VATICAN CITY, FEB. 25, 2007 - Pope Benedict XVI appointed a cardinal, two archbishops and a layman as members of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

The Vatican press office announced the appointments Saturday of Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana; Archbishop Juan García Rodríguez of Camaguey, Cuba; Archbishop Héctor Rubén Aguer of La Plata, Argentina; and Savino Pezzotta, of the Italian Workers Union.

The Holy See also announced the appointment of Stefano Fontana, director of the Cardinal Van Thuân International Observatory, as consultor to the dicastery.