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(CCCB – Ottawa) – Most Reverend Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V., President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and Bishop of Saint Jean-Longueuil, has just returned to Canada following a symposium on the future of the Holy Land held in Jerusalem attended by bishops from North America and Europe. The delegates also met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli State President Moshe Katsav. This is the third such symposium organized by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Michel Sabbah.

Bishop Berthelet said today that the situation for Christians in the Middle East has deteriorated seriously. “One year after my last visit to the Holy Land, I saw that there is more violence and poverty, more unemployment, more emigration, that security measures are more oppressive and control points more numerous. Suffering and hopelessness are more present among the people and there is a general feeling of resignation, “ he said.

Underlining the courage and commitment of Christians in the Holy Land, Bishop Berthelet and the other bishops recommitted themselves to support the process for an unconditional peace in a message made public at the end of the meeting.

“We renew the promise we made a year ago. Until God grants the peace for which we all long, we promise to work without ceasing to help sustain you, our brothers and sisters in faith in Jerusalem, Palestine, Israel and Jordan. To you who first witnessed the risen Christ and seek a rightful share in the peace, which can be found only in him, we pledge our love and solidarity.”

The bishop delegates also agreed to encourage their respective episcopal conferences as well as those in other countries around the world to use every opportunity presented to them to plea for peace. They also wished for a better collaboration of efforts at various levels of the Church to continue in the work of promoting peace and in coming to the aid of victims of these tensions. They also wish to encourage Catholics around the world to be especially generous to the various aid campaigns.

Local authorities also expressed their hope to the delegates that pilgrimages to the Holy Land be undertaken anew. Bishop Berthelet concurred, saying, “We must promote pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Currently, hotels are closed, and buses remain in their garages. Pilgrimages would be a sign of our spiritual and material support. It would underline the solidarity of Christians throughout the world with those in the Holy Land.”

Finally, the bishops’ message expressed a hope for more inter faith dialogue between Jews and Muslims which would produce the fruits of reconciliation and the promotion of peace.

(CCCB – Ottawa) – His Holiness Pope John Paul II today named Most Reverend Nicola De Angelis, C.F.I.C., as Bishop of Peterborough, Ontario. At the time of his nomination, he was Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, where he has served since 1992. His nomination came at the same time as the Holy Father accepted the resignation of Bishop James L. Doyle who had served for 26 years as Bishop of Peterborough.

A member of the Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception, Bishop De Angelis was born 23 January 1939 in Pozzaglia Sabina, Italy. After studying philosophy and theology in Italy, he came to Canada at the end of the 1960s. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in theology from St. Augustine’s Seminary, Toronto, and later a doctorate in theology from the Toronto School of Theology.

Ordained a priest in 1970, he became a Canadian citizen in 1975. After serving in two Toronto parishes from 1970 to 1980, he was vice chancellor of the Archdiocese of Toronto from 1980 to 1984. From 1984 to 1992, he served in Rome as general treasurer and then general superior of his religious congregation. In 1992, he was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto.

In addition to his pastoral responsibilities with the Archdiocese of Toronto, Bishop De Angelis also assists the Holy See as a member of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The Diocese of Peterborough has 106 diocesan priests, 11 religious priests, 101 women religious, 13 permanent deacons and five lay pastoral assistants serving a population of more than 83,000 Catholics in 70 parishes and missions.

(CCCB – Ottawa)… The Catholic Aboriginal Council for Reconciliation, has proclaimed December 12 as the National Aboriginal Day of Prayer. The Council was created by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) in 1998.

The date chosen by the Council is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom Pope John Paul II has designated as the patroness of the Americas.

The Council for Reconciliation is composed of 10 Aboriginal Catholics and two bishops. At the moment there is only one bishop on the Council, Bishop Albert LeGatt of Saskatoon, with a second to be appointed in 2003. Founded as the Council for Reconciliation, Solidarity and Communion with Aboriginal Peoples, it was established to provide resources to increase awareness of Aboriginal issues, to support processes of healing and to foster Aboriginal faith leadership in the Christian community.

The current chair of the Council is Rev. Mr. Ronald Boyer, a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, who belongs to the Anishnabeg First Nation, and is living and serving in Kahnawake, Quebec.

Inviting Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Catholics to join in the day of prayer, Mr. Boyer has proposed the different regions across the country pray at specific times, in effect making a continuous prayer vigil. The times suggested are:

Area and time

1. Newfoundland and Labrador
4:30 a.m. – 6:00 a.m.
2. NS/NB/PEI
6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
3. Quebec
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m
4. Ontario
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m
5. Manitoba
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
6. Saskatchewan
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
7. Eastern NWT
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
8. Alberta/NWT
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
9. BC
9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
10. Yukon
11:00 p.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Participants are encouraged to pray in whatever way they are comfortable, whether by reading Scripture, participating in the Eucharist, reciting the Rosary, meditation, a Prayer Circle or singing. The Aboriginal Council also proposes three prayers:

A prayer was composed by Mr. Graydon Nicholas, a former member of the Council, during an eight-day retreat that he had made in August 2000.

The prayer of Joseph Chiwatenhwa, a 17th century Huron warrior who dictated it to Jesuit Father Jerome Lalemant and which is found in the Jesuit Relations.

A prayer in six direction, taken from the CCCB publication Prayers for World Youth Day 2002, which is recommended for those choosing to gather together.

Our Lady of the Americas

Our Lady of Guadalupe is a popular Marian devotion in Latin America, particularly in Mexico. Appearing in 1531 to an impoverished Aztec, Juan Diego, and speaking in Nahuatl, his native tongue, the “Lady from Heaven” asked him to build a shrine in her honour on the site, which is on the outskirts of Mexico City. Her image is imprinted on a cactus cloth which is preserved in the shrine. The message of love and compassion associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe and her promise to protect all humanity had a major impact on Latin America, with nearly 9 million native inhabitants converting to Christianity within less than 10 years after the apparitions. They also inspired a renewed sense of dignity and hope among Aboriginal Peoples in Latin America following the Spanish conquest. The basilica now on the site is considered the most popular Marian shrine in the world, with some 10 million visitors a year, and is second only to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as the most visited Catholic church in the world.

(CCCB – Ottawa) – As of December 10, 2002, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) will be located in new offices at 2500 Don Reid Drive in Ottawa.

The move to the new location will take place December 6-9 after more than 44 years at 90 Parent Avenue in downtown Ottawa. The offices will be closed during that period.

While the CCCB postal address will be changing, the current telephone and fax numbers and email addresses will remain the same.

The CCCB is the national assembly of the Bishops of Canada. It was founded in 1943 and officially recognized by the Holy See in 1948. The Conference provides ways for assisting the cardinals, archbishops and bishops of Canada in their many pastoral responsibilities and supports them in their work by providing resource persons and specialists in different areas such as ecumenism, theology, liturgy, social affairs, Christian education and communications. The CCCB involves itself in matters of national and international scope and provides the bishops a national forum where they can share their experience and insight on the life of the Church and the major events that shape our society.

The new coordinates for the CCCB will be:

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
2500 Don Reid Drive
Ottawa Ontario K1H 2J2
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: General Secretariat (613) 241-9048/(613) 241-8117;
CCCB Publications (613) 241-5090
cecc@cccb.ca
http://www.cccb.ca

(CCCB – Ottawa) – His Holiness Pope John Paul II today named Most Rev. Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome, as Archbishop of Québec. The Holy Father also named Most Rev. Jean Gagnon, Auxiliary Bishop of Québec and currently Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Gaspé, as Bishop of Gaspé.

Archbishop-elect Ouellet succeeds Most Rev. Maurice Couture, S.V., whose resignation has been accepted by the Pope for reasons of age. Archbishop Couture submitted his resignation in November 2001. He becomes Apostolic Administrator until the new Archbishop takes canonical possession of the Archdiocese.

Born in 1944 in La Motte, Québec, Archbishop-elect Ouellet was ordained to the priesthood in 1968 as a member of the Company of Saint Sulpice. He holds a licentiate in philosophy from Saint Thomas Aquinas University in Rome and a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He served as rector at the Grande Séminaire de Montréal, 1990-1994, and of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton, 1994-1997. He later became chairman of dogmatic theology at the John Paul II Institute of the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome and, from 1995 to 2000, was a consultor with the Congregation for the Clergy. In March 2001, Archbishop-elect Ouellet was named Secretary to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity is entrusted with promoting within the Catholic Church an authentic ecumenical spirit and developing dialogue and collaboration with the other Churches and world communions. As Secretary, he was the highest-ranking Canadian in the Roman Curia.

In assuming the role of Archbishop of Québec, Archbishop-elect Ouellet becomes the Primate for the Catholic Church in Canada, in recognition of that diocese having been the first in Canada. As such, he becomes an ex officio member of the CCCB Permanent Council, a group of 16 bishops that oversees the general work and orientation of the Conference between annual Plenary Assemblies.

The Archdiocese of Québec has a Catholic population of 902,000 served by 511 diocesan priests, 341 religious order priests, 85 permanent deacons and 235 lay pastoral assistants in 268 parishes and missions.

Gaspé

Bishop Jean Gagnon is well familiar with the Diocese of Gaspé, having been named Apostolic Administrator of the diocese in July 2001 following the resignation of Bishop Raymond Dumais. Bishop Gagnon was named Auxiliary Bishop of Québec in December 1998.

Born on May 21, 1941, in Saint-Joseph-de-Lauzon, near Québec City, he completed classical studies at the Collège de Lévis, and theological studies at the Grand Séminaire de Québec where he received a licentiate in theology. He also holds a master’s degree in pastoral theology from Laval University and a master’s degree in missiology from Saint University in Ottawa. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1966.

Bishop Gagnon is currently chairman of the CCCB Episcopal commission for Social Affairs.

The Diocese of Gaspé has a Catholic population of 94,000 served by 60 diocesan priests, 6 religious order priests, 3 permanent deacons and 171 religious sisters and brothers in 66 parishes and missions.

(CCCB – Ottawa) Most Rev. Thomas Fulton, Bishop emeritus of St. Catharines, died yesterday at the age of 84.

The funeral celebration will be held at 11 am on Friday, November 15, at St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral and will be presided by Bishop James Wingle of St. Catharines. Visitation will take place on Wednesday, November 13, at the George Darte Funeral Home in St. Catharines (2 pm-4 pm, 7 pm-9 pm) and on Thursday, November 14 at St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral (2 pm-9 pm).

Bishop Fulton was born on January 13, 1918, in St. Catharines, and ordained to the priesthood in Toronto by Cardinal James McGuigan on June 7, 1941. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto on December 28, 1968, and ordained to the episcopate in Rome by Pope Paul VI on January 6, 1969. He was named Bishop of St. Catharines on July 8, 1978, where he served until his retirement in 1994.

He served as Vice-President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), 1989-1991, and was a member of many episcopal commissions including Missions, Canon Law/Inter-Rite, Clergy and Social Communications.

(CCCB – Ottawa) A delegation from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) began a series of meetings in Rome today with officials from the Holy See.

CCCB President Bishop Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V., of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, Vice President Archbishop Brendan O’Brien of St. John’s and General Secretary Msgr. Peter Schonenbach, P.H., are in Rome for the CCCB annual visit to meet with various officials from the Curia. This includes the Secretariat of State, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Congregation for Bishops, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Congregation for Catholic Education, Congregation for the Clergy, Pontifical Council for the Laity, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue.

The visit will conclude on Friday, November 15, with an audience with the Holy Father. These meetings permit open exchanges on a regular basis between the Canadian episcopal conference and the Roman Curia regarding common projects, preoccupations and challenges for the Catholic Church both in Canada and around the world.

(CCCB – Ottawa) Most Rev. Jean-Marie Fortier, Archbishop emeritus of Sherbrooke, died yesterday at the age of 82.

The funeral celebration will be presided by Archbishop André Gaumond of Sherbrooke at the Cathedral Basilica in Sherbrooke. Visitation will take place in Quebec City on Sunday, November 3, and then at the Cathedral Basilica in Sherbrooke, on Monday, November 4 (7 pm-9 pm), and Tuesday, November 5 (10 am-noon, 2 pm-4 pm and 7 pm-9 pm).

Archbishop Fortier was born on July 1, 1920, in Quebec City, and ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Jean-Marie Villeneuve, on June 16, 1944. He was ordained on November 16, 1960, as Auxiliary Bishop of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière. In 1965, the Holy Father named him Bishop of Gaspé, and three years later he succeeded Most Rev. Georges Cabana as Archbishop of Sherbrooke. He retired in 1996.

He served as President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) from 1973 to 1975, and was a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.

(Cornwall – CCCB) His Holiness Pope John Paul II today named Msgr. Robert Harris, C.S.S., Episcopal Vicar of the Anglophone Faithful of the Archdiocese of Montreal, as Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Ste-Marie, and Rev. Donald Lapointe, pastor of the parishes of the Pastoral Sector Nouvel Horizon in the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke, as Auxiliary Bishop of Saint-Jérôme.

At the same time, Pope John Paul II announced the resignation of Bishop Colin Campbell of Antigonish for reasons of health according to Canon 401, para 2, of the Code of Canon Law. Bishop Campbell has served in Antigonish for close to twelve years.

Bishop-Elect Harris was born in Montreal on September 26, 1944, ordained to the priesthood in 1969, and named a Chaplain to the Holy Father in April 2002. He received a license in theology from the Grand Séminaire de Montréal and later received a license in canon law at Gregorian University in Rome.

He has been pastor at a number of English-speaking parishes in Montreal as well as Vice-Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Director of Pastoral Formation at the Grand Séminaire de Montreal, Director of Vocations for the Anglophone community, General Coordinator of English Pastoral Services, Collegial Judge of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Montreal, and finally, Episcopal Vicar to the Anglophone Faithful of the Archdiocese of Montreal.

The Diocese of Sault Ste-Marie has 102 diocesan priests, 32 religious order priests, 108 permanent deacons, and 257 religious brothers and sisters serving a Catholic population of 353,000 in 117 parishes and missions. The current Bishop of Sault-Ste-Marie is Most Rev. Jean-Louis Plouffe.

Bishop-Elect Lapointe was born in 1936 in Disraéli, Québec, and ordained to the priesthood in 1964. He taught at the Séminaire de Sherbrooke from 1964-1970 and then was assigned to a number of parishes in the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke since then. He was also episcopal vicar in charge of pastoral ministry from 1986-1990.

The Diocese of Saint-Jérôme has 91 diocesan priests, 32 religious order priests, 17 permanent deacons, and 367 religious sisters and brothers serving in 117 parishes and missions. The current Bishop of Saint-Jérôme is Most Rev. Gilles Cazabon, O.M.I.