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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - N° 162
DATE 14-09-2012
Summary:
- POPE ARRIVES IN LEBANON AS A FRIEND OF ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE MIDDLE
EAST
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
- NOTICE
___________________________________________________________
POPE ARRIVES IN LEBANON AS A FRIEND OF ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Vatican City, 14 September 2012 (VIS) - Shortly before 2 p.m. local time
today, Benedict XVI arrived at the international airport of Beirut, which is
named after Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon who was killed
in a bomb attack in 2005.
The Holy Father was greeted by Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, His
Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai, patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites; Nabih
Berri, speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, and Naguib Miqati, prime minister
of Lebanon.
Pronouncing his first words on Lebanese soil, the Pope recalled how, during
President Sleiman's visit to the Vatican in February 2011, a ceremony had
taken place to bless a great statue of St. Maron which stands in a niche on
the outside wall of the
Vatican Basilica. The presence of that statue, Pope Benedict said, "is a
constant reminder of Lebanon in the very place where the Apostle Peter was
laid to rest. It witnesses to a long spiritual heritage, confirming the
Lebanese people’s
veneration for the first of the Apostles and for his successors". The Holy
Father also expressed his satisfaction at the excellent relations that have
always existed between Lebanon and the Holy See, and underlined the ecclesial
importance of one of the
reasons for his trip, "the signature and the consigning of the Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod
of Bishops, 'Ecclesia in Medio Oriente'".
He then went on to thank the Catholic patriarchs for their presence,
particularly Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir and his successor Patriarch
Bechara Boutros Rai. He also greeted Lebanese bishops and, through them, "all
the Christians of the Middle
East". The Exhortation, he explained, is "addressed to everyone" and "is
intended as a roadmap for the years to come. During these days I am also
pleased to be able to meet many representatives from the Catholic communities
of your country, so as to
celebrate and pray together. Their presence, commitment and witness are a
valued contribution and are highly appreciated in the daily life of all the
inhabitants of your beloved country". The Pope also expressed his warm
greetings to the Orthodox
patriarchs and bishops who had come to welcome him, as well as representatives
of the other religious communities in Lebanon.
"Your presence", he said, "shows the esteem and the cooperation which, in
mutual respect, you wish to promote among everyone. I thank you for your
efforts and I am certain that you will continue to seek out the paths of unity
and concord. I cannot
forget the sad and painful events which have affected your beautiful country
along the years. The successful way the Lebanese all live together surely
demonstrates to the whole Middle East and to the rest of the world that,
within a nation, there can
exist cooperation between the various Churches, all members of the one
Catholic Church in a fraternal spirit of communion with other Christians, and
at the same time coexistence and respectful dialogue between Christians and
their brethren of other
religions. Like me, you know that this equilibrium, which is presented
everywhere as an example, is extremely delicate. Sometimes it seems about to
snap like a bow which is overstretched or submitted to pressures which are too
often partisan,
even
selfish, contrary and extraneous to Lebanese harmony and gentleness. This is
where real moderation and great wisdom are tested. And reason must overcome
one-sided passion in order to promote the greater good of all".
"I have also come to say how important the presence of God is in the life of
everyone and how the manner of coexistence, this conviviality to which your
country wishes to bear witness, will run deep only if it is founded upon a
welcoming regard for the
other and upon an attitude of benevolence, and if it is rooted in God who
wishes all men to be brothers. The celebrated Lebanese equilibrium which
wishes to continue to be a reality, will continue through the good will and
commitment of all Lebanese.
Only then will it serve as a model to the inhabitants of the whole region and
of the entire world. This is not just a human task, but a gift of God which
should be sought with insistence, preserved at all costs, and consolidated
with determination".
"I have come to Lebanon as a pilgrim of peace, as a friend of God and as a
friend of men. ... Looking beyond your country, I also come symbolically to
all the countries of the Middle East as a pilgrim of peace, as a friend of God
and as a friend of all
the inhabitants of all the countries of the region, whatever their origins and
beliefs. ... Your joys and sorrows are constantly present in the Pope's
prayers and I ask God to accompany you and to comfort you. Let me assure you
that I pray especially
for the many people who suffer in this region. The statue of St. Maron reminds
me of what you live and endure".
Following the welcome ceremony the Pope travelled to the apostolic nunciature
in Harissa.
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 14 September 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop James D. Conley, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Denver,
U.S.A., as bishop of Lincoln (area 61,732, population 580,826, Catholics
95,584, priests 147, permanent deacons 3, religious 224), U.S.A. He succeeds
Bishop Fabian W.
Bruskewitz, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the
Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Bishop Rosolino Bianchetti Boffelli of Zacapa y Santo Cristo de
Esquipulas, Guatemala, as bishop of Quiche (area 8,378, population 732,000,
Catholics 515,000, priests 33, religious 97), Guatemala.
___________________________________________________________
NOTICE
Vatican City, 14 September 2012 (VIS) - The Vatican Information service will
transmit special bulletins on Saturday 15 September and on Sunday 16
September, to cover the Holy Father’s apostolic trip to Lebanon.
___________________________________________________________
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va
Il servizio del VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta
elettronica che ne hanno fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo
non si desidera continuare a riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina
dinizio:
http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vis/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
--Boundary_(ID_wPMEIcVdyhn/Uz/nq6SYNQ)
Content-type: text/html; CHARSETUS-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
VISnews120914
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXII - N° 162DATE 14-09-2012
Summary: - POPE ARRIVES IN LEBANON AS A
FRIEND OF ALL THE INHABITANTS OF
THE MIDDLE EAST - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS - NOTICE ___________________________________________________________
POPE ARRIVES IN LEBANON AS A FRIEND OF ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE MIDDLE
EAST
Vatican City, 14 September 2012 (VIS) - Shortly before 2 p.m. local time
today, Benedict XVI arrived at the international airport of Beirut, which is
named after Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon who was killed
in a bomb attack in
2005.
The Holy Father was greeted by Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, His
Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai, patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites; Nabih
Berri, speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, and Naguib Miqati, prime minister
of Lebanon.
Pronouncing his first words on Lebanese soil, the Pope recalled how, during
President Sleiman's visit to the Vatican in February 2011, a ceremony had
taken place to bless a great statue of St. Maron which stands in a niche on
the outside wall of the
Vatican Basilica. The presence of that statue, Pope Benedict said, "is a
constant reminder of Lebanon in the very place where the Apostle Peter was
laid to rest. It witnesses to a long spiritual heritage, confirming the
Lebanese people’s
veneration for the first of the Apostles and for his successors". The Holy
Father also expressed his satisfaction at the excellent relations that have
always existed between Lebanon and the Holy See, and underlined the ecclesial
importance of one of the
reasons for his trip, "the signature and the consigning of the Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod
of Bishops, 'Ecclesia in Medio
Oriente'".
He then went on to thank the Catholic patriarchs for their presence,
particularly Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir and his successor Patriarch
Bechara Boutros Rai. He also greeted Lebanese bishops and, through them, "all
the Christians of the Middle
East". The Exhortation, he explained, is "addressed to everyone" and "is
intended as a roadmap for the years to come. During these days I am also
pleased to be able to meet many representatives from the Catholic communities
of your country, so as to
celebrate and pray together. Their presence, commitment and witness are a
valued contribution and are highly appreciated in the daily life of all the
inhabitants of your beloved country". The Pope also expressed his warm
greetings to the Orthodox
patriarchs and bishops who had come to welcome him, as well as representatives
of the other religious communities in Lebanon.
"Your presence", he said, "shows the esteem and the cooperation which, in
mutual respect, you wish to promote among everyone. I thank you for your
efforts and I am certain that you will continue to seek out the paths of unity
and concord. I cannot
forget the sad and painful events which have affected your beautiful country
along the years. The successful way the Lebanese all live together surely
demonstrates to the whole Middle East and to the rest of the world that,
within a nation, there can
exist cooperation between the various Churches, all members of the one
Catholic Church in a fraternal spirit of communion with other Christians, and
at the same time coexistence and respectful dialogue between Christians and
their brethren of other
religions. Like me, you know that this equilibrium, which is presented
everywhere as an example, is extremely delicate. Sometimes it seems about to
snap like a bow which is overstretched or submitted to pressures which are
too often partisan, even selfish, contrary and extraneous to Lebanese harmony
and gentleness. This is where real moderation and great wisdom are tested. And
reason must overcome one-sided passion in order to promote the greater good of
all".
"I have also come to say how important the presence of God is in the life
of everyone and how the manner of coexistence, this conviviality to which your
country wishes to bear witness, will run deep only if it is founded upon a
welcoming regard for
the other and upon an attitude of benevolence, and if it is rooted in God who
wishes all men to be brothers. The celebrated Lebanese equilibrium which
wishes to continue to be a reality, will continue through the good will and
commitment of all
Lebanese. Only then will it serve as a model to the inhabitants of the whole
region and of the entire world. This is not just a human task, but a gift of
God which should be sought with insistence, preserved at all costs, and
consolidated with
determination".
"I have come to Lebanon as a pilgrim of peace, as a friend of God and as a
friend of men. ... Looking beyond your country, I also come symbolically to
all the countries of the Middle East as a pilgrim of peace, as a friend of God
and as a friend of
all the inhabitants of all the countries of the region, whatever their origins
and beliefs. ... Your joys and sorrows are constantly present in the Pope's
prayers and I ask God to accompany you and to comfort you. Let me assure you
that I pray
especially for the many people who suffer in this region. The statue of St.
Maron reminds me of what you live and endure".
Following the welcome ceremony the Pope travelled to the apostolic
nunciature in Harissa.
Vatican City, 14 September 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop James D. Conley, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Denver,
U.S.A., as bishop of Lincoln (area 61,732, population 580,826, Catholics
95,584, priests 147, permanent deacons 3, religious 224), U.S.A. He succeeds
Bishop Fabian W.
Bruskewitz, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the
Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Bishop Rosolino Bianchetti Boffelli of Zacapa y Santo Cristo de
Esquipulas, Guatemala, as bishop of Quiche (area 8,378, population 732,000,
Catholics 515,000, priests 33, religious 97), Guatemala.
Vatican City, 14 September 2012 (VIS) - The Vatican Information service
will transmit special bulletins on Saturday 15 September and on Sunday 16
September, to cover the Holy Father’s apostolic trip to Lebanon.
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va Il servizio del
VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta elettronica che ne
hanno
fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo non si desidera continuare a
riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina dinizio: http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vi
/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
--Boundary_(ID_wPMEIcVdyhn/Uz/nq6SYNQ)--
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