The president of the Italian Parliament, Pier Ferdinando Casini, Minister Gianni Alemanno, Life Senator Giulio Andreotti, the Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni, were among the figures who attended the mass for the fiftieth anniversary of the priestly ordination of the Opus Dei prelate, Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, in the basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. The solemn liturgy was celebrated by Echevarría himself in the crowded Roman basilica, in the presence of numerous cardinals and bishops, among them the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. At the beginning of the mass the letter sent by Pope Benedict XVI was read in which the Pontiff congratulates Echeverría on the «most happy anniversary», declares his «esteem and affection» and sends him the apostolic blessing. In his letter Benedict XVI recalls the stages of Echevarría’s priesthood speaking of «multiple commitments and difficulties overcome through the grace of God». The Pontiff emphasized in particular «the committment to evangelization» and in the field of culture and science, the activity undertaken with the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross «recently founded». «You have at heart», the message further reads, «the defense of life, of the family, of marriage, the training and pastoral care of youth». At the ceremony the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference Cardinal Camillo Ruini also spoke. In his homily, Echevarría often referred to the words and example of the founder of Opus Dei, Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, and to his own predecessor as prelate, Álvaro del Portillo. «The Lord», Echevarría was quoted by ANSA as saying, «conceded me the gift of preaching His word, of representing Him before men, of being used by Him as an instrument. He then entrusted to me the pastoral guidance of Opus Dei, a small part of the great Church. Help me», he added, «so that I may carry this task on following the work of my predecessors».

On 4 August George Antonysamy, a 53 year-old Indian, was elected archbishop and apostolic nuncio to Guinea, Liberia and Gambia. Antonysamy was ordained priest in 1980 and in 1987 entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He worked in the nunciatures of Indonesia, Algeria, Central African Republic, Bangladesh, Lithuania and, lastly, Jordan. On 20 September Antonysamy was also nominated nuncio to Sierra Leone. On 24 August the 56 year-old Vietnamese archbishop Pierre Nguyên Van Tot was nominated nuncio to the Central African Republic. He had been nuncio in Togo and Benin since 2002. On 24 August also 59 year-old U.S. Divine Word priest Michael A. Blume, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Migrants since 2000, was nominated new nuncio to Benin and Togo, From 1983 to 1990 Blume was provincial of his religious order in Ghana, Benin and Togo. On 27 August the Libyan Maronite archbishop, 71 year-old Mounged El-Hachem, was nominated apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrein, Yemen and Qatar and apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula. El-Hachem, a priest since 1959, worked in the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications from 1970 to 1978, then served in the first section of the Secretariat of State, where in 1993 he became head of office. From 1995 he was bishop of Baalbek-Deir El-Ahmar of the Maronites. On 27 August also 63 year-old Calabrian archbishop Antonio Lucibello was nominated nuncio to Turkey and Turkmenistan. He was nuncio to Paraguay since 1999.

On 26 August the Pope received in Castel Gandolfo the letters of credential of the new ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: he is 55 year-old Guillermo Rincón Urdaneta, magistrate and jurist, president of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice from 2000 to 2005. On 27 August it was the turn of the new representative of Paraguay, 61 year-old Geronimo Narváez Torres, career diplomat and former consul general in Milan (1996-2000) and San Paolo in Brazil (2000-2005). On 29 August the new ambassador from Ecuador presented himself, 75 year-old Francisco Salazar Alvarado, who had already held this position from 1984 to 1988. On 23 September, still in Castel Gandolfo, the Pope received the letters of credential of the new ambassador from Mexico. He is 53 year-old Luis Felipe Bravo Mena, formerly lecturer in Political Philosophy and Senator of the Republic, president of the National Executive Committee of the Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) since 1999.