FIFTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 1999 (VIS) - In the presence of Pope John Paul and 159 synod fathers, Cardinal Paul Poupard, president delegate on duty, called the fifth general congregation to order at 5 p.m.

Following are excerpts from a number of the speeches given this evening:

FR. JOSEPH TOBIN, C.Ss.R, SUPERIOR GENERAL OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER. "Moral theology is a gift to the mission of the Church, insofar as it shows that the moral life of the Christian can, indeed, be good news. To explain how moral theology can be a gift for the present moment in Europe, it is necessary to recognize the elements that characterize this moment and then indicate the type of moral theology that responds to the challenges of this situation. Two cultural trends seem especially noteworthy: the tendency towards the privatization of religious experience at the expense of its public proclamation, and a widespread acceptance that morality is equivalent with the civil law, which is to the detriment of the necessary ethical grounding for all positive law. Yet even these trends bear seeds of hope. A personally motivated religion is better than one of mere conformity; respect for positive civil laws is to be preferred to social anarchy. ... The first crucial element is the need for a moral theology that takes seriously the question of God and the image of God that underlies moral reflection."

ARCHBISHOP ELIAS YANES ALVAREZ OF ZARAGOZA, SPAIN. "In order to achieve the 'new evangelization' in Europe, the Church must ensure the presence of the mystery of the love of God, manifested in Jesus Christ. She must do this with full faith in the divine revelation, announcing Jesus Christ, Son of God made man, as 'the Way, the Truth and Life.' Christ therefore appears before man, in the Church, as a source of hope. However, in order to be credible, the evangelizers must preach the Gospel truth with love and humility to those whom they want to evangelize. We cannot show that 'God is love' without evangelizing with love."

ARCHBISHOP GABINO DIAZ MERCHAN OF OVIEDO, SPAIN. "A characteristic of some peoples of Europe, and for that matter of the Spanish people, is an aggressive attitude towards the ecclesiastical institution and the clergy: This conditions our efforts towards new evangelization. Many Christians are suspicious of the Church when she proposes principles of faith or morality, making new evangelization more difficult. ... The Church in Spain was excessively linked with political power and other powers of this world over the centuries. ... Acknowledging the faults and errors of the Church in the past is a factor that exercises positive influence on many who doubt her sincerity. ... I suggest the following: Helping baptized Christians to encounter personal faith and to make a deeper commitment to conversion to God and communion in the Church; Favoring the formation of Christian communities in full communion with the Church; ... Developing the apostolic consciousness of the Christian laity, so that they may be the major protagonists of the new evangelization of secular society; ... Not confusing new evangelization with formulas of new Christianity or paternalism and arrogance in society."

ARCHBISHOP LOUIS-MARIE BILLE OF LYON, FRANCE. "As the educators of faith, We must look upon reality correctly and not ignore the considerable difficulties with which we are faced, difficulties coming from parents and from children or youths. Let me recall some basic ideas: Education and education to faith are a concern of the entire Church, not only of specialists. This education requires a great sense of openness. Young people cannot become free unless they have a calling to understanding. We must take into account those who are already preparing youth to receive the Gospel."

FR. TIMOTHY RADCLIFFE, O.P., MASTER OF THE ORDER OF FRIARS PREACHERS. "The crisis of authority within the Church is merely a symptom of a wider crisis of authority in our European culture. Any external authority which tells me what I should believe or do is suspect. ... We proclaim our faith with confidence, but our witness will often not have authority. ... The Church must appeal to the minds of men and women, to make sense of their experience. But this will not be enough, for our society is marked by a crisis of confidence in reason too. ... The Church will only have authority if we share the journeys of people, be touched by their disappointments, their questions, and doubts. Often we speak about people: women, the poor, the immigrants, the divorced,those who have abortions, prisoners, people with AIDS, homosexuals, drug addicts. But our words for Christ will not have authority unless we give authority to their experience, learn their language, accept their gifts."

ARCHBISHOP ENNIO ANTONELLI, EMERITUS OF PERUGIA-CITTA DELLA PIEVE, ITALY. "For the new evangelization of Europe, the understanding of the Church as the living body and sacrament of Christ in history must be renewed. This entails a living experience of the Church as mystery, communion and mission, spreading spirituality analogous to that found in new communities and new ecclesial movements. This community and missionary spirituality bears witness of a love full of hope, it answers the anguish ... of Europeans faced with suffering and death and it offers a better quality of life than the society of well-being is able to."

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SIXTH GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 1999 (VIS) - This morning at 9 in the Synod Hall, Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, president delegate on duty for the Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops, called the sixth congregation to order. The meeting, which concluded at 12:30, was held in the presence of the Holy Father and 168 synod fathers.

Following are selections from several of the morning's speakers:

ARCHBISHOP JULIAN HERRANZ, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE INTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATIVE TEXTS. "The sacrament of penance, instituted by Christ for the remission of sins and the reconciliation of the sinner with God and the Church, is undergoing a serious crisis. ... This crisis is due, on a philosophical and theological level, to widespread ethical relativism and the loss of the sense of personal sin. This requires lengthy commitment in the field of doctrinal formation. ... In the catechesis ... it is necessary to insist on the real and substantial, not symbolic, presence of Christ - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - in the Eucharistic. We must also recall that morality and canon law demand that those who have gravely violated the commandments of God must purify themselves through confession before taking communion. ... In the field of discipline, it is more than ever appropriate to call the attention of pastors to the following universal ruling of the Church: 'All to whom the care of souls is committed by reason of an office are obliged to provide that the confessions of the faithful entrusted to their care be heard when they reasonably ask to be heard and that the opportunity be given to them to come to individual confession on days and hours set for their convenience'."

BISHOP PETRU GHERGHEL OF IASI, ROMANIA. "For the Catholic Church in Romania, living in liberty is a cause for great joy in the Lord, because after so many years of deprivation of religious liberty, we can now build churches and other structures needed in pastoral life and all are free to choose a vocation and carry it to fulfillment. What is happening today in Church life was unthinkable just a short time ago ... We cannot forget the fear, frustration and persecutions of past times, nor can we interrupt our prayers of praise and thanks to the Lord for this climate of liberty. ... At the present moment we are faced with phenomena that weaken the force of the Church's evangelical message: ... The scandal of division between Christians; the shadows left by nationalistic movements, both at a political and social level; the length of economic reform which has led many families to poverty and, consequently, to temporary separation due to the demands of employment; the increasing phenomenon of violence; the falling birthrate and the corresponding increase in abortions; the unstoppable migration of people in search of work etc. I believe these phenomena constitute a pro-vocation, that is, a 'vocation for', where the Church must intensify her salvific response both in West and East."

BISHOP ZELIMIR PULJIC OF DUBROVNIK, CROATIA. "I had the fortune to participate in the first special synod for Europe, 8 years ago in December 1991. In the midst of the war, I was able to leave the besieged city. On that occasion I let out a cry of pain because my diocese, my city of Dubrovnik as well as a large part of Croatia were being fiercely attacked by the military and paramilitary Serbian and Montenegran forces. ... However, today I would like to give you ... some happy news: In Dubrovnik, in Croatia, democracy, liberty, cultural, human and religious values have been defended in the face of the barbarism of this century's end. ... One of social morality's most difficult problems is that of war and peace. ... For the Church, which of course has no 'armored divisions,' prayer, fasting and works of charity are the only 'arms,' and the strongest, she can or wants to use. The power of prayer and works of charity brought an end to war in my country."

FR. GIANFRANCO AGOSTINO GARDIN, O.F.M.CONV., SUPERIOR GENERAL, ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR CONVENTUAL. "Many consecrated men and women are rediscovering the value of fraternal life as a decisive dimension of their life-choice and as one of the ways to carry out their mission. It is necessary that the fraternal life of consecrated people, as a radical option of evangelical life, be significantly cultivated and also recognized for the precious gift it gives to the whole Church and its status as a valid instrument for proclaiming the Gospel. Sometimes there seems to be the impression that male religious communities are only 'reservoirs' of priests from which one can draw in time of need (now and then creating problems of identity for the religious brothers), losing sight of the indisputable fact that they belong to a life community and not merely to a profession. Mention must also be made of the problematic fact of ecclesial movements that tend, so to say, to spiritually and practically 'tear' religious from their respective institutes."

ARCHBISHOP SEAN B. BRADY OF ARMAGH, IRELAND, PRESIDENT OF THE IRISH EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE. "The promotion of Christian unity is an essential part of the Church's life and work. This is important to remember at the end of a millennium marked by divisions, and at the end of a century which has seen the emergence of some hope of healing those divisions. ... The primary concern for the third millennium must be to reach out to all mankind. Work to achieve the visible unity of the Church must be part of that task. The Assisi meeting and the assembly at Graz were important prophetic gestures and milestones, hopefully on the way to shared prayerful humanity. The signing of the Belfast agreement on Good Friday 1998 gave hope to people of good will everywhere. ... Throughout the years of conflict, the Churches in Ireland have worked together in spite of many obstacles. They have done so out of a conviction that if they cannot build community with each other, they cannot build community with the Triune God."

BISHOP WILHELM EMIL EGGER, O.F.M. CAP., OF BOLZANO-BRESSANONE, ITALY. "Dioceses that are home to national Catholic minorities, have a specific vocation regarding those minorities. They are called to acceptance of justified differences and to construction of unity, emphasizing those aspects that unite. ... Among the structures that support the identity of linguistic groups, we must consider; the use of the mother tongue (the 'language of the heart') in liturgical celebrations; the right of people to use their mother tongue, even in the ecclesial field and the compilation of prayer books and books of formation in the respective languages. ... Among the structures that favor dialogue and collaboration between groups we may indicate the following; a certain level of representation of the various ethnic-linguistic groups in participative groups and in diocesan administration; uniting in the great celebrations of the diocese, celebrations in which the various languages are used; collaboration in the various diocesan organizations (such as Caritas, etc.); the formation of seminarians who have a knowledge of the language and culture of the minorities."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father gave his blessing to the election by the Synod of Bishops of the Syrian-Catholic Church of Fr. Georges El-Kass Moussa as archbishop of Mossul of the Syrian-Catholics (Catholics 29,000, priests 19, religious 17), Iraq. The archbishop-elect was born in Karakoche, Iraq, in 1938 and ordained a priest in 1962. He succeeds Archbishop Cyrille Emmanuel Benni, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese had been accepted by the synod on June 28 1996, upon his having reached the age limit.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

He also invited the following participants in the Synod for Europe to lunch:

- Cardinal Godfried Danneels, archbishop of Mechelen-Brussel, Belgium.
- Cardinal Pierre Eyt, archbishop of Bordeaux, France.
- Archbishop Joseph-Marie Sarrdou, T.D. of Monaco, Principality of Monaco.
- Archbishop Louis-Marie Bille of Lyon, France.
- Archbishop Franc Rode, C.M., of Ljubijana, Slovenia.
- Archbishop Gyula Marfi of Veszprem, Hungary.
- Archbishop Joseph Dore of Strasbourg, France.
- Bishop Paul Schruers of Hasselt, Belgium.
- Bishop Francois Garnier of Lucon, France.
- Bishop Louis Pelatre, apostolic vicar of Istanbul, Turkey.
- Bishop Samir Mazloum, apostolic visitator for the Maronite faithful in western and northern Europe.
- Msgr. Noel Treanor, secretary general of the Commission of Episcopacies of the European Community (COMECE).

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MEMBERS OF COMMISSION FOR INFORMATION ANNOUNCED

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 1999 (VIS) - The following officials and members of the Commission for Information of the Special Assembly for Europe were announced today:

President:
Archbishop Istvan SEREGELY of Eger, Hungary.

Vice President:
Bishop Josef HOMEYER of Hildesheim, Germany.

Members:
- Archbishop Ennio ANTONELLI, emeritus of Perugia-Citta della Pieve, Italy, Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference.
- Bishop Luc Alfons DE HOVRE, S.J., auxiliary bishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, Delegate to the Council of the European Episcopal Conferences for the Union of European Conferences of Superiors Major.
- Bishop Andre FORT of Perpignan-Elne, France.
- Bishop Franc KRAMBERGER of Maribor, Slovenia.
- Bishop Reinhard MARX, auxiliary bishop of Paderborn, Germany.
- Bishop Alfons NOSSOL of Opole, Poland.
- Bishop Josef TEMPFLI of Oradea Mare of the Latin Rite, Vice President (Latin rite) of the Episcopal Conference in Romania.

Members ex-officio:
- Cardinal Jan Pieter SCHOTTE, C.I.C.M., Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops.
- Archbishop Jozef Miroslaw ZYCINSKI of Lublin, Poland.
- Bishop Vincent NICHOLS, auxiliary of Westminster, England.

Member and Secretary ex-officio:
Joaquin NAVARRO-VALLS, Director of the Holy See Press Office, Vatican City.

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IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 1999 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

- Archbishop Achille Glorieux, apostolic nuncio, on September 27 at the age of 89.
- Bishop Thomas Holland, emeritus of Salford, England, on September 30 at the age of 91.
- Bishop Edward William O'Rourke, emeritus of Peoria, U.S.A., on September 29 at the age of 81.

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