HOLY SEE ADDRESSES DISARMAMENT AT U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 7, 2000 (VIS) - Archbishop Renato Martino, apostolic nuncio and Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations, spoke yesterday before the First Committee of the 55th session of the U.N. General Assembly on Item 74, General and Complete Disarmament.

In opening remarks, he recalled that this is "the International Year for the Culture of Peace," at whose basis "is respect for life and for all human rights. Constructing such a culture requires comprehensive educational, social and civic action." He also pointed out that "the first duty of the United Nations is to preserve and promote peace throughout the world."

Nonetheless, underscored the archbishop, "the number of wars fought world-wide increased significantly in 1999, when there were no fewer than 40 armed conflicts being fought on the territories of 36 countries. ... These conflicts, fed by arms dealers with a rapacious appetite for money, are a scandal of modern civilization."

Archbishop Martino remarked that the "widespread availability of small arms and light weapons contributes towards intensifying conflicts. ... It is an even greater shame that many small arms are readily obtainable by children who are enslaved into being combatants and porters by warring factions."

"While norms and international measures need to be advanced," he declared, "most of all it is political will throughout the world that must be developed to stop the trafficking in weapons, licit and illicit. States must exercise their responsibility with regard to the export, import, transit and re-transfer of small arms and lights weapons."

In concluding remarks, the nuncio stated that "the Holy See welcomes the U.N. Millennium Summit Declaration which resolved 'to strive for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons'. ... We really believe the peoples of the world want a culture of peace. ... A culture of peace is possible, but first we must develop the moral and political will."

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TO GUATEMALAN PILGRIMS: BUILD A BETTER FUTURE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 7, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall, the Pope received participants in a jubilee pilgrimage from Guatemala who were led by the president of their episcopal conference, Archbishop Victor Hugo Martinez Contreras.

The Holy Father exhorted the faithful to capitalize on "legitimate patriotic feelings in order to promote a common commitment to building a better future for all people; one free from internal tension and discriminations, unified in the needs of each individual or group, strong in the face of adversity and one that creates new spaces for the civilization of love."

"May God abundantly bless your commitment to be faithful to God and the Church," he concluded, "and may the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption, with her maternal concern, defend within you the grace and good intentions of this pilgrimage."

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GREATEST NUMBER OF BISHOPS IN ROME SINCE VATICAN COUNCIL

VATICAN CITY, OCT 7, 2000 (VIS) - At noon today in the Paul VI Hall, John Paul II addressed the 1,500 bishops who are in Rome for their Jubilee. He highlighted that "the sight of so many bishops gathered together from all parts of the world has not been seen since the time of Vatican Council II."

"Dear brothers in the episcopate, inasmuch as we are sacramentally modeled on Christ, Pastor and Spouse of the Church," said the Pope, "we are called to 'relive' in our thoughts, in our feelings and in our choices, the love and total self-giving of Jesus Christ for His Church. Love for Christ and love for the Church are, definitively, a single and indivisible love."

He affirmed that "the ultimate aim of all our pastoral activities is the sanctification of the faithful, beginning with that of priests, our direct collaborators." We must awaken in them "the commitment to respond promptly and generously to the call of the Lord."

The Holy Father said it was necessary to "rediscover what Vatican Council II said about the universal vocation to sanctity; ... a sanctity that matures as pastoral charity, finding its model in Christ, the Good Shepherd."

"This pastoral charity," he added, "must give life above all ... to the 'munus docendi,' the office of teaching. ... Today especially, amid so many discordant voices that create confusion and perplexity in the minds of the faithful, the bishop's arduous responsibility is to bring clarity. Announcing the Gospel is the highest act of love towards man, towards his liberty and his thirst for happiness."

The Pope indicated that "in this task, more than in any other, the role of the bishop takes the form of 'munus sanctificandi,' the office of sanctifying, thanks to the presence of He who is the Saint par excellence."

"Finally, the bishop's charity," he concluded, "must shine forth in the broad field of pastoral governing, in the 'munus regendi.' ... This is a service of charity which must overlook no one, rather it must pay particular attention to the 'least'."

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BISHOPS MUST DEFEND AND PROMOTE DOCTRINAL UNITY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 8, 2000 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square at 10 a.m. today, the Pope presided at a Eucharistic celebration for the Jubilee of Bishops. Eighty cardinals and 1,500 bishops from all over the world concelebrated with the Holy Father. At the end of Mass, together with the bishops, John Paul II recited the Act of Entrustment to Mary, before the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

In his homily, the Pope invited the bishops to give thanks to God for the "gift of the vocation," both priestly and episcopal. "Turning to contemplate the events of our lives, our hearts are struck by emotion as we realize in how many ways the Lord has shown us His Love and His mercy."

John Paul II highlighted that "the bishop, successor to the Apostles, is one for whom Christ is everything," and this is what he "must bear witness to in all his behavior." He went on to recall the numerous bishops who, over two millennia, "have offered Christ the supreme witness of martyrdom. ... The twentieth century was particularly rich in such witnesses, some of whom I myself have had the joy of elevating to the glory of the altars."

"At the same time," he added, "it is right and just to give thanks to God for all the wise and generous pastors who throughout the centuries have illumined the Church with their teaching and their example. How many confessor saints and blesseds there are among the bishops!"

The Holy Father indicated that "the challenge of new evangelization further highlights the episcopal ministry. The pastor is the primary leader and animator of the ecclesial community, both in the necessity for communion and in missionary drive. In the face of the relativism and subjectivism that pollute so much of modern culture, bishops are called to defend and promote doctrinal unity."

The Pope expressed his fraternal solidarity with bishops "who are subject to persecution, are in jail or are prevented from exercising their ministry," and also recalled "our brother priests who suffer the same trials."

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THOUSANDS PRAY ROSARY BEFORE STATUE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA

VATICAN CITY, OCT 7, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul and 1,500 bishops from around the world who are celebrating their Jubilee were joined in St. Peter's Square late this afternoon by tens of thousands of priests, religious and lay faithful to pray the rosary. The ceremony was linked via radio and television to sites throughout the world where the faithful also prayed the rosary in churches, shrines, schools, stadiums and parks.

Before the Holy Father entered the square to begin the Marian prayer, he processed through St. Peter's Basilica with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima which had arrived last evening from the shrine in Portugal. The ring which Pope John Paul received at the start of his pontificate from Polish Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski is now part of the rosary which adorns the statue.

The statue of Our Lady was placed on a pedestal in the square. During the rosary, five candles at her feet were lit - one at the start of each of the glorious mysteries. Each mystery was announced and explained, followed by a bishop reading a passage from the New Testament. Then, one cardinal from each continent read a passage from the apostolic exhortation or "Instrumentum laboris" from the synod which had been held for his continent. Four families from as many continents led the first four decades of the rosary. The fifth glorious mystery was led by Sr. Lucia, the only survivor of the three shepherd children to whom the Virgin appeared in 1917, and the nuns from the monastery of Coimbra, Portugal.

After the prayer the Pope addressed the faithful gathered in the square, saying that today, "the first Saturday of October, could only bring us to pray together at the feet of Our Lady whom the People of God venerate today as Queen of the Holy Rosary.

"In particular, our prayer this evening is placed in the light of 'the message of Fatima', whose contents help our reflections on the history of the 20th century. Strengthening this spiritual prospective there is, happily, the presence among us of the venerated image of Our Lady of Fatima, which I have the joy to welcome once again in the Vatican."

The Pope went on to say that "Jesus Christ, the Risen One, has invited the entire world to proclaim His Gospel of salvation and, from Jerusalem, throughout 20 centuries, the message has reached five continents. ... There is no century, no people in which she has not made her presence felt, bringing the faithful - especially the least and the poor - light, hope and comfort."

He concluded by pointing out that "tomorrow, at the end of the Eucharistic celebration, we will fulfill in a collegial way, our 'Act of Entrustment' to the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

After Pope John Paul's remarks, three young shepherd children from Portugal presented a floral tribute to Our Lady of Fatima. The statue was then processed through St. Peter's Square and brought to the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae monastery.

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POPE RECEIVES 4,000 PILGRIMS FROM HUNGARY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 9, 2000 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Basilica at midday today, John Paul II received 4,000 participants in a national pilgrimage from Hungary, led by Cardinal Laszlo Paskai O.F.M., archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest.

The Pope recalled that the two motives for the pilgrimage were the celebrations for the Great Jubilee of Christendom and for Hungary's own millennium. These represent "a precious occasion for conversion and for commitment to building a future worthy of your faith and of your glorious past - of which the family is one of the most fundamental elements."

"The complex problems facing the institution of the family," he went on, "must bring believers to rediscover and live the values of matrimony and of the family as they are proposed by the Church, in order to give new drive to the construction of the civilization of love."

Care for the family "will lead you to promote, at all levels, the culture of life that calls for defense of the human being from conception to natural death, promotion of the value of paternity and maternity and recognition for the fundamental role of women in domestic work and the education of children."

In closing, the Holy Father referred to the presence of a large number of Hungarian young people in Rome in August for World Youth Day. "The witness of these young people," he concluded, "their enthusiasm and their joyful faith, represent a sign of hope for all, one that instills courage and exhorts us not to be afraid of the future."

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ACT OF ENTRUSTMENT TO MARY MOST HOLY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 8, 2000 (VIS) - Following is the entire text of the Act of Entrustment to Mary Most Holy read by Pope John Paul at the end of Mass this morning in St. Peter's Square for the conclusion of the Jubilee of Bishops:

1. "Woman, behold your Son!" (Jn 19:26).
As we near the end of this Jubilee Year,
when you, O Mother, have offered us Jesus anew,
the blessed fruit of your womb most pure,
the Word made flesh, the world's Redeemer,
we hear more clearly the sweet echo of his words
entrusting us to you, making you our Mother:
"Woman, behold your Son!"
When he entrusted to you the Apostle John,
and with him the children of the Church and all people,
Christ did not diminish but affirmed anew the role which is his alone as the Saviour of the world.
You are the splendor which in no way dims the light of Christ,
for you exist in him and through him.
Everything in you is fiat: you are the Immaculate One,
through you there shines the fullness of grace.
Here, then, are your children, gathered before you
at the dawn of the new millennium.
The Church today, through the voice of the Successor of Peter,
in union with so many Pastors assembled here
from every corner of the world,
seeks refuge in your motherly protection
and trustingly begs your intercession
as she faces the challenges which lie hidden in the future.

2. In this year of grace, countless people have known
the overflowing joy of the mercy
which the Father has given us in Christ.
In the particular Churches throughout the world,
and still more in this centre of Christianity,
the widest array of people have accepted this gift.
Here the enthusiasm of the young rang out,
here the sick have lifted up their prayer.
Here have gathered priests and religious,
artists and journalists,
workers and people of learning,
children and adults,
and all have acknowledged in your beloved Son
the Word of God made flesh in your womb.
O Mother, intercede for us,
that the fruits of this Year will not be lost
and that the seeds of grace will grow
to the full measure of the holiness
to which we are all called.

3. Today we wish to entrust to you the future that awaits us,
and we ask you to be with us on our way.
We are the men and women of an extraordinary time,
exhilarating yet full of contradictions.
Humanity now has instruments of unprecedented power:
we can turn this world into a garden,
or reduce it to a pile of rubble.
We have devised the astounding capacity
to intervene in the very well-springs of life:
man can use this power for good, within the bounds of the moral law,
or he can succumb to the short-sighted pride
of a science which accepts no limits,
but tramples on the respect due to every human being.
Today as never before in the past,
humanity stands at a crossroads.
And once again, O Virgin Most Holy,
salvation lies fully and uniquely in Jesus, your Son.

4. Therefore, O Mother, like the Apostle John,
we wish to take you into our home (cf. Jn 19:27),
that we may learn from you to become like your Son.
"Woman, behold your son!"
Here we stand before you to entrust to your maternal care
ourselves, the Church, the entire world.
Plead for us with your beloved Son
that he may give us in abundance the Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of truth which is the fountain of life.
Receive the Spirit for us and with us,
as happened in the first community gathered round you
in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:14).
May the Spirit open our hearts to justice and love,
and guide people and nations to mutual understanding
and a firm desire for peace.
We entrust to you all people, beginning with the weakest:
the babies yet unborn,
and those born into poverty and suffering,
the young in search of meaning,
the unemployed,
and those suffering hunger and disease.
We entrust to you all troubled families,
the elderly with no one to help them,
and all who are alone and without hope.

5. O Mother, you know the sufferings
and hopes of the Church and the world:
come to the aid of your children in the daily trials
which life brings to each one,
and grant that, thanks to the efforts of all,
the darkness will not prevail over the light.
To you, Dawn of Salvation, we commit
our journey through the new Millennium,
so that with you as guide
all people may know Christ,
the light of the world and its only Saviour,
who reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever. Amen.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 9, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites.

- Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, archbishop of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

On Saturday October 7, he received in audience Marijan Sunjic, ambassador of Croatia, on a farewell visit.

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