PRESENTATION OF "EXPO MISSIO 2000"

VATICAN CITY, JUN 8, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office there was the official presentation of "Expo Missio 2000," an exhibit which opens tomorrow and runs to January 6, 2001, at the Abbey of The Three Fountains in Rome, the site of St. Paul's martyrdom.

The text of the speech by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the central Jubilee committee, who was absent at the start of the conference, was read by Fr. Giordano Rigamonti, secretary general of Expo Missio 2000. The text explained that multimedia materials were used in the exhibit, part of which takes place outside, "to excite the visitor's interest" in the three distinct parts: the exposition, animation and actuality of mission.

Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, explained these three parts. The first, he said, "emerges the visitor in the variety of peoples and in the religious path of humanity." The second part, he said, is the "heart" of the exhibit, showing the visitor that "Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the juncture of the expectations of all mankind and the departure point for the new life that believers and the Church all wish to live and propose to the world." The third part "illustrates the historical path of the Church as well as her commitment today" and "shows the many ways in which the Church can do missionary work." As visitors exit the expo, he said, they go to the site of Paul's martyrdom.

"The first part," said Cardinal Etchegaray's speech, "could appear as the most important because it is the most eye-catching because of the area covered - 40,000 square meters - and the distance - over a kilometer. But the second part is its essence or soul. Every day 50 missionaries of various ages will be present to welcome and accompany the pilgrims, establishing a personal contact with them. Mission, in fact, is life and life is transmitted through human relations and the sharing of faith."
Cardinal Tomko summarizes Expo Missio 2000, saying "it presents a modern-day concept of the missionary work undertaken by the Church for 2000 years. ... Expo Missio 2000 is not the usual exposition of the various ethnic groups of the world, of their customs, clothes, tools, masks and the like, accompanied by photographs of missionaries and their work. ... This Expo is rather an itinerary, a path which physically involves pilgrims ... and visibly guides them from the world from which they come through the three principal stages."

Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia, vicegerent of the diocese of Rome, indicated that entry to the exhibition is free and that, above all, the visit is a spiritual and cultural "pilgrimage" in which "there are significant stages and moments, both communal and of interpersonal dialogue with the missionaries themselves."

The aim of the exhibition is to "help pilgrims to ask themselves a profound question: What must I, as a Christian, do every day to announce the Lord and live the faith in Him, in my own life, towards every individual and, broadening the horizon, in the entire world where so many still do not know the true God and Jesus Christ who was sent by Him?"

Fr. Franco Cagnasso, coordinator of Expo Missio 2000, said that during the seven months it will remain open, male and female missionaries will hold meetings, conferences and debates, both for and with visitors. Every day after closing, there will be a moment of prayer with the monks of the abbey."

In addition, Fr. Cagnasso announced other scheduled events: two evenings of music and witness during World Youth Day, meetings of continental regions and meetings of missionary families. On January 1, 2001, on the initiative of various religious groups, the "March of Religions for Peace," will take place, in which participants will march and pray in Rome for peace in the world.

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EDUCATION IS THE GUARANTEE OF HUMAN RIGHTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 8, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was the Letter from Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano to Lloyd Axworthy, chairman of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (O.A.S.), which met for its 30th regular session from June 4 to 6 in Windsor, Canada. The letter, dated May 30 and written in English, was delivered by the Holy See Permanent Observer to the O.A.S., Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, who led the Holy See delegation to this session.

The cardinal expressed the Holy See's "appreciation of the conclusions of the 'Dialogue on the Inter-American system for the protection and promotion of human rights' which .... the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs has conducted."

"The full ratification and implementation of the Inter-American instruments of human rights, the acceptance and competence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in matters of dispute, and the application of the decisions and recommendations of the Court and Commission are rightly considered as essential conditions for the strengthening of the system." He suggested that "the appeals, actions and proceedings before the Court and Commission be more agile and conclusive."

"It is clear," affirmed Cardinal Sodano, "that ... effective implementation of human rights requires a culture of rights, not only on the part of those in public office, but in the behavior of all citizens." He added that "the Holy See considers that the surest guarantee of human rights in the American continent is the education of all its citizens."

In closing remarks, the secretary of state observed that "the actual realization of such a civic culture calls for a continuing improvement of the material conditions which ensure a healthy life for families and the many other bodies and associations which link the family to the State and form a network of economic and social harmony."

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NEW BOLIVIAN AMBASSADOR PRESENTS HIS LETTERS OF CREDENCE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 8, 2000 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received the Letters of Credence from the new ambassador of the Republic of Bolivia, Pedro Jose Rivera Saavedra, to whom he expressed his desire that Bolivians "always maintain the genuine values that form their rich heritage, by which the country may advance towards better, more just and unified objectives."

The Pope also made reference to structural changes that are being put into effect as a response to the situation in the poorest regions of the country. On this subject, he recalled that Bolivian bishops presented the president of their country with a document entitled "Conclusions of the Jubilee 2000 Forum." This is an initiative that "aims to discuss the delicate problem of structural poverty in the country and to give citizens from various social classes and different political tendencies the possibility of expressing an opinion on how to use the funds made available by the eradication of external debt."

"The moral and social blight of poverty," he continued, "certainly calls for technical and political solutions, ensuring that economic activity and the benefits it legitimately generates are also used for the common good. ... Nonetheless, it must not be forgotten that all these measures will be inadequate if they are not driven by authentic ethical and spiritual values."

The Holy Father highlighted that the Church has "the inescapable duty of enlightening, from the standpoint of faith, the development of the social situation in which it is immersed." On this matter, he also recalled that the Bolivian Episcopal Conference has published the pastoral letter: "The Earth, Fertile Mother for all," which "proposes some thoughts on the reconsideration of agrarian reform, so necessary in order to alleviate the dramatic situation being suffered by indigenous people and peasant farmers."

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