NEW AMBASSADRESS OF PARAGUAY PRESENTS LETTERS OF CREDENCE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 17, 1999 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received the Letters of Credence of Blanca Elida Zuccolillo de Rodriguez Alcala, the new ambassadress of the Republic of Paraguay.

In his talk, the Holy Father encouraged the political leaders of that country to respond "to the most noble aspirations of all citizens." In order to do so, it is necessary to "improve the living conditions of the most unprotected, put a halt to corruption among the powerful which harms the weak, and prevent the slow impoverishment of large sectors of the population. Moreover, in this way it will also be possible to combat the lack of confidence in democratic institutions," and citizens will "have the opportunity to elect and control their own political leaders."

John Paul II emphasized that "the pastors of the Church in Paraguay ... have not ceased to make their voices heard, even in moments of difficulty, of anxiety, of breakdown of values and of moral confusion. Without doubt, this has contributed towards the Church's being considered as one of the institutions that is most credible and deserving of the general trust of citizens."

The Pope concluded by saying that the contribution of the Church "to the good of the community as a whole cannot be underestimated or relegated to the sphere of the merely private, as is maintained by various presently fashionable trends of thought. ... In fact, the proclamation of the Gospel would not be completely faithful if it excluded certain essential human aspects, such as social life and the need to construct together a more just, fraternal and cohesive society."

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