LANGUAGE GROUPS CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 1999 (VIS) - The nine language groups of the Second Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops met from 9 to 12 noon today to continue their discussions and to approve the reports written by each group.

This afternoon, starting at 5 p.m. in the Synod Hall, the 15th general congregation will take place, during which the reports of these working groups will be presented.

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THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUE OF CHARITY: LOVE FOR GOD

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 1999 (VIS) - "The theological virtue of charity: love for God" was the title of John Paul II's catechesis during the general audience held this morning in St. Peter's Square.

The Pope recalled that, in the Old Testament, at the foundation of this directive to wholly love God, there lies God's own love for man. Consequently, "He expects a response of love from the people He most loves."

"This precept, established in Deuteronomy, returns unaltered in the teaching of Jesus, who defines it 'the great and first commandment,' to which he closely links love of neighbor. ... To love God with all one's heart, with all one's soul and all one's strength means to love the God who revealed Himself in Christ and to love Him through participation in Christ's own love."

The Holy Father affirmed that "Charity constitutes the essence of the new 'commandment' taught by Jesus. It is, in fact, the soul of all commandments. ... Consequently, love for God, made possible by the gift of the Spirit, is based on the mediation of Jesus." He added that "the capacity to love as God loves, is offered to each Christian as the fruit of the Paschal mystery of death and resurrection."

"Charity," the Pope explained, "is a theological virtue, that is, a virtue that is referred directly to God and brings human beings into the circuit of trinitarian love."

John Paul II concluded his catechesis by indicating that "in the strength of the Holy Spirit, charity animates the moral behavior of the Christian, orienting and strengthening the other virtues which build within us the structures of the new man."

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POPE THANKS PILGRIMS FOR PRAYERS FOR HIS MINISTRY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 1999 (VIS) - Following today's weekly general audience, the Pope addressed a group of Slovakian pilgrims in their language, and thanked them for their prayers for his ministry. On October 16, Pope John Paul will mark the 21st anniversary of his election to that ministry.
"Dear brothers and sisters, during the various encounters with you I often hear you sing: 'Lord, bless the Holy Father, Vicar of Christ!' I thank you for the prayers and sacrifices with which you accompany my ministry as Pastor of the universal Church. The Pope also prays for you."

"My thoughts also go to Our Lady of Fatima, whose final apparition we commemorate precisely today," he said in Italian. "I entrust you, dear young people, to the heavenly Mother of God, so that you might respond generously to the Lord's call. To those of you who are ill, may Mary comfort you in your sufferings. And to you, dear newlyweds, may she be by your side as you start your family life."

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APOSTLESHIP OF THE SEA LAUNCHES WEB SITE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 1999 (VIS) - The new Internet site www.stellamaris.net was inaugurated yesterday in Venice during the European Meeting of the National Directors of Apostolatus Maris (Apostleship of the Sea). The meeting was presided over by Archbishop Stephen Fumio Hamao, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, which has a sector dedicated to this apostolate.

"Apostolatus Maris," says a communique about the web site, "is an international network of national associations or organizations from 91 countries on all continents, which share a common aim: that of promoting the spiritual, social and material well-being of seafarers on merchant and fishing vessels, as well as their families, without any discrimination of culture, race or religion."

The communique adds that "Europe has about 50 ports, which are visited by an average 300,000 seafarers every year. Where the Apostleship of the Sea is present with its chaplains and hundreds of volunteers, seafarers can expect to receive a warm welcome during their short stay in port."

The objective of the new web site, says the press release "is to make a world too often unknown and isolated - that of the people of the sea - more visible and 'connected'."

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DEBT RELIEF, A LEGACY OF HOPE FOR THE WORLD

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 1999 (VIS) - Archbishop Renato Martino, apostolic nuncio and Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations, spoke in New York on October 11 on Item 97E, External Debt Crisis and Development.

Referring to the imminent Jubilee Year 2000, the archbishop said that one of the important elements of the biblical Jubilee was the remission of debt. "Debts were remitted and burdens were lifted," he said, "so that the excluded could have the possibility of a new start." Today, as then, Archbishop Martino observed, "debt relief and the fight against poverty go together.

"Debt relief is urgent if the poorest countries are to make progress in their fight against poverty and exclusion. ... The situation in which debt repayments exceed the total national expenditure on education and health care combined is an unacceptable one."

The nuncio stated that the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) initiative "is a significant attempt to address simultaneously all the debt burdens of the poorest countries," but added that it "has so far moved forward too slowly."

"Pope John Paul II," he pointed out, "has consistently appealed for the largest possible number of countries to achieve the maximum benefit before the end of the year 2000. We all know this can be done."

Archbishop Martino suggested that "States and international financial institutions must find ways of encouraging the involvement of the citizens and the civil society of the poorer countries in 'ownership' of reform programs." And, he underlined, "a clear consensus should be elaborated which does not accept that countries entering into debt relief packages would at the same time indulge in disproportionate spending on arms."

The Jubilee Year 2000, concluded the nuncio, "stirs the hope that on this occasion, for once, the generations of today will be able to make this powerful gesture and may bequeath to the future a world with less poverty, a world with greater hope."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Archbishop Sergio Sebastiani, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, as a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

- Erected the diocese of Vitebsk, Belarus, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev, making it a suffragan of that same metropolitan Church. He appointed Fr. Wladyslaw Blin, pastor and deacon in Mohilev, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Swidnin, Poland, in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1980.

- Appointed Fr. Cyryl Klimowicz, pastor and deacon in Glebokie, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev, Belarus. The bishop-elect was born in Amanheldy, Kazakhstan, in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1980.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 1999 (VIS) - The following participants in the Synod for Europe were invited to lunch by the Holy Father:

- Archbishop Istvan Seregely of Eger, Hungary.
- Archbishop Gyorgy-Miklos Jakubinyi of Alba-Julia, Romania.
- Archbishop Wolfgang Haas of Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
- Archbishop Erwin Josef Ender, apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" in Estonia.
- Bishop Franc Kramberger of Maribor, Slovenia.
- Bishop Joachim Friedrich Reinelt of Dresden-Meissen, Germany.
- Bishop Jozsef Tempfli of Oradea Mare of the Latins, Romania.
- Bishop Viktor Josef Dammertz O.S.B., of Augsburg, Germany.
- Bishop Adrianus Herman Van Luyn S.D.B., of Rotterdam, Netherlands.
- Bishop Ivo Furer of Sankt Gallen, Switzerland.
- Bishop Antonius L. M. Hurkmans of s'Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
- Bishop Reinhard Marx, auxiliary of Paderborn, Germany.
- Fr. Jakab Sandor Varnai O.F.M., provincial superior of the Order of Friars Minor and president of the Conference of Superiors Major of Hungary.

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CLARIFICATIONS ON THE BOOK, "HITLER'S POPE"

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 1999 (VIS) - Given below is a note regarding the book "Hitler's Pope. The secret History of Pius XII," written by the journalist John Cornwell and recently published in Britain and the United States.

In a number of articles that appeared prior to the publication of the book, Cornwell affirms that his work represents the first honest and scholarly appraisal of Pius XII. Yet, it must be pointed out that the author has no academic qualifications whatsoever in either history, law or theology, and that this is one of the points on which renowned scholars base their criticism of the book.

In this sense, it is necessary to clarify and rectify some of Cornwell's claims regarding research he carried out in the Vatican Archives of the Secretariat of State.

Cornwell claims to be the first and only person to have had access to this archive. This claim is completely false. Furthermore, the author's research was limited to two series of documents: Bavaria (1918-1921) and Austria (Serbia, Belgrade 1913-1915). Neither the author of this work nor anyone else has had access to documents from 1922 or later, as these have not yet been opened to the public.

Moreover, Cornwell claims to have worked in the archive for "months on end." This is untrue as his authorization covered a period of about three weeks.

The British journalist also declared that the documents he discovered had been secret until he began his researches. In support of this claim he refers to a letter sent in 1919 by the then nuncio in Bavaria, Archbishop Pacelli, to the Secretariat of State. In fact, this letter was published in 1992, that is, seven years prior to the publication of Cornwell's book.

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