NEW AMBASSADOR FROM FRANCE PRESENTS LETTERS OF CREDENCE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed France's new ambassador to the Holy See, Alain Dejammet, who presented his Letters of Credence. The Pope spoke to him of the role of the European Union, the tasks facing governments and institutions in today's world of globalization, and of the need to constantly defend human rights, including first and foremost, the rights to life and religious freedom.

The Pope remarked that in several weeks France will assume the presidency of the European Union which this years marks the 50th anniversary of its founding. "The European Union is both a stake and a challenge: it opens the way to a future of peace and solidarity and to ever more intense collaboration among the different countries of the continent and those of the rest of the world."

People and institutions are called, he said, to have the common good at heart, "exercising their mission as a service to populations, in respect for the rules of fair play, justice and probity, essential for every man, but in a special way for those who work in the public sector. It could also be an obstacle to occult networks that hope to profit from the great European market to launder money from every sort of traffic which is an affront to man, in particular in the area of drugs, the arms trade and the exploitation of persons, especially women and children."

In building Europe, affirmed John Paul II, there must not be "a community of interests, but rather a community founded on values and mutual trust, placing man at the center of all endeavors." He urged "assistance to those nations which are coming out of a period of isolation, to help the citizens acquire the political maturity needed for public life."

On the question of human rights, the Holy Father remarked that "human rights are the foundation of the recognition of the human being and of social cohesion." They must be guaranteed by the public instance, he said, quoting Pope John XXIII, because "'they derive directly from our natural dignity and for this reason they are universal, inalienable and inviolable'. Among these, the right to life and to respect for life is primordial, as is support for the family, the basic cell of society."

He asked how individuals could place their trust in people and institutions unless they "guarantee each person's most precious good, his very life?" Decisions on matters of life cannot be "purely arbitrary decisions." It is a "duty" and an "honor" for countries to defend life, human dignity and human rights and to see that no one is marginalized.

On the freedom of religion, he said that "to mock religious beliefs, to discredit one form or another of religious practice and values ... is a form of exclusion contrary to the respect for basic human values. ... This can only engender a climate of tension, intolerance, opposition or suspicion, which is not propitious to social peace."

The Pope then turned to the topic of youth, thanking all those who, "with patience and tenacity, guide young people and create conditions so that learning may be accessible to everyone and the scourges which mark modern society, such as violence and drugs, may be contained."

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CARDINAL ZOUNGRANA WAS "A GREAT SON OF AFRICA"

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2000 (VIS) - Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, presided at the funeral Mass today in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, for Cardinal Paul Zoungrana, archbishop emeritus of Ouagadougou.

In his homily in French, the prefect called Cardinal Zoungrana "a great son of Africa, ... a son of the Universal Church" and "a builder of the Church-Family." With his death, said the cardinal, "a glorious era for Africa and the Church in Africa comes to an end."
Pointing to the growth of the Church in Africa during the last century, Cardinal Tomko noted that "from 2 million baptized in 1900, African Catholics today number 110 million. Africa has gone from no native clergy at all, to 26,000 priests today. And there are nearly 20,000 candidates to the priesthood in the seminaries."

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IMITATE BLESSED EDMUND'S LOVE FOR GOD AND MANKIND

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul welcomed various groups of pilgrims this morning in the Paul VI Hall, including faithful from several Italian dioceses, senior citizens from Santa Maria del Cedro, members of the Verona Association of Heart Transplants and the Sisters, Handmaidens of the Virgin, Mother of God.

Addressing the Polish Sisters in their language, he recalled that they were founded 150 years ago by Blessed Edmund Bojanowski, whom the Pope beatified during his June 1999 trip to his homeland. He said that Blessed Edmund "loved God and loved man. He was a man of prayer. His great love for mankind, manifested through heroic acts, was born from a profound union with God through prayer. From this he drew the strength to serve man. That love grew in him, on his knees, to produce fruit."

Through the life and works of Blessed Edmund, affirmed the Holy Father, "God wishes to tell you that holiness, aiming for holiness, is the most important task of consecrated persons. ... You are called to give a personal and community witness of holiness." He urged them to "imitate Christ Himself, who was totally submissive to the will of the Father; imitate Jesus in His prayer, to which He dedicated long hours; imitate Jesus in His love for mankind."

"At this point," stated the Pope, "I wish to underline your service, full of self-denial, towards those in need. ... In dozens of countries on all continents, you care for children, the ill, persons who are elderly, alone or poor. ... Today's meeting is a special occasion for me to tell you of my gratitude for this apostolate of charity, which is the most efficacious proclamation of Christ to the world."

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ONLY THOSE WHO LIVE WHAT THEY PROFESS CAN HOPE TO BE HEARD

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2000 (VIS) - At 6:30 this evening, the vigil of Pentecost, the Pope presided at the Eucharist in St. Peter's Square. During the Jubilee Year, on the occasion of this solemnity, the Church is celebrating the "Day of Reflection and Prayer On the Duties of Catholics Towards Other Men: Announcing Christ, Witnessing and Dialogue."

With the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, John Paul II recalled in his homily, "began the double witness: that of the Holy Spirit and that of the Apostles. The witness of the Spirit is divine in itself: it proceeds from the depth of the Trinitarian mystery. The witness of the Apostles is human: it transmits, in the light of revelation, their experience of living next to Jesus."

"What is decisive for the efficacy of proclamation," affirmed the Holy Father, "is a witness that is lived. Only a believer who lives what he professes with his lips, has the hope of being heard." When it is not possible to explicitly announce Jesus Christ, "the witness of a respectful, chaste life, detached from riches and free in the face of the powers of this world, in a word, the witness of holiness, even if offered in silence, can reveal all its strength of conviction."

Furthermore, he added, "it is clear that firmness in witnessing to Christ with the strength of the Holy Spirit does not impede one from collaborating in service to mankind with those belonging to other religions. ... If the children of the Church will know how to remain open to the action of the Holy Spirit, He will help them to communicate, in a way that respects other religious convictions, the one and universal message of salvation in Christ."

Pope John Paul gave thanks to God for "the witness of the first community in Jerusalem which, through generations of martyrs and confessors, became throughout the centuries the legacy of countless men and women through the world."

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HOLY SEE DELEGATION AT U.N. CONFERENCE ON "WOMEN 2000"

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was the speech made yesterday in New York by Kathryn Hoomkwap on behalf of the Holy See delegation to the 23rd Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century." This session was held to evaluate the progress made since the Fourth World Conference on Women which was held in Beijing in September 1995.

Mrs. Hoomkwap said that "the 'living heart' of the initiatives called for in the Beijing Platform for Action correspond to the multiplicity of services the Catholic Church has historically provided to women." However, she expressed the delegation's "fear for the health and well being of children in Africa, ... the continued prevalence of diseases, ... the number of people, especially the children, who suffer from malnutrition, ... the growing conflicts" and the number of "those who cannot read and write."

"My delegation," she affirmed, "strongly supports the document's provisions condemning all forms of violence against women, upholding women's rights to economic and political empowerment, its measures against poverty and its references - brief though they are - to high mortality rates among girls and women due both to chronic illness and to widespread infections, including tropical diseases."

"However," the Holy See delegate added, "the 'Women 2000' document, like the Beijing platform, would emphasize, seemingly endlessly, one issue - sexual and reproductive health - to the detriment of a holistic view of the health of women and their families which is so desperately needed to alleviate women's fears."

"We must proceed with full and complete human development - not only social and economic, but also spiritual. The Holy See renews its pledge to help find an end to hunger, to find a way towards educational opportunities for all, toward remedy and comfort for the suffering caused by sickness and disease, and through these means to continually seek to extinguish the fear that keep us from celebrating life as the gift that it is."

"In closing," stated Mrs. Hoomkwap, "the Holy See delegation wishes to state that nothing that the Holy See has done in the 'Women 2000' process should be understood as en endorsement of concepts it does not support for moral reasons. Nothing is to be understood to imply that the Holy See endorses abortion or has in any way changed its moral position concerning abortion or contraceptives. The Holy See reaffirms its belief that life begins at conception and that every human life must be protected from the earliest moments to the end of the life cycle."

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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF SYRIAN PRESIDENT ASSAD

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2000 (VIS) - Following is the text of the telegram, written in French and sent by Pope John Paul to Bachar El-Assad, son of Hafez El-Assad, the president of Syria who died on Saturday, June 10:

"Having been informed of the death of President Hafez El-Assad, who for a long time led the destiny of his country and played a great role in the Middle East, I join the pain of his family and that of the Syrian people. I entrust the deceased to the mercy of the All Powerful. May the Most High comfort the authorities and the people of Syria in this painful hour and assist them in the task of always pursuing the development of the country in the journey on the path of peace in the service of all Syrians and all the inhabitants of the region!"

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PAPAL APPEAL TO END VIOLENCE IN THE CONGO

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2000 (VIS) - Following the Regina Coeli prayer today, Pope John Paul issued an appeal for an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, saying "once again, my thoughts turn to Africa: once again the heart of Africa is bleeding!"

"In recent days the populations of the city of Kisangani, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were taken hostage by the violence of armed factions warring among themselves. Even Church institutions were not spared. There were hundreds of dead and wounded.

"I appeal to the responsibility and sensitivity of the political and military authorities and I pray God to make the voice of conscience echo in them: Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo in particular, needs reconciliation and peace. May Mary Most Holy, Queen of Peace, intercede for us!"

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POPE LAUDS KOREAN LEADERS FOR UPCOMING MEETING

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2000 (VIS) - Today, before praying the Regina Coeli with the faithful who had gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope reflected on Pentecost, on today's Jubilee celebration dedicated to reflection on the duties of Catholics towards others, and on the forthcoming meeting in Pyongyang of leaders of North and South Korea.

He said that today's celebration of the solemnity of Pentecost recalls the day 2000 years ago in the Cenacle in Jerusalem when "the Church was born, one, holy catholic and apostolic. One, because from the Spirit the Church became the mystery of communion, an icon on earth of the Most Holy Trinity; holy, because the Spirit is the guardian of the holiness of Christ the head in the members; catholic, because the Spirit exhorts it to announce to all peoples the one Gospel of salvation; apostolic, because through the ministry of the Apostles and their successors, the Spirit guides it on the paths of history."

"In the light of this feast," John Paul II continued, "today's Jubilee day takes on special meaning, (as it is) dedicated to reflection on the duties of Catholics towards others: proclaiming Christ, witnessing and dialogue. Promoted by the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, this celebration invites every baptized person and every ecclesial community to meditate on how to commit themselves ever more to proclaiming and witnessing to Christ to everyone, in respect for the diverse religious confessions. It is ever more important for every man and woman of good will to build a more just and fraternal world."

In concluding remarks before reciting the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father noted that "in coming days a meeting of historic significance will take place between the leaders of North and South Korea, in Pyongyang, in the Peoples' Democratic Republic of Korea. I join all persons of good will in congratulating the leaders of the two countries for this initiative, in the hope that the dialogue and the exchanges might contribute to the reconciliation of the two peoples, to the reunion of families which have now been separated for a half a century and to renewed stability and prosperity for the entire Korean peninsula. Only through a generous commitment will it be possible to overcome the difficulties and reach a positive result, which would be a motive of joyous hope for mankind."

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ENVOY TO CELEBRATIONS FOR MILLENNIUM OF WROCLAW

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was the Letter from the Pope, written in Latin and dated June 10, to Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, naming him as his special envoy to the celebrations of the millennium of the archdiocese of Wroclaw, Poland, which will take place this month.

Members of the mission who will accompany the cardinal include Msgr. Ignacy Dec, dean of the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Wroclaw and Fr. Todd Lajiness, personal secretary to Cardinal Szoka.

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JOHN PAUL II ASKS FOR AN END TO THE TRIALS OF IRAQI PEOPLE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father, in welcoming today the bishops of the Chaldean Church, gathered in Rome with Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid for their synod, told them "how many times over the years I have been near to the Iraqi people, the children, the elderly, the ill, families and all persons who have suffered in their body and soul."

"Numerous times," he continued, "I have had the opportunity to remind the international community of its duty so that new trials might be spared a people already sorely tried. Today I repeat even more forcefully: may everyone join together in putting an end to the trials of so many civilian victims!"

Pope John Paul, turning to their synod meeting, recalled that in his September 29, 1998 speech to Catholic Oriental patriarchs, he had said that "'the goal of all authentic synodality is harmony, so that the Trinity might be glorified in the Church'. ... The Acts of the Apostles teach us that it is neither absence of diverse opinions nor even the absence of conflicts which allows for harmony to be established, but indeed the ardent desire that the Church has to obey God's will for her."

He then quoted St. Ephraem of Nisibis who outlined the "traits which give spiritual beauty to a bishop. Orthodoxy of doctrine, science and the art of preaching, asceticism and chastity, modesty which forbids all jealousy, disdain for material goods, the search for mercy and gentleness with recourse to firmness when that is necessary, spiritual fatherhood, love for the holy mysteries." He added that "bishops must encourage and stimulate priests."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Takeo Okada of Urawa as archbishop metropolitan of Tokyo (area 7,316, population 17,775,082, Catholics 84,437, priests 427, religious 1,098), Japan. He succeeds Cardinal Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi, whose resignation to the pastoral care of the archdiocese was accepted by the Holy Father in conformity with Canon 401, para 2, of the C.I.C.

- Appointed Fr. Marcelin Taiji Tani as bishop of Urawa (area 22,662, population 13,928,489, Catholics 78,994, priests 59, religious 175), Japan. The bishop-elect was born in 1953 in Kansai, Japan, was ordained a priest in 1986 and up to now has been pastor in Tatebayashi, Japan.

- Appointed Fr. Francis Xavier Osamu Mizobe, S.D.B., as bishop of Sandai (area 45,951, population 7,396,081, Catholics 11,172, priests 62, religious 348), Japan. The bishop-elect was born in 1935 in Shingishu, Japan, took his religious vows in 1959, was ordained a priest in 1964 and since 1997 has been director of the Nagasaki College in Japan.

- Appointed Fr. Dominic Ryoji as bishop of Oita (area 14,071, population 2,404,645, Catholics, 5,892, priests 61, religious 257), Japan. The bishop-elect was born in 1955 in Goto, Japan, was ordained a priest in 1982 and since then has been a professor in the regional seminary of St. Sulpice in Fukuoka. He succeeds Bishop Peter Takaaki Hirayama, whose resignation to the pastoral care of the diocese was accepted by the Holy Father, upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation to the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Tokyo, Japan, presented by Bishop Paul Kazuhiro Mori, in conformity with Canons 411 and 401, para 2, of the C.I.C.

- Accepted the resignation to the pastoral care of the archdiocese of La Plata, Argentina, presented by Archbishop Carlos Galan, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Hector Ruben Aguer.

- Appointed Fr. Anthony J. Burgess as coadjutor bishop of Wewak (area 46,919, population 145,264, Catholics 89,280, priests 59, religious 127), Papua New Guinea. The bishop-elect was born in 1938 in Singleton, Australia, was ordained a priest in 1967 and since 1987 has been vicar general of the diocese of Aitape, Papua New Guinea.

- Appointed Archbishop Jean Assaad Haddad of Tyre of the Greek-Melkites, Lebanon, as apostolic administrator "sede plena" of the patriarchal Church of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites in Lebanon.

On Sunday, June 11, it was made public that the Holy Father appointed Fr. Pius Mlungisi Dlungwane as auxiliary bishop of Mariannhill (area 12,612, population 1,390,000, Catholics 284,500, priests 57, religious 464, permanent deacons 1), South Africa. The bishop-elect was born in 1947 in Impendle, South Africa, was ordained a priest in 1976 and up to now was rector of the St. John Vianney major seminary in Pretoria.

On Saturday, June 10, the following appointments by the Pope were made public:

- Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, as special envoy to the commemoration of the millennium of the archdiocese of Wroclaw, Poland, to take place this month.

- Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, as special envoy to the 20th International Mariological-Marian Congress, which will take place in Rome from September 15 to 24.

- Msgr. George Kocherry, nunciature counsellor in Australia, as apostolic nuncio in Ghana and Togo, elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in 1945 in Changanacherry, India and was ordained a priest in 1974.

- Fathers Mario Pangallo, Sabatino Majorano, C.SS.R., and Maurizio Pietro Faggioni, O.F.M., as consultors of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

- Msgr. Francesco Peracchi as consultor of the Congregation for the Clergy.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Cardinal William Wakefield Baum, major penitentiary, and entourage.
- Cardinal Antonio Maria Javierre Ortas and entourage.
- Archbishop Dominik Hrusovsky, apostolic nuncio in Belarus.

On Saturday, June 10, he received the following in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
- Cardinal Francis Arinze, Bishop Michael Louis Fitzgerald and Msgr. Felix Anthony Machado, respectively president, secretary and under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue.

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ARCHBISHOP TAURAN TO ATTEND ASSAD FUNERAL

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2000 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls, in a declaration made today, said that "the Holy See will take part tomorrow in the funeral of President Hafez el-Assad of Syria, with a delegation led by Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for Relations with States.

"The delegation will also include Archbishop Diego Causero, apostolic nuncio in Syria, Msgr. Luciano Russo, secretary of the nunciature and Msgr. Giovanni d'Aniello, nunciature counsellor of the Second Section, Relations with States, of the Secretariat of State."

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