PAPAL MESSAGE FOR BRAZILIAN CHURCH'S "FRATERNITY CAMPAIGN"

VATICAN CITY, FEB 17, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was the Holy Father's annual video message for the traditional Lenten "Fraternity Campaign," promoted by the Church in Brazil. The theme this year is "Fraternity and Unemployment." The message will be shown this evening on Brazilian television.

The Pope, quoting in part from "Tertio Millennio Adveniente," writes: "We are unmistakably journeying towards e Jubilee of the Year 2000 and, in this perspective, 'it has to be said that a commitment to justice and peace in a world like ours, marked by so many conflicts and intolerable social and economic equalities, is a necessary condition for the preparation and celebration of the Jubilee."

Having cited the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, he adds: "Certainly, to be able to work in the Lord's vineyard is a divine gift from God. This vision of the ultimate possession of the heavenly kingdom reinforces the need to understand the right to work in this world. ... Bread is 'the fruit of the earth and of the work of human hands', but the disconcerting worldwide phenomenon of unemployment and under-employment, must once again call on the conscience of every Christian, in the face of the anguishing question asked by the Fraternity Campaign: Are you without work ... Why?"

Pope John Paul closed his message "with a blessing for all who are listening."

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GENERAL AUDIENCE: LENT, THE TIME OF RECONCILIATION

VATICAN CITY, FEB 17, 1999 (VIS) - "With the solemn ceremony of receiving ashes, today marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten itinerary" which, in the Year of the Father, "is an invitation to (receive) divine mercy," said the Pope in today's general audience held in the Paul VI Hall.

John Paul II recalled that in the parable of the prodigal son, which speaks of the "tender mercy of the Heavenly Father," there are three moments "with which each one of us, in a certain way, identifies when we give in to temptation and fall into sin."

The first moment is the "distancing of ourselves from God," which happens when we misuse the talents received from Him; the second is conversion, when people "becoming aware of what they have lost, take the decisive step to come to their senses"; the third moment is the return to the Father's house, "the feast of forgiveness and joy."

"At the beginning of Lent," continued the Holy Father, "it is important to prepare ourselves to receive the gift of divine mercy in abundance. ... The Church indicates prayer, penance, fasting and charitable acts as means by which we can enter into an atmosphere of true personal and community renewal."

"We can say that Lent is the special time of God's concern for the forgiveness of our sins: it is the time of reconciliation. Thus, he ended, "this is the most appropriate time to approach the Sacrament of Penance."

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"THE DIGNITY OF THE DYING" IS THEME OF ACADEMY ASSEMBLY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 17, 1999 (VIS) - The Pontifical Academy for Life will hold its fifth General Assembly in the Vatican's Old Synod Hall February 24-27 on the theme "The Dignity of Dying," according to an academy communique published today.

This theme follows in the line of previous academy meetings on topics such as "The Identity and Statute of the Human Embryo," "The Human Genome" and "Human Personality and Society in the Future."

The communique states that, "in treating the theme 'The Dignity of Dying', our purpose was to include not only an examination of proposals to legalize euthanasia; but to study as well society in all its cultural and socio-psychological attitudes towards death and dying, which we will do on the first day; we will examine the theme of death in its medical and philosophical reality on the second day and, on the third, we wish above all to underline the dignity of the dying person, a dignity dubiously cited by pro-euthanasia movements themselves, and we intend to recall the duties inherent in assisting the dying."

The communique added that 17 scholars from outside the pontifical academy and from numerous countries will participate in the assembly.

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POPE AND CURIA TO START LENTEN RETREAT ON SUNDAY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 17, 1999 (VIS) - The annual Lenten retreat of the Roman Curia, in the presence of the Holy Father, will start on February 21, the first Sunday of Lent, in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican, and conclude on Saturday morning, February 27. All papal audiences, including the Wednesday general audience, will be suspended during this period.

The retreat will be preached by Bishop Andre-Mutien Leonard of Namur. It will start on Sunday at 6 p.m. with vespers, and there will be two sessions daily, morning and afternoon, which will include prayers, meditation, the rosary, adoration and benediction.

Papal spiritual exercises originated with Pope Pius XI in 1929, following the publication that year of his Encyclical "Mens Nostra," in which he indicated his intention of starting annual retreats with members of the Roman Curia. For a number of years the retreats took place during the first week of Advent; Paul VI changed the date to the first week in Lent. In 1976, the then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, preached the spiritual exercises for Paul VI.

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