"Having learned of the death of your beloved father Matteo, I wish to express
my most heartfelt condolences for the deep mourning that has befallen you and
your family and assure you of my spiritual closeness in this hour of your
sorrow, together with
giving thanks to God for all the benefits bestowed upon your late father over
his more than one hundred year earthly journey. While I offer fervent prayers
to the Lord beseeching that he be welcomed into the eternal joy, I invoke the
light of faith and
hope in Christ for your family, and impart to you all a special apostolic
blessing of comfort".
Subject: VISnews130102
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 2 January 2013 (VIS) - On Saturday, 29 December, the Holy Father:
- appointed Fr. William Goh, rector of the Major Seminary of Singapore, as
coadjutor archbishop of Singapore (area 699, population 5,000,000, Catholics
190,000, priests 131, religious 152). The archbishop-elect was born in
Singapore in 1957 and ordained
a priest in 1985. He studied theology at the Gregorian University in Rome and
has fulfilled pastoral roles in Singapore. He served as professor at the major
seminary of Singapore from 1992 to 2005, and as rector from 2005.
- erected the new diocese of Gboko (area 10,692, population 1,690,000,
Catholics 896,860, priests 80, religious 29), Nigeria, with territory taken
from the diocese of Makurdi, making it a suffragan of the archdiocese of
Abuja. He appointed Bishop
William Avenya, auxiliary of Makurdi, Nigeria, as first bishop of the new
diocese.
- erected the new diocese of Katsina-Ala (area 6,465, population 676,000,
Catholics 338,497, priests 32, religious 8), Nigeria, with territory taken
from the diocese of Makurdi, making it a suffragan of the archdiocese of
Abuja. He appointed Fr. Peter
Iornzuul Adoboh of the clergy of Makurdi as first bishop of the new diocese.
The bishop-elect was born in Tse-Kucha, Nigeria in 1958 and was ordained a
priest in 1984. He has undertaken studies in spirituality at the Institute of
St. Anselm, England and
the Toronto School of Theology, Canada, and has fulfilled pastoral roles in
Vandeikya, Zaki-Biam, Aliade, Abuja and Adikpo.
On Monday, 31 December, the Holy Father:
- accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Ciudad
Quesada, Costa Rica, presented by Bishop Oswaldo Brenes Alvarez, in accordance
with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
- appointed Msgr. Egidio Turnaturi and the Honorable Dr. Riccardo Turrini Vita
as judges of the Vatican City State Court of Appeals.
___________________________________________________________
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VISnews130102
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR 2013 - N° 1DATE 02-01-2013
Summary: - BENEDICT XVI: WHERE DOES JESUS
COME FROM? - BENEDICT XVI:
THE SAME SECURITY THAT A CHILD FEELS IN THE ARMS OF A LOVING AND ALL-POWERFUL
FATHER - THE LIGHT OF GOD, A BLESSING FOR HUMANITY - TE DEUM: THE
CHRISTIAN IS A PERSON OF HOPE EVEN IN THE FACE OF THE DARKNESS THAT EXISTS IN
THE WORLD -
FAITH IS A PRECIOUS GIFT THAT WE MUST NURTURE IN OUR CHILDREN - TO THE
YOUNG PEOPLE OF TAIZE: BE BEARERS OF THE MESSAGE OF UNITY - TELEGRAM TO
CARDINAL GIOVANNI BATTISTA RE - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS ___________________________________________________________
BENEDICT XVI: WHERE DOES JESUS COME FROM?
Vatican City, 2 January 2013 (VIS) - During the catechesis of the first
general audience of 2013, which was celebrated in the Paul VI Hall with over
7,000 people in attendance, the Holy Father addressed the theme of Christ's
birth, "something so
radically new that it was capable of changing the course of history", and
Jesus' origin.
The Lord's nativity, the Holy Father commented, "once again illuminates the
darkness that often surrounds our world and our hearts with its light, and
brings hope and joy. Where does this light come from? From the grotto in
Bethlehem where the
shepherds found 'Mary and Joseph and the Child lying in the manger'. Before
this Holy Family another, deeper question arises: How can this small and weak
Child bring a newness so radical into the world that it is capable of changing
the course of
history? Isn't there something mysterious in his origin that goes beyond that
cavern?" ...
"In the four Gospels, the answer to the question 'where does Jesus come
from?' emerges clearly: his true origin is the Father, God. He comes entirely
from Him, but in a different way than any other prophet or messenger of God
who preceded Him. This
origin of the mystery of God, 'whom nobody knows', is already contained in the
stories of His childhood in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, which we are
reading during Christmastime. The angel Gabriel announces: 'The Spirit will
come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God'. We repeat these words every time that we
recite the Creed, the profession of faith: 'et incarnatus est de Spiritu
Sancto ex Maria Virgine',
'and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary'. At this phrase we
kneel because the veil that hid God is, so to say, opened and His unfathomable
and inaccessible
mystery touches us. God becomes Emmanuel, 'God with us'. When we listen to the
Masses composed by the great masters of sacred music?I'm thinking, for
example, of Mozart's Coronation Mass?we immediately notice how they linger
over this phrase in a
particular way, almost wanting to try to express with the universal language
of music that which words cannot make manifest: the great mystery of God made
flesh, of God made man". ...
"This affirmation of the Creed does not concern God's eternal being but
rather speaks to us of an action that the three divine Persons take part in
and that is realized 'ex Maria Virgine'. Without her, God's entrance into
human history would not have
been achieved and that which is central to our Profession of Faith would not
have taken place: God is God with us. Mary thus undeniably pertains to our
faith in the God who acts, who enters into history. She puts her entire being
at His disposition, she
'accepts' becoming the place of God's indwelling."
"Some times, even along the path and in the life of faith, we can sense our
poverty, our inadequacy in front of the witness to be given to the world. But
God chose precisely a humble woman, in an unknown village, in one of the
furthest provinces of
the great Roman Empire. Always, even amidst the most arduous difficulties to
be faced, we must have faith in God, renewing our faith in His presence and in
His action in our story as in that of Mary. Nothing is impossible to God! With
Him our existence
always walks upon a safe path and is open to a future of steadfast
hope."...
"What happens in Mary, through the action of the Holy Spirit himself, is a
new creation. God, who has called being from nothingness with the Incarnation,
gives life to a new beginning of humanity. The Fathers of the Church
repeatedly speak of Christ
as the new Adam in order to emphasize the beginning of the new creation with
the birth of the Son of God in the womb of the Virgin Mary. This brings us to
reflect upon how faith also supposes in us a newness so strong as to produce a
second birth. In
fact, at the beginning of being Christians is the Baptism that makes us reborn
as children of God, that makes us to participate in the filial relationship
that Jesus has with the Father. And I would like to note that Baptism is
received, "we are
baptised"?it is a passive verb?because nobody is capable of converting
themselves into a child of God by themselves. It is a gift that is freely
conferred... Only if we are open to God's action, as Mary was, only if
we entrust our life to the Lord as to a friend in who we trust completely,
does everything change. Our lives acquire new meaning and a new face: that of
the children of a Father who loves us and never abandons us". ...
"There is another element in the words of the Annunciation. The angel says
to Mary: 'the power of the Most High will overshadow you'. This is a reminder
of the holy cloud that, during the Exodus, covered the tent of meeting over
the ark of the
Covenant, which the people of Israel carried with them, indicating the
presence of God. Mary, therefore, is the new holy tent, the new ark of the
Covenant. With her 'yes' to the archangel's words, God receive a dwelling
place in this world. What the
universe cannot contain dwells in the womb of a virgin".
"Let us return to the question with which we began, that of Jesus' origin,
summed up in Pilate's question: 'Where are you from?'. From our reflection it
appears clear, from the beginning of the Gospels, what Jesus' true origin is:
He is the only
begotten Son of the Father. He comes from God. We are facing the great and
disconcerting mystery that we celebrate in this time of Christmas: the Son of
God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, became man in the womb of the Virgin
Mary. This is an
announcement that resounds ever new and which carries with it hope and joy to
our hearts because each time it gives us the certainty that, even if we often
feel weak, poor, incapable of facing the difficulties and the evil of the
world, the power of God
is always acting and works wonders precisely in our weakness. His grace is our
strength".
BENEDICT XVI: THE SAME SECURITY THAT A CHILD FEELS IN THE ARMS OF A LOVING
AND ALL-POWERFUL FATHER
Vatican City, 1 January 2013 (VIS) - On Tuesday, the Solemnity of Mary,
Mother of God, the Holy Father presided over Mass in the Vatican Basilica.
Concelebrating were cardinals Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of state, and Peter
Kodwo Appiah Turkson,
president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; archbishops
Giovanni Angelo Becciu, substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of
State, Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States, and Beniamino
Stella, president of the
Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy; along with Bishop Mario Toso, S.D.B.,
secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Yesterday also
marked the 46th World Day of Peace, the theme for which is "Blessed are the
Peacemakers".
Following are extracts from the homily given by Pope Benedict XVI:
"Although the world is sadly marked by 'hotbeds of tension and conflict
caused by growing instances of inequality between rich and poor, by the
prevalence of a selfish and individualistic mindset which also finds
expression in an unregulated
financial capitalism,' as well as by various forms of terrorism and crime, I
am convinced that 'the many different efforts at peacemaking which abound in
our world testify to mankind’s innate vocation to peace. In every person
the desire for peace
is an essential aspiration which coincides in a certain way with the desire
for a full, happy and successful human life. ... Man is made for the peace
which is God’s gift. All of this led me to draw inspiration for this
Message from the words of
Jesus Christ: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God’. This beatitude 'tells us that peace is both a
messianic gift and the fruit of human effort … It is peace with
God through a life lived according to His will. It is interior peace with
oneself, and exterior peace with our neighbours and all creation'. Indeed,
peace is the supreme good to ask as a gift from God and, at the same time,
that which is to be built
with our every effort.
We may ask ourselves: what is the basis, the origin, the root of peace? How
can we experience that peace within ourselves, in spite of problems, darkness
and anxieties? The reply is given to us by the readings of today’s
liturgy. The biblical
texts, especially the one just read from the Gospel of Luke, ask us to
contemplate the interior peace of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. During the days
in which 'she gave birth to her first-born son', many unexpected things
occurred: not only the birth of
the Son but, even before, the tiring journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, not
finding room at the inn, the search for a chance place to stay for the night;
then the song of the angels and the unexpected visit of the shepherds. In all
this, however, Mary
remains even tempered, she does not get agitated, she is not overcome by
events greater than herself; in silence she considers what happens, keeping it
in her mind and heart, and pondering it calmly and serenely. This is
the interior peace which we ought to have amid the sometimes tumultuous and
confusing events of history, events whose meaning we often do not grasp and
which disconcert us.
... Here, dear brothers and sisters, is the foundation of our peace: the
certainty of contemplating in Jesus Christ the splendour of the face of God
the Father, of being sons and daughters in the Son, and thus of having, on
life’s journey, the
same security that a child feels in the arms of a loving and all-powerful
Father. The splendour of the face of God, shining upon us and granting us
peace, is the manifestation of his fatherhood: the Lord turns his face to us,
he reveals himself as our
Father and grants us peace. Here is the principle of that profound peace
– 'peace with God' – which is firmly linked to faith and grace, as
Saint Paul tells the Christians of Rome. Nothing can take this peace from
believers, not even the
difficulties and sufferings of life. Indeed, sufferings, trials and darkness
do not undermine but build up our hope, a hope which does not deceive because
'God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit which has been given to us'.
May the Virgin Mary, whom today we venerate with the title of Mother of
God, help us to contemplate the face of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. May she
sustain us and accompany us in this New Year: and may she obtain for us and
for the whole world the
gift of peace. Amen!"
Vatican City, 1 January 2013 (VIS) - At the end of this morning's Mass for
the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of
his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with faithful
and pilgrims gathered
below in St. Peter's Square. Before reciting the Marian prayer, the pontiff
addressed a few words to them:
"Happy New Year to all! On this first day of 2013 I would like to send
God's blessing to each and every man and woman in the world. I pronounce it
with the old form found in Sacred Scripture: 'the Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord let His face
shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you kindly and give
you peace'.
Just as the sun's light and heat are a blessing for the earth, so is the
light of God for humanity when He makes His face to shine upon us. This is
what has happened with the birth of Jesus Christ! God has made His face to
shine upon us: at the
beginning in a very humble, hidden manner -- in Bethlehem only Mary and Joseph
and a few shepherds were witness to this revelation -- but little by little,
like the sun passing from dawn to noon, the light of Christ has grown and
extended everywhere.
Including the brief time of his earthly life, Jesus of Nazareth made God's
face to shine on the Holy Land and then, through the Church enlivened by his
Spirit, he extended to all peoples the Gospel of peace. 'Glory to God in the
highest and on earth
peace to those on whom his favour rests'. This is the angels' song on
Christmas and it is the song of Christians under the heavens, a song that
moves from our hearts and lips to concrete action, to the gestures of
love that build dialogue, understanding, and reconciliation.
This is why the Church, eight days after Christmas, celebrates the World
Day of Peace when, just like Mary the Virgin Mother, she shows the world the
newborn child, Jesus the Prince of Peace. Yes, this child who is the Word of
God made flesh, comes
to bring us a peace that the world cannot offer. His mission is to break down
'the dividing wall of enmity' that separates us. And when, on the shore of the
Sea of Galilee, he proclaims the 'Beatitudes', among these is 'Blessed are the
peacemakers, for
they will be called children of God'. Who are those who work for peace? They
are all those who, day after day, try to vanquish evil through good, with the
strength of truth, with the arms of prayer and forgiveness, with the job done
honestly and well,
with scientific research that serves life, with works of corporal and
spiritual charity. The peacemakers are many but they make no noise. Like
leaven in dough, they make humanity grow according to
God's plan.
On this first Angelus of the new year, we ask the Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, to bless us as a mother blesses her children who are about to
leave on a journey. A new year is like a journey; with God's light and grace
may it be a path toward
peace for all persons and all families, for all countries and the entire
world."
TE DEUM: THE CHRISTIAN IS A PERSON OF HOPE EVEN IN THE FACE OF THE DARKNESS
THAT EXISTS IN THE WORLD
Vatican City, 31 December 2012 (VIS) - Today at 5:00pm in the Vatican
Basilica, the Holy Father presided over first vespers for the Solemnity of
Mary, Mother of God. This was followed by the exposition of the Blessed
Sacrament, the singing of the
traditional "Te Deum" of thanksgiving on the conclusion of the calendar year,
and the Eucharistic blessing.
Following are extracts from the homily given by Pope Benedict XVI:
"We cannot rely solely on the news if we want to understand the world and
life. We must be able to remain in silence, in meditation, in calm and
prolonged reflection; we must know how to stop and think. In this way, our
mind can find healing from the
inevitable wounds of daily life, can go deeper into the events that occur in
our lives and in the world, and come to the knowledge that allows us to
evaluate things with new eyes. Especially in the recollection of conscience,
where God speaks to us, we
learn to look truthfully at our own actions, even at the evil within us and
around us, to begin a journey of conversion that makes us wiser and better,
more capable of creating solidarity and communion, of overcoming evil with
good. The Christian is a
person of hope, even and especially in the face of the darkness that often
exists in the world, not as a consequence of God’s plans but because of
the wrong choices of man, because the Christian knows that the power of
faith can move mountains, the Lord can brighten even the deepest darkness."
"The Year of Faith, which the Church is living," the pontiff continued,
"should arouse in the heart of each believer a greater awareness that the
encounter with Christ is the source of true life and a solid hope. Faith in
Jesus allows a constant
renewal of goodness and of the ability to rise from the quicksand of sin and
to begin anew. In the Word made flesh it is always possible to rediscover our
true human identity, to find ourselves destined for God's infinite love and
called to a personal
communion with Him. This truth, which Jesus Christ came to reveal, is the
certainty that compels us to confidently face the year we are about to
begin."
"The Church, which has received from her Lord the mission to evangelize,
knows well that the Gospel is destined to all people, especially the younger
generations, to quench that thirst for truth that everyone carries in their
heart and that is often
obscured by all those things that occupy life. This apostolic commitment is
all the more necessary when the faith risks being obscured in cultural
contexts that hinder its personal roots and its social presence. Rome, too, is
a city where the Christian
faith must be proclaimed again and again and witnessed in a credible manner.
On the one hand, there is the growing number of believers of other religions,
the difficulties parish communities have in attracting young people, the
spread of lifestyles
marked by individualism and moral relativism; on the other, the quest, in so
many people, for a sense of their own existence and for a hope that will not
disappoint, that cannot leave us indifferent. Like the Apostle Paul, all the
faithful of this city should consider themselves under obligation of the
Gospel towards the other inhabitants!"
The Pope concluded his homily by enjoining the dioceses "to support and
accompany parents in their spiritual life ... in order to keep the flame of
faith alive". To this end it is important "to build a relationship of cordial
friendship with those of
the faithful who, after having baptised their child, distracted by the demands
of everyday life, do not show great interest in living this experience. They
will thus be able to experience the love of the Church who, as a caring
mother, stands by them to
promote their spiritual life."
After of the ceremony, Benedict XVI visited the nativity scene at the foot
of the obelisk located at the centre of St. Peter's square.
FAITH IS A PRECIOUS GIFT THAT WE MUST NURTURE IN OUR CHILDREN
Vatican City, 30 December 2012 (VIS) - At noon today, the Feast of the Holy
Family of Nazareth, the Holy Father prayed the Angelus from the window of his
study with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Mary and Joseph's concern for Jesus, Benedict XVI said, "is the same as all
parents who are raising a child, to introduce him to life and an understanding
of reality. Today, therefore, we must say a special prayer to the Lord for all
the families of
the world. In imitation of the Holy Family of Nazareth, parents must be
seriously involved in the growth and education of their children, so that they
may become responsible and honest citizens, never forgetting that faith is a
precious gift to nurture
in their children, particularly through personal example. We also pray that
every child may be welcomed as a gift from God and sustained by the love of a
father and a mother in order to grow, like the Lord Jesus, in 'wisdom and age
and favour before God
and man'. May the love, fidelity, and dedication of Mary and Joseph be an
example for all Christian spouses, who are not their children's friends nor
the owner's of their children's lives, but
the guardians of this incomparable gift from God."
--- NetMgr/2 1.0y+
* Origin: NetMgr+ @ Sursum Corda! BBS Meridian MS USA (1:396/45)
