POPE AND BISHOPS OF LAOS, CAMBODIA MEET TOGETHER FOR FIRST TIME

VATICAN CITY, FEB 11, 1999 (VIS) - Pope John Paul, in opening remarks made this morning to the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Laos and Cambodia at the conclusion of their "ad limina" visit, recalled that it is the first time that they have met together with the Successor of Peter.

He pointed to the "heroic fidelity demonstrated by the disciples of Christ a time when your nations were undergoing terrible suffering and there were countless innocent victims of blind violence and the denial of human dignity. Numerous priests, religious and laity gave their lives to follow the Lord, mixing their blood with that of their brothers and sisters, facing trials with dignity and fortitude."

"I know with what self-abnegation you yourselves have served and continue to serve the Church in your countries," the Holy Father told the prelates. "Several of you have known prison or exile, while some of your brothers had already given their lives for the flock, following the example of the Good Shepherd."

He highlighted the small but growing number of priestly and religious vocations in Laos and Cambodia and said he recognized the often "difficult conditions of life and ministry."

Christ assists you and your priests, the Pope said, "with his grace." He invited priests "to promote among themselves a spirit of priestly fraternity and collaboration," and he urged bishops "to fraternally associate the priests in the leadership of the ecclesiastical circumscriptions, respecting the orientations of Vatican Council II and the norms of Canon law."

John Paul II congratulated the bishops on the concern they show for vocations and for "the meritorious efforts you have undertaken in the formation of those young people who accept to walk in the steps of Christ to serve the Church."

He asked the bishops to convey his gratitude to "the youth who have answered the Lord's call" and to the laity "for their fidelity, on occasion heroic, to Christ, in particular when, in certain areas, they were without priests for many years."

"During the difficult periods which you have lived," underlined the Holy Father, "the Christian family has played an essential role in preserving the faith. It is indispensable that parents convey to their children what they have received. In founding family life on love, simplicity, real commitment and daily witness, they will defend the basic values which constitute it from the breakup which too often today threatens this primary institution of society."

The Pope expressed the Church's "respect and esteem for the cultural and spiritual riches rooted in your people," pointing out that "ancient and noble civilizations have developed in your countries. They have been deeply marked by Asia's great religious traditions, bearers of wisdom and culture, especially Buddhism. ... Christianity itself has been present for more than four centuries."

John Paul II then highlighted the Church's dedication in numerous countries to helping "refugees and persons in distress," as well as her assistance to those struck by natural calamities. "The Church intends to fight all that which enslaves the human person and threatens his or her life, thus participating in the rebuilding of the nation. I greatly encourage you to pursue your generous and disinterested work at the service of the peoples of your countries, especially the weakest ones."

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