possibility of confession, by which a man expresses his inner conversion, and
contrition, the gateway to atonement and expiation, to reach an encounter with
God's merciful and healing justice. It is furthermore frequently used by
totalitarian regimes and groups of fanatics for the extermination of political
dissidents, minorities, and any subject labelled as 'dangerous' or who may be
perceived as a threat to its power or to the achievement of its ends".
 "The death penalty is contrary to the sentiment of humanitas and to divine
mercy, which must be the model for human justice. ... There is discussion in
some
quarters about the method of killing, as if it were possible to find ways of
'getting it right'. ... But there is no humane way of killing another person".
 "On the other hand, life imprisonment entails for the prisoner the
impossibility of planning a future of freedom, and may therefore be considered
as a sort of covert death penalty, as they deprive detainees not only of their
freedom, but also of hope. However, although the penal system can stake a claim
to the time of convicted persons, it can never claim their hope".
 "Dear friends, I encourage you to continue with your work, as the world needs
witnesses of God's mercy and tenderness, and may the Lord Jesus grant the gift
of wisdom, so that the action taken against this cruel punishment may be
successful and fruitful".

___________________________________________________________

 Press release from the Dean of the College of Cardinals
 Vatican City, 20 March 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has accepted the
resignation of the rights and privileges of a Cardinal, expressed in canons
349,
353 and 356 of the Code of Canon Law, presented by His Eminence Cardinal Keith
Michael Patrick O'Brien, archbishop emeritus of St. Andrews and Edinburgh,
after
a long period of prayer. With this provision, His Holiness would like to
manifest his pastoral solicitude to all the faithful of the Church in Scotland,
and to encourage them to continue with hope the path of renewal and
reconciliation.

___________________________________________________________

 Pope's telegram for terrorist attack in Tunisia
 Vatican City, 20 March 2015 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin
has sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Holy Father to the
Archbishop of Tunis, Ilario Antoniazzi, for the victims of the terrorist attack
on 18 March.
 "Having learned of the grave terrorist attack on the city of Tunis, which
caused numerous deaths and injuries, Pope Francis reiterates his strong
condemnation of any act against peace and the sacredness of human life, and
joins in prayer with the suffering of the families who mourn their loved ones
and all those affected by this tragedy, as well as with all the Tunisian
people.
He asks the Lord to welcome the departed in His peace and to comfort those who
are seriously injured. As a pledge of consolation, the Pope asks that God might
grant His abundant blessings to all.

___________________________________________________________

 Audiences
 Vatican City, 20 March 2015 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
 - Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting
New Evangelisation
 - Sixteen prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, on their "ad
Limina" visit:
 - Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki;
 - Bishop Dominic Ryoji Miyahara of Fukuoka;
 - Bishop Paul Kenjiro Koriyama of Kagoshima;
 - Bishop Berard Toshio Oshikawa of Naha;
 - Bishop Paul Sueo Hamaguchi of Oita;
 - Archbishop Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda of Osaka, with his auxiliary, Bishop
Michael Goro Matsuura;
 - Bishop Paul Yoshinao Otsuka of Kyoto;
 - Bishop Augustinus Jun-ichi Nomura of Nagoya;
 - Bishop John Eijiro Suwa of Takamatsu;
 - Archbishop Peter Takeo Okada of Tokyo, apostolic administrator "sede vacante
et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Saitama, with his auxiliary, Bishop James Kazuo
Koda;
 - Bishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Niigata;
 - Bishop Bernard Taiji Katsuya of Sapporo;
 - Bishop Martin Tetsuo Hiraga of Sendai; and
 - Bishop Rafael Masahiro Umemura of Yokohama.
 - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

___________________________________________________________

 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 20 March 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:
 - appointed Rev. Fr. Mario Eduardo Dorsonville-Rodriguez as auxiliary of the
archdiocese of Washington, (area 5,447, population 2,824,893, Catholics
621,476,
priests 793, permanent deacons 246, religious 1,176), U.S.A. The bishop-elect
was born in 1960 in Bogota, Colombia, and was ordained a priest in 1985. He
holds a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Xaverian University of
Bogota
and a D.Min. from the Catholic University of America, Washington. In Bogota, he
served as deputy priest and parish priest, associate chaplain and professor of
ethics at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and professor of pastoral
counsel and catechesis at the major seminary of Bogota. In Washington, he has
served as deputy priest and is currently director of the "Spanish Catholic
Centre", vice president for the Mission of Catholic Charities, adjunct
spiritual
director at the St. John Paul II Seminary, and member of the college of
consultors and the presbyteral council.
 - reorganised the Hungarian Greek-Catholic Church, elevating it to the status
of "sui iuris Metropolitan Church, by the following measures:
 - elevation of the eparchy of Hajdudorog for Catholics of Byzantine rite
(Cathlics 270,000, priests 190, permanent deacons 4, religious 13) to a
metropolis, with its seat in Debrecen, appointing eparchal Bishop Fulop Kocsis
as the first Metropolitan;
 - elevation of the apostolic exarchate of Miskolc (Catholics 56,200, priests
70) for Catholics of Byzantine rite to the status of eparchy, making it a
suffragan of the metropolitan see of Hajdudorog, appointing Msgr. Atanaz Orosz,
formerly apostolic exarch of Miskolc, as the first eparchal bishop;
 - erection of the eparchy of Nyiregyhaza for Catholics of Byzantine rite, with
territory taken from the eparchy of Hajdudorog, making it a suffragan of the
metropolitan see of Hajdudorog, appointing Bishop Atanaz Orosz as apostolic
administrator "sede vacante".
 On Thursday, 19 March, the Holy Father:
 - appointed Msgr. Vlastimil Krocil as bishop of Ceske Budejovice (area 12,500,
population 760,600, Catholics 291,700, priests 136, permanent deacons 19,
religious 164), Czech Republic. The bishop-elect was born in Brno, Czech
Republic in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1994. Following studies at the
Pontifical Lateran University and the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, he
obtained a degree in theology and philosophy from the Catholic University of
Ruzomberok, Slovakia. He has served as chaplain in Jindrichuv Hradec, and is
currently professor of patrology and early Christian literature in the faculty
of theology at Ceske Budejovice, parish administrator at Veseli nad Luznici,
member of the presbyteral council and the college of consultors, and diocesan
representative for pastoral ministry.
 - erected the diocese of Nogales, Mexico, with territory from the archdiocese
of Hermosillo, Mexico, making it a suffragan of the same archdiocese.
 - appointed Bishop Jose Leopoldo Gonzalez Gonzalez, auxiliary of the
archdiocese of Guadalajara, Mexico, as bishop of the new diocese of Nogales
(area 44,243, population 483,180, Catholics 381,398, priests 44, religious 62),
Mexico.

___________________________________________________________

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