HOLY FATHER EXTENDS CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO ROMAN CURIA

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 1999 (VIS) - This morning at 11:30 in the Clementine Hall, Pope John Paul met with members of the College of Cardinals and the Roman Curia, and reminded them that today is the last time this century and millennium that they meet for this traditional exchange of Christmas greetings.

"We wish to live this encounter," he began his talk, "in the awareness that we constitute a most special community, that of the closest collaborators of the Bishop of Rome, the successor of the Apostle Peter. ... If the vocation of the Successor of Peter, surrounded by his collaborators, has a particular meaning in the Church, it is precisely because it is a ministry, a service. Christ said to Peter: 'Confirm your brothers'."

In St. Luke's account, continued the Holy Father, "Peter emerges in all his fragility. The power 'to confirm' does not therefore come from his own capacities: it comes from the power of Christ, who prays for Him. And it is thanks to the power of Christ that he can sustain his brothers notwithstanding his personal weakness. It is necessary to keep in mind this truth about the 'ministerium petrinum'. He who is the Successor of Peter and exercises such a ministry can never forget this, and those who, in whatever capacity, participate in this ministry must never forget it."

"May today's meditation (on the petrine ministry) cross the threshold of the third millennium and be received by those who will come after us, who after us will assume, as Successors of Peter and their collaborators, the 'ministerium petrinum', to exercise it according to the will of Christ."

Pope John Paul then reviewed the three-year period of preparation for the now imminent Great Jubilee of the year 2000. He highlighted initiatives in churches, at both the local and universal levels, including the five continental synods and the consignment in 1999 of two Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortations ("Ecclesia in America" and "Ecclesia in Asia").

Other important events of this past year, he added, include his trips to Mexico City, St. Louis, Romania, Poland, India and Georgia. On the ecumenical level, he underscored the trips to Romania and Georgia, and the signing of the document on justification with the Lutherans. He also mentioned initiatives in the area of inter-religious dialogue, emphasizing the October meeting in St. Peter's Square with representatives of other religions.

"The announcement of salvation," remarked Pope John Paul, "cannot fail to be accompanied by an active witnessing to charity." And he underlined the Holy See's efforts "to support the path of the People of God who, in their local pastoral realities in a thousand ways are charged with caring for the person and being at the service of the most needy."

"May this Christmas which starts the Jubilee Year celebrations," the Pope said in closing, "be for each of us an ascent to the mountain of the Lord. ... Yes, with faith we will hasten our steps towards the extraordinary Jubilee Year, full of grace and especially expressed by the gift of the indulgence."

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FATHER DEZZA SERVED CHRIST IN THE PERSON OF HIS VICAR

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 1999 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon in The Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father presided at the funeral of Cardinal Paolo Dezza S.J., who died in Rome on the night of Friday, December 17. The members of the College of Cardinals concelebrated the event with John Paul II.

In his homily, the Holy Father recalled that Father Dezza "was born in Advent, on the day of St. Lucy, and died during Advent, closer to Christmas. For him, death was a 'holy door,' the last
passage that opens onto eternity."

"Beyond death, and accompanying him to full communion with God," the Pope continued, "I like to think that Father Paolo Dezza found three greatly loved faces, Mary, Peter and Ignatius, with whom Providence had wished to unite his spiritual journey."

Pope John Paul affirmed that, "the ideal of St. Ignatius to 'serve Christ in the person of His vicar' was the rule to which the late cardinal dedicated his entire life; he did so generously and disinterestedly, with intelligence, prudence, faith and kindness. He was not unaware of the defects of the Church and those within her, but with great dedication, rich in love and faith, he contributed to alleviating the effects of these shortcomings, working for true renewal of the Church."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Luis del Castillo Estrada S.J., auxiliary of Montevideo, Uruguay, as bishop of Melo (area 25,000, population 174,000, Catholics 125,000, priests 22, permanent deacons 1, religious 44), Uruguay.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, with Bishop Agostino Superbo, emeritus of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti, general ecclesiastical assistant of Italian Catholic Action, and Paola Bignardi, president of Italian Caholic Action.

This evening he is scheduled to receive Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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HELP DISCOVER THE TRUE SPIRIT OF THE HOLY YEAR

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 1999 (VIS) - At midday today in the Consistory Hall, John Paul II received a group of young people from Italian Catholic Action who come to Rome every year to exchange Christmas greetings with the Pope.

"Christmas," said the Pope, "is a special day that calls us to solidarity and love, it invites us to open our hearts to our brothers, especially to those in need. ... (May) each of you and the various groups of Catholic Action you represent rediscover the divine love that envelops and gives full meaning to human existence. May the virgin, who in Bethlehem brought the Redeemer into the world, help you to accept Him in your hearts."

In closing, the Holy Father referred to the Jubilee, asking the young people, "to fully live this special time of grace. Be apostles of other young people, helping them to receive the true spirit of the Holy Year and to live it profoundly."

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