Monday, January 11, 1999

MESSAGE FOR WORLD YOUTH DAY


VATICAN CITY, JAN 9, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Holy Father for the 14th World Youth Day which will be held on Palm Sunday, March 28, and whose theme is "The Father loves you."

"God loves the world!" writes the Pope. "And in spite of the refusals of which it is capable, it will continue to be loved until the end. 'The Father has loved you' from the beginning and will always love you: this is the incredible novelty."

John Paul II asks young people, in the Church and in different circumstances, to be 'credible witnesses of the Father's love. Make it visible in your decisions and behavior, in the way in which you welcome and serve people, and in the faithful respect of the will of God and his commandments."

Having recalled that before returning to the Father, Jesus entrusted the Sacrament of Reconciliation to the Church, the Pope states: "To obtain God's forgiveness, it is not enough however to repent in one's heart. ... Recognition of sin also comes through a concrete sacramental sign: repentance and confession of sin, with the intention of leading a new life, before the ministry of the Church."

"Unfortunately, the more people today lose the sense of sin, the less they have recourse to the forgiveness of God. Many problems and difficulties of our times are a result of this. This year, I invite you to rediscover the beauty and richness of the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, meditating on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, where not only sin is highlighted but also the tenderness of God and his mercy."

Having recalled that in his Apostolic Letter "Tertio Millennio Adveniente" (1994), he exhorts Christians to "lay greater emphasis on the Church's preferential option for the poor and outcast," he invites young people to carry out "concrete initiatives of solidarity and sharing alongside and with the poorest. Generously participate in one of the projects to which your contemporaries in various countries are committed." This "may be the immediately visible expression of an important decision, that of determinedly directing your lives towards God and your brothers and sisters."

In conclusion, he writes that the 14th World Youth Day, which will be celebrated in local churches, will be the last before the Jubilee. "I ask that it may be for each one of you an occasion for a renewed encounter with the Lord of life and with his Church."

MESS;WORLD YOUTH DAY;...;...;VIS;19990111;Word: 420;

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS


VATICAN CITY, JAN 9, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Archbishop Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne of Ayacucho, as metropolitan archbishop of Lima (area 1,992, population 3,994,889, Catholics 3,163,256, priests 529, religious 3,080), Peru. He succeeds Cardinal Augusto Vargas Alzamora whose resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Lima was accepted by the Holy Father, on having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. Raffaello Martinelli, Fr. Antonio Manna, S.S.P, and Fr. Giancarlo Parenti, S.D.B., as heads of office at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

NER; RE; NA;...;...;...;VIS;19990111;Word: 100;

DECLARATION ON VISIT OF JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER

VATICAN CITY, JAN 9, 1999 (VIS) - Following is the declaration made by Holy See Press Office Director on the visit this morning to the Holy Father by Keizo Obuchi, prime minister of Japan, accompanied by his wife and entourage:

"Prior to this visit, the prime minister met with Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano.

"During the meetings, the problems of relations between State and Church in Japan were reviewed. Great importance was given to the forthcoming celebrations of the 450th anniversary of the arrival of St. Francis Xavier in Kagoshima in August 15, 1549.

"There was also an exchange of opinion on the situation in Asian countries at the present moment."

OP;VISIT OBUCHI;...;NAVARRO-VALLS;VIS;19990111;Word: 120;

POPE JOHN PAUL'S CALENDAR FROM JANUARY TO APRIL 1999


VATICAN CITY, JAN 9, 1999 (VIS) - The calendar of liturgical events at which the Holy Father will preside from January to April, was made public by the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff:

JANUARY

- Sunday, 17: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Liborio. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Friday, 22 - Thursday 28: Apostolic trip to Mexico City and St. Louis.

- Monday, 25: Feast of the Conversion of St Paul. Mass in Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls to be presided by Cardinal Edward Cassidy, on behalf of the Holy Father, at the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

FEBRUARY

- Tuesday, 2: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Day of Consecrated Life. Mass in St. Peter's Basilica with religious at 5:30 p.m. blessing of candles and procession.

- Saturday, 6: Rosary at 8:30 p.m. with the participation of families from the diocese of Rome.

- Sunday, 7: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of Our Lady of Loreto. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Thursday, 11: Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, World Day of the Sick. Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at 4:30 p.m. for l'Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi (Roman Pilgrimages Association) and for UNITALSI (an Italian association of volunteers who assist the sick during pilgrimages to Marian shrines) presided by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, on behalf of the Holy Father. At the end of Mass, the Holy Father will greet and bless the sick in the Basilica.

- Sunday, 14: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Fulgentius. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Wednesday, 17: Ash Wednesday. Mass, blessing and administering of the ashes in St. Sabina's Basilica at 4:30 p.m.

- Sunday, 21: First Sunday of Lent. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Raymond Nonnato. Mass at 9 a.m. At 6 p.m in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, beginning of retreat for the Roman Curia.

- Saturday, 27: At 9 a.m in the Clementine Hall, end of retreat.

- Sunday, 28: Second Sunday of Lent. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St Mary Stella Maris. Mass at 9 a.m.

MARCH

- Sunday, 7: Third Sunday of Lent. Beatification of Servants of God Vincenzo Soler and six companions, Manuel Martin Sierra, Nicola Barre and Anna Schaeffer, at 9:30 a.m in St. Peter's Basilica.
- Sunday, 14: Fourth Sunday of Lent. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Matthias. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Sunday, 21: Fifth Sunday of Lent. Visit to the Roman parish of St Therese of the Child Jesus in Panfilo. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Sunday, 28: Palm Sunday. 14th World Youth Day. Blessing of the palms, procession and Mass in St. Peter's Square at 10 a.m.

APRIL

- Thursday, 1: Holy Thursday. Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at 9:30 a.m. Beginning of Easter Triduum and Mass of the Lord's Supper.

- Friday, 2: Good Friday. Celebration of the Lord's Passion in St. Peter's Basilica at 5 p.m. Way of the Cross at the Colosseum at 9:15 p.m.

- Saturday, 3: Easter vigil in St. Peter's Basilica at 8 p.m.

- Sunday, 4: Easter Sunday. Mass of the Day in St. Peter's Square at 10.30 a.m. "Urbi et Orbi" blessing.

- Sunday, 18: Third Sunday of Easter. Canonization of Blesseds Joseph-Benoit Champagnat, Giovanni Calabria and Agostina Livia Pietrantoni, in St. Peter's Square at 10 a.m.

- Sunday, 25: Fourth Sunday of Easter. Ordination of deacons from the diocese of Rome at 9 a.m in St. Peter's Basilica.

JPII-CALENDAR;JANUARY-APRIL;...;...;VIS;19990111;Word: 570;

HOLY FATHER'S ANNUAL ADDRESS TO DIPLOMATIC CORPS


VATICAN CITY, JAN 11, 1999 (VIS) - This morning in the Sala Regia, Pope John Paul II gave his annual address to the members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, highlighting the lights and shadows in the world during the year just ended. He also received the good wishes of all ambassadors offered by the corps' new dean, Ambassador Giovanni Galassi of the Republic of San Marino.

"This yearly ceremony," said the Pope, "is like a family gathering and for this reason it is particularly dear to me, ... because through you almost all the nations of the world are made present here with their achievements and their hopes, but also with their difficulties."

The Holy Father began his review of the year by saying that "the family of nations ... has without doubt some grounds for rejoicing." Starting with Europe, he pointed to "Ireland, where the agreement signed on Good Friday last has established the basis for a much awaited peace. ... The peace process in Spain ... for the first time in enabling the peoples of the Basque territories to see the specter of blind violence retreat and to think seriously of a process of normalization."

"The transition to one currency and the enlargement towards the East will no doubt give Europe the possibility to become more and more a community with a common destiny. ... The spiritual families which have made such a great contribution to the civilization of this continent - I am especially thinking of Christianity - have a role which seems to me to be more and more decisive," especially in the face of social problems which keep significant sectors of the population in poverty, and of social inequalities which give rise to chronic instability."

Pointing to the American continent, the Pope referred to "the agreement reached in Brasilia on October 16 last between Ecuador and Peru. ... I am firmly convinced that these two nations, tanks particularly to the Christian faith which unites them, will be able to meet the great challenge of fraternity and peace."

"We should also rejoice," he went on, "at the efforts of the great people of China, in a dialogue undertaken with determination and involving the peoples on both sides of the Strait," a "felicitous development" followed by the Holy See with "great interest."

"However," the Holy Father then stated, "the culture of peace is far from being universal, as the centers of persistent dissension testify.

In the Balkan region "we cannot yet speak of normalization of Bosnia-Herzegovina where the effects of the war are still being felt in inter-ethnic relations, where half of the population remains displaced and where social tensions dangerously persist. Again recently, Kosovo has been the scene of deadly confrontations for both ethnic and political reasons. ... Many other countries, large and small, in Central and Eastern Europe are also at the mercy of political and social instability; they are struggling along the road to democracy."

The Pope said that the Middle East peace process "continues to make uneven progress. ... It is not possible to keep people indefinitely between war and peace. ... It is not reasonable to put off until later the question of the status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, to which the followers of the three monotheistic religions turn their gaze. ... The recent crisis in Iraq has shown once more that war does not solve problems. It complicates them, and leaves the civilian population to bear the tragic consequences. ... I am sure that a stable Middle East would contribute effectively to restoring hope to many peoples. I am thinking for example of the suffering peoples of Algeria and the island of Cyprus."

"Africa," said John Paul II, "remains a continent at risk. Of its fifty-three States, seventeen are experiencing military conflicts," which have produced "up to eight million refugees and displaced persons." He highlighted the wars, conflicts, ethnic rivalries and "terrible human tragedies" unfolding in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola. He told the peoples of these nations that "the Holy See is sparing no effort to bring about an end to their suffering."

"The culture of peace," remarked the Pope, "is still being thwarted by the legitimation and use of armed force for political purposes." He spoke of the "nuclear tests recently carried out in Asia", as well as "the production of less costly weaponry, like anti-personnel landmines, ... and small-caliber arms to which, I believe, political leaders should pay greater attention in order to control their deadly effects."

And, he said, "the risks to peace arising from social inequalities and artificial economic growth cannot be underestimated."

Referring to international law, the Pontiff stated that it "cannot be the law of the stronger, nor that of a simple majority of States, nor even that of an international organization. It must be the law which is in conformity with the principles of the natural law and of the moral law, which are always binding upon parties in conflict and in the various questions in dispute."

The Pope expressed his "painful concern for the all too numerous violations of religious freedom in today's world." He said that in Asia, for example, Churches had been destroyed and religious personnel had been mistreated and even murdered. "In other regions, where Islam is the majority religion, one still has to deplore the grave forms of discrimination of which the followers of other religions are victims. ... In certain countries in Western Europe, one notes an equally disturbing development which, under the influence of a false idea of the principle of separation between the State and the Churches or as a result of a deep-seated agnosticism, tends to confine the Churches within the religious sphere alone and finds it difficult to accept public statements from them. Finally, some countries of Central and Eastern Europe have great difficulty in acknowledging ... religious pluralism ... (and) attempt to limit ... the freedom of conscience and of religion."

AC;SPEECH DIPLOMATIC CORPS;...;...;VIS;19990111;Word: 990;

ANGELUS REFLECTIONS ON THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM


VATICAN CITY, JAN 10, 1999 (VIS) - Addressing the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square for the angelus, Pope John Paul reflected on today's feast of the Baptism of the Lord, recalling how Jesus went down into the Jordan river to be baptized by John, after which "the heavens opened ... and a voice was heard from above: 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased'."

"In this scene," he added, "it is God Himself who, in a certain way, is manifested in his trinitarian mystery: the Father, the principle and source of life and holiness; the Son, who came into the world to free it from sin and death; the Holy Spirit, who sustains with his strength the work of redemption."

The Holy Father then recalled that "this morning, in the suggestive setting of the Sistine Chapel, I conferred the first sacrament of Christian initiation on several children. Together with the parents and godparents let us give thanks to the Lord for the gift of life and sanctifying grace, which has made these children adoptive sons and daughters of God. Let us pray for them to grow in knowledge and wisdom of the Gospel; let us also pray for all the baptized that they, in answering the Lord's call with renewed fidelity, might always live in His love."

ANG;BAPTISM;...;...;VIS;19990111;Word: 220;

BE TEACHERS OF THE FAITH TO NEWLY BAPTIZED CHILDREN


VATICAN CITY, JAN 10, 1999 (VIS) - Today, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, John Paul II celebrated Mass in the Sistine Chapel, and conferred the Sacrament of Baptism on 19 babies from Italy, Switzerland, France and Poland.

In his homily, the Pope said that through Baptism, the children, "made participants in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, will be enriched with the gift of faith and will be incorporated into the people of the new and everlasting Covenant, which is the Church. The Father will make them his adoptive sons and daughters in Christ."

"I hope that the Baptism which these children receive today may make them courageous witnesses of the Gospel throughout their lives. This will be possible through their constant commitment. What will also be necessary are your educational efforts, dear parents, ... as well as the support of godparents."

The Holy Father concluded by asking the parents of the children to be "'teachers of the faith' so that the seed of new life will develop and reach full maturity in them. Help them with your words and, above all, with your example. May they learn from you early in life to love Christ."

HML;BAPTISMS;...;SISTINE CHAPEL;VIS;19990111;Word: 210;

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 11, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received Archbishop John Patrick Foley, Bishop Pierfranco Pastore and Hans-Peter Rothlin, respectively president, secretary and under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

On Saturday January 9, he received in separate audiences:

- Keizo Obuchi, prime minister of Japan, accompanied by his wife and entourage.
- Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves and Bishop Cipriano Calderon Polo, respectively president and vice-president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

AP;...;...;...;VIS;19990111;Word: 80;