MAN IS CALLED TO CONVERSION AND PENANCE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 8, 2000 (VIS) - Today, Ash Wednesday, the general audience held in St. Peter's Square took the form of a penitential liturgy. Following readings from the Bible and the catechesis in Italian, the Pope imposed ashes on some members of the faithful and, finally, extended greetings in various languages.

John Paul II stated that "Mankind, every person, is called to conversion and to penance and is drawn to friendship with God that they may be gifted with the supernatural life that fills the deepest desire of their hearts.

"In receiving ashes on our heads, we are today reminded that we are dust and to dust we will return." During this rite, he said, "an invitation resounds for believers not to let themselves be tied by material reality which, however significant it may be, is destined to perish. Rather, they must allow themselves to be transformed by the grace of conversion and penance in order to reach the challenging and peaceful heights of supernatural life."

The Holy Father highlighted that "the Jubilee door is open to all! May all enter who are oppressed by guilt, who recognize their unworthiness; may all enter who feel as dust dispersed by the wind; may the weak enter and the distrustful, to draw renewed strength from the Heart of Christ.

"Today," he continued, "the imposition of ashes is accompanied by the traditional practice of abstinence and fasting. These are not mere external observances, ritual fulfillments of duty, but eloquent signs of a necessary change of life. ... Through fasting and penance, the believer is asked to renounce legitimate material goods and satisfactions in order to acquire greater interior liberty."

John Paul II asked of God "that, in this Jubilee Lenten season, all Christians may deeply feel the obligation to seek reconciliation with God, with themselves and with their fellow man. This is the path that must be followed to achieve the longed for full communion between all Christ's disciples."

In his greetings to pilgrims, the Pope addressed a large group from the Italian federation "Women: Arts, Professions, Business" who have come to Rome to celebrate Women's Day: "To all the world's women, on this their day, I happily reiterate my cordial best wishes. May women, thanks to growing social recognition of their specific contribution to the common good, find ever greater expression of the richness of their 'genius,' thus bringing about their true promotion."

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ARCHBISHOP CORDES LEAVES FOR MOZAMBIQUE TOMORROW

VATICAN CITY, MAR 8, 2000 (VIS) - Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," will visit Mozambique from March 9 to 12 in order to give assurance of John Paul II's "spiritual closeness" to the people affected by the recent floods.

On Friday March 10 in Maputo, Archbishop Cordes will meet members of foreign aid organizations who collaborate with Mozambique Caritas to save those stricken by thirst and disease. On the same day he will also meet governmental authorities.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 11 and 12, Archbishop Cordes will visit the areas affected by the disaster: Xai-Xai, Inhambane and the area south of Beira and north of Maputo. He will present a donation from the Pope and the Committee for the Great Jubilee.

Caritas organizations in various countries have sent, thus far, $1,650,000 to help the people of Mozambique.

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1999: "COR UNUM" DISTRIBUTES $29.5 MILLION FOR PAPAL CHARITIES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 8, 2000 (VIS) - Papal charities in 1999 totalled $29.5 million, according to the annual report, released today, of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," the curial office responsible for organizing, collecting and distributing financial assistance to the needy in the Holy Father's name. As the third and final year of preparation for the Great Jubilee, 1999 had been denominated "The Year of Charity."

The report, entitled "Together with the Pope to Witness to the Love of Christ for Those Who Suffer in Spirit and Body," also underscored that, in 1998, a total of $189.6 million in aid had been given to particular Churches by ecclesial bodies or persons not directly linked with the pontifical council. This amount includes aid money directly given by the Holy Father to bishops from needy dioceses during his meetings with them, by ROACO (acronym for the Meeting of Works of Assistance the Eastern Churches) and by the three Pontifical Missionary Works (Propagation of the Faith, St. Peter Apostle and the Society of the Holy Childhood).

Cor Unum, whose president is Archbishop Paul Cordes, earmarked the following sums for papal charities: $1.2 million for populations struck by calamities and natural disasters; $555,000 to support projects of human and Christian promotion (work for the handicapped, youth formation, support for rural populations, aid to orphans, building chapels, schools and social centers, etc); $20 million for the "100 Projects of the Holy Father," a series of micro-projects which in realty number over 200; over $400,000 from the "Bread for Charity" project, which began in 1998 in Italy, for special projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Sudan; $1.7 million from the "Popolorum Progressio" Foundation to finance 215 micro-projects for indigenous populations of Latin America and $5.5 million given by the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel. These last two foundations operate within the sphere of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum and were founded by Pope John Paul II (Popolorum Progressio in 1992 and the Sahel Foundation in 1984).

The report highlighted the generosity of more well-to-do dioceses towards those in need, and noted that often "twinning" occurs when the dioceses which give and those which receive aid become "sister dioceses."

It also noted that in December 1999 the Pontifical Council produced, in both book form and CD-ROM, the fifth edition of the Catholic Aid Directory. This is a catalogue which lists the names and pertinent information of over 1,100 international or national organizations, associations and institutions which work in the field of charity.

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