• VISnews130617

    From Vatican Information Service - Eng -@1:396/45 to All on Mon Jun 17 07:25:48 2013
    Subject: VISnews130617
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    VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
    YEAR XXIII - N&deg; 129
    DATE 17-06-2013

    Summary:
    - POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA: FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY AND DRUG TRAFFICKING
    - POPE ON &ldquo;EVANGELIUM VITAE DAY&rdquo;: GOD OF MERCY IS LIFE, FALSE IDOLS BRING ENSLAVEMENT AND DEATH
    - ANGELUS: POPE FRANCIS ENTRUSTS MOST FRAGILE, DEFENCELESS, AND THREATENED HUMAN LIFE TO MARY'S PROTECTION
    - POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
    - POPE FRANCIS: PRINCIPLE OF SECULARISM ENTAILS NEITHER HOSTILITY TO RELIGIOUS
    REALITY NOR EXCLUSION OF SOCIAL SPHERE
    - POPULORUM PROGRESSIO FOUNDATION: INDIGENOUS AND RURAL POPULATIONS OF LATIN AMERICA RUN RISK OF BEING PERIPHERY OF A DEVELOPING CONTINENT
    - MSGR. BATTISTA RICCA APPOINTED INTERIM PRELATE OF IOR
    - AUDIENCES
    - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

    ___________________________________________________________


    POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA: FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY AND DRUG TRAFFICKING
    Vatican City, 17 June 2013 (VIS) &ndash; This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father received in audience His Excellency Mr. Nicolas Maduro Moros, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. President Maduro then
    met with the
    Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
    During the talks, which were held in a cordial atmosphere, topics focused on included the country's social and political situation after the recent death of
    President Hugo Chavez Frias, as well as current issues such as poverty and the fight against
    crime and drug trafficking.
    As the talks continued, reference was made to the Catholic Church's historical presence in the country and her decisive contribution to charity, health care, and education, and the need for constant and sincere dialogue between the Episcopal Conference
    and the State for the development of the entire nation was agreed upon. Finally, the regional situation was discussed, with particular reference made to the peace process in Colombia.

    ___________________________________________________________


    POPE ON &ldquo;EVANGELIUM VITAE DAY&rdquo;: GOD OF MERCY IS LIFE, FALSE IDOLS BRING ENSLAVEMENT AND DEATH
    Vatican City, 16 June 2013 (VIS) &ndash; At 10:30 this morning in a crowded St.
    Peter's Square, Pope Francis presided at the Mass for the Day in the Year of Faith dedicated to Evangelium Vitae. Before celebrating the Eucharist, the Bishop of Rome was
    driven down the Via della Conciliazione in the open popemobile to greet the tens of thousands of persons who had come from all over the world to participate.
    Following are ample excerpts from the Pope's homily, which focused on three main points: the Bible reveals the living God to us; Jesus Christ gives life; and the Holy Spirit keeps us in that new life. Following God's path brings life
    while following
    idols leads to death.
    &ldquo;The first reading, taken from the Second Book of Samuel, speaks to us of
    life and death. King David wants to hide the act of adultery which he committed
    with the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a soldier in his army. To do so, he gives the order that
    Uriah be placed on the front lines and so be killed in battle. The Bible shows us the human drama in all its reality: good and evil, passion, sin and its consequences. Whenever we want to assert ourselves, when we become wrapped up in our own
    selfishness and put ourselves in the place of God, we end up spawning death. ... Selfishness leads to lies, as we attempt to deceive ourselves and those around us. But God cannot be deceived. ... The King is forced to face his deeds
    of death ... He
    recognizes what he has done and he begs forgiveness... The God of mercy, who desires life and always forgives us, now forgives David and restores him to life.&rdquo;
    &ldquo;The Scriptures everywhere tell us that God is the Living One, the One who bestows life and points the way to fullness of life. I think of the beginning of the Book of Genesis: God fashions man out of the dust of the earth
    ... thanks to his
    breath, man has life. &hellip; the God who enters into our history, sets us free from slavery and death, and brings life to his people because he is the Living One. I also think of the gift of the Ten Commandments: a path God points
    out to us towards a
    life which is truly free and fulfilling. The commandments are not a litany of prohibitions ... on the contrary, they are a great &ldquo;Yes!&rdquo;: a yes to
    God, to Love, to life.&rdquo;
    &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s Gospel brings us another step forward. Jesus allows a woman who was a sinner to approach him during a meal in the house of a Pharisee, scandalizing those present. Not only does he let the woman approach but he even forgives her
    sins, saying: 'Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little'. Jesus is the incarnation of the Living God ... Jesus accepts, loves, uplifts, encourages, forgives, restores the ability to walk,
    gives back life. Throughout the Gospels we see how Jesus by his words and actions brings the transforming life of God. ... God, the Living One, is merciful.&rdquo;
    &ldquo;This was also the experience of the Apostle Paul, as we heard in the second reading: 'The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of
    God who loved me and gave himself for me.' &hellip; Who brings us this life? It
    is the Holy
    Spirit &hellip; who leads us into the divine life as true children of God, as sons and daughters in the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. ... Christians are 'spiritual'. This does not mean that we are people who live 'in the clouds', far removed from
    real life ... No! The Christian is someone who thinks and acts in everyday life
    according to God&rsquo;s will, someone who allows his or her life to be guided and nourished by the Holy Spirit ... And this entails realism and fruitfulness.
    Those who let
    themselves be led by the Holy Spirit are realists, they know how to survey and assess reality. They are also fruitful; their lives bring new life to birth all
    around them.&rdquo;
    &ldquo;God is the Living One, the Merciful One; Jesus brings us the life of God; the Holy Spirit gives and keeps us in our new life as true sons and daughters of God. But all too often, as we know from experience, people do not choose life, they do not
    accept the &ldquo;Gospel of Life&rdquo; but let themselves be led by ideologies
    and ways of thinking that block life, that do not respect life, because they are dictated by selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure, and not
    by love, by
    concern for the good of others. It is the eternal dream of wanting to build the
    city of man without God, without God&rsquo;s life and love &ndash; a new Tower of Babel. It is the idea that rejecting God, the message of Christ, the Gospel of Life, will
    somehow lead to freedom, to complete human fulfilment. As a result, the Living God is replaced by fleeting human idols which offer the intoxication of a flash
    of freedom, but in the end bring new forms of slavery and death.&rdquo; &ldquo;Let us look to God as the God of Life, let us look to his law, to the Gospel message, as the way to freedom and life. The Living God sets us free! Let us say 'Yes' to love and not selfishness. Let us say 'Yes' to life and not death. Let us say
    'Yes' to freedom and not enslavement to the many idols of our time. In a word, let us say 'Yes' to the God who is love, life and freedom, and who never disappoints; let us say 'Yes' to the God who is the Living One and the Merciful
    One.&rdquo;

    ___________________________________________________________


    ANGELUS: POPE FRANCIS ENTRUSTS MOST FRAGILE, DEFENCELESS, AND THREATENED HUMAN LIFE TO MARY'S PROTECTION
    Vatican City, 16 June 2013 (VIS) - &ldquo;At the end of the Eucharist dedicated
    to the Gospel of Life,&rdquo; the Pope said, before praying the Angelus, &ldquo;I am pleased to recall that yesterday, in Carpi, Italy, Edward Focherini, husband, father of
    seven, and journalist, was proclaimed Blessed. Captured and imprisoned out of hatred for the Catholic faith, he died in the concentration camp of Hersbruck, Germany, in 1944 at the age of 37. He saved many Jews from Nazi persecution. Along with the
    Church in Carpi, we give thanks to God for this witness of the Gospel of Life!&rdquo;
    Francis then thanked all those who had come to Rome from various places in Italy and throughout the world, especially, &ldquo;families and those who work directly for the promotion and protection of life&rdquo;. He also greeted the 150 members of the
    &ldquo;Gravida&rdquo; Association from Argentina, who were gathered in the city
    of Pilar, encouraging them to continue with their work.
    &ldquo;I greet,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;the many participants in the Harley-Davidson motorcycle rally and the members of the Motorcycle Club of the Italian State Police.&rdquo;
    &ldquo;Now, let us turn to the Virgin, entrusting all human life, especially the most fragile, defenceless, and threatened, to her maternal protection,&rdquo; the pontiff concluded.

    ___________________________________________________________


    POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
    Vatican City, 15 June 2013 (VIS) &ndash; Today in the Vatican Apostolic Palace,
    the Holy Father Francis received the President of the European Commission, His Excellency Mr. Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, who then went on to meet with Secretary of State
    Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
    The cordial discussions provided an opportunity for a useful exchange of views on the international situation, paying particular attention to the process of European integration, as well as the continuing economic crisis that has serious consequences on
    employment, especially for young persons, and a negative impact on family life. As the talks continued, focus was placed on the positive contribution that the Catholic Church can offer in the current climate for Europe&rsquo;s material and spiritual well-being.
    Finally, special attention was given to the promotion of human rights, especially that of religious freedom, and the protection of Christian minorities around the world.

    ___________________________________________________________


    POPE FRANCIS: PRINCIPLE OF SECULARISM ENTAILS NEITHER HOSTILITY TO RELIGIOUS REALITY NOR EXCLUSION OF SOCIAL SPHERE
    Vatican City, 15 June 2013 (VIS) &ndash; The principle of secularism that governs relations between the French State and the various religious confessions &ldquo;in itself shouldn't mean hostility to religious reality or the exclusion of religion from
    the social sphere and the debates that animate it.&rdquo; Pope Francis made this statement in his address to members of the French Senate and National Assembly who had sought an audience with the Bishop of Rome.
    The encounter afforded the pontiff the opportunity to emphasize the relations of trust that generally exist in that nation between those responsible for public life and the Catholic Church. &ldquo;We can rejoice,&rdquo; he affirmed,
    &ldquo;in the fact
    that French society rediscovers proposals offered by the Church, among others, that offer a certain vision of persons and their dignity in view of the common good. The Church thus wishes to offer its own specific contribution on the profound questions
    that engage a more complete vision of persons and their destiny, of society and
    its destiny. This contribution is not only located within the anthropological or social sphere but also in the political, economic, and cultural spheres.&rdquo;
    The Pope reminded the French politicians that, as elected by a nation towards which the eyes of the world are often turned, they have the duty of contributing in an effective and constant manner to improving the lives of their citizens and of responding
    to their needs. Even if their task mainly unfolds in the legislative arena, it is necessary to inspire in the laws &ldquo;a supplement, a spirit, I would say a soul, that doesn't only reflect the methods and ideas of the moment but that confers upon
    them the indispensable quality that elevates and ennobles the human person.&rdquo;
    Bidding the French parliamentarians farewell, Francis warmly encouraged them &ldquo;to continue your mission, always looking for the good of the person and promoting fraternity in you beautiful country. May God bless you.&rdquo;

    ___________________________________________________________


    POPULORUM PROGRESSIO FOUNDATION: INDIGENOUS AND RURAL POPULATIONS OF LATIN AMERICA RUN RISK OF BEING PERIPHERY OF A DEVELOPING CONTINENT
    Vatican City, 15 June 2013 (VIS) &ndash; Members of the administrative council of the "Populorum Progressio" Foundation will gather from 18 to 21 June in Arequipa, Peru, for their annual meeting to deliberate on the financing of development projects in
    support of indigenous, mestizo, and rural African-American communities in Latin
    America and the Caribbean. From its establishment in 1992, the "Populorum Progressio" Foundation has been entrusted to the Pontifical Council &ldquo;Cor Unum&rdquo;.
    The administrative council is composed of the following members: Cardinal Robert Sarah, president ex officio of the Foundation; Archbishop Edmundo Luis Abastoflor Montero of La Paz, Bolivia, and president of the administrative council; Archbishop
    Antonio Arregui Yarza of Guayaquil, Ecuador, and vice president; Archbishop Oscar Urbina Ortega of Villavicencio, Colombia; Archbishop Murilo Sebastiao Ramos Krieger, S.C.I., of Sao Salvador da Bahia, Brazil; Archbishop Javier Augusto del Rio Alba of
    Arequipa, Peru; and Msgr. Segundo Tejado Munoz, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum".
    This is the council's first meeting under the pontificate of Pope Francis, who has spoken with great clarity of &ldquo;a poor Church for the poor&rdquo; and who lives his power in humble service, attentive to the outskirts, the villages, and the least
    ones who are rich only in the charity that comes from above. These will be the reference and the stimulus for the decisions that will be made. The main beneficiaries of &ldquo;Populorum Progressio&rdquo;, indigenous and rural communities in particular,
    are at risk of being the &ldquo;human periphery&rdquo; in a continent that is experiencing a phase of significant economic development, but which is characterized by large social inequalities that especially penalize those segments of the population
    that remain on the margins of such development.
    In this context, it is the hope of all the Council members to organize, for next year, their annual meeting in Rome, to have the opportunity to receive direction and guidance on the Foundation's future directly from Pope Francis. This year, 222 projects were presented by 18 countries including: Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. The projects are characterized by a broadly participatory approach on the part of the local communities that contribute to all the phases of the
    projects: from its conception to its concrete realization in the event of a project's approval. These initiatives serve to meet the needs in various areas:
    production (agriculture and farming, craftsmanship, micro-businesses); community infrastructure
    (potable water, latrines, community halls); education (training, scholastic equipment, publications); health (prevention campaigns, medical equipment for clinics); and construction (educational and health centres).
    The main support of &ldquo;Populorum Progressio&rdquo;&mdash;alongside individual faithful, dioceses, and various institutes&mdash;comes through the Italian Episcopal Conference.

    ___________________________________________________________


    MSGR. BATTISTA RICCA APPOINTED INTERIM PRELATE OF IOR
    Vatican City, 15 June 2013 (VIS) &ndash; In a declaration published this morning, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Press Office of the Holy See, made it known that: &ldquo;The Commission of Cardinals for oversight of the Institute for the
    Works of Religion (IOR), with the approval of the Holy Father, has appointed 'ad interim' Msgr. Battista Mario Salvatore Ricca as Prelate of the Institute.&rdquo;
    &ldquo;In his capacity as prelate, Msgr. Battista Ricca will act as secretary of the meetings of the Cardinals&rsquo; Commission and will attend meetings of the Board of Superintendence in accordance with the Institute&rsquo;s statutes.&rdquo;
    &ldquo;Msgr. Battista Ricca, who was born in Offlaga in the province of Brescia, Italy, in 1956, is part of the Diplomatic Service, serving in the First Section of the Secretariat of State. He is also Director of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Domus
    Internationalis Paulus VI, the Domus Romana Sacerdotalis, and the Casa San Benedetto.&rdquo;
    &ldquo;As can be recalled, he succeeds Archbishop Piero Pioppo, currently Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, who held the post from 2006
    to 2010.&rdquo;
    &ldquo;With the appointment of Mr. Ernst von Freyberg as President of the Institute and of Msgr. Battista Ricca as its prelate, the Cardinals&rsquo; Commission has filled the two important positions that are provided for in the statutes of the IOR,
    which had been vacant for some time. Msgr. Battista Ricca&rsquo;s appointment is effective immediately.&rdquo;

    ___________________________________________________________


    AUDIENCES
    Vatican City, 17 June 2013 (VIS) &ndash; Today the Holy Father received:
    - His Excellency Mr. Rowsch N. Shaways, vice prime minister of the Republic of Iraq, and
    - Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B., bishop emeritus of Hong Kong.
    On Saturday, 15 June in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Holy Father received:
    - Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, Poland, and
    - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

    ___________________________________________________________


    OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
    Vatican City, 15 June 2013 (VIS) &ndash; Today, the Holy Father:
    - appointed Msgr. Xavier Munyongani as bishop of the Diocese of Gweru (area 29,158, population 2,313,000, Catholics 368,000, priests 54, religious 216), Zimbabwe. The bishop-elect was born in Mutero Mission, Gutu District, Zimbabwe,
    in
    1950 and was ordained a priest in 1977. Since ordination he has served in many pastoral, academic, and administrative roles in the Dioceses of Gweru and Masvingo, Zimbabwe, as well as serving in London, England, since 2007, as chaplain of the Zimbabwe
    Catholic Community.
    - appointed Fr. Alphonse Nguyen Huu Long, P.S.S., as auxiliary of the Diocese of Hung Hoa (area 54,352, population 7,187,000, Catholics 235,000, priests 63, religious 242), Vietnam, assigning him the Titular See of Gummi in Byzacena.
    The bishop-elect was born in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 1953 and was ordained a priest in 1990. Since ordination he has: served as vicar for the parish of Tam Ky (1990-1994); obtained a license in Canon Law from the Institut Catholique of Paris, France; served
    as pastor for the parishes of Ha Lam (1999-2001) and Tra Kieu (2001-2003); served as spiritual director and professor of Canon Law, Church History, and Catechesis at the Major Seminary of Hue (2003-2011) as well as that institution's rector since 2011.
    - appointed Fr. Pierre Nguyen Van Vien as auxiliary of the Diocese of Vinh (area 30,594, population 6,285,000, Catholics 506,992, priests 197, religious 1,882), Vietnam, assigning him the Titular See of Megalopolis in Proconsulari. The
    bishop-elect was born in Huong Phuong, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, in 1965 and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Vinh in 1999. Since ordination he has done pastoral service for the Vietnamese community in Sydney, Australia, where he obtained
    his doctorate in Theology, served as vice rector and professor of Dogmatics at Vinh Thanh's Major Seminary, and, since, 2010, served as general vicar of the Diocese of Vinh.
    - appointed Cardinal Audrys Juozas Backis, archbishop emeritus of Vilnius, Lithuania, as his special envoy to the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Rus' scheduled to take place in Kiev, Ukraine from 17-18 August 2013.
    - appointed Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of San Cristobal de la Habana, Cuba, as his special envoy to the closing celebrations of the First anniversary of the elevation of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of San
    Salvador, El Salvador, and the erection of the Dioceses of Santa Ana and San Miguel as well as the closing ceremony of the national Eucharistic Congress in El Salvador scheduled for 11 August 2013.

    ___________________________________________________________

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    </style> <br /><br /> <input type="hidden" value="VISnews130617" id="id_oggetto" />VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE <br />YEAR XXIII - N&deg; 129<br />DATE 17-06-2013<br /><br />Summary:<br /> - POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA: FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY
    AND DRUG TRAFFICKING<br /> - POPE ON &ldquo;EVANGELIUM VITAE DAY&rdquo;: GOD OF
    MERCY IS LIFE, FALSE IDOLS BRING ENSLAVEMENT AND DEATH<br /> - ANGELUS: POPE FRANCIS ENTRUSTS MOST FRAGILE, DEFENCELESS, AND THREATENED HUMAN LIFE TO MARY'S
    PROTECTION<br />
    - POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION<br /> - POPE FRANCIS: PRINCIPLE OF SECULARISM ENTAILS NEITHER HOSTILITY TO RELIGIOUS REALITY NOR EXCLUSION OF SOCIAL SPHERE<br /> - POPULORUM PROGRESSIO FOUNDATION: INDIGENOUS AND RURAL POPULATIONS OF
    LATIN AMERICA RUN RISK OF BEING PERIPHERY OF A DEVELOPING CONTINENT<br /> - MSGR. BATTISTA RICCA APPOINTED
    INTERIM PRELATE OF IOR<br /> - AUDIENCES<br /> - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS<br /><br
    ___________________________________________________________ <br /><br /><!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?-->
    <p>POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA: FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY AND DRUG TRAFFICKING</p>
    <p>Vatican City, 17 June 2013 (VIS) &ndash; This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father received in audience His Excellency Mr. Nicolas Maduro Moros, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. President Maduro then met with the
    Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.</p> <p>During the talks, which were held in a cordial atmosphere, topics focused on
    included the country's social and political situation after the recent death of
    President Hugo Chavez Frias, as well as current issues such as poverty and the fight against
    crime and drug trafficking.</p>
    <p>As the talks continued, reference was made to the Catholic Church's historical presence in the country and her decisive contribution to charity, health care, and education, and the need for constant and sincere dialogue between the Episcopal
    Conference and the State for the development of the entire nation was agreed upon.</p>
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