LENT IS A TIME OF CONVERSION, PRAYER AND FASTING

VATICAN CITY, MAR 9, 2000 (VIS) - Yesterday, Ash Wednesday, in the Basilica of St. Sabina, the Holy Father presided at an evening celebration of the Liturgy of the Word, during a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

In his homily, the Pope said that through today's traditional rite of the imposition of ashes, "the Church reminds man, believer and sinner, of his frailty in the face of evil and, especially, of his total dependence on God's infinite majesty."

"From its very start, earthly existence forms part of the context of death. Our bodies are mortal, marked by the inescapable prospect of death."

John Paul II indicated that believers "know they are not merely bodies condemned to die because of sin, but that they also have an immortal soul."

Jesus' call at the start of His preaching to "convert and believe in the Gospel," the Pope continued, "is our introduction to the period of Lent, a time that must be especially dedicated to conversion and renewal, to prayer, fasting and works of charity."

"Following these weeks of penance, we will experience the joy of Easter. Our eyes, purified by prayer and penance, will be able to see more clearly the face of the living God, towards whom Man makes his personal pilgrimage along the paths of earthly existence."

After the homily and the blessing, the Pope received ashes from Cardinal Tomko, titular bishop of St. Sabina, and then imposed ashes on some members of the faithful.

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AUDIENCE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 9, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Committee and the Presidential Council of the Great Jubilee 2000.

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THE CURIA'S SPIRITUAL RETREAT BEGINS MARCH 12

VATICAN CITY, MAR 9, 2000 (VIS) - At 6 p.m. on March 12, the first Sunday of Lent, the Roman Curia's annual spiritual exercises will begin in the "Redemptoris Mater" Chapel in the Vatican, in the presence of the Holy Father. That evening there will be vespers, an introduction to the retreat and then Eucharistic adoration and benediction.

According to a communique published today by the Prefecture of the Papal Household, Archbishop Francois-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, will be the retreat master, and the theme of the daily meditations will be "Witnesses of Hope."

The daily program from Monday, March 13 to Friday, March 17 is as follows: 9 a.m., recitation of Lauds and meditation; 10:15 a.m., recitation of the Middle Hour (Terce) and meditation; 5 p.m., vespers and meditation; 6:15 p.m., meditation, recitation of the rosary and Eucharistic adoration and benediction. The spiritual exercises will finish on the morning of Saturday March 18.

During this period all audiences, including the general audience of Wednesday March 15, will be suspended.

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HOLY FATHER HAS ANNUAL ENCOUNTER WITH ROMAN CLERGY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 9, 2000 (VIS) - The pastors and clergy of the diocese of Rome were welcomed this morning in St. Peter's Basilica by the Holy Father, who remarked that the annual meeting was characterized this year by both the start of Lent and the Jubilee. He noted that their Jubilee pilgrimage had begun with the passage through the Holy Door, a profession of faith and the sacrament of reconciliation.

He stated that penance "is of great help in overcoming acquiesence to those forms of self-justification, part of the mentality and culture of our times, which make one lose the sense of sin and prevent one from feeling the consoling joy of God's pardon."

The Pope then highlighted the need for a strong sense of communion between priests and their bishop, and with other priests, and urged them never to let increased pastoral work interfere with this. He encouraged them to help other priests, specially those with particular needs, the ill and elderly, and to be willing "to dialogue and meet with those who have left the priesthood."

"The primary subject of your solicitude must be families," said John Paul II. He stressed the importance of pastors' "Easter meetings with families": "This visit reinforces a sense of belonging to a community, in those many people who often live on its margins" and who are "awaiting occasions and concrete signs ... which will help them overcome solitude and anonymity and build a fabric of human and spiritual relationships."

The Holy Father also underscored the special attention that pastors must give to young people. "How many adolescents and young people in our city do not know they are loved and sought out by the Lord, because no one has told them or no one has met them with a sincere and fraternal friendship." Be the "spiritual fathers" of young people, he said, and prepare them well and properly for World Youth Day in August.

In closing remarks, the Pope touched on another group of persons to whom priests must dedicate themselves - the poor and the needy. In particular he urged Romans, the diocesan community and "every ecclesial body" to open homes and hearts and to extend special hospitality to "the neediest and poorest pilgrims."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 9, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. Giuseppe Verucchi of the clergy of Modena-Nonantola, Italy, pastor of the parish of Fiorano, as archbishop of Ravenna-Cervia (area 1,185, population 210,252, Catholics 203,000, priests 129, permanent deacons 5, religious 325), Italy, The bishop-elect was born in Miceno di Pavullo, Italy, in 1937 and ordained a priest in 1961. He succeeds Archbishop Luigi Amaducci, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. Francois Maupu, vicar general of Orleans, France, as bishop of Verdun (area 6,216, population 190,000, Catholics 170,000, priests 118, permanent deacons 8, religious 114), France. The bishop-elect was born in Neuville-aux-Bois, France, in 1939 and ordained a priest in 1964.

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