JOHN PAUL II TO CONFER EPISCOPAL ORDINATION ON NINE PRESBYTERS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 31, 1998 (VIS) - According to a communique made public today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, on Wednesday, January 6, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, at 9 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, John Paul II will confer episcopal ordination on the following nine priests:

1. Msgr. Alessandro D'Errico, of the clergy of the diocese of Aversa, Italy, born November 18, 1950, ordained a priest March 24, 1974, elected titular archbishop of Carini and appointed apostolic nuncio in Pakistan, November 14, 1998.

2. Msgr. Salvatore Pennacchio, of the clergy of the diocese of Aversa, Italy, born September 7, 1952, ordained a priest September 18, 1976, elected titular archbishop of Montemarano and appointed apostolic nuncio in Rwanda, November 28, 1998.

3. Msgr. Alain Lebeaupin, of the clergy of the diocese of Nice, France, born March 2, 1945, ordained a priest June 28, 1975, elected titular archbishop of Vico Equense and appointed apostolic nuncio in Ecuador December 7, 1998.

4. Msgr. Cesare Mazzolari, of the Institute of the Combonian Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, born February 9, 1937, ordained a priest March 17, 1962, elected bishop of Rumbek (Sudan) November 5, 1998.

5. Msgr. Pierre Tran Dihn Tu, of the clergy of the diocese of Phu Cuong, Vietnam, born March 2, 1937, ordained a priest April 29, 1965, elected bishop of Phu Cuong (Vietnam) December 5, 1998.

6. Msgr. Rafael Cob Garcia, of the clergy of the diocese of Burgos, Spain, born October 23, 1951, ordained a priest October 23, 1976, elected titular bishop of Cerbali and appointed vicar apostolic of Puyo (Ecuador) December 8, 1998.

7. Msgr. Mattew Moolakkattu, of the order of St. Benedict, born February 27, 1953, ordained a priest December 27, 1978, elected titular bishop of Holar and appointed auxiliary to the bishop of Kottayam of the Syro-Malabar (India) November 6, 1998.

8. Msgr. Diarmuid Martin, of the clergy of the diocese of Dublin, Ireland, born April 8, 1945, ordained a priest May 15, 1969, Secretary of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace, elected titular bishop of Glenndalocha December 5, 1998.

9. Msgr. Jose Luis Redrado Marchite, O.H., born March 19, 1936, ordained a priest July 11, 1965, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, elected titular bishop of Ofena December 5, 1998.

JPII-EPISCOPAL ORDINATIONS;...;...;...;VIS;19990104;Word: 330;

THE SECRET OF PEACE LIES IN RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 1, 1999 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. today, the Pope celebrated Mass in the Basilica of St. Peter's on the Solemnity of the Mother of God and for the 32nd World Day of Peace.

After having mentioned in the homily that the first day of the year is consecrated by the Church to the Mother of God, he said that, "the Mother of God and of men holds in her heart and meditates upon all of the great and difficult problems of mankind, helping all to cross the thresholds of the "years, of the centuries, of the millennia."

Evoking the events of this century, John Paul II especially recalled the two world wars: "the cemeteries, the tombs of the victims, the families destroyed, the weeping and the hopelessness, so much misery and suffering."

"How can we forget," he said, "the death camps, the children of Israel brutally exterminated, the holy martyrs like Fr. Maximillian Kolbe, Edith Stein, and so many others?"

The Pope declared that "our century is also the century of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man", recalling what he had said in his message for the World Day of Peace of 1999: "The secret of true peace lies in respect for the Rights of Man. The recognition of the innate dignity of each member of the human family... is the foundation of liberty, justice, and peace in the world."

In concluding, he underlined the fact that humanity "gives in the influence of evil. However, solicited by grace, humanity always rises again and guided by strength of the redemption, she advances towards the good."

HML;HUMAN RIGHTS;...;...;VIS;19990104;Word: 280;

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 31, 1998 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Wolfgang Kirkgassner from the Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), in conformity with the Canons 411 and 401 paragraph 2 of the C.I.C.

RE;...;...;KIRKGASSNER;VIS;19990104;Word: 40;

THE POPE GIVES THANKS FOR 1998

VATICAN CITY, DEC 31, 1998 (VIS) - At the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola "a Campo Marzio" in Rome, John Paul II presided over Vespers this afternoon and over the "Te Deum" for the end of the year.

In the homily, the Pope gave thanks "for the abundance of gifts given by God" during the year of 1998. He also recalled the 278 visits to parishes which he has made in Rome since the beginning of his pontificate. These are "precious and enriching events," he said, "but also fruitful pastoral meetings." He then gave thanks for "the thousands of missionaries who have been working for two years already and who constitute a useful richness to stamp an increasing apostolic momentum on the pastoral care of the diocese."

Then the Pope affirmed that "a year from now, we will already be in the Holy Year and many pilgrims will begin to arrive from all over the world. I wish with all my heart that they will be greeted by a Church which is living and religiously fervent, a Church which is generous and sensitive to the needs of our brothers, especially to the poor and needy."

"With regard to the past year, I cannot not remember the difficulties which have marked the lives of our brothers and sisters, including those in Rome. I am thinking of families who have difficulty in balancing their daily budget, of adolescents in difficulty, of the young who lack a perspective on the future, of the sick and elderly persons who live alone, of the abandoned, who do not have homes and who are rejected by society. May the new year bring them serenity and hope."

HML;VESPERS; TE DEUM;...;ST IGNATIUS;VIS;19990104;Word: 280;

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 4, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father received in separate audiences today:

- Cardinal William Wakefield Baum, Penitentiary Major. - Archbishop Renato Raffaele Martino, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York.
- Bishop Jan Hirka of Presov of Catholics of Byzantine rite (Slovak Republic).
- Bishop Riccardo Ruotolo, auxiliary of Manfredonia-Vieste (Italy).
- Bishop Jozef Zlatnansky, secretary of the permanent inter-dicasterial Commission for the Church in Eastern Europe.
- Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, superior general of the Society of Jesus.
- Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, Archbishop Silvano Nesti Piergiorgio, Msgr. Juan Jose Dorronsoro Allo and Fr. Jesus Torres Llorente, respectively prefect, secretary and under-secretaries of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

Saturday January 2, the Pope received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Archbishop Marcello Zago, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

AP;...;...;...;VIS;19990104;Word: 100;

APPEAL FOR PEACE IN ANGOLA, CONGO, SIERRA LEONE AND KOSSOVO

VATICAN CITY, JAN 3, 1999 (VIS) - Today, Sunday, John Paul II, before reciting the Angelus, appealed to political and military leaders to favour a just and lasting peace in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Kossovo.

"Unfortunately, in the first stages of the new year painful situations still persist, and from various parts of the world cries of desolation due to war and abuses can still be heard," said the Pope.

"My thoughts are directed in this moment to Angola, where the fratricidal conflict is again spreading; to the Republic of the Congo, whose population, far from the attention of the world, has for some time been suffering the consequences of serious armed confrontation; and to Sierra Leone, site of unspeakable violence which obliges people to flee from their homes towards the unknown."

The Holy Father said that "responding to the anguished appeals that have come to me from so many places, I wish to address the political and military leaders and ask them to implement any initiatives which could favour a just and lasting peace."

"The drama in Kossovo," he continued, "where new conflicts occurred on Christmas Eve, always remains present in my heart."

John Paul II recalled that "when the rights of the individual are ignored or held in contempt, the seeds of instability, rebellion and violence are inevitably sown."

"It is of the utmost urgency to recover the awareness of the dignity of each human person, created in the image and likeness of God, and to find therein the sure basis for freedom, justice and peace in the world."

ANG;PEACE;...;...;VIS;19990104;Word: 270;

THE POPE ASKS HEADS OF STATE TO SHOW THEIR COMMITMENT TO PEACE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 1, 1999 (VIS) - In his reflections before reciting the Angelus with the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope again spoke about the World Day of Peace, celebrated today, and affirmed that "the culture of human rights can only be a culture of peace."

John Paul II explained that the message he sent to the Heads of State for this day stressed "the inextricable mutual link between the respect for human rights and peace: 'Total respect for human rights is the surest path for establishing solid relationships between States'."

The Holy Father asked people to pray so that "despite the difficulties and obstacles that sometimes make the road to peace arduous and exhausting, those ideals leading to concrete actions of reconciliation and respect for every human being will never be absent from peoples' hearts. Let us pray above all that the representatives of the States will show generous willingness and solid commitment to respond to and bring to a successful conclusion the fruitful aspirations towards understanding and peace for mankind."

In dedicating these desires and the coming year to the Blessed Virgin, "so that it may be a time of authentic progress and of serene, peaceful coexistence for the whole world," the Pope expressed his best wishes for the new year and greeted the pilgrims in six languages.

ANG;PEACE;...;...;VIS;19990104;Word: 230;