CULTURAL PATRIMONY AT THE SERVICE OF EVANGELIZATION

VATICAN CITY, MAR 31, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Hall of Popes, the Holy Father welcomed the 45 participants in the plenary of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church, who have been meeting on the theme "The Cultural Patrimony in the Context of the New Evangelization."

He highlighted how the plenary assembly had "sought to configure the concept of 'cultural patrimony' to the 'mens' of the Church," to "draw attention to the immense historical-artistic patrimony which exists," and to "be concerned with the formation of workers" in this field.

The Pope encouraged the members "to spare no efforts to see that the works of culture and art turned over to the care of the Church are always used more efficaciously in the service of authentic human progress and the spreading of the Gospel." The Church's cultural patrimony, he said, including churches, monuments, museums, archives and libraries, is an important part of her mission of evangelization and human promotion.

"The Church is not only the custodian of her past," affirmed John Paul II, "she is above all the animator of the present in the human community. ... As such she increases continually her cultural patrimony to meet the needs of every era and culture."

The Pope then remarked that "as is well known, worship has always had a naturally ally in art, given that the monuments of sacred art add to their intrinsic aesthetic value those of catechesis and worship. It is therefore necessary to make good use of them, bearing in mind their liturgical 'home' ... and seeing to it that the historical-artistic patrimony at the service of liturgy loses nothing of its own eloquence."

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POPE TO WRITE VIA CRUCIS MEDITATIONS FOR JUBILEE YEAR

VATICAN CITY, MAR 31, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls declared that, "for the occasion of the Great Jubilee 2000, the Holy Father will personally write the text of the meditations for the 'Via Crucis' (Way of the Cross) of Good Friday, which this year falls on April 21. John Paul II wrote the commentary for the 'Via Crucis' in 1984, extraordinary Holy Year of the Redemption."

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LENTEN SERMONS: FROM SINAI TO CALVARY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 31, 2000 (VIS) - The first of three Lenten sermons scheduled for this year was preached at 9 this morning in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel in the presence of Pope John Paul by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap. on the theme "From Sinai to Calvary. A Pilgrimage to the Places of Salvation in the Great Jubilee Year." The sermons will continue on April 7 and 14.

According to a note released by Fr. Cantalamessa, preacher of the papal household, "after the reflections on the great figures of the history of salvation in Advent 1999, we are called to make a spiritual pilgrimage to the places of salvation, in particular the three mountains which have marked forever the religious destination of mankind: Sinai, Tabor and Calvary. The aim is to receive the message linked to each one of these three 'summits', prolonging the reflection started in the Church by the Pope's recent trip to these places."

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JUSTICE PROCEDURES MUST BE ACCELERATED

VATICAN CITY, MAR 31, 2000 (VIS) - Today in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope received 1,000 participants in a congress organized by the Italian Association of Magistrates on the occasion of their Jubilee.

In his address, John Paul II affirmed that "wherever the fundamental rights of man - the inalienable rights that no ruling can suppress - are codified in legislation, there still remains the possibility of a more complete juridical expression and, above all, of a better and more effective application in the real context of social life."

"A juridical civilization, a State of law, a democracy worthy of the name," he emphasized, "are defined, not only by the effective organization of their laws, but above all by those laws being solidly anchored in the logic of the common good and in the universal moral principles written by God in the heart of man."

After highlighting the "necessary independence" of judicial power in the legal environment, he added: "The magistracy cannot be truly independent if it is inattentive to the values rooted in the nature of the human being, whose inalienable dignity and transcendental destiny must always be respected."

The Holy Father emphasized that "justice must spare no efforts in assuring its procedures are carried out rapidly: if unduly long, citizens find them intolerable and they eventually become a true injustice. It is also important that the magistrates's relationship with the media be marked by an appropriate reserve, so as to avoid any risk of prejudicing the privacy of the accused and at the same time effectively ensuring respect for the principle of the presumption of innocence."

"The search for the truth in events and evidence and the correct application of the law, are two highly important aspects of the judge's role and require total freedom from prejudice and a constant commitment to study and analysis."

In closing, the Pope referred to justified reactions when the magistracy is called to make up for "shortcomings in legislative power, especially when the life and death of man, biotechnology or problems of public morality are at stake, (these are) the essential themes of liberty which must never degenerate into an individualism that ignores the common good."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 31, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of Down and Connor, Ireland, presented by Auxiliary Bishop Michael Dallat, in accordance with canons 411 and 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- Appointed Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel of Tapachula, Mexico, as bishop of San Cristobal de las Casas (area 36,821, population 1,454,233, Catholics 974,336, priests 56, permanent deacons 311, religious 198), Mexico. He succeeds Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 31, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., emeritus of Vercelli, Italy, and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

This evening he is scheduled to receive Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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THIS IS A TIME OF HOPE IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

VATICAN CITY, MAR 30, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed 800 faithful from Bosnia-Herzegovina, who are in Rome on a Jubilee pilgrimage led by Cardinal Vinko Puljic, archbishop of Vrhbosna.

Addressiing them in their language, the Pope recalled his two-day pastoral visit in 1997 when he was able "to personally realize the great tragedy which struck you and other inhabitants over the last decade." He went on to say that "notwithstanding the numerous difficulties faced daily," and "the clouds on the horizon, ... this is a time of hope!" It is up to Christians, he added, to strengthen the promising social renewal "by bringing the seeds of new life contained in the Gospel."

"May your very lives say to everyone that you are Christians! Be the first to offer and welcome pardon, freeing memories from hatred, rancor and a desire for revenge, and recognizing as brothers those who harmed you. Don't let yourselves be won over by evil, but overcome evil with good."

John Paul II said he hoped that the celebration of the Great Jubilee "will bring abundant fruits of conversion and holiness in Catholic communities which live in your region." He urged them "to stay united among yourselves" in order to "rebuild in your land, together with your fellow citizens, a future of peace and hope."

"Bosnia-Herzegovina needs loyal dialogue and active cooperation by all its peoples, as well as respect for the rights and identity of every person and every single group. ... Authentic democracy ... cannot be imported or imposed. Its good functioning depends, in particular, on the measure in which the dignity of the person and the sacredness of human life are respected."

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TO PRIESTS: "A LETTER FROM THE UPPER ROOM"

VATICAN CITY, MAR 30, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was the Holy Father John Paul II's Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2000, which has been published in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese and Polish. The document was signed on March 23 in the Cenacle of Jerusalem, from where, writes the Pope, "dear brother priests, I embrace all of you in spirit and I cordially impart my blessing."

"Today, this visit to the Upper Room," the Pope begins, "gives me an opportunity to survey the entire mystery of the Redemption. It was here that Christ gave us the immense gift of the Eucharist. Here too our priesthood was born. ... I am indeed writing to you from the Upper Room, thinking back to all that took place within these walls on that evening charged with mystery."

John Paul II encourages the priests to "never cease meditating anew on the mystery of that night. We should often return in spirit to this Upper Room, where we priests especially can feel in a sense 'at home'."

"In this holy room I naturally find myself imagining you in all the various parts of the world, with your myriad faces, some younger, some more advanced in years, in all the different emotional states which you are experiencing: for many, thank God, joy and enthusiasm, for others perhaps suffering or weariness or discouragement."

The Holy Father recalls that many priests have been "exemplary disciples, saints, martyrs," and asks "how can we forget, in this Jubilee Year, the many priests who have witnessed to Christ by their lives, even to the shedding of blood? Such martyrdom has accompanied the entire history of the Church; it has also marked the century just passed, a century characterized by different dictatorial regimes hostile to the Church. From the Upper Room, I wish to thank the Lord for the courage of these priests."

"From this place where Christ spoke the words instituting the Eucharist, I invite you, dear priests, to rediscover the 'gift' and the 'mystery' which we have received. To go to the heart of it, we must reflect upon the priesthood of Christ."

The Pope went on: "How can we not return ever anew to this mystery, which contains the entire life of the Church? For two thousand years, this Sacrament has given nourishment to countless believers. It has been the source of a great river of grace. How many saints have found in it not only the pledge, but as it were the foretaste of Heaven!"

"Christ's presence will be expressed in many ways. But of these His Eucharistic presence will certainly be supreme: no mere remembrance, but a 'memorial' which makes present what it commemorates; not a symbolic evocation of the past, but the living presence of the Lord in the midst of His own. The enduring guarantee of this will be the Holy Spirit, constantly poured out in the Eucharistic celebration so that the bread and wine may become the Body and Blood of Christ."

"Let us remain faithful to what the Upper Room 'hands on' to us, to the great gift of Holy Thursday. May we always celebrate the Holy Eucharist with fervor. May we dwell long and often in adoration before Christ in the Eucharist. May we sit at the 'school' of the Eucharist. Through the centuries, countless priests have found in the Eucharist the consolation promised by Jesus on the evening of the Last Supper, the secret to overcoming their solitude, the strength to bear their sufferings, the nourishment to make a new beginning after every discouragement, and the inner energy to bolster their decision to remain faithful. The witness which we give to the People of God in celebrating the Eucharist depends in large part upon our own personal relationship with the Eucharist."

"Let us rediscover our priesthood in the light of the Eucharist!" exclaimed the Pope. "Let us help our communities to rediscover this treasure in the daily celebration of Holy Mass, and especially in the more solemn Sunday assembly. Through your apostolic labors, may love for Christ present in the Eucharist grow stronger. This is a particularly important goal in this Jubilee Year."

After recalling the International Eucharistic Congress, due to take place in Rome from June 18 to 25 on the theme "Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the World, Bread for our Life," John Paul II confirmed that "it will be a highlight of the Great Jubilee, which is meant to be 'an intensely Eucharistic year'. The Congress will emphasize the profound link between the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word and the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Christ's Real Presence."

The Pope concludes his letter from the Upper Room by saying "I embrace you in the Eucharist. May the image of Christ surrounded by His own at the Last Supper fill each of us with a vibrant sense of brotherhood and communion."

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PRESENTATION OF POPE'S HOLY THURSDAY LETTER TO PRIESTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 30, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father John Paul II's Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2000 was presented today in the Holy See Press Office by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos and Archbishop Csaba Ternyak, respectively prefect and secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy.

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos referred to reflections the Pope had made when - on March 23, during the course of his Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land - he signed the document in the Cenacle or Upper Room. John Paul II asks priests to "always celebrate the Holy Eucharist with fervor. May we dwell long and often in adoration before Christ in the Eucharist." The Pope also expresses the hope that priests find in the Eucharist the secret to overcoming all difficulty, the nourishment to make a new beginning after every discouragement. In helping the faithful to rediscover the treasure of Holy Mass and the presence of Christ in His sacraments, much depends "upon our own personal relationship with the Eucharist."
Archbishop Ternyak spoke of the Jubilee of Priests, which will be held on May 18 to coincide with the Holy Father's 80th birthday. On that day, the Pope will preside at a Mass in St. Peter's Square which "will thus become," said the archbishop, "another Cenacle. The icon of this Cenacle will be the great Eucharistic celebration and although as an image, it may prove 'spectacular', the substance will remain the 'mystery'."

The Mass of May 18 will be preceded by liturgical celebrations, confessions, testimonies and meditations to take place on May 16 and 17 in the Basilicas of St. John Lateran and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. On the evening of Tuesday May 16, there will be a 'Via Crucis' (Way of the Cross) for priests in Rome's Circus Maximus.

Archbishop Ternyak added that the participants in the priests' Jubilee will also be able to "reflect on their own identity and ministry," finding support in the figures of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Therese of Lisieux, who "are well known in the Catholic world for their special commitment to priests. St. Catherine wrote many letters in which, with some energy, she reminds priests (the 'ministers of the Redeemer's Blood') of their dignity, of their condition as 'other Christs' and of the consequent moral and spiritual qualities and zeal they must have. ... St. Therese of Lisieux shows herself as a fervent admirer of the priesthood. ... She supports the apostolate of ministers of the altar through prayer, through the offer of herself, through sacrifice."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 30, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Giorgio Zur, Holy See representative to the Russian Federation.
- Dojcilo Maslovaric, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit.
- Sergio Ivan Bucaro Hurtarte, ambassador of Guatemala, on a farewell visit.

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CONGRESS ON TECHNOLOGICAL, ETHICAL FUTURE OF THE MEDIA

VATICAN CITY, MAR 30, 2000 (VIS) - Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, spoke this morning in Rome at a congress organized by the Centre Saint-Louis de France, on the theme "The Media: What Technological and Ethical Future?"

Pointing to the ever-changing and advancing technologies used by the media, the archbishop said that "the Church, thank God, has generally made early use of improvements in media technology." He pointed to the Bible as the first book printed wth moveable type, to the establishment of Vatican Radio and television, which use satellite technology to reach the world, and to its web page on the Internet.

He stated that, while there have been many positive advances in technology, "there are also some potential ethical problems," including measuring the good of technology not as it serves the person, but rather as it serves greed, using technology "not so much for information but for manipulation and control" and using it "to communicate the tawdry and demeaning, if not the downright immoral."

Archbishop Foley announced that his council will publish a study on "Ethics in Communications" in June on the occasion of World Communications Day and the Jubilee Day for Journalists.

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SANTO PADRE CALLS FOR END TO TENSIONS IN MINDANAO

VATICAN CITY, MAR 29, 2000 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience, Pope John Paul said "I wish to turn my thoughts to the dear populations of the Philippines where, on the large island of Mindanao, the tensions have intensified, causing violent clashes."

"I am praying for all the inhabitants of that region and, in particular, for the political and military leaders, that the Lord might enlighten them and move them to do everything possible to put an end to the violence by seeking peaceful solutions to the existing problems."

"I express my closeness and solidarity," the Holy Father said in closing, "to the families who are suffering for this situation."

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POPE RECALLS HIS JUBILEE PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND

VATICAN CITY, MAR 29, 2000 (VIS) - During today's general audience, which was held in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 60,000 pilgrims, the Pope recalled his Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land which took place from March 20 to 26, saying, "it was like a return to the source, to the roots of faith and of the Church."

John Paul II said that the first stage of his pilgrimage, his visit to Mount Nebo "was a continuation of the pilgrimage to the Sinai: from the top of Mount Nebo, Moses gazed upon the Holy Land."

He said that in Bethlehem, which this year "is the center of the Christian world's attention, ... I celebrated Mass in the central square. ... In the afternoon, I knelt with emotion in the Grotto of the Nativity where I felt the spiritual presence of the whole Church."

"The memory of Jerusalem," he continued, "is indelibly marked on my soul." There "the central and culminating event of the history of salvation occurred: Christ's paschal mystery." In the Cenacle "I celebrated the Eucharist in the same place that it was instituted by Christ."

The Pope indicated that on Sunday, in the Holy Sepulchre itself, he renewed "the announcement of salvation that crosses the centuries and millennia: Christ is Risen! This was the culminating moment of my pilgrimage. Consequently, in the afternoon, I felt the need to pray at Calvary, where Christ spilt His blood for humanity."

Jerusalem, "holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims, ... is called to become a symbol of peace for those who believe in the God of Abraham and follow His law. May men make haste to put this design into effect."

"At Yad Vashem, the Shoah Memorial, I paid homage to the millions of Jewish victims of Nazism. Once more I expressed deep pain for that terrible tragedy and confirmed that 'we wish to remember' in order to commit ourselves together - Jews, Christians and men and women of good faith - in defeating evil with good and so walk along the path of peace."

John Paul II recalled that "the ecumenical meeting that took place in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, with intense participation from all sides, marked an important step along the road to full unity between Christians. ... I invite all to pray that the process of understanding and collaboration between Christians from various Churches may consolidate and develop."

Finally, the Holy Father referred to the Mass on the Mount of the Beatitudes at the Sea of Galilee, "with many young people from the Holy Land and the whole world. A moment full of hope!"

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 29, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Alfonso Delgado Evers of Posadas, Argentina, as metropolitan archbishop of San Juan de Cuyo (area 96,650, population 562,720, Catholics 547,000, priests 79, permanent deacons 10, religious 87), Argentina. The archbishop-elect was born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1942, ordained a priest in 1970 and consecrated bishop in 1986. He succeeds Archbishop Italo Severino Di Stefano, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Antonio Wagner da Silva S.C.I., pastor of the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Joinville, Brazil, and provincial councillor, as coadjutor bishop of Guarapuava (area 27,830, population 574,735, Catholics 413,499, priests 75, religious 155), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Formiga, Brazil, in 1944 and ordained a priest in 1971.

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POPE ADDRESSES TEACHERS OF ODONTOLOGY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 28, 2000 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Basilica at midday today, the Holy Father received 8,000 participants in the seventh Italian Congress of the Association of Teachers of Odontology.

"The goal of the worthy institution to which you belong," said the Pope, "is pursuing scientific progress in the field of odontology and teaching specialization courses at a university level. Yours is, thus, a vast field, entirely dedicated to bettering the human person. This is why your profession needs to be constantly revised, at both a technical and human level, with special attention given to the ethical and moral questions that emerge in the course of your daily activities."

The Holy Father recalled that during the three days of debate, the congress has considered "how to exercise appropriate forms of solidarity and international cooperation in support of those in need," and evaluated "how to meet the requirements of disabled and elderly patients."

"Use every opportunity," he concluded, "to promote solidarity in Italy and in other countries by training and updating the skills of new generations of disciplined and responsible professionals. Study the best ways to give those countries that do not have access to up-to-date dental assistance, the scientific and technical aid they need."

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HOLY FATHER "GREATLY ENCOURAGED" BY ECUMENICAL MEETING

VATICAN CITY, MAR 25, 2000 (VIS) - At 6 p.m. today Pope John Paul participated in an ecumenical encounter at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He told the patriarchs, archbishops and bishops present that "it is a source of great joy to know that the heads of Christian communities in the Holy City of Jerusalem meet frequently to deal with matters of common interest to the faithful."

"Need I say," he asked, "that I am greatly encouraged by this evening's meeting? It confirms that we have set out on the path to knowing one another better, with the desire to overcome the mistrust and rivalry inherited from the past. Here in Jerusalem, ... (Christ's) words ring out with special resonance, particularly the words He spoke on the night before He died: 'that they may all be one;... so that the world may believe that you have sent me'."

The Holy Father, recalling the meeting between Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, said that "in the intervening years we have learned that the road to unity is a difficult one. This should not discourage us. We must be patient and persevering, and continue to move ahead without wavering."

Turning to the presence of the different Churches and Communities in Jerusalem, John Paul II observed that "the variety and beauty of your liturgical rites, and of your spiritual, theological and canonical traditions and institutions, testifies to the richness of the divinely revealed and undivided heritage of the universal Church, as it has developed down the centuries in the East and in the West. There exists a legitimate diversity which in no way is opposed to the unity of the Body of Christ, but rather enhances the splendor of the Church. ... None of this wealth must be lost in the fuller unity to which we aspire."

"Fraternal cooperation among the Christians of this Holy City is no mere option," affirmed the Holy Father. "Only in a spirit of mutual respect and support can the Christian presence flourish here in a community alive with its traditions and confident in facing the social, cultural and political challenges of an evolving situation. Only by being reconciled among themselves can Christians play their full part in making Jerusalem the City of Peace for all peoples. In the Holy Land, where Christians live side by side with the followers of Judaism and Islam, where there are almost daily tensions and conflicts, it is essential to overcome the scandalous impression given by our disagreements and arguments. In this City it should be eminently possible for Christians, Jews and Muslims to live together in brotherhood and freedom, in dignity, justice and peace."

He closed by recalling that it has been his intention "to give a clearly ecumenical dimension to the Catholic Church's celebration of the Jubilee Year 2000. ... This is a providential time for us to turn to the Lord in order to ask forgiveness for the wounds which the members of our Churches have inflicted upon one another down the years" and "to engage in an ever more fruitful theological dialogue."

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RESURRECTION CANNOT BE SEPARATED FROM MYSTERY OF THE CROSS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today, the Pope celebrated Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Prior to the Mass, he prayed at the stone of anointment and the empty tomb of the Resurrection and was accompanied in procession to the Chapel of the Apparition where the Eucharistic celebration took place.

According to tradition, the Holy Sepulchre is located on the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and rose again. At the present time, the basilica is regulated by the Status Quo and co-owned by the three communities; Latin (represented by the Friars Minor), Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox. Coptic, Syrian and Ethiopian Orthodox may officiate in the basilica.

At the entrance of the basilica, in the atrium, is the stone of anointment, a long block of polished red limestone. Surrounded by candelabra and eight lamps, it constitutes the thirteenth station of the 'Via crucis' (Way of the Cross). According to tradition, this marks the spot where Jesus, having been taken from the cross, was anointed. In the center of the shrine and housed within a rectangular structure, lies the Holy Sepulchre itself, the fourteenth station of the 'Via crucis'. The facade of the structure is covered with hanging lamps and silver spheres. Over the door there are three depictions of the Resurrection: Latin, Greek and Armenian. The small wooden door is always open except during the moment that the Armenian or Greek celebrant must remain alone, as prescribed by the liturgy. The structure houses a small vestibule called the Chapel of the Angel (announcement of the Resurrection to the holy women). A further door gives access to the Holy Sepulchre itself where a marble slab covers the original stone upon which Jesus' body was placed.

At the start of his homily, the Holy Father said: "Here, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, I kneel before the place of His burial: 'Behold, the place where they laid Him'. ... The tomb is empty. It is a silent witness to the central event of human history: the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ."

He continued: "Here, where our Lord Jesus Christ died in order to gather into one the children of God who were scattered, may the Father of mercies strengthen our desire for unity and peace among all who have received the gift of new life through the saving waters of Baptism."

The Pope affirmed that "the good news of the Resurrection can never be separated from the mystery of the Cross. ... The Resurrection of Jesus is the definitive seal of all God's promises, the birth-place of a new, risen humanity. ... At the dawn of a new millennium, Christians can and ought to look to the future with steadfast trust in the glorious power of the Risen One to make all things new."

"From this place, where the Resurrection was first made known to the women and then to the Apostles, I urge all the Church's members to renew their obedience to the Lord's command to take the Gospel to all the ends of the earth." He concluded with the words: "Today, as the unworthy Successor of Peter, I wish to repeat these words as we celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice in this, the most hallowed place on earth. With all of redeemed humanity, I make my own the words which Peter the Fisherman spoke to Christ, the Son of the living God: 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life'."

Following Mass and before praying the Angelus, John Paul II said: "With Mary, 'Mater dolorosa', we stand in the shadow of the Cross and weep with her over the affliction of Jerusalem and over the sins of the world. ... Realizing the terrible consequences of sin, we are moved to repentance for our own sins and for the sins of the Church's children in every age. O Mary, conceived without sin, help us on the path to conversion."

The Pope then travelled to the Latin patriarchate of Jerusalem where he had lunch with the patriarchs, bishops and the members of his entourage. He then went to the apostolic delegation to rest.

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JOHN PAUL II VISITS TEMPLE MOUNT AND WAILING WALL

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul, on this last morning of his Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land, visited the Temple Mount, in the eastern part of Jerusalem's Old City, paid a courtesy call on Sheikh Akram Sabri, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and also made a stop at the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall.

The Temple Mount, known in Arabic as Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (most holy and most noble enclosure), is a trapezoid-shaped, walled, raised area which occupies one sixth of Jerusalem's Old City. It was on this site that Solomon built the temple of Jerusalem, which was rebuilt at the end of the first century by Herod, who also doubled the size of the Temple Mount. Two mosques - the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa - occupy this site as well as other holy places with minarets, fountains and tunnels.

The area of the Temple Mount is dear to the followers of the three monotheistic religions; to Jews because it was the site where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, as well as that of Solomon's temple; to Muslims who consider it the third pilgrimage site, after Mecca and Medina, and the place from which the prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven; to Christians because it was here that Christ spoke of the destruction of the Temple.

The golden-domed, octagonal-shaped Dome of the Rock is the oldest extant Muslim monument in the Holy Land. The first mosque, built in 640, was substituted in 687 by the current one. In the 12th century it was transformed into a Christian church by the crusaders, who called it "Templum Domini," thus giving rise to the name of the equestrian order of Templars. It was restored as a Muslim place of worship by Saladin in 1187. In the center of this sumptuously decorated mosque is the sacred rock on which Mohammed prayed before going to Heaven.

The Al-Aqsa mosque, whose name in Arabic means "the furthest away," is, according to Muslim tradition, the spot furthest from Mecca where Muhammed was miraculously carried one night. It was built at the start of the eighth century, was destroyed by earthquakes, rebuilt, became a church of the Templars and, like the Dome of the Rock, was later restored as a Muslim place of worship by Saladin. During the 1938 restoration of the mosque, King Farouk of Egypt restored the ceiling and Mussolini donated the columns of Carrara marble.

Following his visits to these sites which are important for Muslim believers, Pope John Paul was received by the Grand Mufti and several other Muslim leaders.

He next visited what is considered the "spiritual heart" of Judaism, the Wailing Wall. This 15-meter high structure is a fragment of the wall which supported the western side of the esplanade of the temple. Among the customs associated with this wall is that of placing small pieces of paper containing prayer petitions into the crevasses of the wall.

Here, the Holy Father read a passage from the March 12 Day of Pardon at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, asking forgiveness by the Jews for past sins against them by Christians. The Pope placed the paper containing this passage, which he had signed and which bore the papal crest, into the wall. This paper has since been transferred to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

Following these visits to the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall, Pope John Paul II went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where he celebrated his last Mass of this Holy Land pilgrimage.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 27, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Rodolfo Cetoloni O.F.M., guardian of the convent at Fiesole, Italy, as bishop of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza (area 1,068, population 71,844, Catholics 69,669, priests 70, permanent deacons 1, religious 121), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Badia Roti, Italy, in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1973. He succeeds Bishop Alberto Giglioli, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Archbishop Andre Dupuy, apostolic nuncio in Ghana and Togo, as apostolic nuncio in Venezuela.

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HOLY THURSDAY LETTER TO PRIESTS TO BE MADE PUBLIC

VATICAN CITY, MAR 27, 2000 (VIS) - The Letter of His Holiness John Paul II to Priests for Holy Thursday 2000 will be presented on Thursday, March 30 at 11:30 a.m. during a press conference in the Holy See Press Office. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos and Archbishop Csaba Terniak, respectively prefect and secretary of the Congregation for Clergy, will present the annual letter.

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POPE RETURNS TO HOLY SEPULCHRE TO PRAY IN CHAPEL OF CALVARY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2000 (VIS) - After lunch, John Paul II made an unscheduled return to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in order to pray at the Chapel of Calvary. During the morning, he had celebrated Mass in the basilica and prayed at the stone of anointment and at the tomb of the Resurrection.

Fr. Luis Terrato, superior of the basilica, said that at 4 p.m. they had just finished praying vespers when a number of policemen arrived, informing them that the Holy Father was about to return. "I could not believe it," said Fr. Terrato, "the Pope had departed in the morning without having visited the Chapel of Calvary, accessed by a stairway of steep stone steps. As he left, he had looked towards that place, however, we never imagined that he would have returned."

With the help of his assistants, the Pope climbed the 22 steps that lead to Golgotha. After praying for 20 minutes, he left the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.

At 6:30 p.m., the Holy Father travelled to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. There, after personally bidding farewell to government ministers and religious authorities, he was accompanied to the stairs of the plane by President Ezer Weizman and Prime Minister Ehud Barak of Israel.

The plane, a Boeing 747 of the Israeli national carrier, El Al, took off at 7:15 p.m. After a flight of three and a half hours it landed at the military airport of Ciampino in Rome. John Paul II was received by Massimo D'Alema, Italian prime minister, and Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome. After greeting the authorities present, John Paul II travelled by helicopter to the Vatican.

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POPE CONSECRATES WORLD'S FAMILIES TO THE MOTHER OF GOD

VATICAN CITY, MAR 25, 2000 (VIS) - At 8:15 this morning, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, John Paul II travelled by helicopter from Jerusalem to Nazareth. Prior to celebrating Mass in the Basilica of the Annunciation, which is entrusted to the care of the Custody of the Holy Land, he paused for a moment of prayer in the grotto.

The grotto-house of the Holy Family was incorporated in the crypt below the major altar of the Franciscan church built in 1730. The church was subsequently made a parish, enlarged in 1877, then demolished in 1959 to make way for a new church. The present basilica was visited by Paul VI in 1964 and dedicated in 1969. The upper portion of the main facade houses the statue of Christ the Redeemer, below which are depicted the scene of the Annunciation and the four Evangelists. The southern facade is dedicated to Mary as an adolescent. Inside the building there are two churches, placed one above the other, with a central opening through which the grotto-house of the Holy Family may be seen. The lower church houses the grotto and the 17th century Franciscan altar with the inscription 'Verbum caro hic factum est' (here the Word was made flesh). The upper church is dedicated to the exaltation of the Virgin, Mother of God made man. The dome is 55 meters high. The floor that unites the two churches is made of multi-colored marble and depicts, in eight inlaid illustrations, the Church's Magisterium regarding Mary: Mother of God; Assumption into heaven; Virginity; Immaculate Conception; universal mediation; perfect sanctity; regal dignity and spiritual maternity.

In his homily, the Pope recalled the words of the prophet Isaiah: "'The virgin is with child and will soon give birth to a child whom she will call Emmanuel.' Emmanuel - God with us. In these words, the unique event that was to take place in Nazareth in the fullness of time is foretold, and it is this event that we are celebrating here with intense joy and happiness."

"Like Abraham, Mary is asked to say yes to something that has never happened before. ... Mary asks not whether the promise is possible, but only how it will be fulfilled. It comes as no surprise, therefore, when finally she utters her 'fiat': "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let what you have said be done to me.' With these words, Mary shows herself the true daughter of Abraham, and she becomes the Mother of Christ and Mother of all believers."

The Holy Father confirmed that he had come to Nazareth to plead with the Mother of God. "I pray, first, for a great renewal of faith in all the children of the Church. ... I ask the Holy Family to inspire all Christians to defend the family against so many present-day threats to its nature, its stability and its mission. To the Holy Family I entrust the efforts of Christians and of all people of good will to defend life and to promote respect for the dignity of every human being. To Mary, the 'Theotokos,' the great Mother of God, I consecrate the families of the Holy Land, the families of the world."
Following the Eucharistic celebration, John Paul II travelled by helicopter to the apostolic delegation in Jerusalem where he had lunch.

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PRIVATE VISITS TO CHURCHES IN TABGHA AND CAPERNAUM

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2000 (VIS) - At 4 p.m. this afternoon, John Paul II will meet Ehud Barak, prime minister of Israel, at the Shrine of the Mount of the Beatitudes at Korazim.
At 4:30 p.m., the Pope will visit Tabgha on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee where he will visit the church of the Multiplication of the Loaves. According to tradition, the rock upon which Jesus placed the bread later became the altar of a church. The remains of this church, which was constructed in 350 A.D., lie to the right of the modern-day church which is entrusted to the care of Benedictine fathers.

The Holy Father will then visit the church of the Primacy of Peter, which was reconstructed in 1933 by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. From there he will travel to Capernaum, also on the Sea of Galilee, where he will be able to see the Shrine of the House of Peter which was inaugurated on June 29, 1990 by Cardinal Simon Lourdusamy and is tended by the Custody of the Holy Land.

Following these private visits, John Paul II will return by helicopter to the apostolic delegation where he will dine and spend the night.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 25, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Msgr. Jorge Pedro Carrion Pavlich, of the clergy of Tarma, Peru, apostolic administrator of Puno (area 19,475, population 801,000, Catholics 696,000, priests 37, religious 50), Peru, as bishop of the latter diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Tarma in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1976.
- Msgr. Tommaso Valentinetti, of the clergy of Lanciano-Ortona, Italy, pastor of the parish of St. Gabriel the Archangel in Ortona and vicar general of the same archdiocese, as bishop of Termoli-Lariano (area 1,424, population 105,350, Catholics 104,300, priests 73, permanent deacons 5, religious 161), Italy. The bishop-elect was born at Ortona in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1977.

- Fr. Stanislav Hocevar S.D.B., inspector of the Salesians in Slovenia, as coadjutor archbishop of Beograd (area 50,000, population 5,505,000, Catholics 8,400, priests 19, religious 53), Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The archbishop-elect was born in Jelendol, Slovenia, in 1945 and ordained a priest in 1974.

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PRIVATE VISIT TO GARDEN AND BASILICA OF GETHSEMANE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 25, 2000 (VIS) - This afternoon, before the ecumenical encounter at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, the Holy Father is scheduled to call on the consuls general of several countries at the apostolic delegation in Jerusalem and then proceed for a private visit to the Basilica of the Garden of Gethsemane.

Gethsemane, from the Hebrew "Gat-shemanin," for oil press, was the name of a farm at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The two holy sites of Gethsemane are the Grotto of the Oil Press and the nearby Rock of the Agony.

No church was ever built on the Grotto of the Oil Press because the grotto itself was considered a place of prayer as witnessed by the numerous graffiti. Preserved since 1392 by the Custody of the Holy Land, the grotto is 19 meters long, 9 wide and 3.5 high. In 1956 the Franciscan Friars Minor found mosaics from the fourth to sixth centuries, fragments of an altar and even older traces of an olive press and a well.

According to an account written by St. Jerome in 386, a church was built on the Rock of the Agony. This was burned by the Persians in 614, an imposing church was built during the Crusades and this too was destroyed in 1187. The current basilica was built by the Franciscans between 1919 and 1924 on the ruins of the previous church.

The Basilica of the Garden of Gethsemane has 12 small domes. In front of the main altar is the rock of the agony of Jesus, which is protected by a wrought iron fence resembling a crown of thorns. This church is also known as the Basilica of the Nations because its construction was made possible by the donations of faithful from many countries.

The adjacent Garden of Olives was acquired by the Franciscans in 1666. There are six centuries-old olive trees in the garden and one which dates back 2,500 years, as was evidenced by the carbon dating process performed on it.

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POPE PREACHES TO YOUNG PEOPLE ON MOUNT OF THE BEATITUDES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2000 (VIS) - This morning Pope John Paul travelled by helicopter to Korazim, 135 kilometers north of Jerusalem, and by popemobile to the nearby Mount of the Beatitudes where he celebrated a Mass for an estimated 100,000 people, including 45,000 young people from Middle Eastern countries and from abroad.

On his way from the heliport to the site of the Mass, the Pope stopped to bless the Domus Galilaeae, a center for formation, study and retreats for seminarians and priests from around the world built by the Neocatechumenal Way on land offered to them by the Custody of the Holy Land.

The Mount of the Beatitudes is actually a hill rising 150 meters above and overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Five Franciscan sisters, Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, live at the Shrine of the Mount of the Beatitudes.

During Mass, in his homily, the Holy Father extended greetings to the faithful of the Greek-Melkite, Latin, Maronite, Syrian, Armenian and Chaldean communities as well as to members of other Christian Churches and ecclesial communities, "our Muslim friends, members of the Jewish faith and the Druse community."

"We sit on this hill like the first disciples, and we listen to Jesus," the Pope told the young people. "In the stillness, we hear his gentle and urgent voice, as gentle as this land itself and as urgent as a call to choose between life and death.

"How many generations before us have been deeply moved by the Sermon on the Mount! How many young people down the centuries have gathered around Jesus to learn the words of eternal life, as you are gathered here today! How many young hearts have been inspired by the power of His personality and the compelling truth of His message! It is wonderful that you are here! ... This great gathering is like a rehearsal for the World Youth Day to be held in August in Rome!"

Then, referring to Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, and to today's site of the Mount of the Beatitudes, John Paul II observed that "these two mountains ... offer us the roadmap of our Christian life and a summary of our responsibilities to God and neighbor. The Law and the Beatitudes together mark the path of the following of Christ and the royal road to spiritual maturity and freedom."

The Pope said that the Ten Commandments "may seem negative ... but in fact they are supremely positive." And the message of the Beatitudes "may seem strange" as "Jesus exalts those whom the world generally regards as weak" but these words present a challenge which demands a deep and abiding 'metanoia' of the spirit, a great change of heart."

"Not far from this very place," affirmed the Holy Father, "Jesus called His first disciples, as He calls you now. His call has always demanded a choice between the two voices competing for your hearts even now on this hill, the choice between good and evil, between life and death. ... To put your faith in Jesus means choosing to believe what He says, no matter how strange it may seem, and choosing to reject the claims of evil, no matter how sensible or attractive they may seem."

He underlined that "like the first disciples at the Sea of Galilee, you must leave your boats and nets behind, and that is never easy ' especially when you face an uncertain future and are tempted to lose faith in your Christian heritage. To be good Christians may seem beyond your strength in today's world. But Jesus does not stand by and leave you alone to face the challenge."

"Now, at the dawn of the Third Millennium," Pope John Paul concluded, "it is your turn to go out into the world to preach the message of the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. ... Now it is your turn to be courageous apostles of the Kingdom!"

At the end of Mass the Holy Father greeted the young people present in Italian, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Hebrew and Arabic. He watched as several young people released white doves, and he then blessed several saplings which will be planted on the Mount of the Beatitudes.

He then added: "During these days, my thoughts turn with hope to the initiatives being taken by the Organization of African Unity to restore peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. These efforts have now reached a very delicate stage. It is a matter of finding a path that will lead to the conditions necessary for the well-being and progress of the peoples of the entire region, already greatly affected by famine. Let us pray that this part of the world will work for a just solution."

Following Mass Pope John Paul went to the shrine of the Mount of the Beatitudes for lunch with the papal party.

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RELIGION MUST NOT BE AN EXCUSE FOR VIOLENCE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2000 (VIS) - This afternoon, the Holy Father travelled from the apostolic delegation to the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center Pontifical Institute where, at 5:45 p.m. an interreligious meeting took place with Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders and children from the three religions.

The French Augustinian Fathers of the Assumption began the construction of the 'Notre Dame de France' center in 1884, with the aim of assisting French pilgrims in the Holy Land. The building was completed in 1904. In 1948, during the first Arab-Israeli conflict, it was seriously damaged. On December 13, 1978 John Paul II made the center a Pontifical Institute, giving it its present name. Today, it is considered a holy and ecumenical place and constitutes a territorial prelature whose prelate is the apostolic delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine. The center has 144 rooms, 2 meeting halls and a 500-seat auditorium. A community of Carmelite Fathers attends to spiritual animation and the welcome of pilgrims.

In his speech, the Holy Father underlined that "for all of us Jerusalem, as the name indicates, is the 'City of Peace.' ... We must find in our respective religious traditions the wisdom and the superior motivation to ensure the triumph of mutual understanding and cordial respect."

"Love of our brothers and sisters involves an attitude of respect and compassion, gestures of solidarity, cooperation in service to the common good. Thus, concern for justice and peace does not lie outside the field of religion but is actually one of its essential elements."

John Paul II emphasized that "when we love our neighbor we are showing love for God, and when we hurt our neighbor we offend God. This means that religion is the enemy of exclusion and discrimination, of hatred and rivalry, of violence and conflict. Religion is not, and must not become, an excuse for violence, particularly when religious identity coincides with cultural and ethnic identity. Religion and peace go together! Religious belief and practice cannot be separated from the defence of the image of God in every human being."

"We must do all we can to turn awareness of past offenses and sins into a firm resolve to build a new future in which there will be nothing but respectful and fruitful cooperation between us."

The Pope affirmed that "The Catholic Church wishes to pursue a sincere and fruitful interreligious dialogue with the members of the Jewish faith and the followers of Islam. Such a dialogue is not an attempt to impose our views upon others. What it demands of all of us is that, holding to what we believe, we listen respectfully to one another, seek to discern all that is good and holy in each other's teachings and cooperate in supporting everything that favors mutual understanding and peace.
"The Jewish, Christian and Muslim children and young people present here are a sign of hope and an incentive for us."

The Holy Father concluded by stating that "if the various religious communities in the Holy City and in the Holy Land succeed in living and working together in friendship and harmony, this will be of enormous benefit not only to themselves but to the whole cause of peace in this region. Jerusalem will truly be a City of Peace for all peoples."

Following the meeting, the Pope returned to the apostolic delegation where he dined and spent the night.

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REMEMBRANCE: "TO ENSURE THAT NEVER AGAIN WILL EVIL PREVAIL"

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2000 (VIS) - At 12:30 p.m. today, Pope John Paul II arrived at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, a 45-acre complex situated on Har Hazikaron, the Mount of Remembrance, where he was welcomed at the Hall of Remembrance by Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the director of the memorial and the two chief rabbis of Israel.

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, was created in 1953 in order to commemorate the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust, victims of the Nazis. This State institution is composed of two museums, exhibition halls, outdoor monuments, and documentation and information centers. The archive collection comprises 55 million pages of documents, nearly 100,000 still photographs and thousands of film and video testimonies. The library has more than 80,000 volumes and thousands of periodicals. The Hall of Names features "Pages of Testimony" submitted by family members of victims: to date over three million holocaust victims' names have been registered.

The Hall of Remembrance, where the Pope was welcomed this morning, is the hall where ceremonies are held for official visitors. This is a tent-like structure on whose floor are the names of the six death camps and some of the concentration camps. There is also a memorial flame in front of which there is a crypt containing the ashes of some of the victims.

In addition to this hall, other memorial sites include the Children's Memorial, a tribute to the approximately one and a half million children who died in the Holocaust; The Valley of the Communities, a monument dug in bedrock which commemorates the over 5,000 Jewish communities which were destroyed, and the Avenue and Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, which honors the non-Jews who rescued Jews during the Holocaust.

Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, established by the Israeli parliament in 1953, takes place on 27th Nissan, which usually occurs at the end of April or beginning of May.
"In this place of memories," the Holy Father told those present, "the mind and heart and soul feel an extreme need for silence. Silence in which to remember. Silence in which to try to make some sense of the memories which come flooding back. Silence because there are no words strong enough to deplore the terrible tragedy of the Shoah. My own personal memories are of all that happened when the Nazis occupied Poland during the War. I remember my Jewish friends and neighbors, some of whom perished, while others survived.

"I have come to Yad Vashem to pay homage to the millions of Jewish people who, stripped of everything, especially of their human dignity, were murdered in the Holocaust."

"We wish to remember," he underscored. "But we wish to remember for a purpose, namely to ensure that never again will evil prevail, as it did for the millions of innocent victims of Nazism. How could man have such utter contempt for man? Because he had reached the point of contempt for God. Only a Godless ideology could plan and carry out the extermination of a whole people."

The Pope added that "the honour given to the 'just gentiles' by the State of Israel at Yad Vashem for having acted heroically to save Jews, sometimes to the point of giving their own lives, is a recognition that not even in the darkest hour is every light extinguished."

"Jews and Christians share an immense spiritual patrimony, flowing from God's self-revelation," he continued. "Our religious teachings and our spiritual experience demand that we overcome evil with good. We remember, but not with any desire for vengeance or as an incentive to hatred. For us, to remember is to pray for peace and justice."

"As Bishop of Rome and Successor of the Apostle Peter, I assure the Jewish people that the Catholic Church, motivated by the Gospel law of truth and love and by no political considerations, is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place. The Church rejects racism in any form as a denial of the image of the Creator inherent in every human being."

"I fervently pray," Pope John Paul II concluded, "that our sorrow for the tragedy which the Jewish people suffered in the twentieth century will lead to a new relationship between Christians and Jews. Let us build a new future in which there will be no more anti-Jewish feeling among Christians or anti-Christian feeling among Jews, but rather the mutual respect required of those who adore the one Creator and Lord, and look to Abraham as our common father in faith."

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POPE CELEBRATES MASS IN THE CENACLE OF JERUSALEM

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2000 (VIS) - In the chapel of the Cenacle at 8:30 a.m. today, the Pope celebrated a private Mass with ordinaries of the Holy Land and the cardinals and bishops of his entourage.

The Cenacle is the place where Christ instituted the ordained priesthood and the sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance. The Latin word 'Coenaculum' was used to indicate the dining area, but more generally signified the upper room where guests were welcomed; it is in the upper room that the chapel is located today. The Christian tradition on the authenticity of the Cenacle goes back to the end of the third century. At the present time, the building belongs to the Israeli government. The lower floor houses a cenotaph (a monument honoring a dead person buried elsewhere), called the 'Tomb of David'. It is a place of national pilgrimage for Jews, although the reference to David's last resting place has no historical or archeological foundation. Also on the lower floor, there is an ancient chapel dedicated to the washing of the feet. The cloister of the Franciscan convent of 1335 gives access to the Museum of the Shoah which recalls the victims of Nazi extermination camps.

In his homily, John Paul II recalled, "with deep emotion," the words of consecration that Christ pronounced in this very place during the Last Supper. "In a sense, Peter and the Apostles, in the person of their Successors, have come back today to the Upper Room, to profess the unchanging faith of the Church: 'Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again'."

"Through the Eucharist, Christ builds up the Church. The hands which broke bread for the disciples at the Last Supper were to be stretched out on the cross in order to gather all people to Himself in the eternal Kingdom of His Father. Through the celebration of the Eucharist, He never ceases to draw men and women to be effective members of His body."

John Paul II recalled that "this year of the Great Jubilee is a special opportunity for priests to grow in appreciation of the mystery which they celebrate at the altar. For that reason I wish to sign this year's 'Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday' here in the Upper Room, where the one priesthood of Jesus Christ, in which we all share, was instituted."

Following the celebration of the Eucharist, the Pope made a courtesy visit to the two chief rabbis of Israel, Rabbi Meir Lau and Rabbi Bakshi-Doron. He then travelled to the presidential palace in Jerusalem where he met Ezer Weizman, president of the State of Israel. Following this he went to Yad Vashem, the monument to the memory of the Holocaust.

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JOHN PAUL II APPEALS FOR INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY FOR REFUGEES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 22, 2000 (VIS) - In mid-afternoon today Pope John Paul travelled two miles by car from the Basilica of the Nativity to the Deheisheh Refugee Camp, driving through the camp to the school where today's encounter took place.

It has been estimated that between three and four million people live in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East estimated in 1996 that Palestinian refugees number just over 3.3 million: 1.358,706 in Jordan in 10 refugee camps, 532,438 on the West Bank in 19 camps, 716,930 on the Gaza Strip in 9 camps, 352,668 in Lebanon in 12 camps and 347,391 in Syria in 10 camps.

Representatives of the refugee camp, as well as President Yasser Arafat, attended the meeting with the Pope. The school which hosted the encounter has 1,125 students between the ages of 6 and 15.

"It is important to me that my pilgrimage to the birthplace of Jesus Christ includes this visit to Dheisheh," began the Holy Father. "It is deeply significant that here, close to Bethlehem, I am meeting you, refugees and displaced persons, and representatives of the organizations and agencies involved in a true mission of mercy. Throughout my pontificate I have felt close to the Palestinian people in their sufferings.

"I greet each one of you," John Paul II continued, "and I hope and pray that my visit will bring some comfort in your difficult situation. Please God it will help to draw attention to your continuing plight. You have been deprived of many things which represent basic needs of the human person: proper housing, health care, education and work. Above all you bear the sad memory of what you were forced to leave behind, not just material possessions, but your freedom, the closeness of relatives, and the familiar surroundings and cultural traditions which nourished your personal and family life."

He highlighted the work being done by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and by the presence of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine and many other Catholic organizations.

The Holy Father then affirmed that "the degrading conditions in which refugees often have to live; the continuation over long periods of situations that are barely tolerable in emergencies or for a brief time of transit; the fact that displaced persons are obliged to remain for years in settlement camps: these are the measure of the urgent need for a just solution to the underlying causes of the problem. Only a resolute effort on the part of leaders in the Middle East and in the international community as a whole ' inspired by a higher vision of politics as service of the common good ' can remove the causes of your present situation. My appeal is for greater international solidarity and the political will to meet this challenge." He added that justice is "an inalienable right" of all men and women.

The Pope asked young people "to continue to strive through education to take your rightful place in society, despite the difficulties and handicaps that you have to face because of your refugee status."

He told refugees not to "think that your present condition makes you any less important in God's eyes! Never forget your dignity as His children!"

Pope John Paul urged aid workers and volunteers to "believe in the task that you are fulfilling! Genuine and practical solidarity with those in need is not a favor conceded, it is a demand of our shared humanity and a recognition of the dignity of every human being."

Following this encounter the Pope paid a courtesy call on Yasser Arafat at the president's palace in Bethlehem. Afterwards he travelled by helicopter the short distance to Jerusalem and the apostolic delegation where he had dinner and spent the night.

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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL PADIYARA

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2000 (VIS) - Below is the text of a telegram sent by the Pope to Archbishop Varkey Vithayathil C.SS.R., of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, India, for the death of Cardinal Antony Padiyara, archbishop emeritus of that major archdiocese, at age 89:

"Saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal Antony Padiyara, major archbishop emeritus of Ernakulam-Angamaly, I extend heartfelt condolences and the assurance of my spiritual closeness to you, and to the bishops, clergy, religious and laity of the Syro-Malabar Church. In recalling Cardinal Padiyara's generous and committed service as priest and later bishop in Ootacamund, Changanacherry and Ernakulam-Angamaly, I join you in giving thanks to God for the many blessings bestowed upon the Church through his ministry and I pray that the Good Shepherd will grant him eternal rest and bring him into the joy of the Kingdom. I am confident that his example will inspire all the members of the Syro-Malabar Church to grow in their love of Christ and to increase their commitment to serve their brothers and sisters in a spirit of Christian charity. Entrusting all who mourn his passing to the protection of St. Thomas the Apostle, I cordially impart my apostolic Blessing as a pledge of comfort and strength in our Lord Jesus Christ.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Msgr. Jaime Soto of the clergy of Orange in California (area 2,025, population 2,674,091, Catholics 615,041, priests 272, permanent deacons 48, religious 483), U.S.A., episcopal vicar for hispanic peoples, as auxiliary bishop of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Inglewood, U.S.A., in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1982.

- Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano as pontifical legate at celebrations for the millennium of St. Stephen of Hungary which are due to take place in Budapest on August 20.

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"THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE HAVE NATURAL RIGHT TO A HOMELAND"

VATICAN CITY, MAR 22, 2000 (VIS) - Shortly after 8 this morning Pope John Paul travelled by helicopter from Jerusalem to Al-Maghtas in the Jordan Valley near Jericho for a private visit to the nearby Greek Orthodox monastery dedicated to John the Baptist. The monastery was built on the remains of a fortress constructed by Emperor Justinian to protect pilgrims. Near the monastery there is a site commemorating the baptism of Jesus.

"For many thousands of years," said the Pope in brief remarks, "this area around Jericho has been a human habitat. ... But its memory becomes still richer when we turn to Holy Scripture, which shows Jericho as a place which bears the footprints not only of man but of God Himself. In my mind I see Jesus coming to the waters of the River Jordan not far from here to be baptized by John the Baptist, I see Jesus passing on his way to the Holy City where He would die and rise again; I see Him opening the eyes of the blind man as he passes."

After this visit the Pope went by helicopter to Bethlehem, which is in the Autonomous Territories of the Palestinian National Authorities, where he was greeted by its chairman, Yasser Arafat. Among the religious authorities were Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah and Fr. Giovanni Battistelli, O.F.M., Custos of the Holy Land.

Bethlehem, ten kilometers south of Jerusalem, is a town of 35,000 inhabitants. In Hebrew its name, "Bet Lehem" means "House of Bread"; its name in Arabic, "Beit Lahm" means "House of Meat." In 1995, with the Oslo Accords, Bethlehem became part of the Palestinian Autonomous Territories.

The Holy Father, following a welcome speech by Yasser Arafat, addressed those gathered to greet him, recalling that "the message of Bethlehem is the Good News of reconciliation among men, of peace at every level of relations between individuals and nations."

Expressing "all my happiness at being here today," the Pope asked: "How can I fail to pray that the divine gift of peace will become more and more a reality for all who live in this land, uniquely marked by God's interventions? Peace for the Palestinian people! Peace for all the peoples of the region! No one can ignore how much the Palestinian people have had to suffer in recent decades. Your torment is before the eyes of the world. And it has gone on too long."

John Paul II continued: "The Holy See has always recognized that the Palestinian people have the natural right to a homeland, and the right to be able to live in peace and tranquillity with the other peoples of this area. In the international forum, my predecessors and I have repeatedly proclaimed that there would be no end to the sad conflict in the Holy Land without stable guarantees for the rights of all the peoples involved, on the basis of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions and declarations."
"Only with a just and lasting peace ' not imposed but secured through negotiation ' will legitimate Palestinian aspirations be fulfilled," the Pope emphasized. "Only then will the Holy Land see the possibility of a bright new future, no longer dissipated by rivalry and conflict, but firmly based on understanding and cooperation for the good of all."

"I am fully aware of the great challenges facing the Palestinian Authority and People in every field of economic and cultural development," the Holy Father said. "In a particular way my prayers are with those Palestinians - Muslim and Christian - who are still without a home of their own, their proper place in society and the possibility of a normal working life. My hope is that my visit today to the Deheisheh Refugee Camp will serve to remind the international community that decisive action is needed to improve the situation of the Palestinian people."

"The promise of peace made at Bethlehem," he closed, "will become a reality for the world only when the dignity and rights of all human beings made in the image of God are acknowledged and respected."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 22, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Esmeraldo Barreto de Farias, of the clergy of Amargosa, Brazil, national director of the 'Prado' movement, as bishop of Paulo Alfonso (area 36,913, population 561,962, Catholics 488,250, priests 29, religious 66), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Santo Antonio de Jesus, Brazil, in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1977.

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PRIVATE PAPAL VISIT TO CHURCH AND GROTTO OF THE NATIVITY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 22, 2000 (VIS) - Following lunch at the Franciscan-run house for pilgrims, the Pope departed in early afternoon for a private visit to the Basilica and Grotto of the Nativity on Manger Square where he celebrated Mass this morning.

The very first Basilica of the Nativity was built by the first Christian emperor, Constantine, in 326. Just over 200 years later Emperor Justinian embellished it with a mosaic floor. The basilica was spared damage in ensuing centuries during the Arab occupation and regained its original splendor during the time of the Crusades. In 1347 the Franciscans came into possession of both the basilica and the grotto.

The present situation of co-ownership and administration of the Basilica of the Nativity by Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Latin Catholics is due to the Status Quo, an 1862 code and Ottoman decree which regulates religious life at the Holy Sepulchre and at Bethlehem.

The Greeks own the basilica, except for the north part of the transept which belongs to the Armenians. The Grotto of the Nativity belongs to the Franciscans and is divided into two parts: the Altar of the Nativity, of the Greeks, and the Altar of the Manger in the Grotto of the Magi, of the Latins. Next to the basilica the Franciscans built the Church of St. Catherine where the Roman rite is celebrated.

On both sides of the Greek choir in the basilica are the two entrances to the Grotto of the Nativity. which is rectangular and measures 12 meters in length and 3 meters in both width and height. The bronze doors and marble portals date from the era of the crusades. The apse covers the Altar of the Nativity, under which there is a marble slab with a silver star and the Latin inscription: "Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est" (Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary). To the right of the Altar of the Nativity is the Grotto of the Magi where Catholic Masses are celebrated.
On his visit the Pope passed through the Latin Church of St. Catherine and entered the Basilica of the Nativity on the left side.

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POPE CALLS FOR PEACE IN EVERY TIME AND PLACE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 22, 2000 (VIS) - Following the welcome ceremony at the heliport in Bethlehem, the Pope travelled to Manger Square which is in front of the Basilica of the Nativity. The square marks the junction of the road of the Shepherds' Fields, which is the place the angel appeared, the road of the 'Milk Grotto', where according to tradition Mary fed the Infant Jesus, and the road of Paul VI which recalls the visit of that Pope on January 6, 1964.

The theme of the Mass was: "To us a child is born". In the homily, the Holy Father recalled that in 1978, during his first Christmas as Pope, he had expressed the desire to celebrate the beginning of his pontificate at Bethlehem, yet only now had it proved possible for him to visit the city. "Bethlehem," he said, "is the heart of my Jubilee pilgrimage."

John Paul II then greeted those present, including President Arafat; His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins; members of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land and representatives of the Orthodox Churches and the ecclesial communities of the region.

"Because it is always Christmas in Bethlehem," he continued, "every day is Christmas in the hearts of Christians. And every day we are called to proclaim the message of Bethlehem to the world - 'good news of great joy': the Eternal Word, 'God from God, Light from Light,' has become flesh and made His dwelling among us."

The Holy Father referred to Jesus' affirmation that "all power has been given to me in heaven and on earth," and explained that this meant "the power to vanquish the Evil One, the ultimate victory over sin and death. It is the power to heal the wounds which disfigure the image of the Creator in His creatures. ... This is the message of Bethlehem today and forever. This is the extraordinary gift which the Prince of Peace brought into the world two thousand years ago."

"Today from Manger Square, we cry out to every time and place, and to every person, 'Peace be with you! Do not be afraid!' These words resound through the pages of Scripture. They are divine words, spoken by Jesus Himself after He rose from the dead: 'Do not be afraid!' They are the words of the Church to you today. Do not be afraid to preserve your Christian presence and heritage in the very place where the Savior was born."

Following Mass, the Pope travelled to Bethlehem's 'Casa Nova', a house built by Franciscans in 1908 to welcome pilgrims, where he had lunch.

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JOHN PAUL II ARRIVES IN "BLESSED LAND" OF ISRAEL

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2000 (VIS) - Following a half-hour flight from Amman, Jordan, the Holy Father arrived at 5:30 this afternoon at the Ben Gourion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. He was greeted by members of the diplomatic corps, by civil authorities, including Israeli President Ezer Weizman, and by religious authorities including Greek-Melkite Archbishop Boutros Mouallem of Haifa, vice president of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, and patriarchs and bishops of the Holy Land and neighboring countries.

Tel Aviv-Jaffa is Israel's largest urban area and most important economic and cultural center. The greater metropolitan area, which numbers 1,142,000 inhabitants, almost a quarter of the total population of Israel, was born in 1950 from the union of the ancient port of Jaffa and the Jewish periphery called Tel Aviv (Hill of Spring). Jaffa goes back to the 15th century before Christ. Built on three hills, Tel Aviv today extends for 10 kilometers along the central Mediterranean coast of Israel.

"Yesterday, from the heights of Mount Nebo," said the Pope in his speech at the welcome ceremony, "I looked across the Jordan Valley to this blessed land. Today it is with profound emotion that I set foot in the land where God chose to 'pitch his tent', and made it possible for man to encounter Him more directly."

John Paul II affirmed that his visit "is both a personal pilgrimage and the spiritual journey of the Bishop of Rome to the origins of our faith in 'the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. It is part of a larger pilgrimage of prayer and thanksgiving which led me first to Sinai. ... Now I shall have the privilege of visiting some of the places more closely associated with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Then, turning to the matter of peace, the Holy Father said: "We all know how urgent is the need for peace and justice, not for Israel alone but for the entire region. Many things have changed in relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel since my prdecessor Pope Paul VI came here in 1964. The establishment of diplomatic relations between us in 1994 set a seal on efforts to open an era of dialogue on questions of common interest concerning religious freedom, relations between Church and State and, more generally, relations between Christians and Jews."

"Christians and Jews," he underscored, "must make courageous efforts to remove all forms of prejudice. We must strive always and everywhere to present the true face of the Jews and Judaism, as likewise of Christians and Christianity, and this at every level of attitude, teaching and communication."

"My journey therefore is a pilgrimage ... to the origins of our religious history," Pope John Paul II stressed. "It is a tribute to the three religious traditions which co-exist in this land.

Saying he looked forward to meeting "the Catholic communities in their rich variety" and the members of various Christian Churches and communities, the Holy Father concluded: "I pray that my visit here will serve to encourage an increase of inter-religious dialogue that will lead Jews, Christians and Muslims to seek in their respective beliefs, and in the universal brotherhood that unites all the members of the human family, the motivation and perseverance to work for the peace and justice which the peoples of the Holy Land do not yet have, and for which they yearn so deeply."

At 6:30 p.m., the Pope is scheduled to board a helicopter for the 25-minute flight to Jerusalem. He will stay at the apostolic delegation.

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POPE VISITS PLACE WHERE THE LORD WAS BAPTIZED

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2000 (VIS) - At 3:15 p.m. today, the Pope travelled by helicopter from the apostolic nunciature of Amman to Wadi Al-Kharrar, in the Jordan Valley where he made a visit and presided at a brief liturgical ceremony.

Also known as 'Bethany in Transjordan,' not to be confused with the town of Bethany in Israel (house of Mary, Marta and Lazarus), Wadi Al-Kharrar lies 350 meters below the level of the Mediterranean and a few kilometers from the Dead Sea and, according to Scripture, it was "in Bethany, beyond the River Jordan where John was baptizing." Important archeological excavations, linked with the idea of the place of Jesus' Baptism, have taken place on this site.

On the banks of the Jordan, in the presence of 2,000 people, John Paul II pronounced a prayer of blessing to the Holy Trinity, recalling the Baptism of Jesus. Prior to the prayer he said: "In the Gospel of St. Luke we read that 'the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.' Here, at the River Jordan, where both banks are visited by hosts of pilgrims honoring the Baptism of the Lord, I too lift up my heart in prayer."

After the service, the Holy Father was scheduled to travel by helicopter to Queen Alia International Airport in Amman where, following a farewell ceremony with King Abdallah II of Jordan and religious and civil authorities, he will depart for Tel Aviv, Israel.

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2,000 CHILDREN MAKE FIRST COMMUNION AT PAPAL MASS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2000 (VIS) - At 9 this morning local time, in the stadium of Amman's Al-Hussein Youth City sports complex, Pope John Paul celebrated the first Mass of his Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Among those present were Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah, Greek Melkite Exarch Georges El-Murr, members of the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land and representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities.

Today's Mass was in honor of St. John the Baptist, prophet and precursor of Christ, and patron saint of Jordan. At the start of the celebration, water from the Jordan River was blessed and sprinkled on the faithful, including 2,000 children who received First Communion. The Gospel was proclaimed according to the Greek Melkite rite. Patriarch Sabbah introduced the profession of faith. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope blessed three cornerstones which will be used in building a Maronite church, a Syro-Catholic church and the "Regina Pacis" Center.

"The Successor of Peter," said the Holy Father in his homily in English, "is a pilgrim in this land blessed by the presence of Moses and Elijah, where Jesus Himself taught and worked miracles, where the early Church bore witness in the lives of many saints and martyrs. In this year of the Great Jubilee the whole Church, and especially today the Christian community of Jordan, are spiritually united in a pilgrimage to the origins of our faith, a pilgrimage of conversion and penance, of reconciliation and peace."

The Pope highlighted the story of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, "the covenant of love between God and man" made on Mount Sinai when Moses received the Ten Commandments, "the divine pedagogy of love," and "the prophets, including John the Baptist, who paid with their blood for denouncing failures to keep the Covenant."

He also spoke of "the divine promise - 'I am with you ... to deliver you'," saying that "Jesus is the realization of the promise ... (and) the fulfillment of the Law. ... He reveals the true nature of the Promised Land where "'death shall be no more'."

John Paul II then turned to the fact that, "during the last five years, the Church in this region has been celebrating the Pastoral Synod of the Churches in the Holy Land." Saying that he "gladly receives the fruits of the synod," the Pope remarked that it "has made clear that your future lies in unity and solidarity."

Addressing the bishops and priests, he urged them to "be good shepherds according to the Heart of Christ!" to guide their flocks to the Kingdom of Christ and to "strengthen the pastoral life of your communities." He expressed "the Church's immense gratitude for your witness to the supremacy of God in all things" to the men and women religious.
He told the laity: "Do not be afraid to take your proper place and responsibility in the Church." He invited mothers, who today are celebrating Mother's Day in Jordan, "to be builders of a new civilization of love. Love your families! Teach them the dignity of all life; teach them the ways of harmony and peace."

The Pope asked young people "to build your future on the solid foundation of God's love" and to "help transform the world around you. ... To the children making their First Holy Communion, I say: Jesus is your best friend. He knows what is in your hearts. Stay close to Him, and in your prayers remember the Church and the Pope."

Following Mass, Pope John Paul went to the Latin vicariate of Amman where he had lunch with the patriarch, Latin patriarchal vicar for Jordan, bishops and members of the papal entourage. In the early afternoon he returned to the apostolic nunciature.

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IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2000 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

- Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-mei, archbishop of Shanghai, China, on March 12, aged 98.
- Bishop Ignatius Harsono, emeritus of Bogor, Indonesia, on March 1, aged 77.
- Bishop John James Howe S.S.C.M.E., emeritus of Myitkyina, Myanmar, on March 7, aged 88.
- Archbishop Gordon Anthony Pantin C.S.Sp., of Port of Spain, Trinidad, on March 11, aged 70.

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POPE THANKS RETREAT MASTER, "A WITNESS TO THE CROSS"

VATICAN CITY, MAR 18, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, at the conclusion of the retreat for the Roman Curia, Pope John Paul spoke briefly to those gathered in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel, calling this period "days of grace and prayer, ... of intense and prolonged listening to the Spirit, ... of a strong community experience."

He had special thanks for the retreat master, Archbishop Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, whose "simplicity and inspiration ... led us to deepen our vocation as witnesses to Gospel hope at the start of the third millennium. As a witness himself to the Cross in his long years of imprisonment in Vietnam, he frequently told us facts and episodes of his much-suffered imprisonment, strengthening us in the consoling certainty that when everything falls apart around us and perhaps even within us, Christ is our unfailing support. We are grateful to Archbishop Van Thuan - in prison he was only Mr. Van Thuan - for his witness."

John Paul II concluded by asking those present "to continue to accompany me with prayer, especially during the pilgrimage to the Holy Land which, God willing, I will have the joy of making next week."

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JOHN PAUL VISITS MOUNT NEBO, SITE WHERE MOSES DIED

VATICAN CITY, MAR 20, 2000 (VIS) - Following today's arrival and welcome ceremony at Amman's Queen Alia Airport, Pope John Paul travelled by car to Mount Nebo, 42 kilometers southwest of Jordan's capital and the site where Moses died shortly after God showed him the Promised Land. He visited the ancient monastery, which has been restored, and the Moses Memorial, placed outside the sanctuary.

Moses and the People of Israel, having escaped captivity in Egypt, had spent 40 years of nomadic living in search of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. Moses' death is recounted in Deuteronomy 34: "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land. ... And the Lord said to him: 'This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, I will give it to your descendants. I will let you see it with your eyes but you shall not go over there'. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab."

Rising from the Transjordanian plateau, Mount Nebo's highest point is 800 meters above sea level. Two of its most significant peaks are Siyagha, 710 meters, and el-Mukhayyat at 790 meters. Mount Nebo offers a panorama embracing much of the Holy Land: to the south it extends over the Dead Sea and the Desert of Judah; to the west it embraces the Valley of the Jordan and the mountains of Judea and Samaria. Still to the west, most especially on clear days, one can also spot Bethlehem, Herod's fortress, the domes of Jerusalem and the oasis of Jericho. To the north one can view the southern slopes of the Wadi Zerqa (Blue Valley).

The Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land have been present on Mount Nebo since 1932 when, through Friar Jerome Mihaic and with the collaboration of Emir Abdallah bin al-Hussein, they acquired the summits of Siyagha and el-Mukhayyat, the former being the site of a fourth century shrine built by the Christian community in honor of Moses. It is this site which the Pope visited today.

The Jerusalem-based Studium Biblicum Franciscanum sponsored two excavations on Siyagha: the first took place between 1933 and 1937, and the second, which began in 1960, is ongoing.

The first period of excavations brought to light the fourth century basilica of Moses, built on the foundations of an earlier, classical-era basilica, the monastery of Wadi Afrit which surrounded it and five churches. The excavations and monastic restoration continue today and small groups of archaeologists and restorers from several countries come to Mount Nebo, working mainly in the summer months.

In 1932 the Franciscans built a convent on this summit to house the members of the archeological expedition as they worked. The convent area has grown over the years and is now occasionally used by the Franciscans as a retreat house. An adjacent garden and other facilities are often used by local Christian communities for days of recollection.

Pope John Paul, after a private visit to the ancient monastery, participated in a prayer service on the plains of Mount Nebo in the presence of Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land, religious authorities and members of the lay faithful.

He departed the sanctuary in mid-afternoon, returning to Amman and the apostolic nunciature. In late afternoon the Holy Father was scheduled to go to the royal palace to pay a courtesy call on King Abdallah II Bin Hussein of Jordan. Crowned king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on February 7, 1999, following his father's death, Abdallah had previously met the Pope when he was received in Castelgandolfo on September 18, 1999.

The Pope was scheduled to meet other members of the royal family, and then return to the nunciature.

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POPE IN JORDAN: THE PEACE PROCESS MUST CONTINUE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 20, 2000 (VIS) - This morning at 9 a.m., John Paul II departed from Rome's Fiumicino airport en route for Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. After a four hour flight he landed at Queen Alia International Airport in the nation's capital, thus beginning his 91st trip outside Italy and the second stage of his Jubilee pilgrimage to places linked to the history of salvation.

This is the second visit of a Pope to Jordan, following that by Paul VI in 1964. After being welcomed by King Abdallah II, by civil and religious authorities, the diplomatic corps and His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins, the Pope spoke, in response to an address by the king.

"My visit to your country and the entire journey which I am beginning today is part of the religious Jubilee pilgrimage which I am making to commemorate the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ."

"Today I am in Jordan, a land familiar to me from the Holy Scriptures; a land sanctified by the presence of Jesus Himself, by the presence of Moses, Elijah and John the Baptist, and of saints and martyrs of the early Church. Yours is a land noted for its hospitality and openness to all."

The Pope made mention of the king's concern for peace in Jordan and the entire region, and of the importance that Muslims and Christians be "one people and one family. In this area of the world there are grave and urgent issues of justice, of the rights of peoples and nations, which have to be resolved for the good of all concerned and as a condition of lasting peace. No matter how difficult, no matter how long, the process of seeking peace must continue. Without peace, there can be no authentic development for this region, no better life for its peoples, no brighter future for its children. That is why Jordan's proven commitment to securing the conditions necessary for peace is so important and praiseworthy."

"The three historical monotheistic religions count peace, goodness and respect for the human person among their highest values."

After recalling that the Catholic Church always desires to cooperate with nations and peoples in promoting the dignity of the human person, John Paul II said, "your noble tradition of respect for all religions guarantees the religious freedom which makes this possible, and which is in fact a fundamental human right."

Following the ceremony, the Pope travelled to Mt. Nebo.

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CARDINAL MARTINEZ SOMALO CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF PRIESTHOOD

VATICAN CITY, MAR 18, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from Pope John Paul, written in Latin and dated March 1, to Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo in which he congratulated the prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life on the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

The cardinal, who is also camerlengo of Holy Roman Church, was ordained a priest on March 19, 1950. He was named a bishop in 1975 and elevated to the College of Cardinals in 1988.

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JOHN PAUL II PRAYS FOR THOSE SUFFERING EMBARGO IN IRAQ

VATICAN CITY, MAR 18, 2000 (VIS) - The Pope today recalled Iraqis who are "being so severely tried by the continuing international embargo," assuring "all those who are suffering, especially women, children and elderly, of my prayerful support. May Jesus, true friend of the poor and afflicted, ever accompany them in their difficulties and sustain them with His love."

John Paul II pronounced these words during an audience in St. Peter's Square with faithful of the Chaldean Catholic Church, accompanied by His Beatitude Raphael I Bidawid, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, who are presently celebrating their Jubilee.
The Pope also addressed pastors and faithful of the Syro-Malabar Church in India and other parts of the world who are also in Rome for their Jubilee: "Through prayer and repentance, devotion and conversion, may the manifold graces which God showers upon His Church during this 'year of favor' bear ever more abundant fruits of holiness in your lives."

John Paul II encouraged faithful from the diocese of Vicenza, Italy, to combat such problems as "the notable drop in vocations to the priesthood and religious life," the fragility of many marriages, secularization and the fall in attendance at Sunday Mass. "Be firm and faithful to Christ and His Gospel, be generous and open towards your brothers and sisters."

The Holy Father requested that pilgrims from the Italian diocese of Sorrento-Castellammare di Stabia be "submissive to the call of the Lord. ... Allow His Word to enlighten you, His love to transform you and, on your return, take His joy and His peace to all those you encounter."

Turning to address members of the Italian Women's Center, the Pope said. "Know how to live your vocation with a courage similar to that of Mary of Nazareth, new woman and fertile witness of the Lord's goodness."

The Holy Father also had words for participants in The Forum of Christian organizations for pastoral work in circuses and fairgrounds, expressing his desire that they bear witness through "patience, courage, calculated risk, close collaboration and mutual respect."

Finally, John Paul II addressed theology students from the Borromeo College in Munster, Germany: "I hope you will study much over these days in Rome and that, in the city, you will recognize the universal Church."

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ST. JOSEPH, EXAMPLE OF INDUSTRIOUSNESS AND HONOR IN WORK

VATICAN CITY, MAR 19, 2000 (VIS) - Today, the second Sunday of Lent, John Paul II celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Square on the occasion of the Jubilee of Artisans. The Eucharistic celebration was preceded by songs and readings evoking the figure of St. Joseph. The liturgical celebration of the saint's feast has been put off until tomorrow, March 20.

In his homily, the Holy Father told the 40,000 artisans and their families, who have come to Rome from various countries, that St. Joseph, their patron saint, is an "example of industriousness and honesty in daily work. ... Next to St. Joseph, you find the Son of God Himself who, under (St. Joseph's) guidance, learns the trade of carpentry and practices it to the age of 30, proposing Himself as the 'Gospel of work'."

The Pope explained that "through faith in Christ, died and risen again, the fatigue and burden of daily work gain a new light of hope. ... Dear artisans, fortified by this knowledge, you can restore strength and concrete form to those values that have always characterized your activities: the striving for quality, the spirit of initiative, the promotion of artistic qualities, liberty and cooperation, the equitable relationship between technology and the environment, the bond with the family and good neighborly relations."

"Dear artisans," he concluded, "you have come here today to celebrate your Jubilee. May the light of the Gospel illuminate ever more your daily experience of work. The Jubilee offers you the chance to meet Jesus, Joseph and Mary, entering their home and the humble Nazareth workshop. ... Nazareth teaches us to overcome the apparent tension between active and contemplative life."

During the offertory, representatives of artisans and restorers presented the Pope with various gifts, such as the corner stone of a building, ceramics, a lamp and a book of liturgical songs and prayers, symbols of the works that the various artisan organizations will carry out.

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