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- Lord, Send Us Laborers for the Harvest!

- Proclaim the Human Face of God

VATICAN CITY, SEP 11, 2006 (VIS) - Today at 4.30 p.m., Benedict XVI travelled by popemobile from the convent of St. Mary Magdalene in Altotting to the town's basilica of St. Anne, which was built between 1910 and 1912. There he presided at the celebration of Vespers with religious, priests and seminarians. Prior to entering the basilica, he paid a brief visit to the church of St. Konrad Birndorfer (1818-1894), a Capuchin friar canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934.

In 1989, the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had celebrated Mass in the basilica of St. Anne to mark the beginning of celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin at Altotting.

"Under the watchful gaze of Saint Anne, in whose home the greatest vocation in the history of salvation developed," that of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Father invited those present to reflect upon "our vocation to serve Jesus Christ."

"God's harvest is indeed great, and it needs laborers," said Pope Benedict, "in the so-called Third World - in Latin America, in Africa and in Asia - people are waiting for heralds to bring them the Gospel of peace, the good news of God Who became man. But also in the so-called West, here among us in Germany, and in the vast lands of Russia it is true that a great harvest could be reaped. But there is a lack of people willing to become laborers for God's harvest."

"Lord, ... look upon our world and send us laborers!" cried the Pope. "With this petition we knock on God's door; but with the same petition the Lord is also knocking on the doors of our own heart. Lord do you want me? Is it not perhaps too big for me? Am I too small for this? 'Do not be afraid,' the Angel said to Mary. 'Do not fear: I have called you by name,' God says through the Prophet Isaiah."

"Only one who is 'with Him' comes to know Him and can truly proclaim Him. Anyone who has been with Him cannot keep to himself what he has found; instead, he has to pass it on."

"The first and most important thing for the priest is his daily Mass," the Holy Father insisted, "always celebrated with deep interior participation."

"The Liturgy of the Hours is another fundamental way of being with Christ," he added, "here we pray as people conscious of our need to speak with God, while lifting up all those others who have neither the time nor the ability to pray in this way."

Another essential way of being with the Lord is "Eucharistic adoration. ... In the sacred Host, He is present, the true treasure, always waiting for us. Only by adoring this presence do we learn how to receive Him properly. ... Let us love being with the Lord! There we can speak with Him about everything. We can offer Him our petitions, our concerns, our troubles. Our joys. Our gratitude, our disappointments, our needs and our aspirations. There we can also constantly ask Him: 'Lord send laborers into Your harvest! Help me to be a good worker in Your vineyard!'."

Benedict XVI concluded his homily by considering Mary, "who lived her life fully 'with Jesus' and consequently was, and continues to be, close to all men and women. ... Let us think of Mary's holy mother, St. Anne, and with her let us also think of the importance of mothers and fathers, of grandmothers and grandfathers, and the importance of the family as an environment of life and prayer, where we learn to pray and where vocations are able to develop."

After the ceremony, the Holy Father travelled by car to the village in which he was born, Marktl am Inn. There he visited the parish church of St. Oswald where he was baptized on the day of his birth, 16 April 1927.

Later, from the heliport of Marktl am Inn, he flew to Regensburg where he went to the major seminary of St. Wolfgang to dine and spend the night.

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 12, 2006 (VIS) - This morning, Benedict XVI travelled from the major seminary of St. Wolfgang in Regensburg to the city's Islinger Field where he presided at the celebration of Mass. In his homily, he expressed his gratitude for all the efforts being made to ensure his visit was successful, confessing himself "a bit taken aback by all this goodness," and "moved" when he heard how many people had helped to renovate the house and garden he used to share with his brother and sister prior to his episcopal ordination.

"We are gathered for a celebration of faith," said the Pope. "But the question immediately arises: What do we actually believe? What does it mean to have faith? ... True enough: faith's vision embraces heaven and earth; past, present and future; eternity - and so it can never be fully exhausted. And yet, deep down, it is quite simple. The Lord tells us so when he says to the Father: 'You have revealed these things to the simple'."

"The Church, for her part," he continued, "has given us a little 'Summa' in which everything essential is expressed. It is the so-called 'Apostles' Creed", which ... speaks of God, the creator and source of all that is, of Christ and His work of salvation, and it culminates in the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting."

"Faith is simple. We believe in God. ... We believe in a God Who enters into a relationship with us human beings, who is our origin and future. Consequently, faith is, always and inseparably, hope: the certainty that we have a future and will not end up as nothing. And faith is love, since God's love is 'contagious.' ... The Creed is not a collection of propositions; it is not a theory. ... Truly, those who believe are never alone. God comes to meet us."

"We believe in God. This is a fundamental decision on our part," said the Holy Father, recalling how "from the Enlightenment on, science, at least in part, has applied itself to seeking an explanation of the world in which God would be unnecessary." If this were so, he added, "He would also become unnecessary in our lives. But whenever the attempt seemed to be nearing success, inevitably it would become clear that something was missing from the equation!"

"What came first?" the Holy Father asked, "Creative Reason, the Spirit who makes all things and gives them growth, or Unreason, which, lacking any meaning, somehow brings forth a mathematically ordered cosmos, as well as man and his reason? ... As Christians, we ... believe that at the beginning of everything is the eternal Word, with Reason and not Unreason. With this faith we have no reason to hide, no fear of ending up in a dead end."

"We believe in God," he continued, "the God Who is Creator Spirit, creative Reason, the source of everything that exists, including ourselves. The second section of the Creed tells us more. This creative Reason is Goodness, it is Love. It has a face. ... He has shown himself to us as a man. ... Today, when we have learned to recognize the pathologies and the life-threatening diseases associated with religion and reason, and the ways that God's image can be destroyed by hatred and fanaticism, it is important to state clearly the God in Whom we believe, and to proclaim confidently that this God has a human face. Only this can free us from being afraid of God - which is ultimately at the root of modern atheism. Only this God saves us from being afraid of the world and from anxiety before the emptiness of life."

"The second section of the Creed ends by speaking of the last judgement. ... Judgement - doesn't this word also make us afraid? On the other hand, doesn't everyone want to see justice eventually rendered to all those who were unjustly condemned, to all those who suffered in life, who died after lives full of pain? Don't we want the outrageous injustice and suffering which we see in human history to be finally undone, so that in the end everyone will find happiness, and everything will be shown to have meaning?

"This triumph of justice, this joining together of the many fragments of history which seem meaningless and giving them their place in a bigger picture in which truth and love prevail: this is what is meant by the concept of universal judgement.

"Faith is not meant to instill fear; rather it is meant ... to call us to accountability," the Holy Father concluded. "We are not meant to waste our lives, misuse them, or spend them selfishly. In the face of injustice we must not remain indifferent and thus end up as silent collaborators or outright accomplices. We need to recognize our mission in history and to strive to carry it out."

"But when responsibility and concern tend to bring on fear, then we should remember the words of Saint John: ... 'No matter what our hearts may charge us with - God is greater than our hearts and all is known to Him."

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After the ceremony, the Holy Father travelled by car to the village in which he was born, Marktl am Inn. There he visited the parish church of St. Oswald where he was baptized on the day of his birth, 16 April 1927.

  Later, from the heliport of Marktl am Inn, he flew to Regensburg where he went to the major seminary of St. Wolfgang to dine and spend the night.

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SUMMARY OF POPE'S APOSTOLIC TRIP TO GERMANY:
SEPTEMBER 9- 11

- Benedict XVI Prays before the Patroness of Bavaria

- The World Needs God

- Jesus, the "Tent" of God Pitched Among Us

- Mary and Jesus, United by Their "Yes" to the Will of God

- Other Pontifical Acts

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 9, 2006 (VIS) - This morning, Benedict XVI began his apostolic trip to Germany, which over the next five days will take him to Munich, Altotting and Regensburg, concluding on Thursday, September 14.

He departed from Ciampino airport outside Rome at 1.45 p.m. and landed at 3.30 p.m. at the Franz Joseph Strauss airport of Munich, capital city of Bavaria. Waiting to greet the Holy Father were Horst Kohler, president of the Federal Republic of Germany, Angela Merkel, federal chancellor, and Edmund Stoiber, minister-president of Bavaria, as well as various ecclesial, civil and military authorities.

"I return to my homeland," said Benedict XVI, "among my people, with the intention of visiting a number of places of fundamental importance in my life, ... yet also as Peter's Successor, to reaffirm and fortify the profound ties that exist between the Holy See and the Church in our country.

"These ties have a centuries-old history," he added, "nourished by firm adhesion to the values of Christian faith, something to which the Bavarian regions can lay a particular claim." He then went on to recall the great cultural and artistic heritage of his homeland, "in which are reflected the Christian convictions of the generations that have succeeded one another in this land that is so dear to me.

"Relations between Bavaria and the Holy See, though with some moments of tension, have always been marked by respectful cordiality" said the Pope, who from 1977 to 1982 was archbishop of Munich-Freising. "At the decisive moments of their history, the Bavarian people have always confirmed their sincere devotion to the See of Peter and their firm attachment to the Catholic faith."

Although "the contemporary social situation is in many ways different from the past," he observed, "we are all united in the hope that the new generations may stay faithful to the spiritual heritage which, through the crises of history, has remained firm. ... Bavaria is a part of Germany, and being part of German history in its high and low points, it can with good reason be proud of the traditions inherited from the past. It is my hope that all my fellow countrymen and women in Bavaria, and in all of Germany, may take an active part in the transmission of the fundamental values of Christian faith to the citizens of tomorrow."

Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by addressing a greeting to all the country's inhabitants, to Catholics and "to followers of other Churches and ecclesial communities, in particular to Lutheran and Orthodox Christians," as well as to followers of other religions. And he quoted some words to the Virgin Mary, Patroness of Bavaria, written by the German Latinist and poet Jakob Balde (1604-1668): "Watch over your Bavarians, Virgin Protectress, their goods, their authorities, their country, their religion." Finally, he closed with the traditional Bavarian greeting: "Gruss Gott!" (God bless you).

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 9, 2006 (VIS) - Today in mid-afternoon the Pope travelled by car to Munich's "Marienplatz" (Square of Mary) at the center of which is the "Mariensaule" (Column of Mary). At the top of the marble pillar is a gilded bronze statue of the Virgin, Patroness of Bavaria, erected in 1638 by Maximilian I as an act of thanksgiving for the end of the Swedish occupation of his city during the Thirty Years War.

Benedict XVI recalled how nearly 30 years ago, in 1977, he began his service as archbishop of Munich-Freising by praying to the Virgin in this place, and how five years later, in 1982, having been called by the Pope to Rome he left the diocese, "once again addressing a prayer to the 'Patrona Bavariae' entrusting 'my' city and my homeland to her protection. Today I am here again, this time as Successor to St. Peter."

The Pope also recalled how, with his appointment as archbishop of Munich-Freising, he had become successor to St. Corbinian, founder of the diocese of Freising. And he evoked the legend according to which a bear had torn to pieces the horse upon which the saint was riding to Rome. St. Corbinian reproached the bear for its cruel act and, as punishment, loaded it with the burden the horse had been carrying.

"St. Corbinian's bear was released on their arrival in Rome," said the Pope. "In my case, the 'Master' decided differently, and thus I find myself once again at the foot of the Mariensaule to implore the intercession and blessing of the Mother of God, this time not only for the city of Munich and for Bavaria, but for the Universal Church and for all men and women of good will."

After the singing of the popular Marian hymn "Ave Maria zart" (Hail sweet Mary), the Pope addressed a prayer to the Virgin: "Our ancestors, in a time of tribulation, erected your image here, in the heart of the city of Munich, entrusting the city and the country to you. Along the paths of their everyday lives, they wished to meet you always and anew, and to learn from you how to live their human lives justly."

"Help us," the Pope concluded, "to become patient and humble, but also free and courageous as you were at the hour of the Cross. ... Bless us, and bless this city and this country! Show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your bosom. Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

Pope Benedict then moved on to the "Residenz," one of the biggest royal palaces in Europe, where he paid a courtesy visit to Horst Kohler, president of the Federal Republic of Germany, and held separate meetings with Angela Merkel, federal chancellor, and Edmund Stoiber, minister-president of Bavaria.

At 8.15 p.m., the Pope travelled to the palace of the archbishop of Munich, where he dined and spent the night.

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 10, 2006 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father celebrated Mass in the grounds of Munich's fairgrounds, the "Neue Messe." The event was attended by 250,000 people.

Commenting the three biblical readings of today's liturgy, the Pope pointed out how they all "speak of God as the center of all reality and the center of our personal life."

Benedict XVI then praised the Church in Germany as being "outstanding for her social activities, for her readiness to help wherever help is needed." In this context he recalled how bishops on their "ad limina" visits, most recently African bishops, "have always mentioned with gratitude the generosity of German Catholics."

Nonetheless, he went on, "when we bring people only knowledge, ability, technical competence and tools, we bring them too little. All too quickly the mechanisms of violence take over: the capacity to destroy and to kill becomes the dominant way to gain power. ... Reconciliation, and a shared commitment to justice and love, recede into the distance."

"People in Africa and Asia admire our scientific and technical prowess, but at the same time they are frightened by a form of rationality which totally excludes God from man's vision, as if this were the highest form of reason, and one to be imposed on their cultures too. They do not see the real threat to their identity in the Christian faith, but in the contempt for God and the cynicism that considers mockery of the sacred to be an exercise of freedom and that holds up utility as the supreme moral criterion for the future of scientific research."

"This cynicism is not the kind of tolerance and cultural openness that the world's peoples are looking for and that all of us want! The tolerance which we urgently need includes the fear of God, respect for what others hold sacred. ... This sense of respect can be reborn in the Western world only if faith in God is reborn, if God become once more present to us and in us. We impose this faith upon no one. ... Faith can develop only in freedom. But we do appeal to the freedom of men and women to be open to God, to seek Him, to hear His voice."

"The world needs God," exclaimed Pope Benedict. "We need God. But what God? ... Jesus, the Son of God incarnate. His 'vengeance' is the Cross: a 'no' to violence and a 'love to the end.' This is the God we need. We do not fail to show respect for other religions and cultures, profound respect for their faith, when we proclaim clearly and uncompromisingly the God Who counters violence with His own suffering; who in the face of the power of evil exalts his mercy, in order that evil may be limited and overcome. To Him we now lift up our prayer, that He may remain with us and help us to be credible witnesses to Himself."

After the Eucharistic celebration, and before praying the Angelus, the Holy Father addressed a prayer to Mary: "She is and remains the handmaid of the Lord who never puts herself at the center, but wishes to guide us towards God, to teach us a way of life in which God is acknowledge as the center of all there is and the center of our personal lives."

At the conclusion of the Mass, the Pope travelled to the archbishop's palace where he had lunch with the members of his entourage and guests.

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 10, 2006 (VIS) - This afternoon, Benedict XVI travelled in an open-top vehicle from the archbishop of Munich's palace to the city's cathedral of Our Lady. The cathedral, built between 1468 and 1488, was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, only the altar and two towers surviving. Reconstruction work began in 1946 and final restoration was completed between 1988 and 1994.

It was in this cathedral, which houses the relics of St. Benno, patron saint of Bavaria who governed the diocese of Meissen from 1066 to 1106, that Joseph Ratzinger was ordained a bishop on May 28, 1977.

On his arrival, the Holy Father paused a moment before the chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament before descending to the crypt where he prayed at the tombs of the archbishops of Munich and Freising. He then presided at the celebration of Vespers in the presence of young First Communicants, and pronounced a homily.

Referring to the reading from the Book of Revelation, the Holy Father explained how "the seer is helped to lift his eyes upward, towards heaven, and forward, towards the future. But in doing so, he speaks to us about earth, about the present, about our lives. In the course of our lives, all of us are on a journey. ... Naturally, we want to find the right road. ... We don't want to end up saying: I took the wrong road, my life is a failure, it went wrong."

The seer of the Apocalypse, Pope Benedict continued, "is talking about a reconciled world. A world in which people ... have come together in joy," in which "people are living with God; God Himself has 'sheltered them in His tent.' ... God is not far from us, He is not somewhere out in the universe. ... In Jesus He became one of us, flesh and blood just like us. This is His 'tent'."

This meeting with God, with "this love, both divine and human, is the bath into which he plunges us at Baptism," the Pope added, but this "is just a beginning. By walking with Jesus, in faith and in our life in union with him, His love touches us, purifies us and enlightens us."

The white of the baptismal gown and of the robes of First Communion, "is meant to remind us of this, and to tell us: by living as one with Jesus and the community of believers, the Church, you have become a person of light, a person of truth and goodness, a person radiant with goodness, the goodness of God Himself."

In the Apocalypse, the Lamb, in other words Jesus, "leads the great multitude of people from every culture and nation to the sources of living water, ... the symbol par excellence of life. ... The true source is Jesus Himself, in Whom God gives us His very self. He does this above all in Holy Communion. ... Through the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Communion, a community is formed which spills over all borders and embraces all languages, the Universal Church, in which God speaks to us and lives among us."

Addressing parents the Pope said: "I ask you to help your children to grow in faith, I ask you to accompany them on their journey towards Holy Communion, on their journey towards Jesus and with Jesus. Please, go with your children to Church and take part in the Sunday Eucharistic celebration! You will see that this is not time lost, ... the whole week becomes more beautiful, when you go to Sunday Mass together. Pray together at home too. ... Prayer does not only bring us nearer to God but also nearer to one another."

Urging teachers of religion and educators "to keep alive in the schools the search for God," he said: "I know that in our pluralistic world it is no easy thing in schools to bring up the subject of faith. ... Encourage your students ... also to ask about the why and the wherefore of life as a whole."

Finally, he called on pastors "to do everything possible to make the parish a 'spiritual community' for people, a great family where we also experience the even greater family of the universal Church."

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 11, 2006 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI, having left the archbishop's palace in Munich, travelled by helicopter to the Marian shrine of Altotting, the religious heart of Bavaria which welcomes more than one million pilgrims every year.

According to legend, it was here in the 8th century that Bishop Rupert von Salzburg baptized the first Catholic duke of Bavaria. In 1330, an image of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus was placed inside the old church and, in 1489, the shrine became the scene of two apparitions of Our Lady, giving it a fame it still enjoys today. The church also houses a number of silver urns containing the hearts of all the kings of Bavaria.

On his arrival in Altotting, the Holy Father was received by, among others, Edmund Stoiber, minister-president of Bavaria and Bishop Wilhelm Schraml of Passau. After spending a few minutes inside the church, Benedict XVI came out to preside at Mass in the square in front of the building.

In the readings of today's Mass, said the Holy Father in his homily, "three times and in three different ways, we see Mary, the Mother of the Lord, as a woman of prayer. In the Book of Acts, ... Mary leads the nascent Church in prayer; she is, as it were in person, the Church at prayer. And thus, along with the great community of the saints and at their center, she stands even today before God interceding for us, asking her Son to send His Spirit once more upon the Church and to renew the face of the earth."

In the Gospel passage of the wedding feast of Cana, "Mary makes a request of her Son on behalf of some frien­ds in need," said the Pope. "Yet Mary does not speak to Jesus as if He were a mere man on whose ability and helpfulness she can count. She entrusts a human need to His power, to a power which is more than skill and human ability. ... She does not tell Jesus what to do, ... and she certainly does not ask Him to perform a miracle. ... She simply hands the matter over to Jesus and leaves Him to decide what to do."

In the Mother of Jesus, the Holy Father proceeded, "we can see two things: on the one hand her affectionate concern for people, that maternal affection which makes her aware of the problems of others. We see her heartfelt goodness and her willingness to help." Yet we also see "humility and generosity in accepting God's will, in the confident conviction that whatever He says in response will be best for us"

Jesus' reply to Mary - "Woman, what have I to do with you? My hour has not yet come" - does not indicate indifference, the Pope explained, rather it "expresses Mary's place in the history of salvation. It points to the future, to the hour of the crucifixion. ... It anticipates the hour when He will make the woman, His Mother, the Mother of all His disciples. ... Mary represents the new, the definitive woman, the companion of the Redeemer, our Mother: the name, which seemed so lacking in affection, actually expresses the grandeur of Mary's mission."

Christ and His mother are united, the Pope stressed, in their acceptance of the will of God which Mary shows at the Annunciation. "In this double 'yes' the obedience of the Son is embodied, and Mary gives Him that body. ... Ultimately, what each has to do with the other is found in this double 'yes' which resulted in the Incarnation. It is to this point of profound unity that the Lord is referring."

Hence, "Jesus never acts completely alone, and never for the sake of pleasing others. The Father is always the starting-point of His actions." At Cana "He does not play games with His power in what is, after all, a private affair. He gives a sign, in which He proclaims His hour. ... In the sign of the water changed into wine, in the sign of the festive gift, He even now anticipates that hour.

"Jesus' definitive 'hour'," the Pope concluded, "will be His return at the end of time. Yet He continually anticipates this hour in the Eucharist, in which, even now, He always comes to us. ... Here in Altotting, the adoration of the Lord in the Eucharist has found a new location in the old treasury. Mary and Jesus go together."

During the Mass, the Pope made a special mention of September 11 2001. "Five years on from the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center in New York," he said, "we pray for peace in the world."

After the Eucharistic celebration, Benedict XVI inaugurated the shrine's new Chapel of Adoration. He then walked to the nearby convent of St. Mary Magdalene where he had lunch with his entourage.

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 9, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. Johannes Harmannes Jozefus Van den Hende, vicar general of the diocese of Groningen, Netherlands, as coadjutor bishop of Breda (area 3,368, population 1,103,150, Catholics 476,169, priests 280, permanent deacons 18, religious 1,353), Netherlands. The bishop-elect was born in Groningen, in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1991.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, presented by Bishop Joseph Faber MacDonald, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

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- To Chilean Ambassador: Justice and Respect for Mankind

- Audiences

- In Memoriam

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 8, 2006 (VIS) - This morning at Castelgandolfo, the Pope received prelates from the Canadian (Ontario) Conference of Catholic Bishops who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

Addressing them in English, the Pope indicated that "the fundamental task of the evangelization of culture is the challenge to make God visible in the human face of Jesus. In helping individuals to recognize and experience the love of Christ, you will awaken in them the desire to dwell in the house of the Lord, embracing the life of the Church. This is our mission."

"The split between the Gospel and culture, with the exclusion of God from the public sphere" is one of the "impediments to the spread of Christ's Kingdom" said the Holy Father. "Canada has a well-earned reputation for a generous and practical commitment to justice and peace, and there is an enticing sense of vibrancy and opportunity in your multicultural cities. At the same time, however, certain values ... have evolved in the most disturbing of ways. In the name of 'tolerance' your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse, and in the name of 'freedom of choice' it is confronted with the daily destruction of unborn children. When the Creator's divine plan is ignored the truth of human nature is lost."

"Democracy succeeds," the Holy Father insisted, "only to the extent that it is based on truth and a correct understanding of the human person. Catholic involvement in political life cannot compromise on this principle. ... In your discussions with politicians and civic leaders I encourage you to demonstrate that our Christian faith, far from being an impediment to dialogue, is a bridge, precisely because it brings together reason and culture."

In the context of the evangelization of culture, Pope Benedict mentioned "the fine network of Catholic schools" in Ontario. Then, after highlighting how "catechesis and religious education is a taxing apostolate," he thanked teachers and catechists "who strive to ensure that your young people become daily more appreciative of the gift of faith which they have received."

The Pope identified relativism as "a particularly insidious obstacle to education today." For this reason, there is a particular need for "the apostolate of 'intellectual charity' which upholds the essential unity of knowledge, guides the young towards the sublime satisfaction of exercising their freedom in relation to truth, and articulates the relationship between faith and all aspects of family and civic life."

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 8, 2006 (VIS) - The new ambassador of Chile to the Holy See, Pedro Pablo Cabrera Gaete today presented his Letters of Credence to the Holy Father who, in his address to the diplomat, praised "the spiritual proximity of the Chilean people to Peter's Successor, a proximity created over history in unison with the Church's constant activities through her members and institutions."

The Pope recalled how Chile is approaching its bicentenary as a republic "with the hopes that arise from a particularly significant period in which notable development goals have been achieved, institutions have become consolidated and a climate of peaceful coexistence seems to have been established." He also highlighted how these factors, "alongside the opening of horizons beyond your own confines, are certainly cause for satisfaction, and a new call to a sense of responsibility in order to uphold the highest ideals which are what give rise to all true progress and, in the end, make that progress possible."

"In this regard," Benedict XVI said, "the Church accomplishes her mission by announcing the Gospel of Christ, projecting her light onto the reality of the world and human beings, thereby proclaiming their most exalted dignity." The Church, he added, "shares the thirst for a justice undiminished by insufficient respect for the dignity of man and the inalienable rights deriving from that dignity."

Among these rights, "mention must first be made of the right to life in all phases of its development and in whatever situation it may be; ... the right to form a family based on the bonds of love and faithfulness established in marriage between a man and a woman, something which must be protected and supported; ... and the primary right to educate children according to the ideals with which the parents want to enrich them."

"The dear land of Chile," said the Holy Father, "has abundant historical and spiritual resources with which to face the future with well-founded hopes of attaining new goals of humanity, thus also contributing to supporting bonds of cooperation and peaceful coexistence in the concert of nations."

The Pope concluded his remarks to the diplomat by recalling the Chilean Sts. Teresa de los Andes and Fr. Alberto Hurtado, and expressed the hope that "the many gifts of nature the Creator has granted the sons and daughters of Chile," may continue "to give fruits that open a more prosperous future to new generations, that they may be lovers of peace and maintain a transcendent sense of life, in accordance with the country's centuries-old Christian roots."

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 8, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Alberto Bottari de Castello, apostolic nuncio to Japan.

- Mihail Dobre, ambassador of Romania, on a farewell visit.

- Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education (for Seminaries and Educational Institutions).

This evening, he is scheduled to receive in audience Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome.

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 8, 2006 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

- Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, prefect emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, on August 2, at the age of 96.

- Archbishop Francois Abou Mokh B.S., former auxiliary of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites, Syria, on August 11, at the age of 85.

- Archbishop Luciano Pedro Mendes de Almeida S.J., of Mariana, Brazil, on August 27, at the age of 75.

- Bishop Manuel Pereira da Costa, emeritus of Campina Grande, Brazil, on July 25, at the age of 90.

- Bishop Marko Culej of Varazdin, Croatia, on August 19 at the age of 68.

- Bishop Antonio Batista Fragoso, emeritus of Crateus, Brazil, on August 12 at the age of 85.

- Bishop Pietro Giachetti, emeritus of Pinerolo, Italy, on August 6 at the age of 83.

- Bishop Americo Henriques, emeritus of Huambao, Angola, on August 14 at the age of 82.

- Archbishop Juan Ignacio Larrea Holguin, emeritus of Guayaquil, Ecuador, on August 27 at the age of 79.

- Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo Higuera, apostolic nuncio, on August 2 at the age of 76.

- Bishop Alfred Maria Oburu Asue C.M.F., of Ebebiyin, Equatorial Guinea, on August 27 at the age of 59.

- Bishop Francisco Peralta y Ballabriga, emeritus of Vitoria, Spain, on August 23 at the age of 95.

- Archbishop Simeon Anthony Pereira, emeritus of Karachi, Pakistan, on August 22 at the age of 78.

- Archbishop Ioannis Perris, emeritus of Naxos, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos, Greece, on August 20 at the age of 89.

- Bishop Alphonse-Marie Runiga Musanganya, emeritus of Mahagi-Nioka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on August 11 at the age of 81.

- Bishop Justin Tetemu Samba of Musoma, Tanzania, on August 23 at the age of 55.

- Bishop Stanislaw Smolenski, former auxiliary of Krakow, Poland, on August 8 at the age of 91.

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- Publication of a Book by Cardinal Sodano

- Audiences

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VATICAN CITY, SEP 7, 2006 (VIS) - On September 1, Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi C.S., Holy See permanent observer to the Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions at Geneva, addressed the 15th Session of the Group of Governmental Experts of States Parties to the CCW ("Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects"). The session was held from August 28 to September 6.

"Thus far," said Archbishop Tomasi in his French-language address, "we have heard no convincing evidence from those who consider these arms [sub-munitions] to be legitimate. In any case, all arms are called legitimate before being prohibited or regulated. Was that not true of chemical, biological, incendiary and laser weapons? The fact of declaring a particular armament legitimate does not make it more acceptable or less inhuman."

After highlighting how the Holy See considers "it vital to undertake a profound reflection on the nature and use of sub-munitions," Archbishop Tomasi pointed out that the victims of conflict "cannot wait for years of negotiations and discussions. For this reason, there must be a moratorium on the use of these arms. At the same time, the States parties to the CCW must set themselves to work."

The permanent observer concluded his address by indicating that "the review conference being prepared must be capable of adopting a specific mandate to begin discussions and negotiations on an effective instrument to eradicate the risks associated with sub-munitions."

DELSS/SUB-MUNITIONS/GENEVA:TOMASI VIS 060907 (260)

VATICAN CITY, SEP 7, 2006 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, Msgrs. Gabriele Giordano Caccia and Pietro Parolin, respectively councillor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State and under-secretary for Relations with States of the same secretariat, presented a book by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano entitled: "Il lievito del Vangelo. La presenza della Santa Sede nella vita dei popoli" (The Leaven of the Gospel. The presence of the Holy See in the life of peoples).

The Italian-language volume contains twelve speeches by Cardinal Sodano, who has occupied the post of secretary of State for almost 16 years, serving under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Msgr. Parolin highlighted how the long period of Cardinal Sodano's service to the Church has been "particularly complex and restless, bearing in mind the end of the Cold War, the two Gulf conflicts, the Balkans war and the outbreak of international terrorism following the events of September 11 2001."

"The central importance of human beings as the main inspiration of the Holy See's diplomatic activity" is, said Msgr. Parolin, one of the cardinal's favored themes, featuring, for example, in his address to heads of State and government at the March 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, Denmark. Another of the chapters of his book dedicates great attention to the theme of "solidarity and the duty to show solidarity."

The under-secretary for Relations with States went on to consider a further aspect emphasized by Cardinal Sodano in his book, his "considerations on the need to place ethical values at the foundation of all forms of social structure and human coexistence."

In closing, Msgr. Parolin dwelt on Cardinal Sodano's concern for the "human factor," explaining that "it is the Lord Who guides history, but He is wont to use many 'humble servants of his vineyard' who, animated by a great love for the Church and a profound sense of service to humanity, give body and soul to the international activity of the Holy See."

For his part, Msgr. Caccia pointed out that Cardinal Sodano's book "brings together experiences matured over time as a pastor of souls; a pastor not directly entrusted with a portion of the people of God, but with the privilege of cooperating in the care of the entire flock of the Lord, alongside the Successor of the Apostle Peter."

Reading the text, said Msgr. Caccia, "from between the lines there emerges a desire to answer a question ... on the meaning and significance of the Holy See's presence in the life of peoples. ... In order to illustrate this mission, ... Cardinal Sodano chooses the evangelical image of leavening, ... and explains the activity of the Holy See as a presence that 'leavens,' a 'ferment' of truth, of love and of peace, a presence that discreetly, patiently and silently, acts within history and the often conflict-ridden situations of humanity. An evangelical and evangelizing presence that summons everyone belonging to the Holy See always to proclaim ... only the Gospel in all situations, using real institutions to achieve this end."

"From the very opening pages Cardinal Sodano illustrates the pastoral mission of the Holy See, that aims 'to introduce the leavening of Christianity into the life of nations';" and stresses "the importance of the Holy See's presence in many fields of international activity 'to infuse the heart of modern society with that innovative ferment that is the Gospel of Christ'."

Still quoting from Cardinal Sodano's work, the councillor for General Affairs said: "The Church has no other raison d'etre in the world than that of continuing the work of the Lord. She has, in fact, been well defined as Christ ... prolonged over the centuries.' This is even truer in our own times," Msgr. Cacccia concluded, "when the greatest challenges are not economic or technical, but first and foremost ethical and spiritual."

.../SODANO BOOK/CACCIA:PAROLIN VIS 060907 (660)

VATICAN CITY, SEP 7, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Nine prelates from the Canadian (Ontario) Conference of Catholic Bishops on their "ad limina" visit:

- Archbishop Marcel Andre J. Gervais of Ottawa.

- Bishop Richard William Smith of Pembroke.

- Bishop Vincent Cadieux O.M.I., of Moosonee.

- Bishop Nicola De Angelis C.F.I.C., of Peterborough.

- Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Alexandria-Cornwall, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Eugene Philippe LaRocque.

- Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe of Sault Sainte Marie, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Robert Harris.

- Bishop John Stephen Pazak C.SS.R., of Saints Cyril and Methodius of Toronto of the Slovaks of Byzantine Rite.

- Archbishop James Patrick Green, apostolic nuncio to South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho, and apostolic delegate to Botswana, accompanied by members of his family.

AL:AP/.../... VIS 060907 (140)

Philip: Guide Human Anxieties Back to Christ

- Other Pontifical Acts