ASSURING THE RIGHTS AND DIGNITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS

VATICAN CITY, APR 14, 2000 (VIS) - Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, Holy See permanent observer to the Offices of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, spoke there on April 12 on the rights of children during the 56th session of the Human Rights Commission.

He focussed on the two optional protocols to the Children's Rights Convention which have been prepared by work groups and which regard the involvement of children in armed conflicts as well as the sale of children, child prostitution and pornography involving children.

The archbishop noted that the first protocol involving children in conflicts "sets their obligatory enrollment in the armed forces and their direct involvement in hostilities at age 18. The Holy See would have hoped ... that a consensus could have been reached on the question of voluntary enrolment at 18 years of age."

He lamented the fact that children often enrol willingly in the military to earn money, "to survive, to show their strength and maturity or to follow the example of friends. Sometimes they are driven by a culture of violence. ... A new international instrument does not resolve in itself the problem of child-soldiers, but it is an important commitment for everyone."

On the question of children being used for prostitution and pornography, Archbishop Bertello said these "new forms of slavery are fundamental violations of the rights of children: education, private life, health needs. etc. ... Sexual exploitation of children is a dramatic social blight which demands the intervention and collaboration of all involved in forming young people," in particular civil authorities.

The Holy See observer urged greater efforts to eliminate the causes of such plights. He asked if "the erosion ... of family and community values as well as the exaltation of a lifestyle which makes money and riches the supreme values, does not contribute somewhat to the breadth of this phenomenon."

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TO YOUTH: THE CHURCH NEEDS YOUR GENEROSITY AND DYNAMISM

VATICAN CITY, APR 14, 2000 (VIS) - The Pope this morning welcomed to the Vatican 200 young people from Rouen, France who are in Rome on a Jubilee pilgrimage, telling them that this is a special "time of retreat, reflection and prayer."

In Rome, "as you receive the witness of the first Christian communities," observed the Holy Father, "you in turn are called to be witnesses and to fully take your place in the heart of the people of God. The Church is counting on you; she needs your youth, your generosity and your dynamism, so as to further become the people whom God loves and who raise a new hope for the world."

"May you be the witnesses that this new century so needs!" exclaimed John Paul II. "Certainly, you will need courage and audacity to sometimes go counter-current to the seductive propositions of today's world, and to behave in conformity to the Gospel demands of true love. But you will discover that life with Christ, the search for Truth, practicing basic human and moral values, respect for yourself and others, are the paths of authentic freedom and true happiness."

In concluding words, the Pope told the young people that "Christ calls you to place your hope in Him and to follow Him on the path to marriage, priesthood or the consecrated life. In the silence of your hearts, don't be afraid to listen as the Lord speaks to you!"

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THERE IS NO TRUE WELL-BEING WITHOUT UNIVERSAL EDUCATION

VATICAN CITY, APR 14, 2000 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received the Letters of Credence of the new ambassador from the Republic of Argentina, Vicente Espeche Gil, who between 1972 and 1978 was secretary of the embassy he now heads.

John Paul II expressed his happiness that the Argentine nation "has managed to live the last few years in a climate of political calm, with no great disturbances. ... It is my fervent wish that this civic maturity may become ever more consolidated in a just understanding of the human person."

The policies a government implements to stimulate the growth of the nation must take into account "the integrity of the development of human beings who are, at the same time, both individual and social, and in whom spiritual and religious values are no less fundamental than material ones."

"Indeed," continued the Pope, "a country's growth cannot be measured exclusively in terms of its production of wealth, although this is an indispensable condition and, consequently, a goal that must be pursued. ... There is no true well-being without adequate education at all levels and available to all, a just social order and a rapid administration of justice."

"If the basic values and institutions of the whole of society - the family and the protection of minors and the most needy - are abandoned, it will not be possible to construct a solid and hopeful future. Even less so, if the very foundations of law, liberty and the dignity of persons are undermined, attacking life at the moment of conception. As you have indicated, these values represent a common heritage which must be defended, even in the international arena, in order to offer a more promising future to all humanity."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 14, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop Gonzalo del Castillo Crespo O.C.D., auxiliary of La Paz, Bolivia, as military ordinary for Bolivia. He succeeds Bishop Mario Lezana Vaca, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same military ordinariate the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation from the office of coadjutor to the military ordinary of Bolivia, presented by Bishop Manuel Revollo Crespo C.M.F., in conformity with canons 401 and 411 of the Code of Canon Law.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 14, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
- Bishop Walter Kasper, emeritus of Rottenburg-Stuttgart and secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

This evening, he is scheduled to receive Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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MAY 1, THE JUBILEE OF WORKERS

VATICAN CITY, APR 14, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, there was the presentation of the Jubilee of Workers, which will be celebrated on May 1 on the theme "Work for all: the path of solidarity and justice."

Businessmen, managers, workers, members of co-operatives and financial and business agents from all over the world will be participating in the Jubilee.

The Jubilee events will begin on Sunday April 30 with a preparatory prayer vigil focussing on Christ's Resurrection. This will take place in the Basilica of St. John Lateran under the guidance of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's vicar general for the diocese of Rome.

Prior to the Eucharistic celebration on May 1 at Rome's Torvergata University, starting at 10:30 a.m. and presided over by the Holy Father, there will be a time for meditations, songs and interviews which aim to present and describe the different experiences and methods of human labor.

During the Mass, the Pope will present an offering - collected during the course of the day - towards the ecclesial campaign for debt reduction. Finally, Juan Somavia, director general of the International Labor Organization and Paola Bignardi, president of Italian Catholic Action, will greet the Pope, representing, respectively, the world of work and all working women.

The Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, will then sing the Jubilee hymn and a number of sacred arias, accompanied by the choir and the orchestra of the Academy of St. Cecilia. John Paul II will give a brief message to the world of work and receive greetings of a delegation of people representing various types of work. The gathering will close with a rendition of the song "Life is Beautiful."

In the afternoon, the traditional May 1 concert will take place, dedicated to the campaign for reducing the debt of the poorest countries.

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