WITNESS IS STRENGTHENED THROUGH DIALOGUE WITH CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today in the Paul VI Hall, John Paul II received faithful from the Italian diocese of Ascoli Piceno and various other groups who have come to Rome on a Jubilee pilgrimage.

The Pope made reference to reflections on the Eucharist and the Mass that have been taking place in all the parishes of Ascoli Piceno since the month of October. He suggested that this experience continue in order to help "those who wish to reach an ever more complete knowledge of their own faith."

"Indeed, the commitment to witness and mission, which is entrusted to all baptized Christians according to their life circumstances, draws strength from a constant and profound dialogue with Christ, who is present in a very special way in the Eucharist."

The Holy Father highlighted that the diocese "has already planned the construction of a pastoral care center for youth in Sierra Leone and of a house of welcome for handicapped children in Zambia. Furthermore, in your own territory, new structures have been created to help people in material or spiritual difficulties."

He continued: "Renewed faith, more concrete hope and tireless charity will be the most precious fruits of the celebration of the Holy Year."

The Pope then addressed other groups of pilgrims from various Italian cities to whom he expressed the hope that, "for everyone, the Jubilee will be an incentive for renewed adherence to Christ and the Gospel in order to give an ever more incisive Christian witness in society. On this journey, may you be sustained by the intercession of the Mother of God and by that of the Precursor of Christ, who is recalled with particular honor by today's liturgy."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Erected the diocese of Malindi (area 33,254, population 539,000, Catholics 20,000, priests 15, religious 19), Kenya, with territory taken from the diocese of Garissa and from part of the archdiocese of Mombasa, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Mombasa. He appointed Fr. Francis Baldacchino O.F.M. Cap., vicar general of Garissa, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Marsa, Malta, in 1936 and ordained a priest in 1961.

- Appointed Archbishop Blasco Francisco Collaco, apostolic nuncio in South Africa and Namibia, as apostolic nuncio in Lesotho and Swaziland.

- Appointed Fr. Johannes Gerardus Maria van Burgsteden S.S.S., rector of the Begijnhof chapel and director of pastoral care in Amsterdam city center, as auxiliary to the apostolic administrator of the diocese of Haarlem (area 2,912, population 2,628,121, Catholics 539,561, priests 382, permanent deacons 13, religious 1,576), Netherlands. The bishop-elect was born in Achterveld, Netherlands, in 1935 and ordained a priest in 1964.

- Appointed as consultors of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church: Bishops George Punnakottil of Kothamangalam of the Syro-Malabars, India; Leopoldo S. Tumulak of Tagbilaran, Philippines and Lubomyr Husar M.S.U., auxiliary of the major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians. Frs. Thomas O'Caoimh, member of the National Heritage Council, Ireland and Kevin Lutz, curator of the diocesan museum in Columbus, U.S.A. Pier Francesco Grossi of Rome; Antonio Paolucci, superintendent of the artistic heritage of Florence, Italy; Mario Serio, director general of the ministry of cultural patrimony and cultural activities, Italy; Luciano Orsini, professor of the Bellini Institute of Art in Valenza, Italy; Claudio Strinati, superintendent of the artistic patrimony of Rome and Jeanette Sandford, archivist of the diocese of Kokstad, South Africa.

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DECLARATION ON UPCOMING EPISCOPAL ORDINATIONS IN CHINA

VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following declaration:

"Regarding various questions made of the Holy See Press Office on news of the upcoming episcopal ordinations in the Popular Republic of China, the following clarifications must be made:

"As is well known, an episcopal ordination conferred without apostolic mandate represents a profound injury to ecclesial communion and a grave violation of canonical discipline.

"The gravity of such a gesture, which touches the very constitution of the Church, explains why Canon Law lays down special severe penalties, both for the consecrating bishop and those who receive such consecration.

"Episcopal ordinations conferred without communion with Peter's Successor place further obstacles on the troubled path towards normalization of the life of the Church in China and of relations between the Popular Republic of China and the Holy See, so desired by Catholics the world over.

"This situation can only give rise to incredulity in the face of declarations by Chinese politicians who have recently spoken of a desire for dialogue with the Holy See."

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MEXICO: LOCATION OF THE NEXT EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 2000 (VIS) - Shortly before praying the angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II announced that the next International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the year 2004.

The Pope recalled that over the last few days, Rome has been "the city of the Eucharist" and he referred to the conclusion this evening of the International Eucharistic Congress which has been considering the theme "Jesus Christ, only Savior of the World, Bread for a New Life."

"We firmly believe," he said, "that Christ is the only Savior of the world. He is the Mediator of the new and eternal Covenant. ... A Covenant open to all people in anticipation of the great eschatological banquet announced by the prophets of Israel. In the light of this truth, the Church does not despise the various religious experiences that man adopts in order to bring himself closer to God and receive His purification; on the contrary she favors a profitable inter-religious dialogue. However, at the same time she has to say clearly that Christ is the only Redeemer, the Son of God who for us was made flesh, died and rose again."

John Paul II closed by entrusting to the Virgin Mary the fruits of the recently-concluded Eucharistic Congress and the success of the next one. "May Mary," he concluded, "who lived in intimate and constant communion with Jesus, Word made flesh, help all Christians to recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of her divine Son, to welcome Him with faith and to invoke Him with love."

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PRESENTATION OF MESSAGE OF FATIMA

VATICAN CITY, JUN 26, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today in the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., respectively prefect and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, presented the document "The Message of Fatima."

During the conference, the cardinal explained the themes presented in the text concerning the "third secret," particularly highlighting the role of the Mother of Christ in the history of salvation.

"There exists a synergy between Mother and Son that spans all history," said the cardinal, and he mentioned the Gospel account of the wedding of Cana when Mary "induced (her Son) to the first sign that manifested His glory. The poverty of the guests is what inspired Mary to intervene then. Poverty at any time is a motive for the Mother of the Lord to intervene."

The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith continued saying, "Mary stands next to the cross of her Son, sharing in the suffering and in the power of salvation. ... The publication of this third part of the secret of Fatima at the beginning of the new millennium, proposing once more the center of the Gospel message, also reminds the Church and the world of the meaning and importance of the Mother of the Lord in the history of salvation, and thus of the meaning and value of women, all women, in human history."

Archbishop Bertone then spoke. He explained the reasons for which his congregation had been charged with making the third part of the secret public.

"These reasons," he said, "may be easily deduced: connections of the literary genre 'apparitions' and 'supernatural manifestations' ... with the doctrine of the faith and the great public revelation. ... The specific area of expertise of the dicastery that through a special office traces and examines, in collaboration with diocesan bishops, all real or imagined supernatural phenomena that are indicated to the local Churches."

Following the presentation, Cardinal Ratzinger and Archbishop Bertone answered journalists' questions.

Archbishop Bertone made it clear that John Paul II did not read the message until after May 13, 1981 - in other words, after the attempt on his life - and emphatically rejected the hypothesis that he may have read it before.

For his part, Cardinal Ratzinger highlighted that the decision not to publish the "third secret" over the years was not inspired by reasons of dogma but of prudence. He recognized that the price paid for this was the possibility of speculation as to the content. Even so, having waited to divulge it until after the beatification of the shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco and at the end of a century that had seen the greatest number of martyrs in history and an almost infinite series of wars and disasters, was a signal of hope and allowed, in the light of history, to places Lucia's vision in a global context.

The prefect also made it clear that in order to understand the message's reference to Russia, it was necessary to bear in mind what he had said about the recipient of the vision's limited capacity of comprehension. "In fact, Sr. Lucia said that we (the shepherds) knew nothing of Russia, we did not even know the word Russia. They understood that something dangerous was meant and, naturally, to the limited capacities represented by the mind and soul of three shepherd children the Virgin did not refer to Russia as a country with many Christians, rather (she referred to) an anti-Christian system. This is not a condemnation of Russia, we know the great faith of the Russian people, it is a condemnation of a classical atheist system that threatened humanity. In reality, other systems, especially Nazism, were radically anti-theist and threatened both the Church and humanity, there is no exclusive right over that word. As I said, each word of the vision does not have an exact historical correlation."

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INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS CLOSES IN ROME

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 2000 (VIS) - At 6:30 p.m., the Holy Father presided at the "Statio Orbis" in St. Peter's Square marking the closure of the 47th International Eucharistic Congress whose theme has been "Jesus Christ, only Savior of the World, Bread for a New Life."

Thirty cardinals, 60 bishops and 1,000 priests, in Rome for the eucharistic congress, concelebrated with the Pope. Among the faithful were 10,000 children who have received first communion this year.

"From this square," said John Paul II in his homily, "we wish to repeat to the men and women of the third millennium the extraordinary announcement: for us, the Son of God was made flesh and He offered Himself in sacrifice for our salvation. He gives us His body and His blood as the sustenance of a new life, of a divine life that is no longer subject to death.

"With emotion we once again receive this gift from Christ's hands so that, through us, it may reach all families, all cities, the places of pain and the places where hope is forged in our time. The Eucharist is an infinite gift of love: in the bread and wine we recognize and adore the single and perfect sacrifice of Christ."

The Pope affirmed that from this 'Statio Orbis' his thoughts were already turning "to the solemn Eucharistic celebration that will close World Youth Day. My words go out to you, young people of Rome, of Italy and of the world: prepare yourselves with care for this international rendezvous of youth where you will be called to face the challenges of the third millennium."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 26, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Hugo Banzer Suarez, president of the Republic of Bolivia, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee, prime minister of India, accompanied by his entourage.
- His Royal Highness, Prince of Asturias, Felipe de Bourbon.
- Cardinal Edouard Gagnon, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

On Saturday June 24, he received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
- Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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