JUBILEE CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY 2000

VATICAN CITY, FEB 29, 2000 (VIS) - Following are the Jubilee events scheduled for the month of March 2000:

- Sunday 5: Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. At 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Square, Mass celebrated by the Holy Father with the beatification of Servants of God: Andre de Soveral and Ambrosio Francisco Ferro, priests, and 28 companions, Brazilian martyrs; Nicola Bunkerd Kitbamrung, Thai priest and martyr; Maria Stella Adelaide Mardosewicz and 10 sisters of the Institute of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Byelorussian martyrs. Pedro Calungsod, Filipino lay catechist and martyr; Andrea, Vietnamese lay catechist and martyr.

- Wednesday 8: Ash Wednesday. General audience with the Holy Father. In the afternoon, Mass at the church of St. Sabina and imposition of ashes.

- Thursday 9: Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. Adoration of the Eucharist.

- Friday 10: Basilica of St. John Lateran. Way of the Cross and penitential celebration.

- Saturday 11: Basilica of St. Mary Major. Recitation of the Rosary.

- Sunday 12: First Sunday of Lent. St. Peter's Basilica. Mass and "request for pardon" ceremony in the presence of the Holy Father. Basilica of St. John Lateran. Rite of election and the inscription of the names of the catechumens.

- Thursday 16: Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. Adoration of the Eucharist.

- Friday 17: Basilica of St. John Lateran. Way of the Cross and penitential celebration.

- Saturday 18: Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. Divine liturgy in the Syro-oriental rite (Chaldean and Malabarese). Basilica of St. Mary Major. Recitation of the Rosary.

- Sunday 19: Second Sunday of Lent. St. Peter's Square. Mass in the presence of the Holy Father. Jubilee of Artisans.
- Thursday 23: Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. Adoration of the Eucharist.

- Friday 24: Basilica of St. John Lateran. Way of the Cross and penitential celebration.

- Saturday 25: Basilica of St. Mary Major. Recitation of the Rosary.

- Sunday 26: Third Sunday of Lent. Basilica of St. John Lateran. First scrutiny of the catechumens.

- Thursday 30: Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. Adoration of the Eucharist.

- Friday 31: Basilica of St. John Lateran. Way of the Cross and penitential celebration.

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HOLY FATHER'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR MARCH

VATICAN CITY, FEB 29, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father's general prayer intention for March is: "That the Holy Year, a favorable time for repentance and mercy, may foster in us deep and lasting conversion."

His missionary intention is: "That the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Savior, may protect and sustain missionaries in their apostolic work."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, FEB 29, 2000 - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- His Majesty Letsie III, king of Lesotho, accompanied by Queen Karabo Mohato Seeiso and an entourage.
- Archbishop William Joseph Levada of San Francisco, U.S.A.
- Fernando de Trazegnies, foreign minister of Peru, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

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INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON "THE CHRISTIAN CULTURE OF PEACE"

VATICAN CITY, FEB 29, 2000 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for Culture has organized an international encounter dedicated to "The Christian Culture of Peace," from March 2 to 4 in Yaounde, Cameroon, according to a communique released today by the council. The communique recalls that the Year 2000 has been proclaimed by the United Nations as "The Year of The Culture of Peace."

Among the scheduled participants are African members of the pontifical council and delegates from the episcopal conferences and from the Association of Episcopal Conferences of the region of central Africa (Cameroon. Chad, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Central African Republic), who have been chosen from among the presidents of the episcopal conferences for education, culture and justice and peace. Cardinals Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Christian Wiyghan Tumi, archbishop of Douala, Cameroon, and Archbishop Anselme Titianma Sanon of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, will also participate.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 29, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:
- Msgr. Domenico Russo as bureau chief of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See.

- Fr. Ugo Vanni S.J., professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, as member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

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