KNIGHTS OF MALTA CELEBRATE 900 YEARS OF ACTIVITY

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 1999 (VIS) - Today, feast of St. John the Baptist, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Holy Father addressed 2,000 knights who had come from all over the world for a Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Basilica, after which they gathered in the square for a papal blessing.

The Pope was speaking from his study window overlooking St. Peter's Square. He referred to the order's 900 years of activity, and said that the Knights of Malta "offer the world a faithful witness to their own motto 'Tuitio fidei obsequium pauperum', which corresponds to the Gospel command to 'love God and love thy neighbor'. ... To this end, you feel committed to translate into deeds the fidelity to Christ through a witness in love, ... especially towards the poorest."

"Your presence at the side of those who are ill, suffering, victims of earthquakes, or refugees is a valid witness to this love for the least privileged. That qualifies your religious and sovereign order as a valid structure which bears the immense burden of human suffering."

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TO PRIESTS: THANK GOD FOR YOUR VERY BEING!

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 1999 (VIS) - John Paul II has sent a Message to participants in the Fourth International Meeting of Priests, promoted by the Congregation for the Clergy, which is taking place in the Holy Land from June 22 to 27.

In the Message, which is dated June 19, the Pope says that, despite the numerous challenges of the modern world, by relying on God's help "we have no reason to fear future uncertainties. Rather, we fear not being witnesses of Christ as (our) time and circumstances demand. Consequently, the only question that must trouble us is that of faithfulness to our identity, which must be renewed every day."

"Thanks to ordination in its ontological sense," the Holy Father writes, "you are witnesses of Christ in the service of the Word and the sacraments. At the same time you are the true testimony of Christ, the one High Priest. At the moment of ordination you received a new way of being. You are marked by the sacerdotal character which is a true and indelible spiritual sign. This character does not separate you from humanity, on the contrary, it puts you at its center."

The Pope thanks the priests for what they do and, "above all, for what you are. With intense emotion I want to thank all those priests who, faithful to their own identity and mission, are still suffering in the most diverse circumstances. Thanks for your sweat, for your labors, for your strength, for your tears, for your smiles. Thanks to God for your being! Thanks also to you, priests of the last two millennia who, faithful unto martyrdom to your identity and mission, ... consumed yourselves in the burning fire of pastoral charity and are now our intercessors."

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PAPAL THANKS TO ROACO FOR ASSISTING EASTERN CHURCHES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 1999 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received members and friends of ROACO, Works of Assistance to the Eastern Churches, and thanked them for their dedication, concern and aid, both financial and spiritual, to Eastern Churches. ROACO is an organism which falls under the auspices of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, whose prefect is Cardinal Achille Silvestrini.

"Through your commitment," said John Paul II, "you ease situations of need, animate socio-pastoral initiatives, help countries divided by conflict, and come to the aid of many persons struck by poverty and many forms of marginalization.

"In particular," he added, "you sustain the Eastern Catholic communities in the work of evangelization." He stressed that the witness to faith and service to charity are absolutely essential to this work.

"With the Jubilee," the Pope then pointed out, "the center of ecclesial attention will be Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and the entire Holy Land. ... I know you are taking special care of the holy places. ... I invite you above all not to disappoint the hopes of young people and to help Christian families not to lose hope for homes or jobs, even though they face socio-economic difficulties and a precarious environmental context."

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THIRTY-SEVEN METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOPS TO RECEIVE THE PALLIUM

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 1999 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Basilica at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, thirty-seven metropolitan archbishops will receive the pallium from Pope John Paul. The new metropolitans are:

1. Archbishop Victor Manuel Lopez Forero of Bucaramanga, Colombia.

2. Archbishop Jean Zerbo of Bamako, Mali.

3. Archbishop Terence T. Prendergast, S.J. of Halifax, Canada.

4. Archbishop Louis-Marie Bille of Lyon, France.

5. Archbishop Moacyr Grechi, O.S.M. of Porto Velho, Brazil.

6. Archbishop Jose Palmeira Lessa of Aracaju, Brazil.

7. Archbishop Francois Saint-Macary of Rennes, France.

8. Archbishop Ignatius Paul Pinto of Bangalore, India.

9. Archbishop Vincent Michael Concessao of Agra, India.

10. Archbishop Carlos Jose Nanez of Cordoba, Argentina.

11. Archbishop Armando Dini of Campobasso-Boiano, Italy.

12. Archbishop Roberto Luckert Leon of Coro, Venezuela.

13. Archbishop Michel Malo of Antsiranana, Madagascar.

14. Archbishop Nicolas Cotugno Fanizzi, S.D.B. of Montevideo, Uruguay.

15. Archbishop Adolfo Rodriguez Herrera of Camaguey, Cuba.

16. Archbishop James Odongo of Tororo, Uganda.

17. Archbishop Paul K. Bakyenga of Mbarara, Uganda.

18. Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu, Uganda.

19. Archbishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale, O.M.I. of Bloemfontein, South Africa.

20. Archbishop Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne of Lima, Peru.

21. Archbishop Geraldo Majella Agnelo of Sao Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.

22. Archbishop Jose Antonio Aparecido Tosi Marques of Fortaleza, Brazil.

23. Archbishop Luis Morales Reyes of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

24. Archbishop Josaphat Louis Lebulu of Arusha, Tanzania.

25. Archbishop Benedict John Osta, S.J. of Patna, India.

26. Archbishop Gustavo Martinez Frias of Nueva Pamplona, Colombia.

27. Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez of Barranquilla, Colombia.

28. Archbishop Luigi Bressan of Trento, Italy.

29. Archbishop Roberto Octavio Gonzalez, O.F.M. of San Juan de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico.

30. Archbishop Andre Vingt-Trois of Tours, France.

31. Archbishop Zygmunt Kamicski of Szczecin-Kamien, Poland.

32. Archbishop Edmundo M. Abaya of Nueva Segovia, Philippines.

33. Archbishop Domenico Umberto D'Ambrosio of Foggia-Bovino, Italy.

34. Archbishop Jorge Ferreira da Costa Ortiga of Braga, Portugal.

35. Archbishop Thomas C. Collins of Edmonton, Canada.

36. Archbishop Claude Feidt of Aix, France.

37. Archbishop Severino Poletto of Turin, Italy.

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JUBILEE YEAR 2000: VOLUNTEERISM AND THE PILGRIM'S CARD

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 1999 (VIS) - Today in the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Central Committee of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, opened a press conference to give an update on the committee's work by stating that the conference would focus on two particular aspects of the Jubilee: volunteerism and the Pilgrim's Card.

"We have brought the most genuine and warm commitment to taking care of ... the details of welcoming the millions of pilgrims who will come to Rome on the invitation of John Paul II to implore the grace of the Jubilee," said the cardinal. He underscored the "exciting duty" of the Church in Rome "to preside in charity" during a year in which "the eyes of mankind will be looking at her."

Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe, secretary general of the Jubilee committee, also emphasized the Church's commitment to charity, saying that "certainly, one of the best ways to live this great event is to become a volunteer in the service of welcoming pilgrims, above all, those who are the neediest." He and Cardinal Etchegaray both stressed the spiritual and Christian values of volunteerism during the Jubilee.

He then explained that Italy and the Holy See have signed agreements in which they commit themselves to a unified action in the fields of volunteerism, information, pilgrim services, security, health plans, etc. Coordinated efforts are needed, the archbishop said, "to avoid duplicating work as well as spreading it out too thinly." He added that "to this end, national and international associations, lay and Catholic, have been asked to become involved. The response has been enthusiastic."

Luigi Zanda, head of the Roman Agency for the Jubilee, said he wished "to underline how the commitment to perform volunteer work, for many young people, and some who are not so young, is slowly taking the place which, up to a few years ago, was occupied exclusively by politics" in Italy.

He spoke of the financial costs for the region of Lazio and the city of Rome in the training of volunteers, but also stressed the vital support role of private sponsors, citing the work being done by such corporations as the Bank of Rome, Microsoft, TIM and Telecom (Italian telecommunications companies), Benelli (motorcycles) and BMW.

Donato Mosella, director of the Volunteer Welcome Center for the Jubilee, said it already has 27,520 supporters, a figure that represents more than a third of those required. Many of the volunteers come from associations, movements and groups of lay people and clergy. At the present time, 60 countries have confirmed their support for the Jubilee Volunteer Project.

A training program began on May 28, whose first participants, Mosella said, are "the trainers of volunteers," nearly 300 experts from parish associations, movements and groups who "have the task of preparing the 'leaders of volunteer teams' throughout Italy."

Francesco Silvano, delegate for telecommunications, turning to the subject of the Pilgrim's Card, said "it guarantees the pilgrim the certainty of being able to participate in events, papal audiences, and liturgical celebrations, and also ensures that the religious and civil authorities will have information well in advance, so as to take the appropriate measures, from the welcoming organization to security services, from the transport system to the supply of refreshments." Furthermore, these prepaid Cards allow use of urban transportation, not only in Rome but in other Italian cities.

As regards issue of the Cards, Silvano explained, "Italian pilgrims who reserve the Card by telephone will, by means of an agreement with the Italian Post Office, receive the card at their homes. Moreover, for pilgrims who decide just a few days before an event to travel to Rome, there is a special 'Last Minute' Card which will be issued by SAC (Central Welcoming System) and by the Welcome and Information Centers. It is also possible to book for an event on the day it takes place by requesting, in person, the 'Just in Time' Card from the above-mentioned centers. This guarantees only participation in that event and the insurance premium."

Silvano concluded by saying that there are different prices for the Card, ranging from a minimum of 13,000 Italian lire (about 7 dollars) to a maximum of 65,000 Italian lire (35 dollars), based on the services it furnishes.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Martin Roos, director of the bishop's chancery of Timisoara (area 24,755, population 1,570,000, Catholics 122,479, priests 92, religious 106), Romania, as bishop of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Satchinez, Romania, in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1971. He succeeds Bishop Sebastian Krauter, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- His Majesty King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania.
- Six prelates from the Irish Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Michael Smith of Meath.
- Bishop John Buckley of Cork and Ross.
- Bishop Laurence Ryan of Kildare and Leighlin.
- Bishop John Magee, S.P.S. of Cloyne.
- Bishop Thomas Anthony Finnegan of Killala.
- Bishop John Kirby of Clonfert.

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SEMINARS ON THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 1999 (VIS) - According to a communique made public today, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has, in collaboration with local Churches, organized a number of study seminars on the social doctrine of the Church.

In the first meeting, which will take place in Kumasi, Ghana, June 26-30, the pontifical council will be represented by Archbishop Francois-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Bishop Diarmuid Martin and Msgr. Bernard Munono Muyembe, respectively president, secretary and official of the council. Also participating will be a number of prelates from Ghana, priests, seminary professors, religious and representatives of other Christian denominations and of other religions, especially Muslims, as well as some local government delegates.

Future meetings will be held in Asia, in November 1999, and in Oceania, in May 2000.

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