TELEGRAM FOR DEATH OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER CRAXI

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 1999 (VIS) - Following is the text of the telegram sent in Pope John Paul's name by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano to Anna Craxi, the wife of former Italian Prime Minister Bettino Craxi, who died yesterday in Hammamet, Tunisia:

"Having learned of the sudden death of your beloved husband, the Honorable Bettino Craxi, the Supreme Pontiff wishes to send you and your entire family expressions of his deepest condolences for this grave loss and he joins in the prayers for the repose of his soul, asking Divine Goodness for eternal peace for the deceased, while recalling his lengthy political commitment and his incisive activity in government. In the light of the supreme certainty of faith he sends his comforting apostolic blessing."

Yesterday afternoon, upon learning of the death of the Hon. Bettino Craxi, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls, released the following statement: "The Holy Father and his collaborators remember him in prayer as the person who, as president of the Council (of Ministers), contributed to the good relations between State and Church in Italy."

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ITALY'S MUNICIPAL POLICE CELEBRATE THEIR JUBILEE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2000 (VIS) - Six thousand members of the Italian Municipal Police Force celebrated their Jubilee today, the feast day of their patron, St. Sebastian. They attended Mass in the Vatican basilica, celebrated by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general of Rome, and had an audience with the Pope.

In his address, John Paul II made reference to the huge quantity of work of the municipal police, work which requires "determination and selflessness in the service of the common good as well as attention to individuals, a sense of responsibility, continual patience and a spirit of helpfulness towards everyone. These are not easy qualities, consequently it is important to be able to count on God's help."

The Pope recalled that the Jubilee "is a time of mercy in which the Lord offers us the opportunity to follow an intense path of interior purification and corroboration of good intentions. ... This deep and spiritual dimension of the Jubilee must lead everyone to question themselves as to their real commitment in responding to the requirement of faith in the Gospel to which the Lord calls them, starting with the state of their own lives."

Furthermore, added the Pope, the Jubilee "calls you to respect - and cause to be respected - the law of man when this does not contrast with the Law of God. It asks that you be craftsmen of the harmony that arises from the accomplishment of daily duty and the elimination of conflict between individuals. It encourages you to become promoters of solidarity in all circumstances, especially towards the weakest and most defenseless. It requests you to be upholders of the right to life, through your commitment to the safety of traffic and of individuals."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano as pontifical legate for celebrations marking the thousandth anniversary of the archdiocese of Gniezno, Poland. The event is due to take place in that city on March 12.

- Bishop Jacinto Tomas de Carvalho Botelho, auxiliary of Braga, Portugal, as bishop of Lamego (area 2,848, poulation 149,385, Catholics 147,980, priests 169, religious 94), Portugal.

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ITINERARY FOR HOLY FATHER'S FEBRUARY TRIP TO MOUNT SINAI

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2000 (VIS) - The itinerary for Pope John Paul's February 24-26 Jubilee pilgrimage to Mount Sinai was made public this afternoon. This will be his 90th foreign apostolic trip.

The Pope will depart Rome the morning of Thursday, February 24 and arrive at Cairo airport at 2 p.m. local time where there will be a welcome ceremony and where he will meet privately with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. At 6:15 p.m. he is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to His Holiness Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and patriarch of the See of St. Mark of Cairo in his residence. At 7:15 p.m. he will pay a courtesy visit to His Excellency Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar of Cairo, in his residence.

On Friday, February 25, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass in the cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt in Cairo in the morning. At 5:30 p.m. he will speak during an ecumenical encounter in the chapel of the Inter-ritual Major Seminary of St. Leo the Great in Cairo.

At 8:40 a.m. on the morning of February 26, the Pope, after a private mass in the apostolic nunciature, is scheduled to leave by helicopter for St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai. He will have a private visit of the monastery, to be followed by a celebration of the Word in the Garden of Olives, at the foot of Mount Horeb. Just before 1 p.m. Pope John Paul will return to Cairo for his return flight to Rome, where he is set to arrive at 8:45 p.m., local time.

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