jesus in the consecrated Host recognise Him in their
suffering brothers and sisters, in the hungry and thirsty, in the stranger,
the naked, the sick, the imprisoned; they are attentive to everyone and take
concrete steps to help those in need. From the gift of Christ's love arises
our special responsibility as Christians to build a united, just and
fraternal society. Particularly in our own time in which globalisation makes
us increasingly dependent upon one another, Christianity can and must ensure
that unity is not built without God - in other words, without real Love -
which would only open the way to confusion and selfishness".
Benedict XVI continued: "The Gospel has always sought the unity of the
human family, a unity not imposed from above or by ideological or economic
interests, but based on a sense of responsibility towards each other,
because we recognise one another as members of the same body, the Body of
Christ, because we have learned and continue to learn from the Sacrament of
the Altar that sharing and love is the way to true justice".
"Without any illusions or belief in ideological utopias, we advance along
the paths of the world, carrying the Body of the Lord with us like the
Virgin Mary in the mystery of the Visitation", said Pope Benedict concluding
his homily. "With the humility of knowing that we are simple grains of
wheat, we remain firm in the conviction that the love of God incarnated in
Christ is stronger than evil, violence and death. We know that God is
preparing new heaven and new earth for all men, where peace and justice
reign; and in the faith we see the new world which is our true homeland".
After Mass, the Pope presided at the Eucharistic procession along Rome's
Via Merulana to the basilica of St. Mary Major. Along the route, thousands
of faithful prayed and sang accompanying the Blessed Sacrament. A covered
vehicle transported the Sacrament in a monstrance, before which the Holy
Father knelt in prayer.
HML/ VIS
20110624 (630)
CHRISTIANS ARE CITIZENS NOT STRANGERS IN THE EAST
VATICAN CITY, 24 JUN 2011 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received
participants in the annual general meeting of the Reunion of Organisations
for Aid to the Oriental Churches (ROACO).
In his remarks to the group, Benedict XVI recalled how yesterday's
celebration of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi "was a call to the beloved
city of Rome and to the entire Catholic community to continue their journey
along the difficult paths history, among the great spiritual and material
poverty of the world, in order to bring the charity of Christ and the
Church, which arises from the Paschal Mystery, the mystery of love, the gift
which generates life".
"Never forget the Eucharistic dimension of your objective", the Pope went
on, "so as to remain within the ambit of ecclesial charity, which
particularly seeks to reach the Holy Land, but also the Middle East as a
whole, in order to support the Christian presence there. I ask you to do
everything possible - also be intervening with the public authorities with
whom you have contacts at the international level - to ensure that the
pastors and faithful of Christ can remain in the East where they were born,
not as strangers but as citizens who bear witness to Jesus Christ as the
saints of the Eastern Churches did before them. The East is their earthly
homeland. It is there that they are called today to promote, without
distinction, the good of all mankind. Everyone professing this faith must be
recognised as having equal dignity and true freedom, thus favouring more
fruitful ecumenical and inter-religious collaboration".
The Holy Father then continued his remarks in English: "I thank you for
your reflections on the changes that are taking place in the countries of
North Africa and the Middle East, which are a source of anxiety throughout
the world. Through the communications received at this time from the
Coptic-Catholic Cardinal-Patriarch and from the Maronite Patriarch, as well
as the pontifical representative in Jerusalem and the Franciscan Custos of
the Holy Land, the Congregation and the agencies will be able to assess the
situation on the ground for the Church and the peoples of that region, which
is so important for world peace and stability. The Pope wishes to express
his closeness, also through you, to those who are suffering and to those who
are trying desperately to escape, thereby increasing the flow of migration
that often remains without hope. I pray that the necessary emergency
assistance will be forthcoming, but above all I pray that every possible
form of mediation will be explored, so that violence may cease and social
harmony and peaceful coexistence may everywhere be restored, with respect
for the rights of individuals as well as communities".
Switching to German, the Pope referred to the Special Assembly for the
Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, which was held last October in the
Vatican and which, he said, gave rise "to new signs for our age".
Nonetheless, "shortly afterwards a number of defenceless people in the
Syro-Catholic cathedral of Baghdad, Iraq, were victims of an act of
senseless violence. ... This was followed by similar incidents some months
later". The Pope expressed the hope that the suffering of so many people
would be a seed to enrich the faith in those lands.
Finally he thanked all those present for their prayers for the sixtieth
anniversary of his ordination as a priest which falls this year on 29 June,
Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles.
AP/ VIS
20110624 (600)
POPE RECEIVES PRIME MINISTER OF MONTENEGRO
VATICAN CITY, 24 JUN 2011 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the
following communique at midday today:
"This morning the Holy Father received in audience Igor Luksic, prime
minister of Montenegro. The prime minister subsequently went on to meet with
Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
"The cordial discussions focused on the Basic Agreement between the Holy
See and Montenegro, which the secretary of State and the prime minister
signed at the end of their meeting. The agreement concerns, in particular,
the juridical status of the Catholic Church and of her main institutions
within civil society, and confirms the excellent relations between the Holy
See and Montenegro which have existed since the country first gained its
independence.
"The conversations between Cardinal Bertone and Mr. Luksic also provided
an opportunity for a fruitful exchange of opinions on the current
international situation, in the perspective of European and Euro-Atlantic
integration. Attention dwelt on the commitment of the Montenegrin government
to promoting peace and harmony among the different peoples and religious
confessions present in the country. The parties also expressed their desire
to continue constructive dialogue on themes of mutual for Church and State".
OP/ VIS
20110624 (220)
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND MONTENEGRO
VATICAN CITY, 24 JUN 2011 (VIS) - This morning in the Apostolic Palace of
the Vatican, the Holy See and Montenegro signed a Basic Agreement confirming
and regulating certain principles in areas of shared interest.
Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. signed for the Holy
See and Igor Luksic, prime minister, signed for Montenegro.
The agreement, taking account of the independence and autonomy of Church
and State and of their openness to mutual collaboration, establishes a
juridical framework for their relations. Specifically, it regulates the
juridical status of the Catholic Church in civil society, her liberty and
independence in apostolic activity and in matters that specifically concern
freedom of worship, and her activities in the fields of culture, education,
pastoral care and charity. The text also concerns the administration of
seminaries, as well as the provision of spiritual assistance to the armed
forces and in prisons and hospitals. The agreement will come into force with
the exchange of the instruments of ratification,.
OP/ VIS
20110624 (170)
AUDIENCES
VATICAN CITY, 24 JUN 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate
audiences:
- Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity.
- Archbishop Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the
Evangelisation of Peoples.
AP/ VIS
20110624 (50)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 24 JUN 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop Jean-Luc Brunin of Ajaccio, France, as bishop of Le
Havre (area 1,902, population 411,132, Catholics 308,502, priests 70,
permanent deacons 18, religious 97), France. He succeeds Bishop Michel
Guyard, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the
Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Msgr. Giovanni Tani, rector of the Major Pontifical Seminary of
Rome, as archbishop of Urbino-Urbania-Sant'Angelo in Vado (area 781,
population 54,900, Catholics 50,500, priests 68, permanent deacons 1,
religious 118), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Sogliano al Rubicone in
1947 and ordained a priest in 1973. He succeeds Archbishop Francesco
Marinelli, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese
the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Fr. Raphael Minassian, patriarchal exarch for the Armenians in
Jerusalem and Amman, as ordinary for Armenian Catholics in Eastern Europe,
giving him the "ad personam" title of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was
born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1973.
NER:RE/ VIS 20110624
(190)
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