On September 22nd, the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL) will present a formal response to Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate. The association has issued a press release for the occasion, which can be found below:

Today at 2 p.m. EST (8 p.m. in Spain), the events of World Youth Day 2011 will officially kick off with an opening Mass in Madrid´s Cibeles Square. The Mass will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Madrid, Archbishop Antonio Rouco Varela.

In August 2010, Pope Benedict–who is expected to be in Madrid on Thursday–sent the following message to all the faithful planning to be in attendance for (or planning to follow) this year’s WYD events:

Dear Friends,

I often think back on the World Youth Day held in Sydney in 2008. There we had an experience of a great festival of faith in which the Spirit of God was actively at work, building deep communion among the participants who had come from all over the world. That gathering, like those on previous occasions, bore rich fruit in the lives of many young people and in the life of the whole Church. Now we are looking forward to the next World Youth Day, to be held in Madrid in August 2011. Back in 1989, several months before the historic fall of the Berlin Wall, this pilgrimage of young people halted in Spain, in Santiago de Compostela. Now, at a time when Europe greatly needs to rediscover its Christian roots, our meeting will take place in Madrid with the theme: “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (cf. Col 2:7). I encourage you to take part in this event, which is so important for the Church in Europe and for the universal Church. I would like all young people – those who share our faith in Jesus Christ, but also those who are wavering or uncertain, or who do not believe in him – to share this experience, which can prove decisive for their lives. It is an experience of the Lord Jesus, risen and alive, and of his love for each of us.

1. At the source of your deepest aspirations

As widely speculated over recent weeks, this morning, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Charles Chaput, 66, as the ninth archbishop of Philadelphia. According to the Catholic News Agency, Pope Benedict handpicked Chaput for the appointment, selecting him over the recommendations by the Congregation for Bishops. (If that doesn’t show us how the Pope really cares about the direction of the Church throughout the world, I don’t know what will.) Until this time, Chaput has served as Archbishop of Denver.

Since becoming the shepherd of Denver in 1997, Chaput has focused most of his efforts on promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life, advancing the mission of the church, defending its authentic teachings, and embracing its cultural diversity.

According to the Denver archdiocesan website, Chaput has ordained nearly half of the priests serving the estimated 550,000 member church. In 1999, building off of the efforts of its former archbishop, the Archdiocese of Denver established the St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. The establishment of the seminary was not only important for the promotion of vocations to the priesthood but also for the encouragement of vocations to the permanent diaconate and lay ministry.

In 2002, Archbishop Chaput and Bishop Jose Gomez–then Auxiliary Bishop of the Denver church–founded Centro San Juan Diego, an apostolic ministry focused on embracing the Hispanic heritage of the Catholic Church in the West. Chaput also co-founded the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL) and ENDOW, a Catholic leadership initiative for promoting education on the dignity of women.

Credit: Diocese of Steubenville

This morning, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Robert Daniel Conlon, 62, as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois. He succeeds Bishop J. Peter Sartain who was appointed Archbishop of Seattle in September 2010.

Bishop Conlon was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on January 15, 1977 after completing his theological studies at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary of the West. Since becoming a priest, Conlon has served as associate pastor, as well as Director of the Office of Planning and Research and Assistant Chancellor for the Cincinnati Archdiocese.

In 1987 then-Father Conlon received the degrees of Doctor of Canon Law and Doctor of Philosophy from St. Paul University in Ottawa. Upon his return to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Conlon was appointed Chancellor and Director of the Department of Executive Services.

In 1996, the soon-to-be-bishop returned to parish life, being named pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish. Conlon served in that position until 2002, when he was appointed bishop of the Steubenville diocese by Pope John Paul II.

We welcome the desire of our brother Agostino Cardinal Vallini,
our vicar general for the diocese of Rome,
many of our brothers in the episcopate
and of many faithful
and after obtaining the opinion
of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints,
with our Apostolic authority
we concede that the Venerable Servant of God,
John Paul II, pope,
shall be called henceforth blessed
and that his celebration can be held in the places
under rules established by law,
each year on October 22.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.