Benedict XVI (16) xvi - Cardinal Ratzinger

Hundreds of Thousands Await Papal Mass in Germany
By VOA News
21 August 2005

VOA - Aug 21/05 - Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are gathered in a field outside Cologne, Germany waiting to attend Sunday's open-air Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Mass will be the highlight of the Roman Catholic pontiff's visit to the World Youth Day gathering in his native Germany. The foreign trip is the first of Benedict's papacy.

Pilgrims hold candles and wave flags during vigil with Pope Benedict XVI at the Marienfeld, Saturday
The pope late Saturday addressed hundreds of thousands of young Catholics assembled for a prayer vigil.

Earlier, the pontiff called on Germany's Muslim leaders to actively work against hatred and intolerance, which he said is at the root of terrorist violence seeking to poison relations between Christians and Muslims.

Pope Benedict also met privately with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 2005 (VIS) - Pope Benedict XVI, returning the visit to the Vatican by Italian President Carlo Azeglio Campi on May 3, today went to the Quirinale Palace, home to Italy's presidents, where he met privately with Ciampi, following which there were official speeches in the "Salone delle Feste."

The Pope left the Vatican at 10:30 a.m. in an open car. Just outside Vatican City, in Pius XII Square, he was greeted by a delegation of the Italian government led by Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini. The Holy Father's motor cavalcade stopped a second time in Piazza Venezia, near Rome's City Hall, where he was greeted by Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni. Upon his 11 a.m. arrival at the Quirinale, President Ciampi welcomed Benedict XVI and, once inside the palace, they were joined by former Italian presidents Francesco Cossiga and Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Among those present for the Vatican was Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

Today's visit was the eighth time a Pope has been to the Quirinale. The first was Pius XII in 1939. John Paul II went to the Quirinale in 1984, 1986 and again in 1998.

Following greetings from President Ciampi, the Pope delivered his address, assuring citizens of Rome and Italy of his "commitment to work with all my strength for the religious and civil wellbeing of those the Lord has entrusted to my pastoral care."

The Holy Father recalled how relations between the Church and the Italian State "are founded on the principle expressed during Vatican Council II, according to which 'the Church and the political community in their own fields are autonomous and independent from each other. Yet both, under different titles, are devoted to the personal and social vocation of the same people'."

For this reason, the Pope went on, "a healthy laicism of the State" is legitimate, "by virtue of which temporal situations are governed according to their own norms, yet without excluding those ethical references whose ultimate foundations are to be found in religion. The autonomy of the temporal sphere does not exclude an intimate harmony with higher and more complex necessities deriving from an integral vision of man and of his eternal destiny."

Benedict XVI expressed the hope that the Italian people, "not only do not deny the Christian heritage that makes up part of their history, but guard it jealously and bring it once again to produce fruits worthy of the past. I have faith that Italy, under the wise and exemplary guidance of those called to govern her, will continue to undertake the civilizing mission in the world, in which she has so distinguished herself over the centuries. By virtue of her history and culture, Italy can make a valid contribution, especially to Europe, helping it to rediscover those Christian roots that enabled it to be great in the past, and that still today can favor the profound unity of the continent."

The Pope indicated that the numerous concerns of the start of his pontificate - concerns "that cannot but be of interest to leaders of public life" - include "the problem of safeguarding the family based on matrimony, as recognized by the Italian Constitution, the problem of the defense of human life, ... and the problem of education."

The Church, he stressed, "sees in the family a very important value that must be defended from all attacks that aim to undermine its solidity and put its very existence in doubt. In human life, moreover, the Church recognizes a primary good, the basis for all other goods." On the subject of schooling, the Holy Father emphasized its role as a "natural expansion" of the formative role of the family. "While fully respecting the competency of the State to dictate general norms for education, I cannot but express the hope that the right of parents to a free educational choice be respected, without their having to support the additional weight of further burdens. I trust that Italian legislators, in their wisdom, know how to find 'human solutions' to these problems, in other words, solutions that respect the inviolable values implicated therein."

Following his address, the Holy Father bid farewell to the Italian president before returning to the Vatican by open-top car.

- Appointed Msgr. Alfonso Cortes Contreras, rector of the Pontifical Mexican College in Rome, as auxiliary bishop of Monterrey (area 17,886, population 6,809,345, Catholics 5,146,211, priests 509, permanent deacons 25, religious 1,048), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Michoacan, Mexico, in 1947 and ordained a priest in 1972.

VATICAN CITY, JUN 22, 2005 (VIS) - Following this morning's general audience catechesis, Pope Benedict saluted the faithful in various languages, including greetings to the members of the Special Council for Africa of the Synod of Bishops who have been meeting at the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

The Pope said that, "confirming the decision made by my venerated predecessor last November 13, I wish to announce my intention to call the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. I have great hopes that such a gathering will mark a further impulse for evangelization on the African continent, the consolidation and growth of the Church and the promotion of reconciliation and peace."

VATICAN CITY, JUN 22, 2005 (VIS) - Following today's general audience, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to Israel and Cyprus and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.

- Msgr. Francesco Follo, permanent observer to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

VATICAN CITY, JUN 21, 2005 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls announced today that "the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, will travel to Cologne, Germany from August 18 to 21 on the occasion of the 20th World Youth Day.

"The Pope will depart Rome on Thursday, August 18 at 10 a.m. from Ciampino Airport, arriving Cologne after 2 hours of flight. The following day he will travel by car to Bonn where he will spend the day, returning to Cologne in the late afternoon. On Sunday, August 21, he will depart Cologne for Rome at 7:15 p.m., arriving at Ciampino two hours later."

VATICAN CITY, JUN 21, 2005 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff communicated today that, on Sunday July 10 at 11 a.m., Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals and secretary of State, will take possession of the title of the suburbicarian church of Ostia, Santa Aurea in Ostia Antica.

VATICAN CITY, JUN 16, 2005 (VIS) - Pope Benedict today received the Letters of Credence of seven new ambassadors to the Holy See, including the first ever representative from the Republic of Azerbaijan. Following his welcome address in French, the Pope presented each ambassador with a written message with references to the specific civil and religious situation in his country.

The new ambassadors are: Elchin Oktyabar oglu Amirbayov of Azerbaijan; El Hadj Aboubacar Dione of Guinea; Antonio Ganado of Malta, Geoffrey Kenyon Ward of New Zealand; Joseph Bonesha of Rwanda, Jean-Francois Kammer of Switzerland and David Douglas Hamadziripi of Zimbabwe.

The Pope said that, through the diplomats, he wished to address the peoples of their countries, telling them "I am close to them and pray for them. I invite them to commit themselves to fashion an ever more fraternal civilization, with renewed attention to everyone, especially the poorest people and those excluded from society."

"In this sense," he went on, "our world is faced with many challenges that it must surmount so that man will always be more important than technology, and the just destiny of peoples is the main concern of those who have accepted to administer public affairs, not for themselves, but for the common good. Our heart cannot be in peace when we see our brothers suffer for lack of food, work, housing or other fundamental goods."

To help our needy brothers and sisters, underscored Benedict XVI, "we have to face the first of these challenges: that of solidarity between generations, solidarity between countries and between continents, for a more equitable sharing among all men of the riches of the planet. It is one of the basic services that men of good will must give to mankind. The earth has, in fact, the capacity to feed all its inhabitants, on the condition that rich countries do not keep for themselves what belongs to everyone."

The Church, said the Holy Father, will never cease to remind people that "all men must be attentive to a human fraternity made of concrete gestures, at the level of individuals as well as at the level of governments and international institutions. ... The Church will continue on all continents to come to the aid of populations, with the support of local communities and all men and women of good will, especially in the fields of education, health care and basic goods."

VATICAN CITY, JUN 16, 2005 (VIS) - Benedict XVI today received Reverend Samuel Kobia, secretary general of the World Council of Churches (WCC), accompanied by his wife and members of his delegation who this week have been on an official visit to Rome.

The Pope recalled how relations between the Catholic Church and the WCC (World Council of Churches) developed during Vatican Council II and that in 1965 this led "to the establishment of the Joint Working Group as an instrument of ongoing contact and cooperation. ... Next November an important consultation on the future of the Joint Working Group will be held to mark the fortieth anniversary of its founding. My hope and prayer is that its purpose and working methodology will be further clarified for the sake of ever more effective ecumenical understanding, cooperation and progress."

The Pope went on: "In the very first days of my pontificate I stated that my 'primary task is the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers.' This requires ... 'concrete gestures which enter hearts and stir consciences... inspiring in everyone that inner conversion that is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress'."

The Holy Father expressed the hope that Rev. Tobia's visit to the Holy See "has been fruitful, strengthening the bonds of understanding and friendship between us. The commitment of the Catholic Church to the search for Christian unity is irreversible. I therefore wish to assure you that she is eager to continue cooperation with the World Council of Churches."

VATICAN CITY, JUN 16, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Reverend Samuel Kobia, Methodist pastor and secretary general of the World Council of Churches, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

VATICAN CITY, JUN 15, 2005 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following statement this morning:

"The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be presented on June 28, in the course of a solemn liturgical celebration in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI. The Compendium was prepared by a commission presided by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

"The Catechism of the Catholic Church was presented to the faithful and to the whole world by Pope John Paul II on December 7, 1992, who described it as 'a sure and authentic reference text.'

"Following the request for greater appreciation of the Catechism, and in order to meet a widespread need that emerged during the 2002 International Catechetical Congress, in 2003 the Holy Father established a special commission, presided by the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, that he charged with preparing a Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, containing a more concise and dialogic version of the same contents of Catholic faith and morals.

"The text will become available to the public beginning on June 29, 2005, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, pillars of the universal Church and exemplary evangelizers of the Gospel. The entire Church is now invited to imitate them in their missionary zeal and to pray the Lord that He grant her the chance to follow, even today, their teaching which brought the joyful announcement of the Gospel to the whole world.

"Forty years after the end of Vatican Council II, and in the heart of the Year of the Eucharist, the Compendium can represent a precious support to satisfy the hunger for truth felt by all human beings of whatever age or condition.

"The text of the Compendium will be published by the Vatican Publishing House together with the San Paolo Publishing House which will also oversee the distribution of the book in Italy. Translations and editions in the various languages will involve the respective episcopal conferences."

POPE BENEDICT XVI CALLS FOR FOCUS ON AFRICA

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

ROME, ITALY (ANS) - May 26, 2005 - Two African presidents and a prime minister were among thousands of pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square for the Pope Benedict XVI's address to a general audience May 25 during which he urged the international community to become more involved in helping solve the problems of the African continent.

"Today is Africa Day, " the Pope said, according to a report by Sabina Castelfranco, posted by Voice of America (VOA) on its website.

Pope Benedict said his thoughts and prayers were with the beloved people of Africa. Benedict urged Catholic institutions to continue to give generous attention to the people on the continent.

Clapping and cheering rose from Saint Peter's Square as the Pope arrived in his open-top jeep and greeted the faithful. The Pope then sat on his throne in front of the basilica and addressed the huge crowd in different languages.

Over 25,000 people were gathered in the square under a brilliant sun and blue skies. Among those present in the crowd were the presidents of Burkina Faso and Mali and the prime minister of Swaziland who greeted the Pope personally at the end of the audience.

In his message, the Pope also said that even in difficult times the Lord does not abandon and for this reason the torch of faith must be kept high.

FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON IN TALKS ON AID TO TSUNAMI VICTIMS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2005 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following declaration to journalists concerning the visit to the Vatican by former U.S. President Bill Clinton:

"Today, May 20, 2005 Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano received William J. Clinton, former president of the United States of America, who visited the Vatican to report on activities entrusted to him by the secretary general of the United Nations Organization to promote international solidarity in support of Asian peoples struck by the tsunami.

"For his part, the secretary of State described to the illustrious guest the Holy See's commitment in this field. Cardinal Sodano then introduced President Clinton to Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council 'Cor Unum,' who gave a detailed account of work undertaken in this field by various Catholic institutions around the world.

"The occasion was also used to give attention to two other large contemporary problems: the contribution of States to under-developed countries and the struggle against AIDS, especially in Africa."

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CARDINAL ARINZE TO TAKE POSSESSION OF HIS TITULAR CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, MAY 10, 2005 (VIS) - A communique published today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff states that at 6.30 p.m. on Sunday, May 22, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, will take possession of the suburbicarian Church of Velletri-Segni, in a ceremony to be held in the cathedral of Velletri.
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POPE BENEDICT XVI TAKES POSSESSION OF CATHEDRA AS BISHOP OF ROME

VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2005 (VIS) - This evening, Benedict XVI presided at a Eucharistic celebration in the basilica of St. John Lateran, on the occasion of his taking possession of the Cathedra of the Bishop of Rome. Forty cardinals, members of the diocesan episcopal council, the canons of the Lateran Basilica and the council of pastor prefects concelebrated with the Holy Father.

At the beginning of the celebration, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general of the diocese of Rome expressed the joy of the Church of Rome for her new pastor. The Pope then sat in his cathedra for the first time while the choir and congregation sang: "Joy, peace and life to you Benedict, bishop of Rome." After this, the Holy Father received expressions of "obedience" from a group of representatives of the Roman Church: Cardinal Ruini in his capacity as archpriest of the basilica of St. John Lateran; Archbishop Luigi Moretti, vicegerent of the diocese; two priests; a permanent deacon and a deacon preparing for the priesthood; a male and a female religious; a layman and a laywoman, and two young people who had received the rite of Confirmation.

At the beginning of his homily, the Holy Father spoke of the Ascension of the Lord, which in many places is celebrated this Sunday, saying that Christ, "thanks to His being with the Father, is close to each of us forever. Each of us can address Him as a friend, each of us can call on Him." Although "we can live with our backs turned to Him, He always awaits us, He is always close to us."

Benedict XVI emphasized that the Risen Christ "has need of witnesses who have met Him, of men and women who have known Him intimately through the power of the Holy Spirit. ... The successors to the Apostles - that is, the bishops - have the public responsibility to ensure that the network of this testimony endures over time. ... And in this network of witnesses, a special task falls to Peter's Successor."

The Pope "must be aware that he is a weak and fragile man," in constant need of "purification and conversion. Yet he may also be aware that from the Lord comes the strength to confirm his brothers and sisters in the faith, and to keep them united in confessing the Crucified and Risen Christ."

"The bishop of Rome sits in his cathedra to bear witness to Christ," said the Pope. "Thus the cathedra is the symbol of the 'potestas docendi,' that authority to teach which is an essential part of the mandate to bind and to loosen conferred by the Lord on Peter and, after him, on the Twelve." On this subject, the Pope affirmed that "where Holy Scripture is disjoined from the living voice of the Church, it falls prey to the disputes of experts."

"This authority to teach frightens many people, both within and outside the Church. They ask themselves whether it does not threaten freedom of belief, whether it is not a presumption that goes against freedom of thought. It is not so. ... The Pope is not an absolute sovereign whose thoughts and will are law. Quite the contrary, the ministry of the Pope is a guarantee of obedience to Christ and to His Word. He must not proclaim his own ideas, but constantly bind himself and the Church in obedience to God's Word in the face of all attempts to adapt that Word or to water it down, and in the face of all forms of opportunism."

Benedict XVI emphasized that this is what John Paul II did "when, in the face of all apparently benevolent attempts, in the face of erroneous interpretations of freedom, he unequivocally underlined the inviolability of the human being, the inviolability of human life from conception to natural death. The freedom to kill is not true freedom, but a tyranny that reduces human beings to slavery."

"The Pope is aware of being bound - in his important decisions - to the great community of the faith of all times, to the binding interpretations that have developed during the Church's pilgrim journey." He has the responsibility to ensure that the Word of God "continues to be present in its greatness and to sound forth in its purity, so that it is not dismembered by constant changes in fashion."

At the end of his homily, the Holy Father assured Romans: "Now I am your bishop. Thank you for your generosity! Thank you for your kindness! Thank you for your patience! As Catholics we are all, in some way, also Romans."

After Mass, the Pope traveled in an open car to the basilica of St. Mary Major to venerate the "Salus Populi Romani" icon of the Virgin Mary which is conserved in the Borghese Chapel. This act of veneration by a new Pope represents an unbroken tradition of supplication by the people of Rome to the Mother of Salvation.
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BENEDICT XVI TO VISIT ST. PAUL'S BASILICA ON APRIL 25

VATICAN CITY, APR 22, 2005 (VIS) - The Office for Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff announced in a communique published yesterday afternoon that the solemn Eucharistic celebration to inaugurate the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI will take place in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, April 24 at 10 a.m. All cardinals in Rome will concelebrate.

"The Church in Rome and in various parts of the world," adds the communique, "is invited to give filial thanks and make a fervent supplication to God to obtain for the new Roman Pontiff, who will be given the Petrine pallium and the Ring of the Fisherman, copious graces for his ministry for the good of the entire Church."

On Monday, April 25, at 6:30 p.m., the Holy Father will go to the tomb of the Apostle Paul in the basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls on the Via Ostiense "to express the inseparable bond of the Church of Rome with the Apostle of the People together with the Fisherman from Galilee."

Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls, in a statement released to journalists yesterday afternoon announced that on Monday morning, April 25, the Holy Father Benedict XVI will receive in the Paul VI Hall the pilgrims who have come from Germany for the solemn inauguration of his pontificate.

Journalists will be welcomed by the Pope on Saturday, April 23 at 11 a.m. in the Paul VI Hall.

A change in program was also announced yesterday. Pope Benedict XVI will receive the heads of the diplomatic missions accredited to the Holy See and the heads of delegations present for the Mass to inaugurate his pontificate following that celebration on Sunday, April 24, and not on Monday, April 25, as previously announced.

POPE TO CARDINALS: MAY YOUR SUPPORT FOR ME NEVER FAIL

VATICAN CITY, APR 22, 2005 (VIS) - This morning, the Pope received the cardinals currently in Rome, telling them that "to the intense emotions I experienced on the occasion of the death of my venerated predecessor John Paul II and then during the conclave, especially its outcome, can be added an intimate desire for silence and two complementary feelings: a deep and heartfelt gratitude and a sense of human impotence in the face of the exalted task that awaits me."

"In the first place," he affirmed, "I feel the need to give thanks to God Who, despite my human frailty, elected me as Successor to the Apostle Peter and entrusted me with the task of supporting and guiding the Church, that in the world she may become a sacrament of unity for the entire human race."

Benedict XVI emphasized how "truly emotional" the first meeting with the faithful two days ago in St Peter's Square had been. "May my most heartfelt thanks reach everyone: bishops, priests, male and female religious, young and old alike, for their spiritual solidarity."

The Pope thanked all members of the College of Cardinals, especially Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano and the camerlengo Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, for "the active collaboration they gave to running the Church during the period of vacant see. With special affection, I would like to greet those cardinals who, for reasons of age or ill health, did not participate in the conclave."

The Pope extended his personal thanks to the cardinals "for the trust you have placed in me by electing me as bishop of Rome and pastor of the Universal Church. It was an act of faith that constitutes an encouragement to undertake this new mission with greater serenity, because I am convinced that I can count on both the indispensable help of God and your generous collaboration. I pray that your support for me may never fail!"

The Holy Father recalled his predecessors, Blessed John XXIII, Servants of God Paul VI and John Paul I, and especially John Paul II, "whose witness over the last days supported us more than ever, and whose ever-living presence we continue to feel." He went on: "The light and the strength of the Risen Christ radiated in the Church by that kind of 'last Mass' that (John Paul II) celebrated in his agony, culminating in the 'Amen' of a life entirely offered, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the salvation of the world."

"For me, your spiritual closeness, your enlightened counsel and your effective cooperation will be a gift for which I will be ever grateful and a stimulus to carry out the mandate entrusted to me with total faithfulness and dedication."
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POPE THANKS MEDIA FOR SERVICE TO HOLY SEE, CATHOLIC CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, APR 23, 2005 (VIS) - In the first audience of his papacy, Pope Benedict XVI welcomed several thousand members of the print and electronic media this morning in the Paul VI Hall and thanked them for their arduous work in recent weeks in covering the "important ecclesial events" that have taken place in Rome and "for the service you have given in these days to the Holy See and the Catholic Church." Greeted by enthusiastic applause, he spoke to the journalists, photographers and cameramen in Italian, English, French and German.

"One can say," said the Holy Father, "that, thanks to your work, for many weeks the world's attention was fixed on the basilica, on St. Peter's Square and on the Apostolic Palace, where my predecessor, the unforgettable Pope John Paul II, serenely ended his earthly existence and where, in following days, in the Sistine Chapel, the Lord cardinals elected me as his successor."

"Thanks to all of you, these historically important ecclesial events have had worldwide coverage. I know how hard you have worked, far away from your homes and families, for long hours and in sometimes difficult conditions. I am aware of the skill and dedication with which you have accomplished your demanding task. In my own name, and especially on behalf of Catholics living far from Rome, who were able to participate in these stirring moments for our faith as they were taking place, I thank you for all you have done. The possibilities opened up for us by modern means of social communication are indeed marvellous and extraordinary!"

Benedict XVI noted that Vatican Council II dedicated its first document, "Inter mirifica," to the means of social communication, indicating the Church's awareness of the importance of the media and her desire to have a dialogue with it. "Without any doubt, John Paul II was the great artisan of this open and sincere dialogue, as he had, in the more than 26 years of his pontificate, constant and fruitful relations with you who are engaged in social communications."

Stating, "I wish to pursue this fruitful dialogue," the Pope pointed out that John Paul II even dedicated one of his last documents to the media, "Rapid Progress" of January 24, 2005.

The Holy Father then provoked laughter and applause when he said, off-the-cuff, that he wished to address those present "in my native language."

"Because the instruments of social communication can render a positive service to the common good, there is need for a responsible contribution by individuals and by everyone as a whole," said Benedict XVI in German. "We cannot fail to underscore the need for clear references to the ethical responsibility of those who work in this sector, especially with regard to the sincere search for truth and the safeguarding of the centrality and the dignity of the person."

HALF A MILLION PEOPLE ATTEND INAUGURAL MASS

VATICAN CITY, APR 24, 2005 (VIS) - In St Peter's Square at 10 a.m. today, fifth Sunday of Easter, in the presence of a police estimate of half a million people, Pope Benedict XVI presided at the Eucharistic celebration for the official inauguration of his Petrine ministry. One hundred and fifty cardinals concelebrated. Among the bishops, priests and religious present was the Pope's brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger.

Many of the people who filled Via della Conciliazione, adjacent streets and other areas of Rome were able to follow the ceremony on giant screens.

There were 141 delegations representing heads of State and government in attendance at the celebration. There were also various religious delegations comprising a total of 70 people, including representatives from Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches (the ancient Churches of the East), Churches and Christian communities of the West, and international Christian organizations.

Before the start of his first papal Eucharistic liturgy, Benedict XVI descended to the tomb of St. Peter, below the papal altar or Altar of the "Confessio," with the patriarchs of the Oriental Churches and remained in prayer for a brief period. He then incensed the tomb, during which time two deacons took a coffer containing the pastoral pallium and, with the Ring of the Fisherman and the Book of Gospels, processed outside the basilica to place them on the altar.

Pope Benedict XVI returned to the basilica and joined the procession of all the cardinal concelebrants.

At the end of the Liturgy of the Word and the proclamation of the Gospel in both Latin and Greek, the two deacons who read the Gospel, preceded by the thurible and accompanied by acolytes, returned to the lectern. Behind the altar, the two deacons who carried the pallium and the Ring of the Fisherman, took them from the altar and went to the chair of the Holy Father where they were joined by Cardinals Angelo Sodano, Stephen Kim Sou-hwan and Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez. Cardinal Medina Estevez, the cardinal proto-deacon, then placed the petrine pallium on the shoulders of Benedict XVI.

The pallium is a very ancient episcopal symbol made of lamb's wool which indicates the authority of a bishop and his link with the See of Peter. The petrine pallium is white and a mix of lamb's wool and sheep wool and is embroidered with five red crosses. It symbolizes both the Good Shepherd who places on His shoulders the lost sheep and the triple answer, "you know I love you," made by Peter to the Risen Jesus Who asked him to feed his lambs and his sheep.

Cardinal Angel Sodano, the dean of the College of Cardinals, then placed the Ring of the Fisherman on the Holy Father's right hand. The ring given to Benedict XVI today has the image-seal of St. Peter and the boat with the net and symbolizes the ring-seal that authenticates the faith and marks the duty entrusted to Peter to confirm his brothers. This is also called the Ring of the Fishermen because Peter was the fisherman Apostle who, having believed the word of Jesus, cast his net out from the boat for a miraculous catch of fish.

After the Pope blessed the faithful, he returned to his seat where 12 people swore obedience: the three cardinals, a bishop, a priest, a deacon, a male and female religious, a married couple and two young people recently confirmed.

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PAPAL PROGRAM FOR YESTERDAY AND COMING DAYS

VATICAN CITY, APR 21, 2005 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following declaration to journalists:

"This morning, the Holy Father Benedict XVI visited the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith where, in the course of a very cordial meeting, he greeted the men and women who collaborated with him in that dicastery.

"He then entered the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, removing the seals.

"The Holy Father invited some of his collaborators in the Roman Curia to lunch in the 'Domus Sanctae Marthae,' deciding on some of his forthcoming engagements:

"Friday morning: a meeting with all cardinals present in Rome.

"Saturday morning: a meeting with journalists and with social communications workers.

"In the afternoon, the Holy Father returned to the apartment in which he used to live in Piazza della Citta Leonina.

"As previously announced, at 10 a.m. on Sunday April 24, Benedict XVI will preside at the Eucharist for the solemn inauguration of his pontificate.

"On the morning of Monday April 25, he will receive official delegations who have arrived for the inaugural ceremony of his pontificate.

"The Holy Father has decided to remain for the moment in the apartment of the Domus Sanctae Marthae."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 21, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Cardinal Angelo Sodano, titular of the suburbicarian church of Albano, as secretary of State.

- Confirmed "donec aliter provideatur" the cardinals and archbishops who head dicasteries of the Roman Curia, and the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.

- Confirmed Archbishop Leonardo Sandri as substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.

- Confirmed Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo as secretary for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State.

- Confirmed the current secretaries of dicasteries of the Roman Curia for the current five-year period.
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Benedict Keeps Cardinal As Vatican's No. 2

VATICAN CITY - Ap 21/05 - Pope Benedict XVI confirmed Cardinal Angelo Sodano in the Vatican's No. 2 post Thursday and kept all other top officials, avoiding any immediate shakeup in the late John Paul II's administration.

It was a sign that the new pope, a doctrinal hard-liner, wants to show continuity with the popular John Paul.

Sodano, the Vatican's secretary of state, is 77, already two years past the normal retirement age for Vatican officials. The new pope is 78.

One appointment Benedict will have to make is his successor as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's guardian of orthodoxy.

Among names that have surfaced as possible successors are Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Austria and Cardinal Francis George of Chicago.

The Vatican also said the pope confirmed the Holy See's foreign minister, Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo of Italy, as well as the undersecretary of state, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri of Argentina, who had become John Paul's official voice when the late pontiff could no longer speak.

The confirmation of Sodano came a day after Benedict gave his first Mass as pope, pledging to keep reaching out to other religions and leaving no doubt that he senses the large shadow of his predecessor.

"I seem to feel his strong hand holding mine, I feel I can see his smiling eyes and hear his words, at this moment particularly directed at me: 'Be not afraid,'" said Benedict, who until Tuesday was simply Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

BENEDICT XVI, A POPE OF CHRIST, COMMUNION, COLLEGIALITY

VATICAN CITY, APR 20, 2005 (VIS) - Following is the complete text of the first message of Pope Benedict XVI which he delivered in Latin at the end of this morning's Mass with the members of the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected as the 264th successor to St. Peter in early evening yesterday.

"Grace and peace in abundance to all of you! In my soul there are two contrasting sentiments in these hours. On the one hand, a sense of inadequacy and human turmoil for the responsibility entrusted to me yesterday as the Successor of the Apostle Peter in this See of Rome, with regard to the Universal Church. On the other hand I sense within me profound gratitude to God Who - as the liturgy makes us sing - does not abandon His flock, but leads it throughout time, under the guidance of those whom He has chosen as vicars of His Son, and made pastors.

"Dear Ones, this intimate recognition for a gift of divine mercy prevails in my heart in spite of everything. I consider this a grace obtained for me by my venerated predecessor, John Paul II. It seems I can feel his strong hand squeezing mine; I seem to see his smiling eyes and listen to his words, addressed to me especially at this moment: 'Do not be afraid!'

"The death of the Holy Father John Paul II, and the days which followed, were for the Church and for the entire world an extraordinary time of grace. The great pain for his death and the void that it left in all of us were tempered by the action of the Risen Christ, which showed itself during long days in the choral wave of faith, love and spiritual solidarity, culminating in his solemn funeral.

"We can say it: the funeral of John Paul II was a truly extraordinary experience in which was perceived in some way the power of God Who, through His Church, wishes to form a great family of all peoples, through the unifying force of Truth and Love. In the hour of death, conformed to his Master and Lord, John Paul II crowned his long and fruitful pontificate, confirming the Christian people in faith, gathering them around him and making the entire human family feel more united.

"How can one not feel sustained by this witness? How can one not feel the encouragement that comes from this event of grace?

"Surprising every prevision I had, Divine Providence, through the will of the venerable Cardinal Fathers, called me to succeed this great Pope. I have been thinking in these hours about what happened in the region of Cesarea of Phillippi two thousand years ago: I seem to hear the words of Peter: 'You are Christ, the Son of the living God,' and the solemn affirmation of the Lord: 'You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church ... I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven'.

"You are Christ! You are Peter! It seems I am reliving this very Gospel scene; I, the Successor of Peter, repeat with trepidation the anxious words of the fisherman from Galilee and I listen again with intimate emotion to the reassuring promise of the divine Master. If the weight of the responsibility that now lies on my poor shoulders is enormous, the divine power on which I can count is surely immeasurable: 'You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church'. Electing me as the Bishop of Rome, the Lord wanted me as his Vicar, he wished me to be the 'rock' upon which everyone may rest with confidence. I ask him to make up for the poverty of my strength, that I may be a courageous and faithful pastor of His flock, always docile to the inspirations of His Spirit.

"I undertake this special ministry, the 'Petrine' ministry at the service of the Universal Church, with humble abandon to the hands of the Providence of God. And it is to Christ in the first place that I renew my total and trustworthy adhesion: 'In Te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum!'

"To you, Lord Cardinals, with a grateful soul for the trust shown me, I ask you to sustain me with prayer and with constant, active and wise collaboration. I also ask my brothers in the episcopacy to be close to me in prayer and counsel so that I may truly be the 'Servus servorum Dei' (Servant of the servants of God). As Peter and the other Apostles were, through the will of the Lord, one apostolic college, in the same way the Successor of Peter and the Bishops, successors of the Apostles - and the Council forcefully repeated this - must be closely united among themselves. This collegial communion, even in the diversity of roles and functions of the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops, is at the service of the Church and the unity of faith, from which depend in a notable measure the effectiveness of the evangelizing action of the contemporary world. Thus, this path, upon which my venerated predecessors went forward, I too intend to follow, concerned solely with proclaiming to the world the living presence of Christ.

"Before my eyes is, in particular, the witness of Pope John Paul II. He leaves us a Church that is more courageous, freer, younger. A Church that, according to his teaching and example, looks with serenity to the past and is not afraid of the future. With the Great Jubilee the Church was introduced into the new millennium carrying in her hands the Gospel, applied to the world through the authoritative re-reading of Vatican Council II. Pope John Paul II justly indicated the Council as a 'compass' with which to orient ourselves in the vast ocean of the third millennium. Also in his spiritual testament he noted: ' I am convinced that for a very long time the new generations will draw upon the riches that this council of the 20th century gave us'.

"I too, as I start in the service that is proper to the Successor of Peter, wish to affirm with force my decided will to pursue the commitment to enact Vatican Council II, in the wake of my predecessors and in faithful continuity with the millennia-old tradition of the Church. Precisely this year is the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of this conciliar assembly (December 8, 1965). With the passing of time, the conciliar documents have not lost their timeliness; their teachings have shown themselves to be especially pertinent to the new exigencies of the Church and the present globalized society.

"In a very significant way, my pontificate starts as the Church is living the special year dedicated to the Eucharist. How can I not see in this providential coincidence an element that must mark the ministry to which I have been called? The Eucharist, the heart of Christian life and the source of the evangelizing mission of the Church, cannot but be the permanent center and the source of the petrine service entrusted to me.

"The Eucharist makes the Risen Christ constantly present, Christ Who continues to give Himself to us, calling us to participate in the banquet of His Body and His Blood. From this full communion with Him comes every other element of the life of the Church, in the first place the communion among the faithful, the commitment to proclaim and give witness to the Gospel, the ardor of charity towards all, especially towards the poor and the smallest.

"In this year, therefore, the Solemnity of Corpus Christ must be celebrated in a particularly special way. The Eucharist will be at the center, in August, of World Youth Day in Cologne and, in October, of the ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will take place on the theme "The Eucharist, Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church.' I ask everyone to intensify in coming months love and devotion to the Eucharistic Jesus and to express in a courageous and clear way the real presence of the Lord, above all through the solemnity and the correctness of the celebrations.

"I ask this in a special way of priests, about whom I am thinking in this moment with great affection. The priestly ministry was born in the Cenacle, together with the Eucharist, as my venerated predecessor John Paul II underlined so many times. 'The priestly life must have in a special way a 'Eucharistic form', he wrote in his last Letter for Holy Thursday. The devout daily celebration of Holy Mass, the center of the life and mission of every priest, contributes to this end.

"Nourished and sustained by the Eucharist, Catholics cannot but feel stimulated to tend towards that full unity for which Christ hoped in the Cenacle. Peter's Successor knows that he must take on this supreme desire of the Divine Master in a particularly special way. To him, indeed, has been entrusted the duty of strengthening his brethren.

"Thus, in full awareness and at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome that Peter bathed with his blood, the current Successor assumes as his primary commitment that of working tirelessly towards the reconstitution of the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers. This is his ambition, this is his compelling duty. He is aware that to do so, expressions of good feelings are not enough. Concrete gestures are required to penetrate souls and move consciences, encouraging everyone to that interior conversion which is the basis for all progress on the road of ecumenism.

"Theological dialogue is necessary. A profound examination of the historical reasons behind past choices is also indispensable. But even more urgent is that 'purification of memory,' which was so often evoked by John Paul II, and which alone can dispose souls to welcome the full truth of Christ. It is before Him, supreme Judge of all living things, that each of us must stand, in the awareness that one day we must explain to Him what we did and what we did not do for the great good that is the full and visible unity of all His disciples.

"The current Successor of Peter feels himself to be personally implicated in this question and is disposed to do all in his power to promote the fundamental cause of ecumenism. In the wake of his predecessors, he is fully determined to cultivate any initiative that may seem appropriate to promote contact and agreement with representatives from the various Churches and ecclesial communities. Indeed, on this occasion too, he sends them his most cordial greetings in Christ, the one Lord of all.

"In this moment, I go back in my memory to the unforgettable experience we all underwent with the death and the funeral of the lamented John Paul II. Around his mortal remains, lying on the bare earth, leaders of nations gathered, with people from all social classes and especially the young, in an unforgettable embrace of affection and admiration. The entire world looked to him with trust. To many it seemed as if that intense participation, amplified to the confines of the planet by the social communications media, was like a choral request for help addressed to the Pope by modern humanity which, wracked by fear and uncertainty, questions itself about the future.

"The Church today must revive within herself an awareness of the task to present the world again with the voice of the One Who said: 'I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.' In undertaking his ministry, the new Pope knows that his task is to bring the light of Christ to shine before the men and women of today: not his own light but that of Christ.

"With this awareness, I address myself to everyone, even to those who follow other religions or who are simply seeking an answer to the fundamental questions of life and have not yet found it. I address everyone with simplicity and affection, to assure them that the Church wants to continue to build an open and sincere dialogue with them, in a search for the true good of mankind and of society.

"From God I invoke unity and peace for the human family and declare the willingness of all Catholics to cooperate for true social development, one that respects the dignity of all human beings.

"I will make every effort and dedicate myself to pursuing the promising dialogue that my predecessors began with various civilizations, because it is mutual understanding that gives rise to conditions for a better future for everyone.

"I am particularly thinking of young people. To them, the privileged interlocutors of John Paul II, I send an affectionate embrace in the hope, God willing, of meeting them at Cologne on the occasion of the next World Youth Day. With you, dear young people, I will continue to maintain a dialogue, listening to your expectations in an attempt to help you meet ever more profoundly the living, ever young, Christ.

"'Mane nobiscum, Domine!' Stay with us Lord! This invocation, which forms the dominant theme of John Paul II's Apostolic Letter for the Year of the Eucharist, is the prayer that comes spontaneously from my heart as I turn to begin the ministry to which Christ has called me. Like Peter, I too renew to Him my unconditional promise of faithfulness. He alone I intend to serve as I dedicate myself totally to the service of His Church.

"In support of this promise, I invoke the maternal intercession of Mary Most Holy, in whose hands I place the present and the future of my person and of the Church. May the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, also intercede.

"With these sentiments I impart to you venerated brother cardinals, to those participating in this ritual, and to all those following to us by television and radio, a special and affectionate blessing."

CARDINAL RATZINGER IS ELECTED AS NEW POPE, BENEDICT XVI

VATICAN CITY, APR 19, 2005 (VIS) - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected as Supreme Pontiff, the 264th successor of Peter, and has chosen the name Benedict XVI.

The cardinal proto-deacon made the solemn announcement to the people at 6:43 p.m. from the external loggia of the Hall of Blessings of the Vatican Basilica following the white smoke which occurred at 5:50 p.m.

Following are the words of Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez:

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum;
habemus Papam;
Eminentissium ac Reverendissium Dominum,
Dominum Josephum
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Ratzinger
Qui sibi nomen imposuit Benedictum XVI

(I announce to you with great joy;
We have a Pope;
The most eminent and most reverend Lord
Lord Joseph
Cardinal of Holy Roman Church Ratzinger
Who has taken the name Benedict XVI

The conclave that led to the election of Benedict XVI began on Monday, April 18, 2005 in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, with the "extra omnes" pronounced at 5:25 p.m. by Archbishop Piero Marini, master of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, following the taking of the oath by the 115 cardinal electors.

The first black smoke took place at 8:04 p.m. the same day.

On Tuesday, April 19, there was black smoke at 11:52 a.m..

On Tuesday, April 19, there was white smoke at 5:50 p.m.

At 6:48 p.m., the Holy Father Benedict XVI, preceded by the Cross, appeared on the external loggia to greet the people and to impart the Apostolic Blessing "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world).

Prior to the blessing, the new Pontiff addressed the faithful with the following words:

"Dear Brothers and Sisters,

"After the great Pope John Paul II, the Lord Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord. I am consoled by the fact that the Lord knows how to act, even with inadequate instruments and above all I entrust myself to your prayers. In the joy of the Risen Lord, trusting in His permanent help, as we go forward the Lord will help us, and His Mother, Mary Most Holy, is on our side Thank you."
OP/ELECTION BENEDICT XVI/...

BIOGRAPHY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI

VATICAN CITY, APR 19, 2005 (VIS) - Following is the official biography of the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger:
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and of the International Theological Commission, Dean of the College of Cardinals, was born on April 16, 1927 in Marktl am Inn, Germany. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1951.

His father, a police officer, came from a traditional family of farmers from Lower Bavaria. He spent his adolescent years in Traunstein, and was called into the auxiliary anti-aircraft service in the last months of World War II. From 1946 to 1951, the year in which he was ordained a priest and began to teach, he studied philosophy and theology at the University of Munich and at the higher school in Freising. In 1953 he obtained a doctorate in theology with a thesis entitled: "The People and House of God in St. Augustine's doctrine of the Church." Four years later, he qualified as a university teacher. He then taught dogma and fundamental theology at the higher school of philosophy and theology of Freising, in Bonn from 1959 to 1969, in Munster from 1963 to 1966, and in Tubinga from 1966 to 1969. From 1969, he was professor of dogmatic theology and of the history of dogma at the University of Regensburg and vice president of the same university.

He was already well known in 1962 when, at Vatican Council II at the age of 35, he became a consultor to Cardinal Joseph Frings, archbishop of Cologne. Among his numerous publications, a particular post belongs to the "Introduction to Christianity," a collection of university lessons on the profession of apostolic faith, published in 1968; and to "Dogma and Revelation" an anthology of essays, sermons and reflections dedicated to the pastoral ministry, published in 1973.

In March 1977, Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Munich and Freising and on May 28, 1977 he was consecrated - the first diocesan priest after 80 years to take over the pastoral ministry of this large Bavarian diocese.

Created and proclaimed cardinal by Paul VI in the consistory of June 27, 1977, he assumed the titles of the suburbicarian Church of Velletri-Segni (April 5, 1993) and of the suburbicarian Church of Ostia (November 30, 2002).

On November 25, 1981 he was nominated by John Paul II as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and as president of the Biblical Commission and of the Pontifical International Theological Commission.

He was relator of the 5th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (1980).
He was president delegate to the 6th Synodal Assembly (1983).

Elected vice dean of the College of Cardinals November 6, 1998, the Holy Father approved his election, by the order of cardinal bishops, as dean of the College of Cardinals on November 30, 2002.

As President of the Commission for the Preparation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, after 6 years of work (1986-92) he presented the New Catechism to the Holy Father.

He received an honoris causa degree in jurisprudence from the Free University of Maria Santissima Assunta on November 10. 1999.
He became an honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, November 13, 2000.

Curial Membership:

- Secretariat of State (second section).
- Oriental Churches, Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, Bishops, Evangelization of Peoples, Catholic Education (congregations).
- Christian Unity (council).
- Latin America, Ecclesia Dei (commissions).

OP/BIO:BENEDICT XVI/...

APRIL 24, MASS TO INAUGURATE PONTIFICATE OF BENEDICT XVI

VATICAN CITY, APR 19, 2005 (VIS) - This evening, immediately after the election of the new Pontiff, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who took the name of Benedict XVI, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following statement to journalists:

"The conclave having ended, the Holy Father Benedict XVI has decided to eat this evening with all the other cardinals in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he will also spend the night.

"Tomorrow morning at 9, the Pope will preside the Eucharistic Celebration with the cardinals in the Sistine Chapel and will deliver the homily in Latin.

"The Mass for the solemn inauguration of the pontificate will be celebrated at St. Peter's on Sunday, April 24 at 10 a.m."
OP/.../NAVARRO-VALLS VIS 050419 (130)

Cardinal Ratzinger Divides Germans

Fri Apr 14/15 05, Europe - AP - TRAUNSTEIN, Germany - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has alienated some Roman Catholics in Germany with his zeal enforcing church orthodoxy. But in the conservative Alpine foothills of Bavaria where he grew up, he remains a favorite son who many think would make a good pope.

Ratzinger, a rigorously conservative guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy who turns 78 on Saturday, is considered a leading candidate to succeed Pope John Paul II at the conclave that begins Monday.

"Only someone who knows tradition is able to shape the future," said the Rev. Thomas Frauenlob, who heads the seminary in Traunstein where Ratzinger studied and regularly returns to visit.

But opinion about him remains deeply divided in Germany, a sharp contrast to John Paul, who was revered in his native Poland. A recent poll for Der Spiegel news weekly showed Germans opposed to him becoming pope outnumbered supporters 36 percent to 29 percent. Another 17 percent didn't care. The poll of 1,000 people, taken April 5-7, gave no margin of error.

Ratzinger has clashed with prominent theologians at home, most notably the liberal Hans Kueng (Hans Kung), who helped him get a teaching post at the University of Tuebingen in the 1960s. The cardinal later publicly criticized Kueng, whose license to teach theology was revoked by the Vatican in 1979.

Full Story Here

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 2004 (VIS)26/ - Communique from the Pontifical Council for the Laity accompanying the publication today of the Pope's Message to the youth of the world as they prepare for the 20th World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany in August 2005. The council noted that the Pope's "Message has been published one year in advance in order to be used in the pastoral preparation in the dioceses of the world."

Please Note: We do try to be accurate. If you see anything which you believe

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Microsoft has programmed Windows XP to contact other computers and transfer information from the user's computer to the other computers:

a) If you have only three DVDs that your children watch sometimes on your home machine that is always connected to the Internet (through a broadband connection), you may not care that Microsoft knows when they watch them. If you seldom use the Windows XP help facility, you may not care that Microsoft is able to know the level of expertise of the people who use your computer.

However, if you are using Windows XP in a large corporation or a government, the fact that another organization believes that it can gather data from you may be completely unacceptable.

The Microsoft article tells how to disable the hidden downloading. However, the disabling is very time-consuming. Also, Microsoft has a history of using defect fixes and security fixes to change the operating system settings. This means that all the settings would need to be checked after every defect fix or security vulnerability fix.