"(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
Subject: VISnews120320
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
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 of 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
ONEY-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-
aundering).
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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