HOLY SEE AND LITHUANIA SIGN ACCORDS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 16, 2000 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, there was an exchange of instruments of ratification on three Accords between the Holy See and Lithuania which were signed on May 5, 2000 in Vilnius, and which regard juridical questions, collaboration in educational and cultural matters and religious assistance to Catholics in the army.

Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano signed for the Holy See, and Algirdas Saudargas, Lithuanian foreign affairs minister, signed for his country. Present at the ceremony were representatives of the Holy See, the government of Lithuania and the Episcopal Conference of Lithuania.

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THE JUBILEE, A TIME FOR THE SACRAMENTS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 16, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II received in audience various groups of pilgrims who have come to Rome for the Jubilee.

The Pope indicated that the Jubilee "stands out as a year of grace and mercy for all believers, who are called to express their recognition and praise to God for His gifts. It is also a propitious time to practice the Sacraments with greater awareness. ... The Eucharist in particular holds within itself the greatest of the mysteries of redemption."

"By celebration of the Eucharist, may your diocesan communities draw the interior conviction and the spiritual strength to grow in charity and to open to other Churches that are poorer and more in need of support in the field of evangelization and missionary cooperation."

The Holy Father addressed a special greeting to members of the Paul VI Institute of Brescia, Italy, and to the 'Studium' publishing house of Rome, thanking them for the gift of the recent publication on Pope Paul VI.

Continuing in English, the Pope addressed participants in the Second International Congress of the Central European Vascular Forum, "gathered in Rome to discuss different vascular pathologies and new techniques to treat them. May these deliberations serve to strengthen the international resolve to put medical knowledge and expertise at the service of all people without distinction, and to use advances in medical science to safeguard and defend human life at every stage of its existence."

John Paul II concluded by speaking in Ukrainian to greet a group of Basilian Fathers, Sisters Handmaidens of Mary Immaculate and lay people of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church who have come to Rome from the archdiocese of Lviv.

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OLDER PEOPLE ARE A BLESSING FOR EVERY FAMILY, COMMUNITY

VATICAN CITY, SEP 17, 2000 (VIS) - Following Mass for the Jubilee of the Elderly, and prior to reciting the angelus today, Pope John Paul greeted those present in St. Peter's Square in seven languages. He said: "Before I impart the final blessing, I would like once again to greet each of you and, with you, give thanks to God who allowed us to reach the year 2000 and to celebrate the Great Jubilee."

He expressed "appreciation to all those who so generously accompanied and assisted you during your Jubilee. And how can I fail to underline the contribution of thousands of choir singers who, with their songs, made this celebration so beautiful and solemn? Your harmonious voices, rising from this square towards heaven, have given our prayers a singular intensity which surely has been echoed in God's Heart. Truly 'who sings, prays twice'!"

The Holy Father observed that "the serene presence of older people is a blessing for every family and community. You are the ones who have struggled long and hard to pass on a better world to the young. May you experience the loving respect and care of those close to you! God bless you always!"

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JUBILEE OF THE ELDERLY: "THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD NEED US"

VATICAN CITY, SEP 17, 2000 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square at 10 a.m. today, the Pope presided at a Eucharistic celebration for the occasion of the Jubilee of the Elderly. He told the 40,000 elderly people present - including himself in the count - that "the Church and civil society need us."

"In such a world as the present," he said in his homily, "where strength and power are frequently mythicized, your mission is to bear witness to the values that are truly important, over and above appearances; those values that abide forever because they are written on the heart of all human beings and guaranteed by the Word of God."

John Paul II indicated that, as older people, they had "a specific contribution to offer towards the development of a true 'culture of life,' bearing witness that each moment of existence is a gift from God and each season of human life has its particular riches that must be made available to all."

"The Church regards you with great respect and trust. The Church needs you! What is more, society also needs you! Know how to use with generosity the time you have available and the gifts that God has given you, opening yourselves to the help and support of others. Contribute to announcing the Gospel as catechesists, animators of the liturgy and witnesses of Christian life. Dedicate time and energy to prayer and to reading and reflecting upon God's Word."

The Pope especially recalled all those elderly people who are "alone and sick, who have been unable to move from home but who are spiritually united to us and follow this celebration by radio and television. I assure those in precarious situations or in particular difficulties that I remain close to them and recall them in my prayers."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 16, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. Ovidio Poletti, vicar general of the diocese of Vittorio Veneto, Italy, as bishop of Concordia-Pordenone (area 2,675 population 339,322, Catholics 337,204, priests 344, permanent deacons 15, religious 380), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Caneva, Italy, in 1935 and ordained a priest in 1958. He succeeds Bishop Sennen Corra, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation from the offices of prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America presented by Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves O.P. for reasons of age and health.

- Appointed Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re, substitute for General Affairs, as prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

- Appointed Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, apostolic nuncio in Mexico, as substitute for General Affairs.

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THE "DOOR OF LIFE" MAKES MANY DEMANDS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 18, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope received 650 participants in a jubilee pilgrimage from the archdiocese of Cologne, Germany, led by their archbishop, Cardinal Joachim Meisner.

After recalling that this morning they had passed through the Holy Door of the Vatican Basilica, John Paul II said: "Today, people open so many doors. Among the many open doors, it is the young who find it difficult which door to chose, (the one that) gives truth and meaning to life. For some, it is not easy to reject apparent enjoyment and accustom themselves to deep and silent interior joy. Thus, the Door of Life makes many demands. Who wishes to pass through it ... must leave behind superfluous and secondary things so that their place can be taken by Christ."

"May the Holy Spirit," he concluded, "grant you imagination, strength and courage to choose the right path that leads to the Door."

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COMMITMENT TO ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE IS IRREVOCABLE

VATICAN CITY, SEP 18, 2000 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received in audience members of the Mixed Commission for Dialogue between Catholics and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

The Pope recalled that they were now in the third phase of the international dialogue between the World Alliance and the Catholic Church, a phase dedicated to the theme: "The Church and the Kingdom of God."

Referring to the importance of theological dialogue in the ecumenical movement, John Paul II indicated that "in this dialogue we clarify our respective positions and explore the reasons for our differences. Our dialogue then becomes an examination of conscience, a call to conversion, in which both sides examine before God their responsibility to do all that they can to put behind them the conflicts of the past. At that point, the Spirit fills us with a yearning to confess together that 'there is one body and one Spirit, ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.' And we feel this as a duty, as something that must be done so that 'the world may believe.' For this reason the commitment of the Catholic Church to ecumenical dialogue is irrevocable."

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NEW AMBASSADOR FROM ISRAEL PRESENTS LETTERS OF CREDENCE

VATICAN CITY, SEP 18, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today welcomed Yosef Neville Lamdan, Israel's new ambassador to the Holy See. In accepting his Letters of Credence, the Pope remarked on "the vivid experience" of his Jubilee year pilgrimage to the Holy Land, calling it "an extraordinary grace of God."

Highlighting the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews, he said: "A fresh mutual and sincere attempt must be made at every level to help Christians and Jews to know, respect and esteem more fully each other's beliefs and traditions, This is the surest way to overcome the prejudices of the past and to raise a barrier against the forms of anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia which are re-appearing in some places today. Today, as always, it is not genuine religious faith and practice which give rise to the tragedy of discrimination and persecution, but a loss of faith and the rise of a selfish and materialistic outlook bereft of true values, a culture of emptiness."

Then, remarking on "the elusive character of a definitive peace in the Middle East," the Pope stated that "the continuation of dialogue and negotiation is itself a significant development." He pointed out that "sometimes the obstacles to peace appear so great and so many that to face them seems humanly impossible. But what seemed unthinkable even a few short years ago now a reality or at least a matter of open discussion, and this must convince all concerned that a solution is possible."
John Paul II turned specifically to "the delicate question of Jerusalem," and told the ambassador that "what is of special concern to the Holy See is that the unique religious character of the Holy City be preserved by a special, internationally guaranteed statute.

"The history and present reality of interreligious relations in the Holy Land is such that no just and everlasting peace is foreseeable without some form of support from the international community," in order to "conserve the cultural and religious patrimony of the Holy City, a patrimony which belongs to Jews. Christians and Muslims."

"What is at stake," concluded the Pope, "is not just the preservation of and free access to the holy places of the three religions, but also the free exercise of the religious and civil rights pertaining to the members, places and activities of the various communities. The end result must be ... a Jerusalem that will truly be a City of Peace for all peoples."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 18, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, Federal Republic of Germany.

On Saturday September 16, he received in separate audiences:

- Algirdas Saudargas, foreign minister of Lithuania, accompanied by an entourage.
- Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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