GENERAL AUDIENCE: GLORY OF THE TRINITY AT PENTECOST

VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2000 (VIS) - In today's general audience which was held in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 40,000 pilgrims, John Paul II spoke on "the glory of the Trinity at Pentecost."

The Pope recalled that "Christian Pentecost celebrates the effusion of the Holy Spirit" which "is made manifest, given and communicated as a divine person."

"As a support to witness and as a font of unity in plurality," said the Pope, "the whole Trinity is involved in the inrush of the Holy Spirit, which poured forth upon the first community and on the Church of all times as a seal of the New Covenant announced by the prophets. By virtue of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles announce the Risen Christ and all believers, in the diversity of their languages - and therefore of their cultures and history - profess the one faith in the Lord."

Pentecost, continued the Pope, makes the glory of the Trinity shine forth: (the glory) "of the Risen Christ who shows Himself in His glorious body, of the Father, who is the source of the apostolic mission and of the Holy Spirit, which surges forth as gift of peace."

The Holy Father affirmed that the symbolic breath "means to evoke the act of the Creator. ... The Risen Christ communicates another breath of life, the 'Holy Spirit.' Redemption is a new creation, a divine work in which the Church is called to collaborate through the ministry of reconciliation."

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JOHN PAUL II TO RECEIVE CHARTER OF RIGHTS OF REFUGEES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2000 (VIS) - A communique issued today by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People listed some of the highlights of the forthcoming Jubilee of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, to be held in Rome as well as in various dioceses of the world from June 1 to 3.

"The Jubilee year," observes the press release, "starting with its biblical roots, explicitly brings to mind an element which is very dear to all those forced to abandon their homes and countries: being freed and returning to one's own land."

The communique states that special regard will be given to the world's refugees on June 1 and 2. On these dates "attention will be focussed on those persons forced to emigrate against their will, that is, to the more than 50 million refugees, displaced persons, repatriated people, those asking for asylum and others in similar situations." The focal point will be the Mass on June 2 in St. Peter's Square presided over by Pope John Paul.
Tomorrow afternoon, at the Oratory of the Church of St. Francis of Caravita in Rome, there will be an encounter-reflection on the theme of reconciliation for refugees and for workers and humanitarians involved in this pastoral ministry. On this occasion a "Jubilee Charter for the Rights of Refugees" will be issued. This declaration of solidarity with refugees will be given by a refugee to the Holy Father during the Offertory of the papal Mass on June 2.

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CELEBRATION FOR THE FIFTH CENTENARY OF ST. JOHN OF AVILA

VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was a message from the Pope to Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid, Spain, and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. The message is for the occasion of today's national pilgrimage of Spanish bishops and priests to Montilla in Cordoba, Spain, in homage to St. John of Avila on the 5th centenary of his birth. The relics of the saint are preserved at Montilla.

"The celebration of this gathering," writes the Pope, "must represent a fresh display of gratitude to the Lord for the gift of His presence among His people through the priestly ministry, of which St. John of Avila is an ever-current model."

The Holy Father affirms that "the example of (St. John of Avila's) life and his saintliness is the best lesson that he continues to impart to priests today, (who are) also called to give renewed impetus to evangelization in circumstances that are often disconcerting for the rapidity of change or the almost unbridgeable differences between mentalities and cultures, sometimes combined in the same environment."

The Holy Father made clear his desire that this gathering "reinforce the bonds of fraternity between priests and the intimate communion with their bishops and strengthen their vocation, that they may better and more generously serve God's people who reside in the various parts of Spain."

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POPE THANKS UKRAINIANS FOR THEIR SUFFERINGS FOR THE FAITH

VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2000 (VIS) - During the weekly general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father had special words for a group of pilgrims from the archdiocese of Lviv of the Latins, Ukraine, led by Archbishop Marian Jaworski. He said he was "moved" and "delighted" by their presence, adding "we are all witnesses of the great works of God and the great signs of Divine Providence."

Speaking Ukrainian, the Pope underlined that their pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul was to express "gratitude to God above all for the gift of the faith received in Baptism and to ask that it be strengthened.

"You know well the value of this gift. For decades you paid for your fidelity to God with suffering and humiliations of various kinds, you were discriminated against and have undergone painful persecutions. It is with emotion that I think of the multitude of laity and ecclesiastics who had the courage and strength to persevere right up to the end next to Christ and His Church, notwithstanding prison, deportation to concentration camps and forced labor camps. How many of them paid with their lives for this fidelity to God, to the Catholic Church and to the Apostolic See. For this the Church today thanks you and your brothers of the Oriental rite."

He asked the faithful "to preserve deep in your memories the witness of these martyrs and transmit it to future generations."

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HOLY FATHER'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JUNE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father's general prayer intention for June is: "That Christ - adored and celebrated in the Eucharist - may increasingly be welcomed and shared as Bread of life for the good of the world."

His missionary intention is: "That in China priests, religious men and women, and the laity may be animated by an apostolic and Catholic spirit."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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

- Archbishop Jose Carlos Melo C.M., auxiliary of Sao Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, as coadjutor archbishop of Maceio (area 8,545, population 1,680,220, Catholics 1,180,000, priests 92, permanent deacons 28, religious 269), Brazil.

- Fr. Fernando Antonio Saburido O.S.B., vicar general of Olinda and Recife (area 4,305, population 3,350,000, Catholics 3,119,000, priests 194, religious 784), Brazil, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese. The bishop-elect was born in Cabo, Brazil, in 1947 and ordained a priest in 1983.

- Fr. Milton Antonio dos Santos S.D.B., director of the 'Santa Teresinha' College at Sao Paulo, Brazil, as bishop of Corumba (area 62,890, population 101,887, Catholics 76,415, priests 11, religious 24), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born at Campos do Jordao, Brazil, in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1974.

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CALENDAR OF JUBILEE EVENTS FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2000 (VIS) - Following is the calendar of Jubilee events scheduled for the month of June:

- Thursday 1: Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Jubilee of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.

- Friday, 2: Papal Mass in St. Peter's Square for Jubilee of Migrants.

- Sunday 4: Seventh Sunday of Easter. Day of Social Communications and the Jubilee of Journalists. Cardinal Roger Etchegaray presides Mass at 10 a.m. in the Paul VI Hall for Journalists. Holy Father greets journalists after Mass.

- Thursday, 8: Evening concert in the Paul VI Hall with the Vienna Philharmonic.

- Saturday, 10: Vigil of Pentecost. Papal Mass at 6:30 p.m. in St. Peter's Square.

- Sunday 18: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Celebration of the opening of the 47th International Eucharistic Congress in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

- Thursday 22: Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Massat 7 p.m. followed by Eucharistic procession from St. John Lateran Basilica to St. Mary Major Basilica.

- Sunday 25: Closing of the International Eucharistic Congress. The Pope will preside at a "statio orbis" at 6:30 p.m. in St. Peter's Square to conclude the Eucharistic congress.

- Thursday 29: Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Celebration of Mass and the imposition of the Pallium on metropolitan archbishops in St. Peter's Basilica.

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MEDIA MUST SERVE HUMAN PERSON AND HUMAN COMMUNITY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 30, 2000 (VIS) - Archbishop John Foley and Bishop Pierfranco Pastore, president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, presented the newest council document this morning in the Holy See Press Office.

Archbishop Foley stated that "after the positive response to our 1997 document, 'Ethics in Advertising', which went well beyond our expectations, we received suggestions from throughout the world, asking us to broaden our reflections to include the entire field of communications. Today's document, 'Ethics in Communications', is the answer to that request."

"We wished to follow the much appreciated formula of the preceding document, first treating the positive aspects of communications which are useful for people, then those (aspects) which violate their good."

In his presentation, Archbishop Foley stressed three points made in the document: 1. "Communications should be by persons for the integral development of persons"; 2. "The good of persons cannot be realized apart from the common good of the communities to which they belong"; 3. "Decisions about media content and policy should not be left only to the market and to economic factors - profits - since these cannot be counted on to safeguard either the public interest as a whole or, especially, the legitimate interests of minorities."

Bishop Pastore indicated that, in preparing the document, it had been considered important "not to forget that the question of truth calls for everyone to participate in the search for that truth."

"We feel that our views coincide with those of many people if we affirm that manipulative possibilities, inherent in the power and sophistication of the instruments, together with an unscrupulous and substantially 'immoral' use of the communications media, render conditioning or even the destruction of individual liberty and democracy in general, a real possibility."

Finally, he highlighted that "when we reach the point of endangering these values or putting them in doubt, it is absolutely essential to make a more attentive ethical examination; we must insist on the fact that ethics are the heart of information and that all information without ethics can be immoral."

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JUNE 1-4: JUBILEE OF JOURNALISTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 30, 2000 (VIS) - Among the Jubilee celebrations this coming week is the Jubilee of Journalists, which starts on Ascension Thursday, June 1, and concludes with an audience with Pope John Paul on Sunday, June 4, in the Paul VI Hall.
The afternoon of June 1, journalists will be welcomed by Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and by Theresa Ee-Chooi, president of the International Catholic Press Union. Following this they will be divided into smaller groups for guided tours of the Sistine Chapel. The day concludes with the usual 7:30 p.m. Jubilee evening prayer in St. Peter's Square.

On Friday morning, June 2 there will be a conference on "Truth and Witness," featuring Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos and Bishop Pierfranco Pastore. At 5 p.m. there will be a video-conference in worldwide linkup in the Paul VI Hall, in the presence of Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, Archbishop Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan and Bishop Diarmuid Martin.

At 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 3, journalists will process through the Holy Door at St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls where, at 10, there will be an ecumenical celebration of the Word, presided over by Cardinal Edward Cassidy. At 7:30 that evening in the basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, there will be an organ concert.

Prior to the June 4 audience with the Holy Father, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the central Jubilee committee, will celebrate Mass for the journalists.

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"ETHICS IN COMMUNICATIONS"

VATICAN CITY, MAY 30, 2000 (VIS) - "Ethics in Communications" is the title of the document published today by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. It is signed by Archbishop John Foley and Bishop Pierfranco Pastore, respectively president and secretary of the council, and dated June 4, 2000, the Jubilee Day for Journalists.

Following are excerpts from the booklet which was published in Italian, English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese:

I. INTRODUCTION

"Great good and great evil come from the use people make of the media of social communication. ... 'Media' ... are not blind forces of nature beyond human control. ... People choose whether to use the media for good or evil ends, in a good or evil way. ... These choices, central to the ethical question, are made not only by those who receive communication ' viewers, listeners, readers ' but especially by those who control the instruments of social communication and determine their structures, policies, and content."

"Technological change rapidly is making the media of communication even more pervasive and powerful. ... The range and diversity of media accessible to people in well-to-do countries already are astonishing. ... The contents of this vast outpouring range from hard news to pure entertainment, prayer to pornography, contemplation to violence. ... Not even those who shun the media can avoid contact with others who are deeply influenced by them.

"The Church has reasons of her own for being interested in the means of social communication. Viewed in the light of faith, the history of human communication can be seen as a long journey from Babel ... to Pentecost and the gift of tongues."

"The Church's approach to the means of social communication is fundamentally positive, encouraging. ... She desires to support those who are professionally involved in communication by setting out positive principles to assist them in their work. Most professional communicators desire to use their talents to serve the human family, and are troubled by the growing economic and ideological pressures to lower ethical standards present in many sectors of the media."

"The Church brings several things to this conversation; ... a long tradition of moral wisdom, rooted in divine revelation and human reflection. ... The Church also brings something else to the conversation. Her special contribution to human affairs, including the world of social communication, is 'precisely her vision of the dignity of the person revealed in all its fullness in the mystery of the Incarnate Word'."

II. SOCIAL COMMUNICATION THAT SERVES THE HUMAN PERSON

"The Pastoral Instruction on Social Communications 'Communio et Progressio' makes it clear that the media are called to serve human dignity by helping people live well and function as persons in community. ... We note here ... some economic, political, cultural, educational, and religious benefits.

"Economic. ... Today's complex national and international economic systems could not function without the media. Remove them, and crucial economic structures would collapse, with great harm to countless people and to society."

"Political. Social communication benefits society by facilitating informed citizen participation in the political process. ... Media are indispensable in today's democratic societies. They supply information about issues and events, office holders and candidates for office. They enable leaders to communicate quickly and directly with the public about urgent matters."

"Cultural. The means of social communication offer people access to literature, drama, music, and art otherwise unavailable to them, and so promote human development in respect to knowledge and wisdom and beauty. ... Media also make it possible for ethnic groups to cherish and celebrate their cultural traditions."

"Educational. The media are important tools of education in many contexts, from school to workplace, and at many stages in life. ... The instruments of communication, including the Internet, conquer barriers of distance and isolation, bringing learning opportunities to villagers in remote areas, cloistered religious, the home-bound, prisoners, and many others.

"Religious. Many people's religious lives are greatly enriched through the media. They carry news and information about religious events, ideas, and personalities; they serve as vehicles for evangelization and catechesis."

"In all these settings ' economic, political, cultural, educational, religious ' as well as others, the media can be used to build and sustain human community."

III. SOCIAL COMMUNICATION THAT VIOLATES THE GOOD OF THE PERSON

"The media also can be used to block community and injure the integral good of persons. ... Abuses exist in each of the areas just mentioned.

"Economic. The media sometimes are used to build and sustain economic systems that serve acquisitiveness and greed. Neoliberalism is a case in point: 'Based on a purely economic conception of man', it 'considers profit and the law of the market as its only parameters, to the detriment of the dignity of and the respect due to individuals and peoples.' ... The process of globalization 'can create unusual opportunities for greater prosperity', ... but ... some nations and peoples suffer exploitation and marginalization. ... Faced with grave injustices, it is not enough for communicators simply to say that their job is to report things as they are. That undoubtedly is their job. But some instances of human suffering are largely ignored by media even as others are reported; and insofar as this reflects a decision by communicators, it reflects indefensible selectivity."

"Political. Unscrupulous politicians use media for demagoguery and deception in support of unjust policies and oppressive regimes. They misrepresent opponents and systematically distort and suppress the truth by propaganda and 'spin.' ... Even in countries with democratic systems, it is all too common for political leaders to manipulate public opinion through the media instead of fostering informed participation in the political process. ... Often, too, the media popularize the ethical relativism and utilitarianism that underlie today's culture of death."

"Cultural. Critics frequently decry the superficiality and bad taste of media. ... It is no excuse to say the media reflect popular standards; for they also powerfully influence popular standards and so have a serious duty to uplift, not degrade, them. ... On the international level, traditional cultural expressions are virtually excluded from access to popular media in some places and face extinction; meanwhile the values of affluent, secularized societies increasingly supplant the traditional values of societies less wealthy and powerful. ... Communication across cultural lines is desirable."

"Educational. Instead of promoting learning, media can distract people and cause them to waste time. Children and young people are especially harmed in this way, but adults also suffer from exposure to banal, trashy presentations. ... Sometimes, too, media are used as tools of indoctrination, with the aim of controlling what people know and denying them access to information the authorities do not want them to have."

"Religious. In the relationship between the means of social communication and religion there are temptations on both sides. On the side of the media, these include ignoring or marginalizing religious ideas and experience; treating religion with incomprehension, perhaps even contempt, as an object of curiosity that does not merit serious attention; promoting religious fads at the expense of traditional faith; treating legitimate religious groups with hostility etc. ... The temptations on the side of religion include taking an exclusively judgmental and negative view of media; ... presenting religious messages in an emotional, manipulative style; ... using media as instruments for control and domination; practicing unnecessary secrecy and otherwise offending against truth."

"In short, the media can be used for good or for evil ' it is a matter of choice."

IV. SOME RELEVANT ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

"Today especially, the international community and international communications interests should take a generous and inclusive approach to nations and regions where what the means of social communication do ' or fail to do ' bears a share of the blame for the perpetuation of evils like poverty, illiteracy, political repression and violations of human rights, intergroup and interreligious conflicts, and the suppression of indigenous cultures."

"The presumption should always be in favor of freedom of expression. ... There are obvious instances ' for example, libel and slander, messages that seek to foster hatred and conflict among individuals and groups, obscenity and pornography, the morbid depiction of violence ' where no right to communicate exists. Plainly, too, free expression should always observe principles like truth, fairness, and respect for privacy."

"Decisions about media content and policy should not be left only to the market and to economic factors ' profits ' since these cannot be counted on to safeguard either the public interest as a whole or, especially, the legitimate interests of minorities."

"The first duty of recipients of social communication is to be discerning and selective. They should inform themselves about media ' their structures, mode of operation, contents ' and make responsible choices, according to ethically sound criteria, about what to read or watch or listen to. ... Through her schools and formation programs the Church should provide media education of this kind. ... For their children's sake, as well as their own, parents must learn and practice the skills of discerning viewers and listeners and readers, acting as models of prudent use of media in the home."

"Catholics, like other citizens, have the right of free expression, including the right of access to the media for this purpose. ... No one, however, has a right to speak for the Church, or imply he or she does, unless properly designated; and personal opinions should not be presented as the Church's teaching."

V. CONCLUSION

"Will new technology serve all nations and peoples, while respecting the cultural traditions of each; or will it be a tool to enrich the rich and empower the powerful? We have to choose. The means of communication also can be used to separate and isolate. ... In the world of media, moreover, the inherent difficulties of communicating often are magnified by ideology, by the desire for profit and political control, by rivalries and conflicts between groups, and by other social ills."

"The Christian communicator in particular has a prophetic task, a vocation: to speak out against the false gods and idols of the day ' materialism, hedonism, consumerism, narrow nationalism, and the rest ' holding up for all to see a body of moral truth based on human dignity and rights, the preferential option for the poor, the universal destination of goods, love of enemies, and unconditional respect for all human life from conception to natural death."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 30, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Dimitrios Salachas, of the apostolic exarchate of Greece, as "referendario" (consultor) of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 30, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in audience Archbishop John Patrick Foley, Bishop Pierfranco Pastore and Angelo Scelzo, respectively president, secretary and under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

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JOHN PAUL II OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES SPRING MARATHON

VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 2000 (VIS) - At 10 this morning Pope John Paul appeared at his study window to greet those gathered below in St. Peter's Square who are participating in the Spring Marathon. He spoke briefly and then officially started the 20th edition of this race which celebrates Catholic schools in the Lazio region of Italy and which, on the occasion of the Jubilee Year, includes state-run schools as well.

"As you run through the streets of Rome," he told the participants, "bring a message of hope: be witnesses that it is possible to build a future of peace and justice, rejecting every form of exploitation and oppression." He added that schools should be places "of formation to face the emerging challenges of our times."

For students, the school years "are a precious cultural opportunity to fully use to your advantage." For teachers, they "are an occasion to transmit not only ideas and scientific data, but also to communicate an authentic experience of life." For families, these "are important years to guide your children."

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ARCHBISHOP TAURAN MEETS VIETNAMESE FOREIGN MINISTER

VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 2000 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following declaration: "This morning a meeting took place in the Vatican between Nguyen Dy Nien, foreign minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for Relations with States. During the friendly encounter, questions of interest to both parties were discussed."

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HOLY FATHER WELCOMES MISSIONARIES OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 2000 (VIS) - The Pope this morning welcomed the missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, who are in Rome to celebrate their congregation's General Chapter. In a Message he consigned to the order, he recalls that it was founded in France in 1838 by Fr. Pierre-Marie Mermier, who "was prompted by the spiritual needs of French society in his own time."

"Following the upheavals of the early years of the 19th century," he writes, "the consequent decline of religious knowledge and practice called for a determined missionary approach to rouse people from their apathy and urge them to be converted. Inspired by St. Frances di Sales' simplicity, benevolence and confidence," Fr. Mermier committed the first priests to "work in the spirit of the saintly bishop of Geneva."

Noting that the congregation today "is present in many parts of the world, and continues to grow and make progress," John Paul II underlined how "today, more than ever, people need to hear the message of salvation ... and to welcome into their lives the mercy of God Who makes us His adopted children and heals the wounds of our hearts. All Christ's disciples should have a deep sense of the need to pass on to others the light and joy of the faith.

The Message urges the missionaries "to be attentive to the new challenges of our times," to be "committed to an intense life of prayer" and to "trust in God's Providence. ... In the field of education you must bear radical witness to the values of the Gospel, and instruct young people in the ways of unselfish commitment and holiness. ... In serving the poor, you must be simple and austere in your way of life, and you must love them in a dedicated and self-giving way, as Christ did."

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AUDIENCE WITH ITALIAN AND UKRAINIAN PILGRIMS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 2000 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square at midday today, the Pope received 10,000 pilgrims from the Italian diocese of Pozzuoli and from various Italian parishes, as well as a group from the Ukrainian armed forces.

The Holy Father told the faithful from Pozzuoli that "a sense of hospitality, a willingness to seriously face the Gospel and thoughtful cordiality in attending to those in need, are all values that are part of your heritage and that you must also cultivate as an essential element of your union with Christ."

"Faithful to the Gospel, your people have, in these last two millennia, conserved their faith and their bond of communion with the head of the apostolic college. Nothing has ever weakened this faithfulness, neither difficulty nor suffering, neither obstacles nor the natural disasters - volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, seismic activity - that have affected your land."

Referring to evangelization, John Paul II indicated that, in order for the announcement of Christ to have a profound impact, "all apostolic initiatives must be accompanied by unceasing human promotion" and by prayer.

Then, turning to a group of parishioners, the Pope emphasized his desire that "the providential period of the Holy Year be a strong call to render yourselves instruments of the grace of the Lord, Who brings salvation and renewal to those who are humble of spirit and open to truth."

Speaking Ukrainian to members of the armed forces of the Ukraine, who have come to Rome for the occasion of their Jubilee, he said: "Your Jubilee itinerary, which began at the foot of the grotto of Lourdes, today brings you to the tombs of the Apostles. Dear friends, from this reflective and prayerful pause draw the strength and courage to remain faithful to the Gospel and, in Christ's name, become true servants of justice and peace."

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DIOCESE OF ROME AND JUBILEE PILGRIMS ENTRUSTED TO MARY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 28, 2000 (VIS) - Before praying the Regina Coeli with the tens of thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Jubilee of the diocese of Rome, the Pope entrusted the fruits of this Jubilee to Mary, asking that "all who live in Rome might preserve a strong faith and sincere love for Jesus, the only Savior of the world."

He also asked Mary's aid for the forthcoming events: the Jubilee of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples from June 1-3, the Jubilee of Journalists on June 4 and the International Eucharistic Congress which takes place June 18-25.

In conclusion, the Holy Father entrusted all pilgrims to the Blessed Virgin. He noted that the month of May, which is dedicated to Mary, "is coming to an end, and will conclude on May 31 with the liturgical feast of the Visitation, which recalls Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Almost everywhere on that day there will be Marian celebrations, including in the Vatican where there will be the traditional evening procession to the Grotto of Lourdes.

"At Lourdes, as in Fatima, the Mother of God gave mankind the same message: prayer and penance, which echoes the Gospel warning: Be vigilant and pray! Only in this fashion can peace triumph in hearts, among men and women and among peoples."

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ROME IS A POINT OF REFERENCE FOR COMMUNION AND UNITY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 28, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's Square, the Pope presided at a concelebration of the Eucharist for the occasion of the Jubilee of the diocese of Rome. Taking part in the event were thousands of priests, religious and lay people from parishes, associations, movements and ecclesial groups in the city.

Before the start of Mass, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, made a brief address in which he expressed gratitude to God for the "the gift He gave us in having Your Holiness as our Bishop and pastor." As a sign of admiration and felicitation for his 80th birthday, he told the Pope: "Your diocese of Rome is dedicating the new parish that is being inaugurated today in a new neighborhood to St. Charles Borromeo, your celestial patron."

In his homily, the Holy Father recalled that during the Jubilee, many pilgrims have come to Rome "to profess Peter's same faith in Christ, Son of the Living God. This demonstrates once again the special vocation that divine Providence has reserved for Rome: that of being a reference point for the communion and unity of the whole Church and for the spiritual recuperation of all humanity."

The Pope gave thanks for the "great pastoral vitality and ardent evangelizing drive" of the Church of Rome in the last few years. "It is important that, from now on, there be a general effort to make the 'spirit of the Citizens' Mission' penetrate ever more deeply into the normal and everyday pastoral care of parishes and ecclesial bodies. This must be considered by everyone as a 'permanent commitment' and must involve all God's people, starting with those missionaries,' priests, religious and laity who have directly experienced the beauty and joy of evangelization.

"Precisely in view of this essential renewal within families and urban environments, it is more than ever necessary that in the coming pastoral year the fruits of the road travelled thus far be attentively examined."

John Paul II exhorted the Church in Rome to be aware of "how special your mission is, especially as regards the Jubilee! Do not be discouraged by the difficulties that you meet on your daily journey. You are supported by the witness of the Apostles, Peter and Paul who consecrated your birth with their blood, and encouraged by the example of saints and martyrs."

At the end of Mass, 40 children from various Roman primary schools danced before the Pope. After their performance, they approached the Holy Father who embraced and kissed them.

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POPE TO PRESIDE CONCLUSION OF EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul II will preside at the "statio orbis" in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, June 25, at 6:30 p.m. for the conclusion of the 47th International Eucharist Congress, according to a note published today by the Prefecture of the Papal Household. The solemn opening of this congress will take place the previous Sunday, June 18, in St. John Lateran Basilica.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 29, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Denis Sassou-N'Guesso, president of the Republic of the Congo, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.
- Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munoz, apostolic nuncio at the European Community.
- Petre Roman, Romanian foreign minister, accompanied by his entourage.
- Arcbishops Stephen Fumio Hamao and Francesco Gioia, respectively president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.

On Saturday May 27, he received in separate audiences:

- Mohamed Hussein Said El-Sadr, ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, accompanied by his wife on a farewell visit.
- Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, and Archbishop Ennio Antonelli, emeritus of Perugia-Citta della Pieve, secretary general of the conference.

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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF LITHUANIAN CARDINAL SLADKEVICIUS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 29, 2000 (VIS) - John Paul II sent the following telegram to Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevicius S.J., of Kaunas, Lithuania, upon the death yesterday of Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevicius M.C.I., archbishop emeritus of Kaunas, at the age of 79:

"Having learnt with deep emotion of the demise of the venerable Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevicius, archbishop emeritus of Kaunas, Lithuania, I express my deep sadness for the passing of a zealous servant of the Lord who, in his long ecclesiastical ministry, was an authentic witness of the Gospel. He was a priest of great faith and fervent piety and, although prevented for many years from practicing his episcopal ministry and placed under confinement, he never allowed himself to be intimidated, always giving a shining example of indomitable faith in Divine Providence and faithful loyalty to the See of Peter. I give thanks to God for this heroic priest and bishop that He gave to His Church and raise fervent prayers that He may accept him into eternal joy. At the same time, I send to you, to the Lithuanian Church and to all those who share the pain for the death of this brother who was so dear to me, a comforting apostolic blessing."

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JOHN PAUL II TO LUNCH WITH HOMELESS AND VISIT A PRISON

VATICAN CITY, MAY 28, 2000 (VIS) - Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe, secretary of the Vatican's central Jubilee committee, confirmed today that, as part of the Holy Year celebrations, Pope John Paul II will share lunch with 200 poor and homeless people in the Paul VI Hall on June 15.

The archbishop also stated that the Pope will visit the Roman prison of Regina Coeli on July 9, the date set for Jubilee celebrations in prisons.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 29, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Enrique Troncoso Troncoso of Iquique, Chile, as bishop of Melipilla (area 6,217, population 429,000, Catholics 352,000, priests 55, permanent deacons 28, religious 165), Chile.

On Saturday May 27, it was made public that he:

- Appointed Fr. Thomas Nguyen Van Tan, director of the propedeutic seminary in Vinh Long (area 7,221, population 3,500,000, Catholics 170,000, priests 130, religious 560), Vietnam, as coadjutor bishop of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Bai xan, Vietnam, in 1940 and ordained a priest in 1969. He succeeds Bishop Raphael Nguyen Van Diep, whose resignation from the office of coadjutor bishop of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in conformity with Canons 411 and 401, para. 2, of the Code of Canon Law.
- Appointed Fr. Paul Nguyen Binh Tinh P.S.S., rector of the major seminary of Hue, Vietnam, as coadjutor bishop of Da Nang (area 11,985, population 1,952,000, Catholics 52,000, priests 41, religious 328), Vietnam. The bishop-elect was born in Phat Diem, Vietnam, in 1930 and ordained a priest in 1960.

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SPORT CAN ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING PEACE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2000 (VIS) - The Pope sent a message to participants in last evening's "Match of the Heart," a football game in Rome's Olympic Stadium in which a team of Israeli and Palestinian artists played against a team of Italian singers. Present at the match were Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Yasser Arafat, president of the Palestinian Naational Authority, and Shimon Peres, Israeli minister for Development and Regional Policies.

"I express my appreciation," writes the Holy Father, "for this exceptional initiative that aims to consolidate the culture of acceptance and dialogue between Italian, Israeli and Palestinian peoples."

John Paul II affirms: "Sport too, a vehicle of human and moral stimuli and values, can assist towards making the world more fraternal and united in solidarity. May this 'match of the heart' encourage you, dear friends from different nations and cultures, to know one another better and to progress along the path of mutual respect and reciprocal esteem. May solidarity and peace be above all the winners in this heartwarming competition. From the Olympic Stadium, may your message of hope be transmitted: Sport too can contribute to building peace."

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PRESENTATION OF EXHIBITION ON STS. PETER AND PAUL

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2000 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at midday today, the exhibition "Peter and Paul, History, Worship, Memory in the First Centuries" was presented. The exhibition may be visited in Rome's chancellory building from June 30 to December 10.

Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe, secretary general of the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee, indicated that the exhibition has been organized by the "Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples" association of Rimini, Italy, in close collaboration with the Pontifical Monuments, Museums and Galleries. He added that it has been promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Laity for the occasion of World Youth Day, which will be held in August at Tor Vergata on the outskirts of Rome.

Archbishop Sepe said "Peter and Paul: this is the very heart of the significance and justification of the pilgrimage to Rome, the key element of the whole Jubilee, this is what the exhibition proposes and the goal at which it is aimed."

Bishop Stanislaw Rylko, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, said that the exhibition "lies in the context of the series of exhibitions on Christian art, on archeology and on Church history, promoted by our dicastery over the last few years on the occasion of World Youth Days." Furthermore, he added, "the common denominator in these exhibitions is the figure of Peter and his ministry in the Church. These two elements always shine forth in all their splendor whenever young people gather around the Pope."

For his part, Fabrizio Bisconti, secretary of the Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archeology, affirmed that the two apostles, Peter and Paul, are considered "in the dynamics of their evangelization, in their thought, in their arrival in Rome, in their death and in the unstoppable and unsuppressible worship that extended from their tombs over the entire city and from there over the whole 'Orbis Christianus Antiquus'."

Referring to the contents of the exhibition, Bisconti indicated that the first section contains lamps, plaques, stained glass and sarcophagi from the Jewish catacombs in Rome, while the second section houses a number of historic sarcophagi. The following two sections "develop, respectively, the themes of the history and iconography of the Princes of the Apostles, also giving consideration to episodes handed down in the apocryphal gospels, such as the miracle of the fountain and the arrest of Peter." The final section deals with the theme of worship "and contains material found near the tomb of Peter, portraits of the apostle and of Pope Siricius from the Leonine Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, and carved and mosaic inscriptions that recall the cult of the two martyrs par excellence."

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ROLE OF CULTURAL PATRIMONY IN PROMOTING HUMANISM, PEACE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2000 (VIS) - Fifty members of the International Union of the Institutes of Archeology, History and Art History in Rome were greeted today by the Pope who underlined their mission of "serving history and art by developing the numerous witnesses that Rome possesses of western civilization, of Christian culture and of the life of the Church."

He observed that they have "placed at the disposition of researchers and students a bibliographic data bank, set up under the auspices of the Roman Union of Scientific Libraries, in relation with the Vatican Apostolic Library. I am pleased about this remarkable work tool, as well as about the scholarships which you offer young researchers."

The Holy Father, addressing the group in French, said that "the Church knows the irreplaceable role of cultural patrimony for the promotion of an authentic humanism and lasting peace among nations. ... The spread of artistic and historic culture throughout all levels of society gives the men and women of our time the means to rediscover their roots and to draw from them the cultural and spiritual elements needed to build their personal and community life."

He remarked that "all men and all societies need a culture which opens itself to a healthy anthropological process, to moral and spiritual life. ... Art invites us to cultivate the beauty of existence, in fully living its moral exigencies, and in tirelessly searching for the truth. ... Cultural patrimony has precisely this function of opening man to the meaning of the mystery and the revelation of the absolute, for they are bearers of a message."

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HOLY FATHER WELCOMES NEW AMBASSADOR FROM GREECE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul today accepted the Letters of Credence of Stelios Rocanas, the new ambassador from the Hellenic Republic. In his speech of welcome, he noted that the Holy See's diplomatic activity "is a service motivated not by any national interest, not by narrowly institutional and confessional views, but by loving concern for the common good of all peoples and nations."

"Nowadays," the Pope continued, speaking English, "diplomacy must also face the challenges presented by globalization in order to overcome threats to peace and development such as the poverty of countless human beings, social inequalities, ethnic tensions, environmental pollution and respect for human rights and political freedom."

The Holy Father declared that "efforts to address these questions will founder unless they are based upon an objective criterion of moral accountability. The effort to establish an international court of justice for crimes against humanity is one expression of the demand for such a criterion in international public opinion. Yet ironically, the call for an objective criterion of moral accountability is in many cases accompanied by the spread of a relativistic approach to truth, which effectively denies any objective criterion of good and evil.

"The root of this dilemma ... is the tendency to exalt individual autonomy at the expense of the bonds which unite us and make us responsible for each other. Society needs a coherent vision which embraces both the dignity and inalienable rights of each individual, especially the weakest and most vulnerable."

John Paul II pointed to "the new impulse towards unity on various levels" within Europe, saying that this "must be based on moral and spiritual values. ... If Europe is to be faithful to its finest traditions and aspirations, if there is to be that new unity desired by so many, then Europe must draw afresh from the deep springs of true humanism which brought those traditions and aspirations to birth."

CD;LETTERS CREDENCE;...;GREECE; ROCANAS;VIS;20000526;Word: 320;

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Ismael Omar Guelleh, president of the Republic of Djibouti, accompanied by his entourage.
- Archbishop Andre Dupuy, apostolic nuncio in Venezuela.
- Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.

AP;...;...;... ;VIS;20000526;Word: 50;

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH REQUIRES AN ETHICAL BASE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today in the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father received participants in the Jubilee of Scientists, who had earlier taken part in a Mass presided by Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

The Pope, who spoke alternately in French, English, Spanish and Italian, recalled that "scientific research is based on the human spirit's capacity to discover that which is universal. This opening to knowledge is an introduction to the ultimate and fundamental meaning of the human being in the world."

"Faith, for its part, is able to integrate and assimilate every research, for all research, through a deeper understanding of created reality in all its specificity, gives man the possibility of discovering the Creator, source and goal of all things."

John Paul II emphasized that, "if in the past the separation between faith and reason represented a drama for man who experienced the risk of losing his interior unity under the threat of ever more fragmented knowledge, your mission today consists in continuing to carry out research in the conviction that 'for the intelligent man ... all things are harmonized and reconciled'."

Scientific research, he continued, "needs an ethical support as well as judicious openness to a culture that respects the needs of the individual." Addressing those who work in the field of research and development, he said: "In constant scrutiny of the mysteries of the world, leave your spirits open to the horizons that faith opens up before you. ... Thus, be above all passionate searchers of the invisible God who alone can satisfy the deep yearning of your lives, filling you with His grace."

The Pope concluded by underlining that the Jubilee of Scientists represents "an encouragement and a support for all those who sincerely search for the truth. It shows that it is possible to be both exacting researchers in all fields of knowledge and faithful disciples of the Gospel."

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FOUR NEW AMBASSADORS TO HOLY SEE WELCOMED BY JOHN PAUL II

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul welcomed four new ambassadors to the Holy See this morning during a ceremony in the Consistory Hall in which they collectively presented their Letters of Credence. The ambassadors are Christine Heather Bogle of New Zealand, Ahmad Abdulkarim Al-Ebrahim from Kuwait, Henri Marie Joseph Lopes of the Republic of Congo and Harry Osei Blavo from Ghana.

In his address in French, the Pope underscored "the spiritual importance of the Jubilee Year for the Church, who wishes at the same time to make a pressing appeal to the international community, at the turn of a millennium, to aid the growth of each nation, each people, especially on the African continent, whose numerous populations are sorely tried by conflicts which touch in a very dramatic way civilians."

The Holy Father also touched on the question of the debt of the poorest countries, saying that much remains to be done in this regard "to help them take an active part in international life. Such a step is a hand extended to the nations which live below the threshold of poverty, to revive their hopes for a better future; this must be accompanied by profound reflection to reconsider the organization of the world economy."

The richest countries, the Pope went on, "must accompany the remission of debt by support in personnel and materiel," thus allowing the poorer countries to take charge of their own destiny and to become more autonomous. "Appropriate local infrastructures" will give these countries and peoples "the means to be the true protagonists of building society and fully participating partners in international relations."

Reiterating the Holy See's "attachment and commitment to the recognition of peoples and to an ever greater entente between nations," he stressed that "more than ever our contemporaries aspire to peace and fraternity." Especially sensitive to this, the Pope concluded, are the young people of today who "call on us to do all that we can to make these aspirations a reality."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Chachapoyas, Peru, presented by Bishop Jose Ignacio Alemany Grau C.SS.R., in conformity with Canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of canon Law.

- Accepted the proposal presented by the presidency of the Italian Episcopal Conference, and confirmed Archbishop Ennio Antonelli, emeritus of Perugia-Citta della Pieve, as secretary general of the same episcopal conference for the next five years.

- Erected the diocese of Gospic-Senj, Croatia, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Rijeka-Senj, making it a suffragan of the same metropolitan church. He appointed Bishop Mile Bogovic, auxiliary of Rijeka-Senj, as first bishop of the new diocese.

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AIR TRANSPORT MUST IMPROVE ITS SERVICE QUALITY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, Msgr. Piero Monni, Holy See Permanent Observer to the World Tourism Organization, spoke at the 36th Meeting of the Regional Commission for Europe and at a seminar on "Tourism and Air Transport." The event is being held in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, between May 24 and 26.

With reference to air transport, Msgr. Monni expressed the hope that it improve the quality of its services in terms of "punctuality, openness and greater commercialization, so that this form of transport may also become accessible to less privileged classes. Furthermore, such commercialization must take place in a free market, ensuring that the skies are not dominated by the lobbies of the large airline companies. Indeed, it is these lobbies that must maintain moral values, guaranteeing safeguards and respect for travellers. It is vital that this respect range from technical maintenance of aircraft to the normal flight precautions, and so put ever greater limits on human error."

The aviation sector, affirmed Msgr. Monni, must give due attention to the religious factor, thus meeting the expectations of people who prepare themselves to face long-haul journeys. In this way, travellers' concern to be able to exercise their own religious liberty is confirmed."

"The continuous movement of masses of tourists and the Jubilee, which is currently underway, clearly underline the central role offered by religious services at airports, a true crossroads of modern pilgrimage, present in all religions."

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MESSAGE FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY IN ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was a message from the Pope to Negaso Gidada, president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and to Issaias Afwerki, president of the State of Eritrea, whose countries are celebrating their independence day today.

John Paul II greets each of the presidents and their respective peoples on this occasion and says: "I am deeply saddened at the continuing hostilities which are bringing death and destruction to the people and the land of your region. Calling for renewed dialogue and negotiation to end the absurd conflict, I pray fervently that Almighty God will grant to the parties involved the strength and courage to embrace a just and lasting peace based on reconciliation and truth."

MESS;INDEPENDENCE ETHIOPIA; ERITREA;...;...;VIS;20000525;Word: 130;

POPE ASKS SOLIDARITY FOR PEOPLES OF SOUTHERN LEBANON

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2000 (VIS) - Following is the text of a letter from the Holy Father to His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah-Pierre Sfeir, patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, regarding the situation in his country, Lebanon. The letter is written in French and bears today's date:

"Having been informed of the evolution of events in your country, I wish to express my solidarity to you and I invite all Christians to unite in solidarity with the populations in the region of southern Lebanon who fear for their future because of the situation which has been created in recent days.

"I feel compelled to remind all leaders of the grave duty to respect the rights of individuals and peoples, and not to commit acts which could place at risk the lives of persons as well as the coexistence of the community.

"I pray to God to illuminate minds and hearts so that all the civil populations will be spared new massacres and the sovereignty of each country will be guaranteed so that everyone can look to the future with great hope.

"As a sign of comfort, I send Your Eminence, as well as all the faithful in Christ, my Apostolic Blessing, asking God to send you an abundance of His goodness on all the Lebanese."

JPII-LETTER;LEBANON;...;SFEIR;VIS;20000524;Word: 150;

GENERAL AUDIENCE: THE TRINITY IS PRESENT IN THE ASCENSION

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2000 (VIS) - In this morning's general audience, held in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 50,000 people, John Paul II spoke on "the glory of the Trinity in the Ascension."

"Christ," recalled the Pope, "after having travelled the road of history and after having entered the shadows of death, ... returns to the glory which from all eternity He has shared with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and He brings redeemed humanity with Him."

The Holy Father indicated that "before the glorious Christ of the Ascension, we pause to contemplate the presence of the entire Trinity." In the Risen Christ's farewell to the Apostles "there appears, above all, the Father's plan of salvation, (the Father) Who, in the Scriptures, had announced the death and resurrection of the Son, source of forgiveness and liberation. However, in those same words of the Risen Christ, the Holy Spirit may also be discerned, whose presence will be a source of strength and apostolic witness. ... Consequently, the entire Trinity is present at the moment the Church comes into being."

"The Ascension is, then," he concluded, "a Trinitarian epiphany that indicates the goal towards which individual and universal history travel. Although our mortal body dissolves in the dust of the earth, all our redeemed self reaches out towards heaven, towards God, following Christ as a guide."

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"ETHICS IN SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS" TO BE PRESENTED MAY 30

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2000 (VIS) - Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, will preside at a press conference on Tuesday, May 30, in the Holy See Press Office for the presentation of the document "Ethics in Social Communications," which has been prepared by this council.

Joining him for the presentation will be Bishop Pierfranco Pastore and Angelo Scelzo, respectively council secretary and under-secretary. The document will be published in Italian, French, English, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

OP;ETHICS; MEDIA;...;FOLEY;VIS;20000524;Word: 90;

JOHN PAUL II WRITES TO BISHOPS OF ERITREA AND ETHIOPIA

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2000 (VIS) - Following is the text of a letter written by Pope John Paul, dated May 23 and published this afternoon, to Archbishop Berhane-Yesus Demerew Souraphiel, C.M., of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, president of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Episcopal Conference:

"In this time of trial, I am particularly close to all the bishops of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Episcopal Conference and to those entrusted to their pastoral care.

"As the conflict grows worse and innocent people, already hungry and deprived, are forced to leave their homes and land, I cannot but ask those in power to spare them from more suffering and to resume respect for the territorial integrity of your countries. I pray daily to the Lord that men of good will may return to dialogue through respect for the principles of international law, and allow themselves to be led by the spirit of divine wisdom, so that they may be instruments of peace.

"I want to assure you that the Holy See will continue to ask the international community to help in the search for conditions which will allow a cease-fire and the flow of humanitarian aid.

"Africa has a right to peace and solidarity, especially your two countries, heirs to a rich tradition of Christian culture, who for so long lived together in mutual respect and harmony.

"I greet you all affectionately in the Lord and I impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace in our Risen Saviour."

JPII-LETTER;ERITREA; ETHIOPIA;...;SOURAPHIEL;VIS;20000524;Word: 260;

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Julianus Kemo Sunarko S.J., director of the Institute of Research and Social Development and president of Caritas Indonesia, as bishop of Purwokerto (area 15,336, population 13,062,800, Catholics 70,668, priests 34, religious 185), Indonesia. The bishop-elect was born in Klepu, Indonesia, in 1941 and ordained a priest in 1975.

- Archbishop Blasco Francisco Collaco, apostolic nuncio in Bulgaria, as apostolic nuncio in South Africa and Namibia and apostolic delegate in Botswana.

NER; NN;...;...;SUNARKO; COLLACO ;VIS;20000524;Word: 80;

CARDINAL MARTINEZ SOMALO TO TAKE POSSESSION OF TITULAR CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2000 (VIS) - Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, will take possession of the title of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, a diaconate raised "pro hac vice" to presbyteral title, in Piazza del Gesu in Rome on Sunday, June 4 at 11 a.m.

OCL;POSSESSION TITLE;...;MARTINEZ SOMALO;VIS;20000523;Word: 70;

NEW EVANGELIZATION CONTINUES TO BE A PASTORAL PRIORITY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was a message from the Holy Father to Italian bishops who are taking part in the 47th General Assembly of the Episcopal Conference in Collevalenza, Italy. The meeting is focussing on pastoral guidelines for the Church in Italy over the next ten years.

The Pope writes that new evangelization "is certainly the pastoral priority for Italy, as for many other nations with a great and ancient Christian tradition that are under attack from the currents of secularization and de-Christianization."

One tool of evangelization, he confirms, are "the social communications media. I trust these will become further consolidated as they give Italian Catholics the possibility to be daily present in the exchange of opinions and in the proposal of models of behavior, indispensable in today's society of 'global communication'."

John Paul II expresses his support for the Italian bishops' commitment "in favor of the marriage-based family, true pillar of social life in Italy. In the face of the grave and persistent drop in births that threatens the future of this nation, it is especially important that the ecclesial community's formative work unite with political and legislative choices in order to promote the endorsement of human life and the respect of its inalienable dignity."

The Holy Father recalls the national assembly of Catholic schools, celebrated on October 30 1999, "in which, together with many young people, parents and teachers, we asked for full scholastic parity" (juridic and economic) between State and non- State schools.

After highlighting that, "together with the family and education, work is justly at the center of your concerns and mine," he refers to the need to face the persisting inequalities in this field, "evaluating this country's great initiative, in the light of the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity."

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POPE LUNCHES AT THE PONTIFICAL MEXICAN COLLEGE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2000 (VIS) - Yesterday, the Pope was invited to lunch at Rome's Pontifical Mexican College to celebrate the canonization of 27 Mexican Blesseds in St. Peter's Square on May 21.

After the luncheon, John Paul II greeted the cardinals, archbishops and bishops present, as well as the rector and students.

The Holy Father thanked the superiors for "their work of orientation and spiritual guidance of the student priests. I also thank the Daughters of the Poor, Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who quietly and together with lay people, make it possible for this priestly community to live as a family and for their communal life to be regulated by a healthy and happy fraternal atmosphere."

"It is my wish," he concluded, "that the college may continue to foster a suitable atmosphere, one that allows you to deepen and broaden your academic and spiritual formation, so necessary for the priestly ministry, which is the principal reason for your stay here."

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EXHIBITION ON STS. PETER AND PAUL

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2000 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at 11:30 a.m. on Friday May 26, there will be the presentation of the exhibition entitled "Peter and Paul. History, Worship, Memory in the First Centuries." The exhibit will run from June 30 to December 10 in Rome's chancellory building.

Taking part in the presentation will be Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe, secretary general of the Committee for the Great Jubilee 2000; Bishop Stanislaw Rylko, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and Francesco Buranelli, director of the Pontifical Monuments, Museums and Galleries.

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SEMINAR ON "PROMOTING HUMAN DIGNITY IN OCEANIA"

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2000 (VIS) - The Third Continental Seminar promoted by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace on the theme "Promoting Human Dignity in Oceania" is currently underway in Melbourne, Australia, according to a communique published today by this council.

The 150 participants, including 10 archbishops and bishops, priests, religious and laity, come from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The communique states that "the themes that are being treated regard in a special way the major ethical questions implied in the processes of economic and financial globalization and the need for a new re-proposal of values of social justice and of solidarity."

Archbishop Francois Xavier Van Thuan and Bishop Diarmuid Martin, respectively president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, are also participating in the seminar. Work concludes tomorrow with a report on globalization by Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, U.S.A.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

AP;...;...;...;VIS;20000523;Word: 20;

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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

- Erected the diocese of Bongaigaon (area 13,630, population 5,242,716, Catholics 61,024, priests 26, religious 77), India, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Guwahati, making it a suffragan of the same metropolitan church. He appointed Fr. Thomas Pulloppillil, of the clergy of Tezpur, India, administrator of Guwahati, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Nadukani, India, in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1981.

- Appointed Fr. John Thattunkal S.S.C., rector of the Cottolengo Minor Seminary at Nagar, as bishop of Cochin (area 235, population 648,355, Catholics 164,714, priests 91, religious 443), India. The bishop-elect was born in Vallethodu, India, in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1974.

- Appointed Bishop Patrick Le Gal of Tulle, France, as military ordinary of France.

- Appointed Fr. Rainer Klug of the clergy of Freiburg im Breisgau (area 16,229, population 4,450,000, Catholics 2,160,650, priests 1,432, permanent deacons 158, religious 3,193), Germany, dean of the "Mittlerer Oberrhein-Pforzheim" region and administrator of the parish of St. Francis at Karlsruhe, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese. The bishop-elect was born in Costanza, Germany, in 1938 and ordained a priest in 1969.

ECE; NER; NA; NEA;...;...;...;VIS;20000523;Word: 190;

TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF FORMER ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2000 (VIS) - Following is the telegram sent by Pope John Paul to the Most Reverend and Right Honorable George Leonard Carey, archbishop of Canterbury, upon the death of his predecessor:

"Having received the sad news of the death of Lord Coggan, former archbishop of Canterbury, I offer my condolences to Your Grace and to the Anglican community and I join you in commending your predecessor's noble soul to our heavenly Father's eternal love. Remembering Archbishop Coggan's presence at the ceremony of inauguration of my own pontificate, I thank God for his significant contribution to Anglican-Catholic relations. May the memory of the late archbishop inspire us to trust that 'he who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ'."

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ST. RITA LIVED DEEPLY ROOTED IN LOVE FOR CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father received a group of 'Knights of Labor' as well as 100,000 devotees of St. Rita of Cascia, Italy, on the occasion of the centenary of her canonization. The body of the saint was transferred to Rome for the event and, during the afternoon, was on display in the Vatican Basilica.

John Paul II recalled that St. Rita was a great and humble saint. "Today she is known throughout the world for her heroic existence as wife, mother, widow and nun. Deeply rooted in love for Christ, Rita found in her unshakable faith, the force to be a woman of peace in all circumstances."

"Following the spirituality of St. Augustine, she became a disciple of the Crucified Christ and 'an expert in suffering.' She learned to understand the pain of the human heart. Rita thus became an advocate of the poor and the wretched, obtaining countless graces of consolation and comfort for those who invoked her help in the most diverse situations. Rita of Cascia was the first woman to be canonized in the Great Jubilee of the beginning of the 20th century, on May 24 1900."

The Holy Father indicated that Rita "belongs to those great ranks of Christian women who 'have had a significant impact on the life of the Church as well as of society.' Rita was a worthy interpreter of the 'female spirit,' living it intensely in both physical and spiritual maternity."

Finally, addressing members of the Italian National Federation of the Knights of Work who have come to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee, the Pope said: "I hope that, through your efforts, you may constantly contribute to the common good, to the formation of youth who are joining the world of production, to the progressive elimination of unjust inequalities and to the solution of the worrying problem of unemployment."

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"IF MANKIND DOES NOT END WAR, WAR WILL END MANKIND"

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was the appeal for help in ending the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia made by the Council of Hierarchs of the Catholic Church of Eritrea. The bishops warn that, if such help is not forthcoming, the "saying, 'if mankind does not put an end to war, war will put an end to mankind', will be tragically confirmed."

"After two years of alternating hope and disillusionment, of more or less bloody clashes," they write, "the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia has, in recent days, entered its most tragic phase. The last drop of hope linked to attempts at mediation has vanished and arms have had the last word."

They describe the "terrifying scene" of "incessant bombings on cities and villages, people fleeing to unknown destinations, the thousands of dead and wounded."

"What is it that has not worked in the attempts to stop this mad arms race," the bishops ask? "It is the grave duty of whoever can do something to ask themselves, in all conscience, why they have done nothing."
"As pastors," they continue, "we wish to note only one thing: just one day of delay could mean the extermination of an entire population and devastation of the territory. ... Thus, our anguished appeal: May the way to further massacres be blocked, may arms be silenced immediately, may the violence not be allowed to continue to prevail over reason. Tomorrow is already too late."

The bishops of Eritrea address their appeal "to those who, at the international level, have institutional responsibilities and the possibility to intervene" to save those who face "extinction through violence, hunger and deprivation."

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CARDINAL CASSIDY TO SPEAK AT MILLENNIUM CONFERENCE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2000 (VIS) - Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, president of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, will participate in the Millennium Conference to be held on May 23-25 at West London Synagogue in Great Britain.

This conference is organized by Rabbi Tony Bayfield of Reform Judaism and by Sir Sigmund Sternberg, patron of the International Council of Christians and Jews. Cardinal Cassidy will speak on the significance of the Catholic-Jewish partnership.

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DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND DJIBOUTI

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2000 (VIS) - A communique published this morning announced that "the Holy See and the Republic of Djibouti, desirous of promoting bonds of friendship, have decided of common accord to establish diplomatic relations at the level of apostolic nunciature on the part of the Holy See and of embassy on the part of the Republic of Djibouti."

This east African nation has been independent since 1977. It has 623,000 inhabitants, divided into two ethnic groups: the Issa (Somalians), who are the majority, and the Afar, who number 155,000. Djibouti is 96 percent Sunni Muslim, 2 percent Catholic and 2 percent Protestant and Orthodox Christians. Formerly an apostolic prefecture, the diocese of Djibouti was erected on September 14, 1955. Bishop George Perron, O.F.M.Cap. is assisted by four priests who work in five parishes.

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MEXICAN SAINTS ANNOUNCED THE STRENGTH OF LOVE FOR GOD

VATICAN CITY, MAY 22, 2000 (VIS) - The 27 new Mexican saints "give eloquent testimony of the transforming power of love for God and for our fellows, the essence of Christian life." These were the Pope's words today to pilgrims who had come to Rome to participate in yesterday's canonization of Cristobal Magallanes and companions, martyrs; Jose Maria de Yermo y Parres and Maria de Jesus Sacrmentado Venegas.

They, he went on, "encourage us to live, with renewed fidelity, our condition as His children called to give witness of faith, to maintain alive hope and to practice charity at all moments of life."

John Paul II underlined that the Mexican people "have always stood out for their great love for God, the Virgin, the Church and the Pope, deeply rooted in the Catholic faith which, notwithstanding the vicissitudes of history, remains an integral and fundamental part of your nation's soul."

"Return to Mexico," he said in closing, "with the commitment to renew your faithfulness to God and the Church, to give, in all places and times, a valiant witness of Christian life and to collaborate in new evangelization that Christ may become known and loved by all Mexicans. Also, defend the cause of life, the family, the poor and the needy."

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MEXICO HAS 27 NEW SAINTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father celebrated the Eucharist in St. Peter's Square and canonized the Blesseds Cristobal Magallanes (1869-1927), priest and 24 companions, priests and lay people, martyrs (1915-1937); Jose Maria de Yermo y Parres (1851-1904), priest and founder of the Congregation of the Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Poor; Maria de Jesus Sacramentado Venegas de la Torre (1868-1959), virgin, founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Pope affirmed that the new saints "gave their lives to God and their fellow man, either through martyrdom or through the generous giving of themselves in order to serve the needy."

St. Cristobal Magallanes and his 24 companions, martyrs, 21 of whom were priests and 3 lay people, "did not abandon the courageous exercise of their ministry as religious persecution increased in the beloved land of Mexico and unleashed hatred for the Catholic religion. All of them freely and serenely accepted martyrdom as a witness of their faith, explicitly forgiving their persecutors. They were faithful to God and to the Catholic faith that was so deeply rooted in their ecclesial communities. They also sought to serve those communities by promoting material well-being and today they stand as an example for the whole Church and for Mexican society in particular."

John Paul II highlighted that St. Jose Maria de Yermo y Parres, "lived his priestly commitment to Christ, uniting himself to Him with all his strength." He requested that the religious of his order live "with generosity the rich heritage of the founder, beginning with sisterly communion and extending this in merciful love for their brothers and sisters, with humility, simplicity and efficiency and, above all, in perfect union with God."

Speaking of St. Maria de Jesus Sacramentado Venegas, the first Mexican woman to be canonized, he said: "Her spirituality was characterized by a particular Eucharistic piety. ... She wished to prolong her work by founding the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who, in the Church today, continue her charism of charity to the poor and the sick."

Following Mass and before praying the Regina Coeli, the Pope told the pilgrims present that he hoped that the intercession of the 27 saints "may keep Mexico ever faithful and ensure an increase in the number of Christians of the same stature as the canonized saints and as other great Mexican sons and daughter of the Church."

The Holy Father concluded by announcing that at 10 a.m. on Sunday May 28, he will celebrate Mass in St. Peter's Square for the occasion of the Jubilee of the diocese of Rome and he invited everyone to participate.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 22, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Henk Te Maarssen S.V.D., diocesan administrator of Kundiawa (area 8,876, population 186,109, Catholics 97,080, priests 25, religious 33), Papua New Guinea, as bishop of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born at Groenlo, Netherlands, in 1933 and ordained a priest in 1960.

On Saturday May 20, it was made public that he appointed:

- Fr. Carlos Humberto Malfa, pastor in the diocese of Mar de Plata, Argentina, as bishop of Chascomus (area 27,000, population 275,826, Catholics 246,200, priests 27, permanent deacons 2, religious 40), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Mar de Plata in 1948 and ordained a priest in 1978

- Francesco D'Agostino, professor of the philosophy of law at the faculty of jurisprudence at Rome's Tor Vergata University, as a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 22, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Boris Trajkowski, president of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
- Nadejda Mihailova, Bulgarian foreign minister.

On Saturday May 20, he received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Eugenio de Araujo Sales, archbishop of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi S.J., bishop of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
- Archbishop Antonio Franco, apostolic nuncio in the Philippines.
- Archbishop Justo Mullor Garcia, president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. - Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops

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EXPOSITION OF HOLY SHROUD OF TURIN AUGUST 12 - OCTOBER 22

VATICAN CITY, MAY 22, 2000 (VIS) - Archbishop Severino Poletto of Turin presided at a press conference today in the Holy See Press office to illustrate the exposition of the Holy Shroud in the Cathedral of St. John in Turin, Italy from August 12 to October 22.

The Shroud of Turin is believed by millions of Christians to be the burial cloth which wrapped the body of Jesus Christ following his death. The pure linen cloth in a fishbone weave measures 14 feet by 3 and a half feet. It contains the full frontal and dorsal imprints of a supine man and has carmine-color stains corresponding to blood. It is spangled with a double series of dark spots caused by burns it underwent in a fire in the 16th century, and the water use to douse the fire has left broad symmetrical rings, clearly visible. Less visible are transverse marks corresponding to creases in the linen which, before its final voyage to Turin in 1578, had been preserved in its reliquary by folding it in 48 thicknesses.

The man in the image is 180 centimeters tall and has long hair, a beard and mustache. The eyes are closed, the hands and forearms crossed, and the body bears signs of torture.

Archbishop Poletto, custodian of the Holy Shroud, explained that several years ago the Holy Father had been asked if he wished the shroud to be exposed in 1998, the 100th anniversary of the photographic negative which first exposed the image on the shroud, or in the Jubilee Year 2000. The Pope replied that he desired both. The Jubilee Year exposition will be similar to the 1998 one, given the successful organization of that showing, said the archbishop.

The archbishop, remarking that the original date of the exposition was set for late August, said that date was moved up to give all the young people coming to Rome for World Youth Day a chance to see the shroud during their stay in Italy.

Archbishop Poletto stressed that reservations are free but obligatory for viewing the Shroud of Turin. As occurred in 1998, a large influx of visitors is expected.

Reservations may be made in Italy by calling the toll-free number 800-329-329. To call from other countries, use the following toll-free numbers: France (0800907674); Germany (0130819457); Great Britain (0800967951); Spain (900993943); Switzerland (0800551129); Argentina (00398003034734); other countries (39115118900). Reservations may also be made by Internet at www.giubileo.piemonte.it or at the diocese of Turin site of the sindone or Holy Shroud: www.sindone.org

Confirmation of reservations will occur by regular mail or by e-mail. In addition tickets may be picked up at special kiosks set up around Turin during the exposition period.

The archbishop also pointed out that there will be, upon the suggestion of pilgrims who visited Turin in 1998, a distinct and separate area set aside for confessions. Special days have been set aside for the ill: August 30, September 13 and 27 and October 11. Every Wednesday and Friday evening at 9:30, Archbishop Poletto will celebrate Mass in the cathedral. On Sundays at 11 a.m., he will celebrate Mass in the church of St. Philip.

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THE POPE: PRIESTHOOD IS THE FUNDAMENTAL DIMENSION OF MY LIFE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2000 (VIS) - Yesterday, following the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope attended a luncheon to mark his 80th birthday. The luncheon was offered by the College of Cardinals at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.

Following an address by Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, dean of the sacred college, expressing the close union of all cardinals to Peter's successor and his Magisterium, the Pope said he was particularly pleased to be able to celebrate his birthday "in this priestly setting which is the fundamental part of my life, as it is of yours."

He went on to affirm: "Following this morning's celebration, that was at once solemn and full of fraternal affection, this convivial moment allows me to express the link of familiarity that binds me to each one of you, with the significant participation of a group of priests, as representatives of all those who have took part in this jubilee celebration."

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FACING THE PRESENT NEEDS OF EVANGELIZATION

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today, the Pope received teachers and students of the Pontifical "Auxilium" Faculty of Educational Sciences, which is marking 30 years of activity.

The Holy Father said: "Make your own the needs of evangelization in the cultural period through which we are now living, especially those that concern human life, the person, the family and peace and solidarity between peoples."

John Paul II recalled that the faculty, which "draws its inspiration from the Christian and pedagogic humanism of St. John Bosco, considers the individual according to the design of God the Creator and promotes a plan for men and women that is rooted in a Christian vision of life."

After highlighting the danger of losing a sense of God and the inability to see signs of His presence in creation and history, he said: "This danger may be avoided by rediscovering and
encouraging the profound, interior and human dimension of integral education, illuminated by an evangelical perspective."

The Pope told professors and students of the "Auxilium" that the challenge to which they are called is "to represent the anthropological vision of men and women according to God's design and to translate it into appropriate and scientifically well-founded educational categories."

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DIPLOMATIC CORPS WISHES HOLY FATHER HAPPY BIRTHDAY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Consistory Hall the Holy Father received members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See who came to express their best wishes to him on the occasion of his 80th birthday yesterday.

"You have come here to thank God with me for the gift He has given me of a long life," the Pope told them, "as well as to confirm once again the aspirations for peace, values which give meaning to man's life, and the commitment of the Bishop of Rome for the promotion and defense of the dignity of every person and all peoples."

"The gift of life!" he exclaimed. "Yes, life is a gift which comes from an act of love. It is therefore with love that we must receive it, respect it, cultivate it and promote it in all manners and defend it when it is threatened. My 80 years have been lived in a century which has known attacks on life like never before, but also sublime witnesses in its favor."

John Paul II added that, "throughout my pontificate, ... I have often depended on your generous collaboration so that my appeals in favor of the respect and promotion of life in all its diverse moments and many needs be carried to the world's heads of state.

"I renew my cordial thanks," the Pope said in conclusion, "for this solemn gesture by which you desired to honor me in a personal moment of my life."

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BIRTHDAY CONCERT: POPE THANKS GOD FOR "INESTIMABLE GIFT OF LIFE"

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2000 (VIS) - Following the performance last evening in the Paul VI Hall of Haydn's oratory, "The Creation," Pope John Paul addressed the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus and the thousands of guests present at the concert in honor of his 80th birthday, including religious and civil officials, leaders of the Jewish community and representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities.

Thanking the musicians, chorus and orchestra conductor in particular, the Holy Father observed that the concert "ends a day which for me has been one of fervent recognition to the Lord for the inestimable gift of life and for the many graces with which He has enriched it."

"This solemn musical fresco," he said, "has proposed, through the transparency of sound and the beauty of the text, the dawn of creation . ... But the artistic genius of Joseph Hayden, reproposing with strength and beauty the Biblical story, underlines that the apex of creation was the appearance of man: 'And God made man in His own image, according to the image of God He created him'. ... The conclusion can only be a hymn of praise. 'The magnificent work is done. May our song be praise to the Lord! For He alone is the Most High."

"Brothers and sisters," John Paul II concluded, "Thank you for having offered this singular experience of spiritual and aesthetic meditation on the mystery of creation."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Augusto Vargas Alzamora S.J., archbishop emeritus of Lima, Peru.
- Simeon Ake, Ivory Coast ambassador, accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit.
- Bishop Luis Armando Bambaren Gastelumendi S.J., of Chimbote, Peru, president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, accompanied by Archbishop Hector Miguel Cabreros Vidarte O.F.M., of Trujillo, first vice-president and Msgr. Jorge Carrion Pavlich, apostolic administrator "Sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Puno, president of the economic council.
- Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid, Spain, president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, accompanied by Cardinal Ricardo Maria Carles Gordo, archbishop of Barcelona and Bishop Juan Jose Asenjo Pelegrina, auxiliary of Toledo, respectively vice-president and secretary general of the same episcopal conference.

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

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POPE GREETS PRIESTS ON VIGIL OF THEIR JUBILEE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2000 (VIS) - Last evening at 7:30, Pope John Paul appeared at the window of his study which overlooks St. Peter's Square, and addressed the priests who had gathered there to pray on the vigil of the Jubilee of Priests, whose culminating moment will be the concelebrated Mass tomorrow morning in the square.

"Today you have been listening to the witness of the Saints," he told them. "If, in fact, the Great Jubilee commemorates the Incarnation of the Word in history, the Saints are those brothers and sisters who constitute a sort of perpetuation of that mystery, by virtue of their great obedience to the Holy Spirit."

The Pope then pointed out that, "in the long list of chosen souls which mark the two millennia of the Christian era, there are numerous priests who, in every generation, have made the holiness of Christ, the Good Shepherd, present among the People of God. In the 20th century the Church is also rich in holy priests - martyrs and confessors."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Jalingo, Nigeria, as metropolitan archbishop of Jos (area 30,395, population 2,863,400 Catholics 687,200, priests 57, religious 102), Nigeria. The archbishop-elect was born in Kona, Nigeria, in 1957, ordained a priest in 1981 and consecrated bishop in 1995.

- Erected the diocese of San Lorenzo (area 1,924, population 784,390, priests 19, permanent deacons 12), Paraguay, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Asuncion, Paraguay, making it a suffragan of the same metropolitan church. He appointed Bishop Adalberto Martinez Flores, auxiliary of Asuncion, as first bishop of the new diocese.

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POPE'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS TO INCLUDE LUNCHEON AND CONCERT

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul, after concelebrating Mass this morning with several thousand priests in St. Peter's Square to mark the Jubilee of Priests as well as his 80th birthday, will be feted at lunch in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican by all the cardinals who are in Rome. At 6 p.m. there will be a concert in his honor in the Paul VI Hall, featuring Joseph Haydn's oratory "The Creation," performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus.

The Roman Curia was granted a holiday today in honor of John Paul's 80th birthday.

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THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY IS A GIFT FOR ALL TIMES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2000 (VIS) - This morning the Pope presided at a celebration of the Eucharist in St. Peter's Square, which was full of pilgrims for the occasion of the Jubilee of Priests and the celebration of the Pope's 80th birthday. More than 80 cardinals, 300 archbishops and bishops and 6,000 priests from all over the world concelebrated with the Holy Father.

In his homily, the Pope spoke of priestly ministry to which, he said, "the Eucharist, above all, links us. ... We are all participants (in the priesthood) and today we wish to raise a choral cry of thanks to God for this extraordinary gift. A gift for all times and all people, of all races and cultures. A gift that renews itself in the Church thanks to unchanging divine mercy and the generous and faithful response of so many fragile human beings. A gift that never ceases to amaze those who receive it."

"After more than 50 years of priestly life, I feel the living need within me to praise and thank the Lord for His immense goodness. At this moment, my thoughts go to the Upper Room in Jerusalem where, in the course of my recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I was able to celebrate Mass."

The Holy Father particularly recalled "priests who are ill, alone or tried by difficulties. I also think of those priests who, for various reasons, no longer practice the sacred ministry. ... For them too, I pray fervently and invite everyone to recall them in prayer so that, through regularly obtained dispensation, they may maintain alive their commitment of Christian coherence and ecclesial communion."

The Pope expressed his thanks to Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, for the congratulations he had offered in the name of all those present "on this most significant day for me". He also greeted those gathered in the square, saying: "I clasp you all to my heart."

"We are called," he continued, "to contribute in different ways to the formation of the community of the People of God, wherever Providence takes us." We offer a witness "that can, if necessary, extend to the scattering of our own blood, as it did for not a few of our brothers in the course of the last century."

In his words to the Pope at the beginning of Mass, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos indicated that "veneration, admiration and gratitude would lead us to make a long speech on Your Holiness' witness, life and ministerial work. We feel that we are led by a man of God who has conquered love and respect beyond all human barriers."

At the end of Mass, Pope John Paul greeted all of the priests present in St. Peter's Square and throughout the world in French, English, Spanish, German, Portuguese and Polish.

He told the French-speaking priests that he hoped that their "presence in Rome will reaffirm your faith and your sense of the universal Church."

"I greet the English-speaking priests taking part in today's Jubilee celebration," the Pope continued, "especially those marking their silver or golden anniversaries of priestly ordination and those who, like me, are celebrating their 80th birthday."

Speaking Spanish he urged priests "to continue your generous and happy commitment to the ministry you have received, knowing that the Lord, who begins all good works, will Himself bring them to conclusion."

He then greeted the priests from Poland in his native tongue, thanking them and their fellow priests in Poland "for the fidelity to your vocation and to the Church. The Church counts on you and on new priestly vocations.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOLY FATHER!

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2000 (VIS) - The personnel of the Vatican Information Service wishes the Holy Father a most happy and holy 80th birthday. Sto lat!

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THE LITTLE SHEPHERDS OF FATIMA, EXAMPLES OF EVANGELIC LIFE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2000 (VIS) - In today's general audience, held in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II expressed his gratitude for having been able to make the third pilgrimage to Fatima of his pontificate. He visited the shrine on May 12-13 in order to beatify the two little shepherd children, Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

"At Fatima, just as at Lourdes," said the Holy Father, "the Virgin chose children, Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia, as the recipients of her message. They accepted it with such faith that ... they themselves became examples of evangelic life."

The Holy Father recalled that Francisco "was a good child, reflective, a contemplative soul, while Jacinta was vivacious and rather impressionable but sweet and kind."

"With the two little shepherds of Fatima, the Church has proclaimed two young children as Blesseds because, although not martyrs, they demonstrated that they heroically lived Christian virtue, notwithstanding their tender age. Heroism of children, but genuine heroism. Their sanctity does not depend on the apparitions but on the faithfulness and commitment with which they responded to the singular gift they received from the Lord and Mary Most Holy."

John Paul II emphasized that his pilgrimage had been an act of "thanks to Mary," both for what she communicated to the Church through the little shepherds and "for the protection she has given me throughout my pontificate. I sought to symbolically renew my thanks to her with the gift of the precious episcopal ring that Cardinal Wyszynski gave me a few days after my election to the See of Peter."

"As the time seemed appropriate, I felt it right to make public the contents of the so-called third part of the secret. ... I gave thanks for what divine mercy wrought through Mary's maternal intercession during the 20th century. In the light of the Fatima apparitions, the events of that much troubled historical period assume a particular eloquence. ... We cannot but thank the Lord for the courageous witness of so many heralds of Christ who remained faithful to Him, even to the point of sacrificing their own lives."

The Pope concluded by indicating that "a message of conversion and hope emanates from Fatima to the whole world," a message that "from the experience of everyday life, invites believers to pray assiduously for peace in the world and to do penance in order to open hearts to conversion."

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