AUDIENCE WITH THE LITTLE SERVANTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 2, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received a group of religious from the Little Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who are commemorating the 125th anniversary of their foundation and the 25th of the beatification of their foundress, Sister Anna Michelotti.

"You present yourselves to the world," said the Holy Father, "as 'Little Servants of the Heart of Jesus for the impoverished sick.' ... Feel 'little' in order to be able to experience within you the predilection of the divine Master. Cultivate in yourselves the spirit of 'service' to others. ... Go to the sick in a spirit of poverty, with only the riches of God to Whom you are consecrated, and bring them your maternal love."

May this anniversary, John Paul II continued, "make you ever more faithful to the spirit and aim of your foundress, may it be the moment for a greater and more penetrating spirit of faith that causes you to see the Lord's face in all the sick people you treat."

After recalling that the work has extended beyond the frontiers of Italy to Madagascar and Romania, the Pope expressed his desire that this expansion continue.

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MAY NO IDEOLOGY PREVENT MEN OPENING THEIR HEARTS TO CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, DEC 2, 1999 (VIS) - John Paul II today received the Letters of Credence of the new Cuban Ambassador, Isidro Gomez Santos. In his talk, the Pope requested that Cuba may find, in the international community, "support and financial aid in order to be able to adequately meet current needs." This will be possible, he said, if Cuba promotes more possibilities for liberty and participation.

The Pope highlighted "the Cuban people's spirit of hospitality and their constant desire for liberty." He underlined that "it is essential to propagate these values, also protecting citizens from all forms of corruption and from certain social blights that especially afflict the young, as all these endanger social peace and stability."

"Furthermore," he continued, "material and moral poverty may be caused by, among other things, social injustice, limitations upon basic freedoms, depersonalization and the discouragement of individuals."

The Holy Father confirmed that "the Church in Cuba awaits even greater openness - by means of an enriching exchange of means and personnel - to the solidarity that the Universal Church has displayed, with a true sense of collaboration and while respecting the unique aspects of Cuban culture."

Referring to Church-State relations, the Pope said that rendering these more fluid would "surely contribute to harmony, progress and the good of everyone, with no distinctions whatsoever. On this question, it is essential to maintain a correct view of relations between the political community and the Church and to distinguish clearly between the actions that the faithful, either individually or in groups, carry out personally as citizens, in keeping with their Christian conscience, and the actions they perform in the name of the Church, in communion with their pastors."

John Paul II concluded his address by recalling the words he pronounced at the start of his pontificate: "Do not fear! Open ever wider the doors to Christ! ... Today, almost at the end of this century and of the millennium, I feel the need to add: may no-one, no institution, no ideology place obstacles in the way of all men opening themselves to Christ! This is my chief desire for all citizens of the beloved nation of Cuba."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Sergio Sebastiani, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See.
- Archbishop Dominik Hrusovsky, apostolic nuncio in Belarus.
- Bishop Stanislaw Wielgus of Plock, Poland.
- Archbishops Jose Saraiva Martins and Edward Nowak, and Msgr. Michele Di Ruberto, respectively prefect, secretary and under-secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

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POPE'S ACTIVITIES FROM JANUARY 1 TO 10, 2000

VATICAN CITY, 2 DEC, 1999 (VIS) - Given below is the calendar of liturgical celebrations at which the Holy Father will preside from January 1 to 10, 2000.

- Saturday, 1: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and 33rd World Day of Peace. At 9.30 a.m. in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, John Paul II will open the Holy Door and celebrate Mass.

- Sunday, 2: Children's Jubilee. The Holy Father will greet children and recite the Angelus in St. Peter's Square.

- Thursday, 6: Solemnity of the Epiphany. At 9 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father will celebrate mass and confer episcopal ordination on archbishops- and bishops-elect.

- Sunday, 9: Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. At 10 a.m. in the Sistine Chapel, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass and administer baptism to a group of newborn babies.

- Monday, 10: At 11 a.m. in the Sala Regia, John Paul II will receive in audience the diplomatic corps to the Holy See for New Years greetings.

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MAY THE CINEMA PROMOTE A HUMANISM BASED ON GOSPEL VALUES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 2, 1999 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall, Pope John Paul welcomed the participants in an international study meeting on the theme "The Cinema: Images for a Dialogue Between Peoples and a Culture of Peace in the Third Millennium."

In his talk to the assembly, he underlined how "man, created in the image and likeness of God, is naturally called to peace and harmony with God, with his fellow man, with himself and with all of creation. The cinema can become an interpreter of this natural propensity and strive to be a place of reflection, a call to values, an invitation to dialogue and communion."

But, stated the Pope, man must be considered in all of his "complex and mysterious reality." The film industry must look at "man, all of man, one and indivisible" because "when (the industry) takes into consideration only some aspect of the stupefying complexity of the human being, it inevitably ends up being reductive and cannot perform a fruitful cultural service." He urged artists in the world of cinema "to become ever more aware of your responsibility."

"The cinema enjoys a wealth of languages, a multiplicity of styles and a truly great variety of narrative forms: from realism to fairy tales, from history to science fiction, from adventure to tragedy, from comedy to news, from cartoons to documentaries. ... It can contribute to bringing people closer, to reconciling enemies, to favoring an ever more respectful dialogue between diverse cultures."

John Paul II concluded by expressing the hope that the film industry in the new millennium "will bring an original contribution to promoting a humanism linked to Gospel values."

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