PUT MAN, NOT MONEY, AT THE CENTER OF WORK

VATICAN CITY, MAY 12, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was Pope John Paul's Letter to Laurent Katame, president of the World Movement of Christian Workers, on the occasion of its general assembly in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Written in French, it is dated May 7.

"By their work," the Pope writes, "men have the mission of building a just and fraternal world, where the place and the dignity to which workers have a right is recognized. By caring for creation, they preserve and develop the goods of the earth. Doing this makes them turn to God, Whose creative work they extend. ... Work also turns man towards his brothers by putting into practice love for one's neighbor."

He underlines that the world movement "must, at all of its levels, have solicitude for the spiritual, moral and intellectual formation of its members.
Saying "work is not all there is to life," John Paul II stresses the importance of "leisure time, personal and family life and Sunday rest which allows one to turn towards God."

He also underscores the importance of putting man, not money, at the center of work, especially in view of the phenomenon of globalization. Writing of the "enormous transformations which today overwhelm economies and the world of work, ... the great technological advances and new political and cultural situations," the Pope says "no one must be resigned to a globalization which is founded solely on economic criteria. ... Workers should commit themselves to avoid the dangers of a globalization and technology which crush people."

The Holy Father asked that "special attention be given to young people looking for their first job, to the unemployed, and to those with insufficient wages or who lack material means."

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SPORT MUST BE LINKED TO SPIRITUAL VALUES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 12, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, John Paul II received organizers and participants of the 83rd 'Giro d'Italia' cycle race which starts tomorrow in St. Peter's Square.

"This year's race," said the Pope, "assumes a special significance in the context of the Great Jubilee 2000. ... It could be said that tomorrow's stage is not just the 'prologue' to the 'Giro d'Italia' but constitutes the first stage of the sports peoples' Jubilee which, if God wills, we will have the joy of celebrating together on the last Sunday of October in Rome's Olympic Stadium."

The Holy Father highlighted the relationship "that must always unite sporting activity and spiritual values. (This must) constitute an important opportunity for reflection and renewal so that sport may shine with that clarity, coherence, honesty and spirit of sharing that makes it a meaningful vehicle for the highest values of humanity."

All sporting activity, he added, requires "preparation, constancy in training, awareness of the limits of individual capacity, loyalty in competition, acceptance of precise rules, respect for the opponent and a sense of solidarity and altruism."

John Paul II highlighted that the technical resources used in the race must be put "at the service of the athlete and not vice versa, avoiding useless risks that could be damaging to participants or spectators."

The Pope told the cyclists that he hopes they live this race "animated by authentic 'sportsmanship', in other words by a great competitive passion, but also by a great spirit of sharing and solidarity".

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POPE LEAVES TODAY FOR FATIMA, HIS 92ND APOSTOLIC TRIP

VATICAN CITY, MAY 12, 2000 (VIS) - For the third time in his pontificate, John Paul II will travel to Fatima, Portugal, leaving Rome at 4 p.m. today for the start of his 92nd foreign apostolic trip. He was previously in Fatima on May 12-13, 1982 and May 12-13, 1991. The 1,967-kilometer trip will take three hours. The Pope is scheduled to travel from the Lisbon Airport to Fatima this evening by helicopter.

Tomorrow morning, during Mass on the esplanade of the shrine, he will beatify Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the three shepherd children to whom the Virgin Mary appeared six times between May 13 and October 13, 1917. The third child, Lucia de Jesus, is now a 93-year old Carmelite religious whose name is Sister Mary Lucy of the Immaculate Heart. She will be at the beatification of her cousins.

Francisco Marto was born in nearby Aljustrel on June 11, 1908 and died on April 4, 1919. Jacinta was born on March 11, 1910 and died February 20, 1920. Both are buried in the basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. Except for martyrs, they are the two youngest persons ever to be beatified.

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