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Ärende: VIS posting for Monday 11 JUN 2007
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE

SEVENTEENTH YEAR - N. 106
ENGLISH
MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2007

SUMMARY: JUNE 9 - 11

- Communique on the Visit of U.S. President Bush
- Pope Praises North African Dioceses' Aid to Migrants
- Holy Father Visits Congregation for Oriental Churches
- Agreement on Teaching Theology in Bavaria Ratified
- Other Pontifical Acts
- Eucharistic Adoration: Recovering a Capacity for Silence
- Appeal for the Release of All Kidnap Victims
- Vatican Observatory Students in Visit to Pope
- Audiences

===========================================================

COMMUNIQUE ON THE VISIT OF U.S. PRESIDENT BUSH

VATICAN CITY, JUN 9, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the
following communique at midday today:

  "This morning, Saturday June 9 2007, President George W. Bush of the
United States of America was received in audience by His Holiness Benedict
XVI. The president subsequently went on to meet Cardinal Secretary of State
Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for
Relations with States.

  "In the course of the cordial discussions, the main themes of the
international political situation were considered. On the question of the
Middle East, particular attention was given to the Israeli-Palestinian
question, to Lebanon, to the worrying situation in Iraq, and to the critical
conditions being experienced by the Christian communities. On the part of
the Holy See, hope was once again expressed in a 'regional' and 'negotiated'
solution to the conflicts and crises afflicting the region. Discussions also
turned to the question of Africa and its development, also with reference to
Darfur, and there was an exchange of opinions on Latin America.

  "Finally contemporary moral and religious issues were examined, among them
those concerning human rights and religious freedom, the defense and
promotion of life, marriage and the family, the education of the young and
sustainable development."
OP/AUDIENCE/BUSH                                                VIS 070611
(220)

POPE PRAISES NORTH AFRICAN DIOCESES' AID TO MIGRANTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 9, 2007 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Pope received
prelates from the Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa (CERNA) who
have just completed their "ad limina" visit. The conference brings together
bishops from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

  "During the early centuries," said the Pope, "the Christian communities of
your region contributed to creating a bridge between the shores of the
Mediterranean. Even today St. Cyprian, St. Augustine and many other
witnesses of the faith still remain as undisputed points of spiritual,
intellectual and cultural reference."

  "In our own time," he observed, "the members of your communities are
highly diverse, both in terms of their origins and of the length and reasons
of their presence in the Maghreb. In this way they provide an image of the
universality of a Church whose evangelical message is addressed to all
nations."

  The Holy Father then went on to greet "young Christians from sub-Saharan
Africa" who study in North Africa, expressing the hope that "the solidarity
they show to one another, together with the fraternal support of their
companions, may help them to bear witness to their faith as disciples of
Christ among their fellow men."

  Benedict XVI encouraged the bishops "always to remain close" to their
faithful, giving them "the necessary spiritual assistance ... to achieve an
awareness of the ecclesial significance of their presence in society, and to
assume their responsibilities within the community."

  "Strengthening their faith with the celebration of the Sacraments and with
a solid Christian formation, as well as with the search for an evangelical
perspective on the social, cultural and religious realities of the 
country,
you will enable the faithful to face with courage the often difficult
situations they meet in their daily life and work."

  The Pope then went on to speak of the "important role of inter-religious
dialogue" in the pastoral activities of North African dioceses. And he
expressed his appreciation because the bishops, "through initiatives of
dialogue, and with meeting places such as study centers and libraries," are
"strongly committed to the development and deepening of relations of esteem
and respect between Christians and Muslims in order to promote
reconciliation, justice and peace."

  "Moreover," he continued, "in sharing daily life, Christians and Muslims
have the opportunity to discover the essential foundations for an
improvement of their knowledge of one another," as they do in "their
collaboration in the fields of healthcare, education, culture and service to
the most needy."

  "Among the serious problems your region has to face is that of the
emigration of people from sub-Saharan Africa who seek to cross the
Mediterranean and reach Europe in search of a better life," said the Pope.
This "must encourage you to collaborate in the service of justice and peace.
The situation of these people, very worrying and at times dramatic, calls
out to consciences."

  Benedict XVI praised the diocesan churches' "generous help" to these
migrants describing it as "a contribution towards recognizing their dignity
and a witness offered to the Lord. It is my heartfelt hope," he added, "that
the countries touched by such migration may identify effective means to give
everyone the hope of building a future for themselves and their families,
and that the dignity of each person is always respected."

  Finally, the Holy Father mentioned the male and female religious of North
Africa, highlighting how their "life of prayer and contemplation is a grace
for the entire Church in that region," and he specifically praised the
example of the Tibhirine community.

  "The ever closer collaboration between your dioceses and the Churches of
the Middle East and Africa," he concluded, "honors your region, which is a
meeting point between Africa, Europe and the Arab world."
AL/.../CERNA                                                    VIS 070611
(630)

HOLY FATHER VISITS CONGREGATION FOR ORIENTAL CHURCHES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 9, 2007 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy Father visited
the offices of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, which are located
near the Vatican, to mark the 90th anniversary of the foundation of that
dicastery by Pope Benedict XV. Also today, the Pope accepted the resignation
from the office of prefect of the congregation presented by Cardinal Ignace
Moussa I Daoud and appointed Archbishop Leonardo Sandri to replace him.

  The Pope opened his address by pointing out that today "the calendar of
the Latin Church recalls St. Ephrem, the great Doctor of the Syrian Church."
He then went on: "As father and pastor, I feel it my duty to raise fervent
prayers to God and launch a heartfelt appeal to all those responsible, that
everywhere, from East to West, Churches may profess their Christian faith in
complete freedom. May the sons and daughters of the Church everywhere be
allowed to live in individual and collective serenity; may groups and
individuals be guaranteed dignity, respect and a future, with no prejudice
of any kind to their rights as believers or as citizens.

  "From my lips," he added, "there rises a more than ever heartfelt
invocation for peace in the Holy Land, in Iraq, in Lebanon and in all the
territories under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Oriental
Churches, as well as in other regions involved in an apparently unstoppable
spiral of violence. May the Churches and the disciples of the Lord remain
where Divine Providence placed them by birth, where they ought to remain
because their presence dates back to the beginnings of Christianity."

  The Holy Father indicated that by visitng to the offices of the dicastery
his intention was "symbolically to continue the pilgrimage to the heart of
t
he East proposed by Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter 'Orientale
lumen.' ... I ideally began that pilgrimage by taking the name of a Pope who
greatly loved the East. And, officially opening my Petrine service as bishop
of Rome, I prayed before the tomb of the Apostle, inviting those oriental
patriarchs in communion with Peter's Successor to join me at my side. ... My
apostolic trip to Turkey, ... was another particularly fruitful moment in my
pilgrimage to the heart of the East.

  "Today," he added, "the Pope again thanks the people of the East for the
faithfulness they have paid in blood" and he, "in his turn, assures them
that he wishes to remain at their side, reaffirming his profound esteem
towards the Eastern Catholic Churches for their unique role as living
witnesses of the origins. Indeed, without a constant relationship with the
traditions of the origins, the Church of Christ has no future."

  "The ecumenical option is irreversible," said Pope Benedict, "and
inter-religious understanding cannot be postponed. I favor the correct
implementation of synodal collegiality and a regular control over the
ecclesial development brought about by the rediscovery of religious freedom.
The priority of formation is very close to the Pope's heart, as is the
'aggiornamento' of the pastoral care of families, the young and vocations,
and ... pastoral concern for culture and for charity." In this context the
Holy Father called for the "movement of charity" to continue and to
increase, so that "the Holy Land and other eastern regions may receive the
necessary spiritual and material support for ordinary ecclesial life and for
special needs."

  The Holy Father concluded by calling for "intelligent efforts ... to face
the serious problem of migration, which sometimes deprives much tried
communities of their finest resources. Migrants must be guaranteed a proper
welcome in their new context and the indispensable bond with their own
religious tradition."
BXVI-VISIT/ORIENTAL CHURCHES/...                                VIS 070611
(630)

AGREEMENT ON TEACHING THEOLOGY IN BAVARIA RATIFIED

VATICAN CITY, JUN 9, 2007 (VIS) - On Friday, June 8, at the apostolic
nunciature in Berlin, Germany, Archbishop Erwin Josef Ender, apostolic
nuncio to Germany, and Edmund Stoiber, minister president of the Free State
of Bavaria, exchanged the instruments of ratification of an additional
protocol to the Concordat with Bavaria of March 29, 1924 (last modified with
the agreement of June 8 1988). The additional protocol between the Holy See
and the Free State of Bavaria was signed on January 19.

  The instruments of ratification "regulate certain questions concerning the
teaching of theology, both in faculties of Catholic theology in State
universities and in other teaching centers in Bavaria."

  Among those participating in the ceremony were, for the Church, Cardinal
Friedrich Wetter, apostolic administrator of Munich and Freising and, for
the State, Siegfried Schneider, minister of education and religious worship.

  The additional protocol came into effect the day following the exchange of
the instruments of ratification.
.../THEOLOGY/BAVARIA                                            VIS 070611
(170)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 9, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of prefect of the Congregation
for the Oriental Churches presented by Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud upon
having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, substitute for General Affairs of
the Secretariat of State as prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental
Churches.

 - Appointed Archbishop Fernando Filoni, apostolic nuncio to the
Philippines, as substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.

 - Appointed as ordinary for Catholics of oriental rite resident in Poland
and without their own ordinary, Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw, Poland.
He succeeds Cardinal Joseph Glemp, archbishop emeritus of Warsaw, whose
resignation from the same office, the Holy Father accepted, in accordance
with
 canon 201 para. 1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

 - Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary to the patriarch of
Jerusalem of the Latins, presented by Bishop Kamal Hanna Bathish, upon
having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Akio Johnson Mutek, auxiliary of Torit, Sudan, as bishop
of the same diocese (area 76,000, population 793,000, Catholics 604,350,
priests 75, religious 36).
NA:NER:RE/.../...                                                       VIS
070611 (200)

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: RECOVERING A CAPACITY FOR SILENCE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2007 (VIS) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at
the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the pilgrims gathered in
St. Peter's Square below.

  In his remarks, the Holy Father spoke of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi,
which many nations including the Vatican celebrated last Thursday, and which
others have liturgically moved to today. This Feast invites us, he said, "to
contemplate the supreme Master of our faith: the Blessed Eucharist, the real
presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the altar.

  "Each time a priest repeats the Eucharistic sacrifice," he added, "he
lends his voice, hands and heart to Christ, Who wished to remain with us and
to be the pulsating heart of the Church. But even after the celebration of
the divine mysteries, the Lord Jesus remains alive in the tabernacle and,
for this reason, a special form of praise of Him is Eucharistic adoration."
Outside Mass, this practice "prolongs and intensifies the events of the
liturgical celebration, and makes it possible to welcome Christ truly and
profoundly."

  Benedict XVI went on to mention the fact that "in all Christian
communities a 
Eucharistic procession takes place today, a unique form of public adoration
of the Eucharist, enriched by the beautiful and traditional expressions of
popular devotion.

  "I wish to take the opportunity of today's Solemnity to recommend the
practice of Eucharistic adoration to pastors and faithful. ... I am happy to
note that many young people are discovering the beauty of adoration, both
alone and in company. I invite priests to encourage youth groups to this
end, but also to accompany them to ensure that community devotion is always
appropriate and dignified, with suitable moments for silence and listening
to the Word of God.

  "In modern life, so often noisy and dispersive, it is more than ever
important to recover the capacity for inner silence and prayer. Eucharistic
adoration enables this to happen, not only around 'me,' but also in the
company of the 'you' full of love that is Jesus Christ, 'God close to us'."
ANG/EUCHARISTIC ADORATION/...                           VIS 070611 (360)

APPEAL FOR THE RELEASE OF ALL KIDNAP VICTIMS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2007 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus today with
thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope made an appeal
for the release of kidnap victims all over the world, Catholic priests among
them, making particular reference to the "painful" example of Colombia.

  "Unfortunately," he said, "I often receive requests to intervene in favor
of people, among them Catholic priests, who have been kidnapped for
different reasons and in various parts of the world.

  "I carry them all in my heart, and I remember them all in my prayers
thinking, among the others, of the painful case of Colombia. I appeal to the
perpetrators of such deplorable acts to realize the evil they have done and
immediately to restore prisoners to their loved ones."

  "I entrust the victims to the maternal protection of Mary Most Holy,
mother of all mankind."
ANG/LIBERATION KIDNAP VICTIMS/...                       VIS 070611 (160)

VATICAN OBSERVATORY STUDENTS IN VISIT TO POPE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2007 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy Father received
students participating in the 11th summer school organized by Vatican
Observatory. The group was led by Fr. Jose Funes, director of the
observatory.

  "Since its establishment in 1891," said the Pope speaking English, "the
Vatican Obser
vatory has sought to demonstrate the Church's desire to
embrace, encourage and promote scientific study, on the basis of her
conviction that 'faith and reason are like two wings on which the human
spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.'

  "The Jesuit Fathers and Brothers who staff the Observatory are not only
involved in astronomical research, but are also committed to offering
educational opportunities for the next generation of astronomers. The
Vatican Observatory summer school is a concrete sign of that commitment."

  Benedict XVI recalled that the school program this month is devoted to the
study of extra-solar planets, pointing out that the participants will also
"have a precious opportunity to learn together with students from 22
different countries. The wide variety of your backgrounds and cultural
traditions can be a source of great enrichment to you all. I encourage you
to make the most of this experience, and I offer my prayerful good wishes
that your small international community may become a promising sign of
greater scientific collaboration for the benefit of the entire human
family."
AC/.../VATICAN OBSERVATORY                              VIS 070611 (240)

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in
separate audiences:

 - The presidents of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American
Episcopate: Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops; Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, archbishop of Santiago de Chile,
Chile; and Geraldo Majella Agnelo, archbishop of Sao Salvador da Bahia,
Brazil.

 - Eight prelates of the Slovak Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina"
visit:

    - Archbishop Jan Sokol of Bratislava-Trnava, accompanied by Auxiliary
Bishops Jan Orosch and Stanislav Zvolnesky.

    - Bishop Jan Babjak S.J., of the eparchy of Presov of Catholics of the
Byzantine Rite.

    - Bishop Rudolf Balaz of Banska Bystrica, accompanied by Auxiliary
Bishop Tomas Galis.

    - Bishop Viliam Judak of Nitra, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Marian
Chovanec.
AP:AL/.../...                                                           VIS
070611 (130)


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