ANGELUS: THE VALUE OF VACATIONS AND REST PERIODS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 23, 2000 (VIS) - Today at noon, Pope John Paul appeared on the central balcony of the inner courtyard of the papal residence at Castelgandolfo to greet the faithful who had assembled there and to pray the angelus with them. In reflections made before the angelus, he spoke of the need and value of vacations and periods of rest, "using one's free time for healthy physical, and above all spiritual, relaxation."

Recalling that he had just concluded a brief vacation period in Valle d'Aosta, the Pope pointed to today's Gospel where Jesus told the Apostles to rest. "Jesus and the disciples," he said, "tired by the incessant activity among people, felt the need, every so often, for a calm moment."

"In today's society, so often frenetic and competitive," the Holy Father observed, "where the logic of production and profit predominate, often to the detriment of the person, it is more than ever necessary that each person take advantage of adequate periods of rest in order to recuperate one's energies and at the same time rediscover a just inner equilibrium.

"Vacations should be wisely used so that they help the individual and families, thanks to contact with nature, tranquility, the occasion to cultivate family harmony, good reading and healthy recreational activities; thanks above all to the possibility of dedicating oneself in a greater way to prayer, contemplation and to listening to God."

John Paul II told the faithful that his stay at Castelgandolfo would be shorter this year due to the Jubilee Year activities.

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JOHN PAUL II, PRIESTS FROM DIOCESE OF AOSTA CELEBRATE MASS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 22, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, the last day of his vacation in the mountains of Les Combes in northern Italy, Pope John Paul celebrated Mass with Bishop Giuseppe Anfossi and priests from the diocese of Aosta. The Holy Father is scheduled to return to Rome this evening and to go directly to the papal residence at Castelgandolfo.

In his homily, observing that today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the Holy Father remarked that she "followed to Calvary the One Who had healed her. She was present at the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus. Together with His holy Mother and the beloved disciple (John), she was there for His last breath and the tacit witness of the pierced side; she understood that in that death, in that sacrifice, she would find her salvation."

"Mary Magdalene," the Pope went on, "thus teaches us that the roots of our vocation as apostles are engulfed in Christ's personal experience. ... This teaching of life is - with special eloquence - for us, the pastors of the Church, called to guide the People of God with the Word, but above all with the witness of our lives."

"Dear brothers in the priesthood," said John Paul II, "I hope that each of you always keeps alive your communion with Christ. May you be driven in your apostolate by His love, not only on the great occasions, but above all in the very ordinary ones, life's everyday events. May intimate union with God ... move each priest to fulfill with faith and charity his pastoral ministry."

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NOTICE: VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE TO TRANSMIT IN AUGUST

VATICAN CITY, JUL 24, 2000 (VIS) - Given the exceptional nature of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, in particular the events scheduled for next month, the Vatican Information Service will remain open and transmit its news services during the month of August 2000.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 24, 2000 - The Holy Father named Fr. Luigi Antonio Secco, S.D.B., superior and master of novices at the novitiate of San Antonio de los Altos in Caracas, Venezuela, as coadjutor bishop of Willemstad (area 993, population 313,442, Catholics 255,140, priests 40, religious 86, permanent deacons 1), Netherlands Antilles. The bishop-elect was born in Piazzola sul Brenta, Italy in 1947 and was ordained a priest in 1975.

On Saturday, July 22, it was made public that the Pope appointed Fr. Joaquin Mariano Sucunza, pastor of St. Rose of Lima parish and interim episcopal vicar of the central zone of Buenos Aires, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Buenos Aires (area 202, population 3,826,000, Catholics 3,506,000, priests 915, religious 2,852, permanent deacons 3), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Pamplona, Spain in 1946 and was ordained a priest in 1971.

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POPE JOHN PAUL ASKS INTERNATIONAL STATUTE FOR JERUSALEM

VATICAN CITY, JUL 23, 2000 (VIS) - In remarks made following the angelus prayer today at Castelgandolfo, Pope John Paul II said that "for a number of days now, at Camp David in the United States of America, talks have been underway to reach an agreement which could contribute to definitively establishing peace in the Middle East.

"For my part," he continued, "I wish to accompany these negotiations, which certainly are not easy, with prayer and encouragement, inviting the leaders to pursue their efforts and hoping that they will be always animated by the sincere desire for respect of law and justice for everyone and for reaching a just and lasting peace."

John Paul II then "invited the parties involved not to overlook the importance of the spiritual dimension of the city of Jerusalem, with its Holy Places and the communities of the three monotheistic religions which surround them. The Holy See continues to believe that only an internationally guaranteed special statute can effectively preserve the most sacred parts of the Holy City and assure the freedom of faith and worship for all the faithful who, in the region and throughout the world, look to Jerusalem as a crossroads of peace and co-existence."

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