THE SINAI PENINSULA AND ST. CATHERINE'S MONASTERY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 26, 2000 (VIS) - This morning Pope John Paul II visited the Sinai Peninsula and St. Catherine's Monastery, thus completing the final phase and focal point of his first Jubilee Year pilgrimage.

The Sinai Peninsula, 61,000 square kilometers, constitutes the Asian part of Egypt. It is bordered by the Mediterranean on the north, the Red Sea on the south, the Suez Canal, inaugurated in 1869, on the west and the Gulf of Aqaba on the east. The peninsula consists of sandy plains and flat beaches in the north and arid plateaus in the center. The southern edge consists of crystalline blocks which form the Sinai Massif where Mount St. Catherine is located, which, at 2,641 meters, is the highest point in Egypt.

The monastery of St. Catherine is an Orthodox Church, autonomous in its government but not autocephalous. The abbot is elected by the community of monks, currently numbering 23, and is consecrated by the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem with the title of archbishop of the Sinai, Paran and Raitho.

This is the site of the Biblical "burning bush" where Moses received the Ten Commandments from the Lord. Roots of this bush, as well as relics of St. Catherine, can be found inside the monastery.

Hermits originally occupied this site. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I built a monastery there in 527 and dedicated the basilica to Mary, whose virginity the burning bush symbolized. In the seventh century, with the arrival of Islamic conquerors, the monastery was spared, on the condition that a small mosque be constructed within the walls. Still today mountain bedouins, who venerate Moses and are the traditional guardians of the monastery, pray there.

St. Catherine's monastery has been known by the name of this martyr of Alexandria since the ninth century. Originally under the jurisdiction of Jerusalem, it became independent in 1575.

PV-MOUNT SINAI;ST CATHERINE;...;SINAI;VIS;20000226;Word: 310;

JOHN PAUL II CALLS FOR REFLECTION ON THE PETRINE MINISTRY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 25, 2000 (VIS) - This afternoon, the Pope travelled from the apostolic nunciature in Cairo to the New Coptic-Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt, which was inaugurated last Christmas. There, an ecumenical meeting took place in the presence of 2,000 people, among them heads of the country's non-Catholic Churches and ecclesial communities with members of their respective faithful.

The Holy Father repeated the words he wrote in the Encyclical 'Ut unum sint': "Whatever relates to the unity of all Christian communities clearly forms part of the concerns of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome." With regard to his ministry as Bishop of Rome he asked the Holy Spirit, "to shine His light upon us, enlightening all the pastors and theologians of our Churches, that we may seek together the forms in which this ministry may accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned. Dear brothers, there is no time to lose in this regard!"

John Paul II went on to highlight: "Our communion in the one Lord Jesus Christ, in the one Holy Spirit and in the one baptism, ... is all the more important at the beginning of a new century and a new millennium." A condition for this common witness is the avoidance of anything that may lead "to distrust and discord. We have agreed to avoid any form of proselytism, or methods and attitudes opposed to the exigencies of Christian love and what should characterize the relationship between Churches."

"We do not know each other sufficiently. Let us therefore find ways to meet! Let us seek viable forms of spiritual communion such as joint prayer and fasting, or mutual exchanges and hospitality between monasteries. Let us find forms of practical cooperation."

"Today," he continued, "we give thanks to God that we are ever more aware of our common heritage, in faith and in the richness of sacramental life. ... For faithfully guarding and preaching this heritage, the Church in Egypt has undergone heavy sacrifices and continues to do so. How many martyrs appear in the venerable Martyrology of the Coptic Church, which dates back to the terrible persecutions of the years 283-284! They gave glory to God in Egypt, through their unfaltering witness unto death."

After recalling that in "the fifth century, theological and non-theological factors, combined with a lack of fraternal love and understanding, led to painful divisions in the one Church of Christ," John Paul II said: "Now, in the course of the twentieth century, the Holy Spirit brought the Christian Churches and communities closer together in a movement of reconciliation." On this subject he referred to the Common Christological Declaration, signed by Paul VI and His Holiness Pope Shenouda III in 1973.

PV-MOUNT SINAI;ECUMENICAL MEETING;...;CAIRO;VIS;20000226;Word: 460;

POPE VOICES "GREAT JOY, DEEP EMOTION" ON VISIT TO MOUNT SINAI

VATICAN CITY, FEB 26, 2000 (VIS) - This morning Pope John Paul travelled by plane to St. Catherine's Monastery on the Sinai Peninsula, the focal point of the first of his Jubilee Year pilgrimages, which are dedicated to those places linked with the history of salvation. He left Cairo International Airport in a C-130 Hercules at 8:40 a.m., local time, travelling the 250 kilometers in just over one hour.

The Holy Father then travelled by car to St. Catherine's monastery where he was welcomed by its abbot, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Damianos. The archbishop gave several gifts to the Pope, including a ring which he placed on his right hand.

The Pope, his entourage and the 23 monks of the monastery then paid a private visit to the multi-level church, in particular to the relics of St. Catherine and, behind the main altar, the roots of the "burning bush" where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

This visit was followed by the Liturgy of the Word which took place in the Garden of Olives outside the walls of the monastery at the foot of Mount Horeb, also known as the Mount of the Ten Commandments. The Liturgy was in Arabic, French and English.

In his homily, given in English, John Paul II said that "today, with great joy and deep emotion, the Bishop of Rome is a pilgrim to Mount Sinai, drawn by this holy mountain which rises like a soaring monument to what God revealed here. Here He revealed His name! Here He gave His Law, the Ten Commandments of the Covenant!"

"Here on Mount Sinai, the truth of 'who God is' became the foundation and guarantee of the Covenant. Moses ... is given the Law (here) 'written with the finger of God'. But what is this Law? It is the Law of life and freedom! ... If the people obey (God's) Law, they will know freedom forever."

"The encounter of God and Moses on this mountain enshrines at the heart of our religion the mystery of liberating obedience," Pope John Paul affirmed. "The Ten Commandments are not an arbitrary imposition of a tyrannical Lord. They were written in stone; but before that, they were written on the human heart as the universal moral law, valid in every time and place. Today, as always, the Ten Words of the Law provide the only true basis for the lives of individuals, societies and nations. Today, as always, they are the only future of the human family. They save man from the destructive force of egoism, hatred and falsehood. They point out all the false gods that draw him into slavery; the love of self to the exclusion of God, the greed for power and pleasure that overturns the order of justice and degrades our human dignity and that of our neighbor."

The Holy Father affirmed that "to keep the Commandments is to be faithful to God, but it is also to be faithful to ourselves, to our true nature and our deepest aspirations."

"The Ten Commandments are the law of freedom; not the freedom to follow our blind passions, but the freedom to love, to choose what is good in every situation."

"In pursuit of this truth, the monks of this monastery pitched their tents in the Sinai," said Pope John Paul II in closing remarks. "Through the centuries, this monastery has been an exceptional meeting place for people belonging to different Churches, traditions and cultures. I pray that in the new millennium the monastery of St. Catherine will be a radiant beacon calling to the Churches to know one another better and to rediscover the importance in the eyes of God of the things that unite us in Christ."

At the end of his visit to St. Catherine's Monastery, the Holy Father returned to Cairo and the apostolic nunciature, where he and his entourage had lunch.
He is scheduled to leave the Egyptian capital at 6:15 local time for the three and a half hour flight to Rome. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt will be at the airport to bid the Pope farewell, as will other civil and religious authorities.

PV-MOUNT SINAI;ST CATHERINE;...;MOUNT SINAI;VIS;20000226;Word: 700;