THE JUBILEE: A TIME OF GRACE FOR FAMILIES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 29, 1999 (VIS) - The last general audience of 1999 was held today. It took place first in the Vatican Basilica and then in the Paul VI Hall, due to the large numbers of pilgrims who have come to Rome for the Great Jubilee.

To the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope recalled that "the Jubilee is a time of rejoicing that should be lived in prayer and in thanksgiving to the Lord for the gift of the Incarnation. It is a time in which we, with our lives, are called to more intensely and profoundly glorify the Trinity."

The Pope then moved to the Paul VI Hall, where he addressed another numerous group of faithful. John Paul II stated that "in the western world, Christmas is considered as a family celebration. ... (The family is) a communion of love between individuals, founded on truth, on charity, on the unbreakable faithfulness of husband and wife, on the welcoming of life."

"We pray," continued the Pope, "that the Great Jubilee, which has just begun, may truly be a time of grace and redemption for all the families of the world. May the light of the Word Incarnate help them to better understand and carry out their original vocation, the project that the God of life has reserved for them, in order that they become the living image of His love."

The Holy Father indicated that the Jubilee will also be a "suitable occasion to reinforce the bonds of affection in each family and to reconstruct divided family units. May all Christian families become ever more aware of their exalted mission in the Church and in the world! Today, there is a great need for the individual protection of each family, especially the poorest and most problematic. Budding life must be promoted and welcomed, for each child who comes into the world is a gift and a hope for all."

Finally, the Pope expressed his wish that, for all families, the Great Jubilee be "a time to courageously open their doors to Christ, man's only Redeemer."

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AUDIENCE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 29, 1999 (VIS) - Yesterday, Tuesday December 28, the Holy Father received Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, archbishop emeritus of Seoul, Korea.

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1999: 1,500,000 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN MEETINGS WITH THE POPE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 29, 1999 (VIS) - During 1999, more than one and a half million people took part in meetings and ceremonies presided over by the Holy Father. This information was made public today in a communique released by the Prefecture of the Papal Household.

The prefecture gives as 570,000 the number of people who participated in general audiences. Those who took part in audiences with various different groups are numbered at 240,030, while the number of those who attended other ceremonies is given as 735,100.

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MESSAGE TO MUSLIMS FOR THE END OF RAMADAN

VATICAN CITY, DEC 29, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was the traditional message to Muslims for the end of Ramadan, from the president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Cardinal Francis Arinze. The feast is known as 'Id al-Fitr,' the breaking of the fast and this year falls in 1420 a.h./2000 a.d. The message is entitled: "Jesus, a model and message for humanity."

Cardinal Arinze invites Muslims to join the Christian celebration of the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of Jesus. "For Christianity," he writes, "Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, born of the Virgin Mary. He is a prophet, but more than a prophet."

"As in other fields," he continues, "we are called as Christians and Muslims to know and respect the religious convictions of the other, to discover that which unites us and what makes us different. Knowing and respecting these convictions does not necessarily imply sharing them. To be able to speak about them objectively and with respect forms part of the way we should behave as persons of belief. Cannot the social and spiritual message of Jesus be considered to constitute a common heritage?

"We think that all people, but especially Muslims, can share with us the values that we have received from Jesus: total obedience to the will of God, witness given to the truth, humility in behavior, control of one's speech, justice in one's actions, mercy shown in deeds, love towards all, pardon granted for wrong done, maintaining peace with all brothers and sisters."

Cardinal Arinze concludes his message by affirming: "At the moment of entering into the new Millennium, we Christians and Muslims, together with the followers of other religions and all men and women of good will, all have something to receive from the message of Jesus: a message of mercy and pardon, of charity and fraternity, of justice and peace."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 29, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father gave his blessing to the election by the Synod of Bishops of the Syrian-Catholic Church, meeting at Charfe, Lebanon, on May 8, 1999, of Fr. Georges Kassab, patriarchal administrator of Homs of the Syrians (Catholics 10,000, priests 15, religious 2), Syria, as archbishop of the same archeparchy. The archbishop-elect was born at Zaidal, Syria, in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1974.

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