HOLY FATHER PRESIDES AT FUNERAL FOR CARDINAL PALAZZINI

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 2000 (VIS) - This evening at the Altar of the Cathedra in the Vatican Basilica, John Paul II presided at the funeral of Cardinal Pietro Palazzini, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, who died in Rome on October 11.

In his homily, the Pope said that the late cardinal "spent his life in assiduous service to God and to the Church, especially through study, teaching and the defense of Gospel truth. Above all in fact, he used his greatest energy in dedicating himself to the profound study of moral theology and Canon Law. ... He published numerous valued works and collaborated in others, bringing to all of them an important doctrinal contribution as well as his own personal wisdom."

Having recalled that Cardinal Palazzini had been prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Holy Father said: "After having studied so many saints and blesseds, our venerable brother is called now to enter their domain, through the door by which the righteous enter, the door that is the Lord Christ, the Saint of God."

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JOHN PAUL II MARRIES EIGHT COUPLES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 15, 2000 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square at 10 a.m. today, John Paul II presided at a Eucharistic celebration for the Jubilee of Families, attended by more than 200,000 people under a steady downpour. During the ceremony, the Pope married eight couples from Poland, Korea, the Philippines, Italy, Cameroon, U.S.A., Australia and Mexico.

In his homily, the Holy Father referred to the difficulties that exist within marriage. Nonetheless, he said, "Jesus supplied couples with the means of grace for overcoming (such difficulties). ... Indeed, within sacramental marriage, the spouses - as will be the case with the young couples whose marriages I will soon bless - make a commitment to mutually expressing the strong and indissoluble love with which Christ loves the Church, and to bearing witness to it before the world."

The Pope affirmed that "marriage flowers in children: In them that total sharing of life which makes spouses 'a single flesh' finds its coronation. This comes about as much in children born through natural relations between spouses as in those acquired through adoption. Children are not an 'accessory' in the plan of conjugal life. They are not 'optional' but a 'most precious gift,' inscribed in the very nature of marital union."

"When roles are respected in such a way that the relationship between spouses and that between parents and children evolve in fullness and tranquility, then it is natural that within the family other relatives such as grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins also acquire importance and significance." He concluded by indicating that the family "cannot close in on itself. The loving relationship between relatives is the first field for that vital openness that projects the family out towards the whole of society."

At the end of Mass and before praying the angelus, John Paul II announced that the next World Meeting of Families will be held in 2003 in Manila, the Philippines.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 14, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral governing of the apostolic vicariate of San Jose in Mindoro, the Philippines, presented by Bishop Vincente C. Manuel, S.V.D:, in conformity with Canon 401, para 2, of the Code of Canon Law.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral governing of the archdiocese of Singapore presented by Archbishop Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed as consultors of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life: For the Section of Religious Institutes: Bishop Jacques Berthelet of Saint-Jean-Longueil, Canada, and Fathers Filippo Iannone, O.Carm., vicar general of the archdiocese of Naples, Italy, and Alberto Perlasca of the clergy of the diocese of Como, Italy; For the section on Secular Institutes: Lucia Alvear of Colombia; Dora Castanetto of Italy; Lydia Jimenez of Spain; Mechthild Annegret Laumann of Germany; Estela La Vacara of Argentina; Claude-Esther Martel of France; Jaccy Privett of Great Britain and Anna Rastawicka of Poland.

- Appointed Celso Morga Iruzubieta, official of the Congregation for the Clergy, as bureau chief of the same congregation.

- Appointed as members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints: Cardinal Francis Stafford and Bishops Emilio Eid, titular bishop of Sarepta of the Maronites and Salvatore Fisichella, auxiliary of Rome.

- Elevated Fr. Henry Theopilus Howaniec, O.F.M., apostolic administrator of Almaty, Kazakistan, to the dignity of bishop, assigning him the titular see of Acolla. The bishop-elect was born in 1931 in Chicago, U.S.A., took his perpetual vows in the Order of Friars Minor in 1952 and was ordained a priest in 1956.

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SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND CELEBRATE JUBILEE OF FAMILIES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 14, 2000 (VIS) - Several hundred thousand faithful joined Pope John Paul late this afternoon in St. Peter's Square for a highlight of the Jubilee of Families, a colorful, music- and dance-filled gathering marked by the witness of five families from as many continents, and a talk by the Holy Father.

Participants in the Third World Encounter of the Holy Father with Families had come for this Jubilee Year celebration from around the world. They began arriving for today's event about noon and, by the time the Pope arrived, had filled not only the square but the broad avenue leading up to it, Via della Conciliazione, and all streets adjacent to the area of St. Peter's Basilica. Earlier in the morning they had participated in Masses for language groups in basilicas throughout the city of Rome.

Pope John Paul arrived in the Popemobile, travelling down Via della Conciliazione before circling St. Peter's Square. He was welcomed by Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Following this the five families, including several with large numbers of children, gave witness to their faith and family life.

Recalling that the theme of this Jubilee is "Children: Springtime of Families and Society," the Pope underlined how "children are the hope that continues to flower. ... They carry a message of life, ... and they constitute a call to solidarity."

He said that "unfortunately, as we well know, the situation of children in the world is not always what it should be," especially "in rich countries where bringing a child into the world ... (is often seen) more as a threat than as a gift." John Paul II lamented the situation of children who are exploited, whose rights are not recognized, and those "penalized by the scourge of divorce. How sad for a child to have to resign himself to dividing his love between parents in conflict!"

He underscored the situation of "believers who have divorced and remarried. ... The Church, without keeping silent about the objective moral disorder in which they find themselves and the consequences coming from it which regard the practice of sacraments, intends to show her maternal closeness."

Addressing "the tendency to use morally unacceptable practices in generating (children)," he said: "How different and worthy of encouragement is, instead, the practice of adoption!"

He closed with a triple appeal: to leaders, governments, and organizations, "especially the United Nations," to "defend families and the respect for human life, right from the moment of conception"; to mothers to "always be sources of life, never of death!"; to mothers and fathers: "Never be afraid of life!"

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TELEGRAM FOR THE MURDER OF A RELIGIOUS IN BURUNDI

VATICAN CITY, OCT 17, 2000 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a telegram sent in the Pope's name by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano for the murder in Burundi of Sr. Gina Simionato of the Sisters of St. Dorothy. She was killed as she made her way to Sunday Mass in the company of three Burundian sisters who were slightly injured in the attack:

"Having learned of the tragic death of Sr. Gina Simionato, the Holy Father joins in prayer in the pain of her family, her congregation and the entire Church in Burundi. He asks the Lord to welcome into His Kingdom of Light this religious who devoted herself to the people of Burundi and to give her the reward promised to the disciples who serve their brothers in the example of the Savior. The Pope prays God to bring comfort to the wounded Burundian sisters and to all persons affected by this new attack, which deeply touches the Catholic community of the country. Invoking the assistance of the Holy Spirit on all the faithful gathered for the funeral so that they may be tireless artisans of peace and reconciliation in Burundi and throughout the region, His Holiness sends, as a sign of spiritual comfort, an affectionate apostolic blessing."

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POPE GIVES THANKS FOR PRAYERS FOR HIS PONTIFICATE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 16, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope received 6,000 Polish pilgrims and thanked them for their prayers "that accompany me during my pontificate." John Paul II today celebrates the 22nd anniversary of his election to the See of St. Peter.

Addressing the faithful present, many of whom came to participate in the Jubilee of Families, the Holy Father said they had come to Rome to pronounce their "'yes' to a noble and chaste love, to a life-giving love. You have come to show that, for you, the family and the life that is born, develops and finds shelter therein are fundamental values."

"I hope that each family, that all families of Poland and of the world, will discover ever more the greatness and sanctity of their vocation: being faithful custodians of 'beautiful love' and of each conceived life. I further hope that they will know how to defend in our time the precious heritage of faith and transmit it to coming generations."

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QUEEN ELIZABETH II IS WELCOMED BY POPE JOHN PAUL

VATICAN CITY, OCT 17, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul welcomed Queen Elizabeth II today to the Vatican, exactly 20 years to the day of their first meeting here. They met again in England in May, 1982 and the Pope recalled that his "predecessors Pope Pius XII and Pope John XXIII first bade you welcome here."

"Your Majesty's visit," the Holy Father remarked in his speech, "immediately brings to mind the rich heritage of British Christianity and all that Great Britain has contributed to the building of Christian Europe. ... Through that long history, relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See have not always been untroubled; long years of common inheritance were followed by the sad years of division." He pointed to the "cordiality" which has now emerged in relations, and said "there can be no turning back from the ecumenical goal we have set ourselves in obedience to the Lord's command."

The Pope stated that both the past and future "demand of us a sense of shared purpose," especially in Europe "as it seeks a unity capable of excluding forever the kind of conflicts which have been so much a part of the past." This unity, he added, must have both structure and content. "Only by preserving and reinvigorating the highest ideals and achievements of its heritage - in politics, in law, in art, in culture, in morality and in spirituality - will the Europe of the future be a viable and worthwhile endeavor."

Turning to globalization, John Paul II praised "the promise of greater prosperity and cohesion" which it brings, but lamented the "ever-growing gap between rich and poor" in so many parts of the world. "This troubling phenomenon has many causes, but the problem will certainly not be solved unless peoples and their leaders accept worldwide solidarity and cooperation as ethical imperatives that impel and mobilize the consciences of individuals and nations. I cannot but express by appreciation of Britain's recent undertaking to effect a total cancellation of the debt owed it by the heavily indebted poor countries."

The Holy Father concluded with words of praise for Queen Elizabeth: "Your Majesty, for many years now and through times of great change you have reigned with a dignity and sense of duty which have edified millions of people around the world."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 17, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Yesterday, October 16, he received Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome accompanied by his auxiliaries, Bishops Cesare Nosiglia, vicegerent, Enzo Dieci, Armando Brambilla, Vincenzo Apicella, Salvatore Fisichella and Luigi Moretti.

On Saturday, October 14, the Holy Father received the following in separate audiences:

- Gustavo Noboa Bejarano, president of the Republic of Ecuador, with his wife and entourage.
- Antonio d'Oliveira Pinto da Franca, ambassador from Portugal, with his wife, on a farewell visit.
- Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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