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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - N° 59
DATE 20-03-2012
Summary:
- NOTE CONCERNING THE RESULTS OF THE APOSTOLIC VISIT TO IRELAND
- THE COURTYARD OF THE GENTILES AND THE CULTURE OF LEGALITY
- CONFESSION IS A SOURCE OF TRUE PEACE AND JOY
- TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF THE PATRIARCH OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
- EXCHANGE OF GREETINGS BETWEEN THE POPE AND THE ITALIAN PREMIER
- MEETING BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND MONEYVAL ON MEASURES TO COUNTER
ONEY-LAUNDERING
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
___________________________________________________________
NOTE CONCERNING THE RESULTS OF THE APOSTOLIC VISIT TO IRELAND
Vatican City, 20 March 2012 (VIS) - Given below is a note released this
morning by the Holy See Press Office concerning the summary of the findings of
the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland. It is, the English-language text reads,
"a synthesis of the
results of the Visitations to the four archdioceses, to religious institutes
and to the Irish seminaries. It has been approved by the offices which
conducted the Visitation and it also contains some further observations from
the Holy See, in addition to
those that the individual dicasteries communicated to the leaders of the
respective archdioceses or institutes.
"There follows a list of some of the principal elements contained in the
summary:
"(a) The Holy See reiterates the sense of dismay expressed by Pope Benedict
XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland and the closeness that he has
often manifested towards the victims of these sinful and criminal acts
committed by priests and
religious.
"(b) The Visitation, which was pastoral in nature, was able on the one hand to
acknowledge the seriousness of the shortcomings that gave rise, in the past,
not least on the part of various bishops and religious superiors, to an
inadequate understanding
of and reaction to the terrible phenomenon of the abuse of minors. On the
other hand, it is clearly pointed out that, beginning in the 1990s, decisive
progress has been made, leading to a greater awareness of the problem and
profound changes in the way
of addressing it. It is recommended that bishops and religious superiors keep
up their commitment to welcoming and supporting victims of abuse.
"(c) The guidelines contained in the 2008 document Safeguarding Children
(which supersedes earlier documents) envisage: far-reaching involvement of the
lay faithful and of ecclesiastical structures in the work of prevention and
formation, close
cooperation with civil authorities in swift reporting of accusations, and
constant reference to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in
matters that pertain to its competence. These norms have proved to be an
effective instrument for handling
accusations of abuse and for increasing the awareness of the entire Christian
community in the area of child protection. The Guidelines are to be further
updated on the basis of the Circular Letter published by the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the
Faith on 3 May 2011, and periodically reviewed.
"(d) The work of the National Board for Safeguarding Children is thorough and
far-reaching. Of particular value is its auditing of the implementation of the
guidelines in individual dioceses and religious institutes. It is recommended
that this auditing
process be extended as soon as possible to all the dioceses and religious
institutes and that it be regularly repeated.
"(e) On the basis of the recently published document Interim Guidance, bishops
and religious superiors, in cooperation with the National Board, will have to
formulate norms for handling cases of priests or religious who have been
accused, but in whose
case the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided not to proceed.
Similarly, norms should be established for facilitating the return to ministry
of falsely accused priests, and for ensuring that proper pastoral attention is
given to priests or
religious who are found guilty of abuse of minors.
"(f) The Visitation to the seminaries was able to appreciate the commitment of
the formators and the seminarians, and the attention given to intellectual,
human and spiritual formation. In the seminaries, clear child protection norms
are in place, with
a broad understanding of all that this involves for the life of the Church. In
order to improve the quality of the formation, it has been recommended, among
other things, to ensure that it is rooted in authentic priestly identity, to
reinforce the
structures of episcopal governance over the seminaries, to introduce more
consistent admissions criteria, to ensure that the seminarians are housed in
buildings reserved for their exclusive use, and to include in the academic
programme in-depth
formation on matters of child protection.
"(g) Each religious institute is invited to design a three-year programme for
focusing anew on the founding charism and on the fundamental sources,
developing adequate means for revitalising individual communities in the areas
of prayer, community life
and apostolic mission. The institutes are invited to develop a collaborative
ministerial outreach towards those who suffer the consequences of abuse.
"(h) The Visitation recognised that the painful events of recent years have
also opened many wounds within the Catholic community. On the other hand, this
time of trial has also brought to light the continuing vitality of the Irish
people’s faith.
Among the signs of hope are the dedication with which many bishops, priests
and religious live out their vocation, the human and spiritual bonds that many
of them have observed among the lay faithful at a time of crisis, the deep
faith of many men and
women and a remarkable level of involvement among priests, religious and lay
faithful in the structures of child protection. In this context, a renewed
call to communion is made - communion among the bishops themselves and with
the Successor of Peter,
communion between bishops and priests, between pastors and laypersons, between
diocesan structures and communities of consecrated life.
"(i) Finally, certain pastoral priorities are mentioned which may help to
guide renewal: formation in the content of the faith, a new appreciation of
the commitment of the laity, the role of teachers of religion, openness to the
contribution offered by
movements and associations, and fidelity to the teachings of the Magisterium.
It is stated, moreover, that the Holy See and the Irish bishops have already
initiated a joint reflection on the present configuration of dioceses in
Ireland, with a view to
adapting diocesan structures to make them better suited to the present-day
mission of the Church in Ireland".
___________________________________________________________
THE COURTYARD OF THE GENTILES AND THE CULTURE OF LEGALITY
Vatican City, 20 March 2012 (VIS) - A press conference was held this morning
in the Holy See Press Office to present the arrival in Palermo of the
"Courtyard of the Gentiles", an initiative of the Pontifical Council for
Culture which has the aim of
promoting dialogue between believers and non-believers on the great issues
facing the modern world. The event will take place in Palermo, Italy, on 29
and 30 March and have as its theme "The Culture of Legality and
ulti-Religious Society".
Participating in today's press conference were Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi,
president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Bishop Antonino Raspanti of
Acireale; Bishop Carmelo Cuttitta, auxiliary and vicar general of Palermo;
Giusto Sciacchitano,
anti-Mafia prosecutor, and Fr. Jean-Marie Laurent Mazas F.S.J., executive
director of the Courtyard of the Gentiles.
Following Bologna, Paris, Bucharest, Florence, Rome and Tirana, the Courtyard
of the Gentiles is moving to Sicily where, according to a note released by the
Holy See Press Office, believers and non believers face "a crucial challenge:
responding with a
culture of dialogue and legality, rooted in the great multi-religious and
multi-cultural tradition of Sicily, to the non-culture of organised crime, and
opening bridges of dialogue with the reawakening which is stirring Arab
society on the south-eastern
shore of the Mediterranean. Palermo is the ideal place to do this, because of
its dual nature as the historical meeting point of cultures and religions, and
as the original 'cradle' of the Mafia while at the same time being symbolic of
the struggle
against the Mafia (it was there that the United Nations Convention against
Transnational Organised Crime was signed in 2000).
The event will begin in the cathedral of Monreale on 29 March with a talk by
Cardinal Ravasi on "Society, Culture and Faith". "The presence of the
'Courtyard' in Sicily", Cardinal Ravasi has declared, "is an expression of the
desire to officially
relaunch the Church’s commitment against illegality and any degeneration
of the law". On 30 March the "Courtyard" will move on to the University of
Palermo where philosophers, religious, jurists, historians and intellectuals
will discuss "divine
law and human justice", "religion and human rights", "pluralism and
universalism" and "religions and public space". Speakers will include Cardinal
Jean-Louis Tauran, the philosopher Remi Brague and the historian of the Mafia
Salvatore Lupo. That evening
in the cathedral of Palermo, Cardinal Ravasi, anti-Mafia prosecutor Piero
Grasso, young people of the anti-Mafia association "Addiopizzo" and Cardinal
Paolo Romeo, archbishop of Palermo will participate in an open meeting with
citizens o
f
Sicily to reaffirm the popular and everyday character of the commitment to
dialogue and legality.
Other aspects of the initiative include a "Narrative Courtyard" for university
students, to be held on 29 March in the Palermo branch of LUMSA University,
and a "Courtyard of Children" for local boys and girls, to be held in front of
Palermo cathedral
on the evening of 30 March.
___________________________________________________________
CONFESSION IS A SOURCE OF TRUE PEACE AND JOY
Vatican City, 18 March 2012 (VIS) - Before praying the Angelus with pilgrims
gathered in St. Peter's Square today, the fourth Sunday of Lent, the Pope
dedicated some remarks to the importance of sacramental Confession during this
liturgical period
which, he said, is "a time in which to pay greater attention to the voice of
God".
On the horizon ahead of us during Lent is the profile of the cross of Christ,
"the apex of the love which brings us salvation. ... Jesus was raised on the
cross so that anyone in danger of dying because of sin, by turning in faith to
the One Who died
for us, would be saved".
Benedict XVI explained how God's merciful love is infinite and reaches so far
as the giving of His only Son as a pledge for our sins. We therefore have a
great responsibility. "Each one of us must, in fact, recognise we are sick in
order to be healed.
Each must confess our sins, so that the forgiveness of God, already given on
the cross, can have an effect on our hearts and our lives".
"Sometimes", the Pope went on, "man loves the shadows more than the light,
because he clings to his sin. But it is only by opening himself to the light,
by sincerely confessing his sins to God, that he can find true peace and true
joy. It is, then,
important to make regular use of the Sacrament of Penance, especially during
Lent, in order to receive the Lord's forgiveness and intensify our journey of
conversion".
The Pope thanked people who were praying for him for his name day, on
tomorrow's Feast of St. Joseph. He likewise asked the faithful for their
prayers for his forthcoming apostolic trip to Mexico and Cuba, which is due to
begin on Friday. "I invite
everyone to accompany me with their spiritual proximity", he said, "so that
this visit may bring abundant fruits of Christian life and ecclesial renewal,
contributing to the authentic progress of peoples".
Following the Marian prayer, the Holy Father remarked on the fact that the
Sixth World Water Forum came to an end yesterday in the French city of
Marseille, and that this Thursday will be World Water Day. "I hope that these
initiatives may contribute to
ensuring equal, secure and adequate access to water", he said, "thus promoting
every human being's right to life and nutrition, and the responsible use of
the goods of the earth for the benefit of present and future generations".
___________________________________________________________
TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF THE PATRIARCH OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
Vatican City, 18 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram of
condolence to the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, for the death of
His Holiness Shenouda III, Patriarch of Alexandria, who died on 17 March.
"I gratefully recall", the Holy Father writes, "his commitment to Christian
unity, and his memorable visit to my predecessor Pope Paul VI when, in Rome on
10 May 1973, they signed the Joint Declaration of Faith in the Incarnation of
the Son of God. I
also recall his meeting in Cairo with Pope John Paul II on 24 February 2000,
during the course of the Great Jubilee. The entire Catholic Church shares the
mourning of Coptic Orthodox and, with fervent prayer, asks the One Who is the
resurrection and the
life to welcome His faithful servant to His side".
___________________________________________________________
EXCHANGE OF GREETINGS BETWEEN THE POPE AND THE ITALIAN PREMIER
Vatican City, 19 March 2012 (VIS) - Today, Feast of St. Joseph and the Holy
Father's name day, Benedict XVI received telephone greetings from Mario Monti,
prime minister of Italy. In the course of the cordial conversation, the Holy
Father likewise
congratulated the prime minister, who today celebrates his sixty-ninth
birthday.
___________________________________________________________
MEETING BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND MONEYVAL ON MEASURES TO COUNTER MONEY-LAUNDERING
Vatican City, 17 March 2012 (VIS) - Between 14 and 16 March a number of
meetings took place between the authorities of the Holy See and Vatican City
State, and experts of MONEYVAL (the Department of the Council of Europe which
deals with the evaluation
of systems adopted by member States to counter money-laundering).
An English-language communique made public today explains that "the meetings
made it possible to continue gathering information on the steps taken thus far
in the process of complying with international standards in the area of
preventing and countering
money-laundering and the financing of terrorism, such as the adoption of the
Decree No. CLIX of 25 January 2012, ... as well as the ratification of and
adhesion to certain international conventions pertinent to the question. ...
The present phase will
lead to the drafting of a report which, as scheduled, will be examined by the
plenary assembly of MONEYVAL next July".
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 17 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience:
- Cardinal Marc Ouellet P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy and president of the
Italian Episcopal Conference.
- Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars, France.
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 20 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, U.S.A., as archbishop of
Baltimore (area 12,430, population 3,119,000, Catholics 499,529, priests 543,
permanent deacons 158, religious 1,249), U.S.A.
- Appointed Msgr. David J. Malloy of the clergy of the archdiocese of
Milwaukee, U.S.A., pastor of the parish of St. Francis de Sales at Lake
Geneva, as bishop of Rockford (area 16,717, population 1,665,000, Catholics
451,509, priests 288, permanent
deacons 136, religious 184), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Milwaukee in
1956 and ordained a priest in 1983. He studied in Rome then served for a
number of years in the diplomatic service of the Holy See before becoming an
official of the
Prefecture of the Pontifical Household. From 2006 to 2011 he was secretary
general of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He succeeds
Bishop Thomas G. Doran, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same
diocese the Holy Father
accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Bishop Christian Lepine, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Montreal,
Canada, as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese (area 1,103,
population 2,574,000, Catholics 1,640,000, priests 1,163, permanent deacons
100, religious 4,158). He
succeeds Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, whose resignation from the pastoral
care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the
age limit.
- Appointed Fr. Gregory L. Parkes of the clergy of the diocese of Orlando,
U.S.A., vicar general, chancellor for canonical affairs and pastor of the
parish of Corpus Christi at Celebration, as bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee
(area 36,724, population
1,381,566, Catholics 74,868, priests 94, permanent deacons 67, religious 49),
U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Mineola, U.S.A. in 1964 and ordained a
priest in 1999. Before becoming a priest he worked in the banking sector. He
studied in Rome and,
since ordination, has worked in pastoral care in the diocese of Orlando.
On Saturday 17 March it was made public that the Pope:
- Appointed Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari, apostolic nuncio to South
Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland, also as apostolic nuncio to Lesotho.
- Appointed Bishop Rufin Anthony of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Pakistan, as
apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the
diocese of Faisalabad, Pakistan.
___________________________________________________________
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VISnews120320
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXII - N° 59DATE 20-03-2012
Summary: - NOTE CONCERNING THE RESULTS OF
THE APOSTOLIC VISIT TO
IRELAND - THE COURTYARD OF THE GENTILES AND THE CULTURE OF LEGALITY - CONFESSION IS A SOURCE OF TRUE PEACE AND JOY - TELEGRAM FOR THE
DEATH OF THE PATRIARCH OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH - EXCHANGE OF
GREETINGS BETWEEN THE POPE
AND THE ITALIAN PREMIER - MEETING BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND MONEYVAL ON
MEASURES TO COUNTER MONEY-LAUNDERING - AUDIENCES - OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
NOTE CONCERNING THE RESULTS OF THE APOSTOLIC VISIT TO IRELAND
Vatican City, 20 March 2012 (VIS) - Given below is a note released this
morning by the Holy See Press Office concerning the summary of the findings of
the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland. It is, the English-language text reads,
"a synthesis of the
results of the Visitations to the four archdioceses, to religious institutes
and to the Irish seminaries. It has been approved by the offices which
conducted the Visitation and it also contains some further observations from
the Holy See, in addition to
those that the individual dicasteries communicated to the leaders of the
respective archdioceses or institutes.
"There follows a list of some of the principal elements contained in the
summary:
"(a) The Holy See reiterates the sense of dismay expressed by Pope Benedict
XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland and the closeness that he has
often manifested towards the victims of these sinful and criminal acts
committed by priests and
religious.
"(b) The Visitation, which was pastoral in nature, was able on the one hand
to acknowledge the seriousness of the shortcomings that gave rise, in the
past, not least on the part of various bishops and religious superiors, to an
inadequate
understanding of and reaction to the terrible phenomenon of the abuse of
minors. On the other hand, it is clearly pointed out that, beginning in the
1990s, decisive progress has been made, leading to a greater awareness of the
problem and profound
changes in the way of addressing it. It is recommended that bishops and
religious superiors keep up their commitment to welcoming and supporting
victims of abuse.
"(c) The guidelines contained in the 2008 document Safeguarding Children
(which supersedes earlier documents) envisage: far-reaching involvement of the
lay faithful and of ecclesiastical structures in the work of prevention and
formation, close
cooperation with civil authorities in swift reporting of accusations, and
constant reference to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in
matters that pertain to its competence. These norms have proved to be an
effective instrument for handling
accusations of abuse and for increasing the awareness of the entire Christian
community in the area of child protection. The Guidelines are to be further
updated on the basis of the Circular Letter published by the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the
Faith on 3 May 2011, and periodically reviewed.
"(d) The work of the National Board for Safeguarding Children is thorough
and far-reaching. Of particular value is its auditing of the implementation of
the guidelines in individual dioceses and religious institutes. It is
recommended that this
auditing process be extended as soon as possible to all the dioceses and
religious institutes and that it be regularly repeated.
"(e) On the basis of the recently published document Interim Guidance,
bishops and religious superiors, in cooperation with the National Board, will
have to formulate norms for handling cases of priests or religious who have
been accused, but in
whose case the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided not to proceed.
Similarly, norms should be established for facilitating the return to ministry
of falsely accused priests, and for ensuring that proper pastoral attention is
given to priests or
religious who are found guilty of abuse of minors.
"(f) The Visitation to the seminaries was able to appreciate the commitment
of the formators and the seminarians, and the attention given to intellectual,
human and spiritual formation. In the seminaries, clear child protection norms
are in place,
with a broad understanding of all that this involves for the life of the
Church. In order to improve the quality of the formation, it has been
recommended, among other things, to ensure that it is rooted in authentic
priestly identity, to reinforce the
structures of episcopal governance over the seminaries, to introduce more
consistent admissions criteria, to ensure that the seminarians are housed in
buildings reserved for their exclusive use, and to include in the academic
programme in-depth
formation on matters of child protection.
--- NetMgr/2 1.0y+
* Origin: NetMgr+ @ Sursum Corda! BBS Meridian MS USA (1:396/45)
