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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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VATICAN CITY, JUNE 10, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI named Archbishop Fernando Filoni as the Vatican's undersecretary of state for general affairs. He was previously the papal nuncio to the Philippines.
The 61-year-old Italian prelate succeeds Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, who has been named prefect for the Congregation for Eastern Churches, the Vatican press office announced today.
The undersecretary, or "sostituto," is the second in charge of the secretariat of state and the principal aide of the cardinal secretary of state. He directs the section of general affairs, one of the two sections of that Vatican dicastery.
The other section, the section of relations with states, is directed by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.
Fernando Filoni was born in Taranto, Italy, in 1946. He was ordained a priest in July 1970.
Upon entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1981, he served in Sri Lanka and in Iran, and worked for the Vatican secretariat of state in Brazil and the Philippines.
In 2001, he was named papal nuncio to Jordan and Iraq. He received episcopal ordination from Pope John Paul II that year.
Archbishop Filoni remained in Baghdad as papal nuncio during the military operation launched in 2003 by a U.S.-led coalition.
In February 2006, he was named papal nuncio to the Philippines.
According to a public declaration on Saturday, Archbishop Filoni considers his nomination "an act of paternal benevolence of the Supreme Pontiff, to whom I answer without trepidation, but with the same availability as in the past and with profound gratitude."
He added: "The stupendous words of Jesus, reported by Luke, on the attitude of service to which he called his disciples succor me with interior aid: 'When you have done everything you have been asked to do, say: We are only servants, we have done our duty.'"
ZE07061004 - 2007-06-10
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Saturday's meeting between the Pope and the president was characterized by "cordial discussions," the Vatican press office reported.
"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," the press office communiqué reported.
It continued: "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."
The presidential entourage arrived at 11:03 in the courtyard of San Damaso.
The prefect of the papal household, American Archbishop James Harvey, welcomed Bush and his wife Laura, and accompanied them to the library of the Apostolic Palace, where the Pontiff had a private meeting with the president.
After greeting Bush, the Holy Father asked him about the G-8 summit. Bush replied that it had been a success.
Before their closed-door discussion, Benedict XVI also spoke with Bush about aid to Africa.
The Holy Father's conversation with Bush lasted more than a half-hour. Afterward, there was the traditional exchange of gifts: the Pope gave Bush a print depicting St. Peter's Basilica in the 17th century.
The president gave the Pontiff a white walking stick with the Ten Commandments cut in it in different colors.
Bush and the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, also spoke for about 40 minutes.
ZE07061003 - 2007-06-10
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Asks Captors to Reflect on Their Evil
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 10, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI pleaded for the liberation of all people who have been kidnapped, particularly in Colombia.
The Pope's plea, after his midday Angelus address today, came as news arrived that Father Giancarlo Bossi, 57, was kidnapped in the Philippines.
"Unfortunately, I receive frequent requests for intervention on behalf of persons -- some of whom are even priests -- who have been seized for different reasons and in different parts of the world," the Pontiff said after praying the Angelus.
He added: "I carry all in my heart and they are present in my prayer. I think, among other cases, of the painful situation in Colombia.
"I direct my solicitous call to the authors of such detestable deeds that they reflect on the evil they have done and return those they hold prisoner as soon as possible to the affection of their loved ones."
The Pope entrusted "the victims to the maternal protection of Mary Most Holy, Mother of all men."
His appeal on behalf of kidnapping victims in Colombia reflects the struggle in that country to liberate the numerous persons held by the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Among the kidnapped persons, there are three Americans and a former Colombian presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt.
ZE07061002 - 2007-06-10
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"You Have Been a Good and Faithful Servant"
CITY BEACH, Australia, JUNE 8, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a memorial letter sent to ZENIT from a companion of Father Ragheed Ganni. Father Ganni and three deacons were shot and killed in Mosul, Iraq, on Sunday after Mass.
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I studied in Rome as a seminarian for the Archdioceses of Perth, Western Australia, at the Pontifical Irish College, and attended the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas from 1997 to 2001. I am now the rector of Holy Spirit Parish in City Beach, Perth, Western Australia.
Father Ragheed Ganni was the first seminarian that I had met in the college; he was gracious enough to show me to my room.
Though we couldn't communicate at first through speech because I couldn't speak Aramaic and Father Ragheed couldn't speak English yet, throughout our years in the seminary we became good friends.
Father Ragheed had a friendly nature and a warm welcoming simile. He was very prayerful and had a great sense of the sacred, with a deep spirituality and union with God. He was diligent in studies and very much respected by the faculty and his peers of the college. He was always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need, or just to spend time with you for a friendly chat.
He was an extremely intelligent fellow. He was able to speak six languages and was to return to the Irish College next year to commence his doctorate thesis.
Each year Father Ragheed would spend his summers in Ireland working in Lough Derg, which is a place of pilgrimage in the North of Ireland, enabling him to send money home to buy much needed medical supplies. He also did a lot of things behind the scene for Iraqis. He was always putting others first.
I remember one summer Father Ragheed stayed with me in St. Malcay's Seminary in Belfast. It was around July 12, which is the marching season in the North.
That night there was rioting just outside the gates of the seminary and we could hear gun shots and the screams of the police and ambulance sirens. It was a long night and Father Ragheed spoke about the sufferings and persecution of the Christians living in Iraq.
When war broke out in Iraq, Father Ragheed was devastated, having been away from his family for seven years and now all communication with his homeland was broken. It was months before he could find out if his family was safe. This was an extremely difficult time for him, but through it all, he found consolation in his prayers.
Father Ragheed visited me in Perth 2003 for the summer; it was wonderful to spend that time together in the parish. We spoke about his returning to Iraq and what that might mean.
Father Ragheed was very loyal to his bishop and to the people of his diocese. He was aware of the dangers of returning to Iraq where Christians had been targeted by Muslim extremists. Knowing the risk to his own life, he gladly accepted the challenge of administering the sacraments to his people.
Father Ragheed was like a brother to me, and my heart is sad because the world is a much lonelier place without him.
I remember the times we would spend Christmas in the college when all the other students would return home for the break. We had Rome to ourselves, now it is all yours.
Rest well my friend, for you have been a good and faithful servant, your martyrdom lives on and, I am sure, will encourage other young men to join the ranks of Christ to continue the work of salvation.
Now your eternal priesthood begins, with the whole heavenly court behind you.
I am sure that Father Ragheed and the martyrdom of his companions will bear much fruit bringing about religious freedom, unity and peace to the people of Iraq.
My prayers are with Father Ragheed's family and the families of his companions; Basman Yousef Daoud, Ghasan Bidawid and Wadid Hanna.
May there be peace in Iraq.
Pax Christi,
Father Don Kettle
[Text adapted]
ZE07060902 - 2007-06-09
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"Thank You for Your Solidarity"
CAIRO, Egypt, JUNE 9, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a message sent to ZENIT by Auxiliary Bishop Boutros Fahim Awad Hanna of Alexandria for the Copts, in response to a letter written by a Muslim friend of Father Ragheed Ganni.
The letter appeared Wednesday.
Father Ganni and three deacons were shot and killed in Mosul, Iraq, on Sunday after Mass.
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My Dear Brother, Adnam,
Peace be with you,
Thank you for your humanity, your faith, your fidelity and your solicitude. Your letter to Father Ragheed, assassinated in Iraq, is a message of peace that resounds in an absurd world of mad and senseless wars.
Thank you for your sensitivity toward all, and in the face of everything. I have known you, friend, brother, Muslim believer, exceptional for your humanity and for your faith.
Thank you for your solidarity. I hope to always encounter people like you, who can add zest and value to life, regardless of which religion one professes. I hope that all together we would be able to work for our Arab world and for all our brethren that suffer for so many different reasons, including, among others, religious ones.
Hoping to see you soon, I thank you and I embrace you with fraternal affection in the one God that inspires all in love for life and peace.
Bishop Boutros Fahim Awad Hanna (formerly Father Kamai Fahim)
Auxiliary bishop of Alexandria for the Copts
[Translation by ZENIT; text adapted]
ZE07060903 - 2007-06-09
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Offers 2 Implications to Theological Truth
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 8, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Church's work of charity, both for individuals and for organizations, must always find its reference point in Christ, "the source of charity," Benedict XVI says.
The Pope said this today in an address to representatives of Caritas Internationalis, who are meeting in the Vatican this week for their general assembly.
The Holy Father said: "Charity has to be understood in the light of God who is caritas: God who loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. In this way we come to see that love finds its greatest fulfillment in the gift of self.
"This is what Caritas Internationalis seeks to accomplish in the world. The heart of Caritas is the sacrificial love of Christ, and every form of individual and organized charity in the Church must always find its point of reference in him, the source of charity."
Faith and society
Benedict XVI said this theological vision is translated into practical implications for the work of charitable organizations.
He highlighted two of them: "The first is that every act of charity should be inspired by a personal experience of faith, leading to the discovery that God is Love."
"Christian charity exceeds our natural capacity for love: It is a theological virtue.
"It therefore challenges the giver to situate humanitarian assistance in the context of a personal witness of faith, which then becomes a part of the gift offered to the poor. Only when charitable activity takes the form of Christ-like self-giving does it become a gesture truly worthy of the human person created in God’s image and likeness."
The Pope also drew attention to a second implication: "God's love is offered to everyone, hence the Church's charity is also universal in scope, and so it has to include a commitment to social justice."
However, he clarified, "changing unjust structures is not of itself sufficient to guarantee the happiness of the human person."
"Moreover, […] the task of politics 'is not the immediate competence of the Church,'" the Holy Father said. "Rather, her mission is to promote the integral development of the human person.
"For this reason, the great challenges facing the world at the present time, such as globalization, human rights abuses, unjust social structures, cannot be confronted and overcome unless attention is focused on the deepest needs of the human person: the promotion of human dignity, well-being and, in the final analysis, eternal salvation."
ZE07060802 - 2007-06-08