HOLY FATHER WELCOMES PILGRIMS FROM DIOCESE OF PADUA

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2000 (VIS) - Faithful from the diocese of Padua, Italy, accompanied by their bishop, were welcomed this morning by the Holy Father who underscored how theirs was "a Church rich in saints and martyrs, old and noble traditions, priestly and religious vocations and generous institutions."

He also extended "a fraternal greeting to the Orthodox bishop of Cherson, Ionathan, secretary of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and to the representative of the Romanian metropolitan of Craiova, who are taking part in this encounter."

"We are living the year of the Great Jubilee," the Pope told the 4,500 people gathered in St. Peter's Basilica, "which offers the faithful the possibility of drawing copiously from the treasure of God's graces and mercy which have been entrusted to the Church. The Lord asks those who long for a courageous inner renewal, to approach Him with trust."

John Paul II remarked that "following Christ with generous love demands an intense and constant interior growth. To this end, it is necessary to assiduously cultivate prayer, to participate as frequently as possible in the Eucharist and in the sacrament of Penance, and to exercise the evangelical virtues, above all, charity."

Highlighting the "great tradition of sanctity of the Church in Padua," the Pope named many of "the numerous examples of witness to the faith," calling them "the glories of your diocese." He urged the faithful to draw from "their examples and their enthusiastic teachings. ... you will thus be prepared to face with trust and hope the difficulties of our time and the challenges of the new evangelization."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Bishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi M.S.C., of Amboina, Indonesia.
- Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, accompanied by Msgr. Pietro Fragnelli, rector of Rome's Major Pontifical Seminary, and other superiors of the same pontifical seminary.

This evening, he is scheduled to receive Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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"JUBILEE 2000 IN ROME," BOOK ON HOLY YEAR BY VIS WRITER

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2000 (VIS) - We would like to inform our readers that "Jubilee 2000 in Rome," written by Joan Lewis of the Vatican Information Service, has been published in the United States, where it is available through Scepter Publishers (general'scepterpub.org). It is also available in Rome at Catholic bookstores near the Vatican.

Intended for easy use by pilgrims, the book is a guide to the seven major basilicas and to other churches in Rome, the catacombs, and the Shrine of Divine Love. It contains a helpful glossary of terms, a history of Jubilees, a guide to visiting the Vatican, the complete calendar of events for the Jubilee year and a practical chapter entitled Tips for Tourists.

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POPE TO PRESIDE ASH WEDNESDAY STATION AT ST. SABINA

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2000 (VIS) - The afternoon of March 8, Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, Pope John Paul will preside at ceremonies at the stational basilica of St. Sabina on Rome's Aventine Hill.

The Lenten service will start at 4:30 p.m. at the nearby church of St. Anselm with a moment of prayer. This will be followed by a procession to St. Sabina Basilica, in which cardinals, archbishops, bishops, the Benedictine monks of St. Anselm's and the Dominican Fathers of St. Sabina's, as well as members of the lay faithful, will take part.

The Holy Father will then preside at the Liturgy of the Word in St. Sabina. Following his homily, ashes will be blessed and distributed. Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and titular cardinal of St. Sabina, will preside at the Eucharistic liturgy. At the end of Mass, the Pope will impart his apostolic blessing.
Starting in the earliest centuries of the Church, Roman Stations or stational churches were those in which the Pope presided at liturgies on special occasions. The liturgy was usually preceded by a gathering of members of the hierarchy and the faithful who then processed to the designated church for the liturgy. In later years this practice became associated principally with the Lenten season.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Tony Anatrella of the archdiocese of Paris, France, as a consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

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