ARCHBISHOP CACCIAVILLAN CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF PRIESTHOOD

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was a letter, written in Latin, from the Holy Father to Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, for the celebration, tomorrow June 26, of the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a priest.

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POPE ADDRESSES COUNCIL PLENARY ON "RICH REALITY OF SHRINES"

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 1999 (VIS) - The members, consultors and personnel of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People were welcomed by the Holy Father this morning at the close of their 14th plenary reunion, during which they reflected on the role played in the life of the Church by pilgrimages to shrines.

The Pope told them that, "looking at the rich reality of shrines, it is easy to see how they represent a great gift of God to his Church and all of mankind."

"As 'oases of the spirit'," he continued, "they thus offer the ecclesial community a singularly favorable climate in which to meditate on the Word of God and celebrate the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist. At shrines, it is possible to have rich experiences of faith, as well as to show love for one's brothers through works of charity and service to the needy."

The Holy Father noted that "bishops in various parts of the world have always favored shrines as centers of deep spirituality in which believers not only revive their faith but also become clearly aware of the duties that derive from it in the social field."

"Peace and solidarity among men," remarked John Paul II, "flow from ... a person's reconciliation with God. It is therefore necessary that pilgrims find shrines to be places of concrete opportunities for prayer and silence in order too favor the encounter with God and the intimate experience of the tenderness of His love. Those who especially need this experience are migrants, refugees, the dispersed and those tried by painful and unjust situations; others who need it include seafarers, civil aviation personnel, nomads and circus people; anyone who for any reason is far from their loved ones will draw spiritual comfort from this."

The Pope stressed that, when a shrine welcomes young people, "this should inspire leaders of the ministry of shrines, together with the entire ecclesial community, to offer an even more qualified service, one suitable for their age."

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TELEVISION PROGRAM BEING PREPARED FOR JUBILEE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 1999 (VIS) - Tuesday, June 29, at 9 p.m. in the Paul VI Hall, the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 and RAI (Italian Radio and Television) will present, in the presence of the Pope, a live television program in Eurovision in preparation for the Jubilee.

A communique on the program indicates that testimonies, international linkups and performances by various artists are all programed. Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations in New York, and Neil Armstrong in Houston, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of man's landing on the Moon, will join Cardinal Roger Etchegaray and Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe, respectively president and secretary-general of the central committee.

This television event will also provide the occasion for the world premier of the Jubilee hymn, "Christ Today." The event will conclude with the 'Antica Girondola' of Castel Sant'Angelo, a firework display which Popes, in past Jubilee years, offered to pilgrims on June 29. This practice has not taken place since the time of the Unification of Italy, according to the communique.

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CARDINAL CASSIDY TO VISIT KAREKIN I WITH MESSAGE FROM POPE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 1999 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro Valls announced today that "from July 1 to 3, Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, will go to Yerevan, Armenia, at the behest of the Holy Father.

"On Friday, July 2, Cardinal Cassidy will meet His Holiness Karekin I, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all the Armenians, and will give him a personal message from the Holy Father John Paul II."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Guntis Ulmanis, president of the Republic of Latvia, accompanied by his wife and entourage.
- Cardinal Augusto Vargas Alzamora S.J., archbishop emeritus of Lima, Peru.
- Archbishop Francois Bacque, apostolic nuncio in the Dominican Republic and apostolic delegate to Puerto Rico.
- Two prelates from the Irish Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop James McLoughlin of Galway and Kilmacduagh.
- Bishop William Lee of Waterford and Lismore.
- Bishop Jorge Enrique Jimenez Carvajal of Zipaquira C.I.M., Colombia, president of CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council), accompanied by Archbishops Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa of Santiago de Chile, Chile, and Geraldo Majella Agnelo of Sao Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, respectively first and second vice presidents, and also by Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel of Tapachula, Mexico, secretary general of the council.
He is scheduled to meet later this evening with Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., emeritus of Vercelli, Italy and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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