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VATICAN CITY, JUL 11, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. as director of the Holy See Press Office. Fr. Lombardi was born in Saluzzo, Italy in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1972. He is currently director general of the Vatican Television Center and of Vatican Radio, posts he will continue to hold in his new office. Benedict XVI accepted the resignation from the office of director of the Holy See Press Office presented by Joaquin Navarro-Valls, thanking him for his long and generous service. Joaquin Navarro-Valls was born in Cartagena, Spain in 1936 and...

Pope says Jesus film isn't anti-Semitic Rome, Italy 11 March 2004 13:55 Pope John Paul II does not consider Mel Gibson's controversial movie The Passion of the Christ anti-Semitic, Vatican spokesperson Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in an interview published on Thursday. In the interview by the Rome-based daily Il Messaggero, Navarro-Valls said the Vatican would not issue an official statement distancing itself from the biblical epic about Christ's crucifixion. "The pope has seen the film and has not commented on it," Navarro- Valls said. "The subsequent silence by the [Vatican] hierarchy is eloquent," he added. Jewish groups throughout the world have...