ACTIVITIES OF POPE JOHN PAUL II

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 1999 (VIS) - Following is a list of activities engaged in by Pope John Paul during the month of August. It includes the angelus, general and private audiences, other pontifical acts (appointments, resignations, the erection of ecclesial circumscriptions), telegrams and other news. All are presented in chronological order under their respective headings.

ANGELUS AT CASTELGANDOLFO

- 1: Reflections on holidays. The Pope highlights that they represent a time in which to recuperate strength, to meditate upon ourselves and to be with others.
- 8: In introducing the Marian prayer, the Holy Father speaks of Pope Paul VI's first encyclical, "Ecclesiam Suam", in which the essential paths for an ecclesial itinerary towards the third millennium are outlined: a spiritual path, a moral one and an apostolic one.
- 15: The Solemnity of the Assumption, "an occasion to experience more profoundly the loving presence of Mary" is the theme of the Holy Father's meditation before praying the angelus.
- 22: Commentaries upon the Gospel today, making reference to Peter's (the Pope's) task to serve the Church and humanity, also upon the feast of the Blessed Virgin, honored today as "Queen". At the same time the Holy Father especially recalls the people of Turkey, affected by the earthquake, and appeals for peace in Angola.
- 29: The Pope highlights that being Christian means swimming against the tide in relation to the mentality of this world. Quoting St. John the Baptist, who suffered martyrdom, he recalls the priests, religious and laity who have silently offered up their lives for love of Christ.

WEDNESDAY GENERAL AUDIENCES

- 4: At 10 a.m., in the Paul VI Hall, a catechesis on: "Purgatory: the purification necessary for the meeting with God".
- 11: "Christian Life as the path towards full communion with God" is the theme of today's catechesis, held in the Paul VI Hall at 10 a.m.
- 18: The morning audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, concentrates on the theme: "The path of conversion as liberation from evil". At the end of the catechesis, a call for the liberation of Bishop Jose de Jesus Quintero Diaz of Tibu, Colombia, and for peace in that country.
- 25: The theme of the catechesis during the audience held in the Paul VI Hall is: "Combating personal sin and the 'structures of sin'". Afterwards, a call for peace in East Timor and the Island of Ambon, both in Indonesia.

LETTERS, MESSAGES, TELEGRAMS

- 2: Message to Fr. Giacomo Bini, minister general of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Porziuncola Chapel in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels at Assisi, Italy, following reconstruction after the damage caused by the earthquake of 1997.
- 3: Telegram of condolence for the victims of railway accident in India.
- 6: Message for the 8th World Day of the Sick, which will be celebrated in Rome on February 11, 2000.
- 7: Video message for the European Youth Meeting, being held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from August 4 to 8.
- 9: Message to Archbishop Etienne Nguyen Nhu The of Hue, Vietnam, for the concluding celebrations of the Marian Year which commemorate the 200th anniversary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin at La Vang.
- 10: Telegram of condolence for the tragic death of three young scouts in Verona, Italy.
- 13: Letter to Msgr. Giuseppe Pasotto C.S.S., apostolic administrator of the Caucasus, on the occasion of the solemn reconsecration of the Church of the Assumption in Tbilisi, Georgia.
- 15: Message to Archbishop Simon Ntamwana of Gitega, president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Burundi, on the occasion of the great annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of our Lady of Peace at Mugera, which takes place today, Solemnity of the Assumption.
- 18: Telegram for the earthquake which struck northwest Turkey.
- 21: Letter to Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte C.I.C.M., secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, who celebrates a mass tomorrow marking the 50th anniversary of the recognition of the apparitions at Banneux in the diocese of Liege, Belgium.
- 24: Letter to Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 and special envoy at the commemorative celebrations for the 2nd centenary of the death of Pope Pius VI, being held at Valence, France, on August 29.
- 26: Letter to Bishop Vittorio Bernadetto of Susa, Italy, on the occasion of the first centenary of the erection of the statue of the Mother of our Lord on the summit of Rocciamelone mountain, Italy.
- 29: Message to Bishop Didier-Leon Marchand of Valence, France, on the occasion of the 2nd centenary of the death of Pope Pius VI in that city.
- 31: Telegram for the death of Archbishop Helder Pessoa Camara, emeritus of Olinda and Recife, Brazil.

OTHER NEWS

- 1: Greetings at the concert offered by Rome's "Academia Musicae pro Mundo Uno" with the "Camerata Lysy" of the International Music Academy, Gstaad.
- 6: Introductory remarks at the Eucharistic celebration in memory of Pope Paul VI, who died 21 years ago today.
- 15: Homily during the celebration of Mass for today's Solemnity of the Assumption.
- 22: Remarks at the end of the concert promoted by the Romanian Embassy to the Holy See.
- 26: Speech to participants in the international assembly on the trinitarian Family.
- 27: Speech to participants in the international study week promoted by the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.
- 28: Speech to prelates of the Episcopal Conference of the Ivory Coast on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit.
- 28: Greetings to participants in the first international conference, "Youth towards Assisi", which has been held in the form of a pilgrimage, following the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi.

AUDIENCES

- 19: Jan Marcussen, ambassador of Denmark, accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit. Agnes Yahan Aggrey-Orleans, ambassadress of Ghana, on a farewell visit. Alfredo Luna Tobar, ambassador of Ecuador, accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit. Archbishop Francesco Canalini, apostolic nuncio in Australia. Archbishop Giacinto Berloco, apostolic nuncio in El Salvador and Belize. Luis Maria Ramirez Boettner, ambassador of Paraguay, accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit.
- 20: Bishop Angelo Scola, emeritus of Grosseto, rector of the Pontifical Lateran University and director of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.
- 23: Seven prelates of the Episcopal Conference of the Ivory Coast: Archbishops Bernard Agre of Abidjan; Noel Kokora-Tekry of Gagnoa; Auguste Nobou of Korhogo, accompanied by his auxiliary, Bishop Marie-Daniel Dadiet; Vital Komenan Yao of Bouake. Bishops Pierre-Marie Coty of Daloa and Jean-Marie Keletighi of Katiola. Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, apostolic nuncio in Ukraine.
- 26: Three prelates of the Episcopal Conference of the Ivory Coast: Bishops Paul Dacoury-Tabley of Grand-Bassam; Bruno Kouame of Abengourou; Laurent Mandjo of Yopougon.
- 28: Pedro Rossello, governor of Puerto Rico, accompanied by his wife. Five prelates of the Episcopal Conference of the Ivory Coast: Bishops Barthelemy Djabla of San Pedro-en-Cote-d'Ivoire; Joseph Niangoran Teky of Man; Maurice Konan Kouassi of Odienne; Paul Simeon Ahouanan Djro of Yamoussouko; Felix Kouadjo of Bondoukou. Archbishop Renzo Fratini, apostolic nuncio in Indonesia.
- 30: Cardinals Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

- 3: The Holy Father appoints Msgr. Mario Roberto Cassari, until now counsellor at the apostolic nunciature in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as apostolic nuncio in the Republic of the Congo and in Gabon, elevating him to the dignity of archbishop.
- 4: Resignation of Bishop Onofre Candido Rosa S.D.B., of Jardim, Brazil, upon having reached the age limit, he is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Bruno Pedron S.D.B. Appointment of Fr. Odilon Guimaraes Moreira and Fr. Helio Adelar Rubert as auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese of Vitoria, Brazil.
- 6: Appointment of Msgr. Giovanni Vaccarotto as defender of the bond of the tribunal of the Roman Rota. Resignation of Archbishop Moises Julio Blanchoud of Salta, Argentina, upon having reached the age limit, he is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Mario Antonio Cagnello. Erection of diocese of Karaganda and of the apostolic administrations of Astana, Almaty and Atyrau, Kazakhstan. Bishop Jan Pawel Lenga M.I.C., is appointed as first bishop of the new diocese. The Pope also appoints Fr. Tomasz Peta, Fr. Henry Theophilus Howaniec O.F.M. and Fr. Janusz Kaleta as apostolic administrators of Astana, Almaty and Atyrau respectively.
- 12: Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, is appointed special envoy at the 6th Latin American Missionary Congress and at the 1st American Missionary Congress which will be held from September 28 to October 3 in Parana, Argentina.
- 13: Appointment of Fr. Jose Angel Rovai as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Cordoba, Argentina.
- 14: Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, is appointed special envoy at the celebrations for the 12th centenary of the construction of the cathedral of Aquisgran, Germany, which will take place on January 29-30, 2000.
- 17: Resignation of Bishop Louis Cornett of Meaux, France, upon having reached the age limit, Bishop Albert-Marie de Monleon O.P., of Pamiers, France, is named as his successor.
- 21: The Pope names Msgr. Domenico Graziani as bishop of Cassano all'Jonio, Italy.
- 24: Archbishop Henry Sebastian de Souza of Calcutta, India, is appointed special envoy at the celebration for the 4th centenary of the founding of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary which will be held on November 14 in Bandel, India. The Pope appoints Msgr. Joseph Chennoth, until now charge d'affaires at the apostolic nunciature in China, as apostolic nuncio in the Central African Republic and Chad, elevating him to the dignity of archbishop.
- 28: Resignation of Bishop Gabriel Lee Gab-sou of Pusan, Korea, upon having reached the age limit, he is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Augustine Cheong Myong-jo. Appointment of Msgr. Tomas Galis as auxiliary bishop of Banska Bystrica, Slovakia.
- 30: Cardinal Armand Gaetan Razafindratandra, archbishop of Antananarivo, Madagascar, is appointed special envoy at the closing celebrations marking the centenary of the evangelization of the diocese of Antsirabe, Madagascar, due to take place from September 17 to 19.
- 31: The Holy Father appoints as members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches: Cardinals Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; Aloysius Matthew Ambrozic, archbishop of Toronto, Canada; Dionigi Tettamanzi, archbishop of Genova, Italy; Francis Eugene George, archbishop of Chicago, U.S.A. Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See. Bishops Renato Corti of Novara, Italy; Antoine Audo of Alep of the Chaldeans, Syria; Pietro Marini, master of Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies.

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NOTICE

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 1999 (VIS) - As previously advised on July 30, the Vatican Information Service today resumes transmission after the customary August break.

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HOLY SEE-RELATED ACTIVITIES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 1999 (VIS) - Following is a chronological presentation of Holy See-related activities during the month of August, according to information provided by the various dicasteries:

- 7: The Holy See Press Office communicates that the Pope will make a pastoral visit to Salerno, Italy, on the morning of Saturday September 4, to bless and inaugurate the city's new metropolitan seminary, "Giovanni Paolo II".
- 7: Speech of welcome by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, pontifical legate at the closing celebrations of the European Youth Meeting, being held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from August 4 to 8.
- 8: Publication of remarks made yesterday evening by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano during the penitential celebration and prayer vigil at the European Youth Meeting in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
- 8: Cardinal Sodano makes some remarks during and following the Mass celebrated in Santiago de Compostela at the closure of the European Youth Meeting. He transmits to the young people present the Pope's wish to meet them in Rome during the next World Youth Day in August 2000.
- 13: Declaration by the vice director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Ciro Benedettini C.P., on the expulsion of a missionary from the Sudan. He indicates that the authorities have not given any explanation of the matter and that this is an indication of the precarious conditions under which the Church must carry out its mission in that country.
- 22: Message from Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, in the Pope's name, to participants in the 20th Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, being held in Rimini, Italy, from August 22 to 28 on the theme: "The unknown engenders fear, the Mystery engenders wonder".
- 23: Letter from Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, in the Pope's name, for the work of the 50th Italian National Liturgical Week being held in Mantova, Italy, on the theme: "All Honor and Glory to You, God the Father Almighty".
- 26: Declaration by Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls on the possibility of the Pope's making a visit to Iraq and Egypt this December. He declared: "This trip to the Middle East which, as is known, the Holy Father wishes to make has not yet been defined".
- 27: Declaration by Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls on possibility of reconsecrating St. Peter's Basilica after a suicide took place there yesterday. "It is not necessary to reconsecrate the basilica. ... This evening a reparation rite will take place as laid down in 'Cerimoniale Episcoporum'".

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POPE JOHN PAUL'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 1999 (VIS) - Pope John Paul II's general intention for the month of September is: "That media personnel become more and more aware of their own responsibility and commit themselves to respect the dignity of every human person, that has been created in the image of God the Father."

His missionary intention is: "That the bread of the Word of God and an effective program for assistance and human advancement be guaranteed to the millions of refugees, especially in Africa."

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THE CHURCH ASKS PARDON FOR THE SINS OF HER CHILDREN

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 1999 (VIS) - The theme of this morning's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, was: "The Church asks pardon for the sins of her children".

The Pope said that the Church is aware that "only in a continual purification of her members and institutions can (she) offer the world a coherent witness of the Lord. ... The recognition of the communal implications of sin impels the Church to ask pardon for the 'historic' sins of her children". For this reason, the Pope continued, the Jubilee of the year 2000 "aims to turn over a new page in history, overcoming the obstacles that still divide human beings, and Christians in particular".

"The recognition of historic sins presupposes taking up a certain position with respect to the events, just as they really happened," taking into account the "cultural context" of the times.

John Paul II confirmed that "the Church feels the need to recognize the sins of her own members, when they have been proved by serious historical research, and to request pardon for them from God and man." This attitude does not represent a denial of the Church's "merits in the fields of charity, culture and sanctity, rather it is a response to an inexorable need for truth".

"The approach of the Jubilee draws attention to some types of sin, past and present, for which it is particularly necessary to invoke the mercy of the Father. I am thinking especially of the painful division between Christians, ... of the use of intolerance and even of violence in the service of truth, ... of some Christians' lack of discernment with respect to situations that violate fundamental human rights".

The Holy Father concluded by highlighting that "the penitential stance of the Church in our time ... draws attention to the past and to the recognition of sins in order that this may serve as a lesson for a purer witness in the future".

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IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 1999 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

- Bishop Juan Bocwinckel S.V.D., prelate emeritus of Encarnacion, Paraguay, on July 23 at the age of 88.
- Archbishop Ignace Raad, emeritus of Saida of the Greek Melikites, Lebanon, on July 19 at the age of 75.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Utrecht, Netherlands, presented by Auxiliary Bishop Johannes Bernardus Nienhaus, in conformity with canons 411 and 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 1, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, apostolic nuncio in Bosnia Herzegovina.
- Cardinal Camillo Ruini, his vicar general for the diocese of Rome and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

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