AUDIENCE WITH THOUSANDS OF PILGRIMS FROM MILAN AND VENICE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 4, 2000 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square today, the Pope received thousands of pilgrims from the archdiocese of Milan who had earlier participated in a Mass in the Ambrosian rite celebrated by their archbishop, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, S.J. He also received a group of faithful from the patriarchate of Venice, led by Cardinal Mario Ce.

The Holy Father called on the Milanese pilgrims to rediscover "day after day, the merciful love that God holds for each human being; in the drive of renewed alliance with Christ, feel yourselves to be ever more united to your fellows, especially the most needy. ... There are many challenges that you must face in this important change of an epoch!"

He told the Church in Milan: "Do not be afraid in the face of the great challenges of the present time! Proceed with faith along the path of the new evangelization, in the loving service of the poor and in Christian witness in all situations."

John Paul II asked the faithful from the patriarchate of Venice to be, following the example of their patron St. Mark, "apostles of the Gospel. Spread the Good News everywhere through a constant witness of fraternal charity and solicitude for the most needy of our fellows. Openness to other people's necessities is an eloquent sign of that evangelical charity that even touches the heart of those who do not believe."

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POLITICAL SERVICE CALLS FOR UNSWERVING MORALITY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 5, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II presided at a Eucharistic celebration for the occasion of the Jubilee of Government Leaders and Politicians. Cardinals Angelo Sodano and Roger Etchegaray and four archbishops concelebrated with the Pope.

In his homily, the Holy Father encouraged those present to live their "involvement in politics as a service to others." He affirmed that "political service is lived in a precise and daily commitment which calls for great competence in the fulfillment of one's own duties and unswerving morality in the selfless and accountable exercise of power. On the other hand, the personal integrity of the politician also needs to find expression in a correct conception of the social and political life which he or she is called to serve."
"Yet at the same time," he went on, "there is no justification for a pragmatism which, even with regard to essential and fundamental values of social life, would reduce politics to the mere balancing of interests or, worse yet, to a matter of demagogy or of electoral calculation. If law cannot and must not cover the entire sphere of the moral law, neither can it run 'counter' to the moral law."

The Pope highlighted the need "to rediscover the true meaning of participation and to involve more citizens in seeking suitable ways of advancing towards an ever more satisfactory attainment of the common good." He added that "dialogue remains the irreplaceable instrument for every constructive confrontation."

In closing, the Holy Father reminded government leaders, parliamentarians and politicians that the life of their Patron, St. Thomas More, "is truly an example for all who are called to serve humanity and society in the civic and political sphere."

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JUBILEE OF GOVERNMENT LEADERS, POLITICIANS STARTS IN VATICAN

VATICAN CITY, NOV 4, 2000 (VIS) - The Jubilee of Government Leaders and Politicians began today with a series of meetings in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, in which political leaders and heads of state and government from more than 100 countries participated. Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Jubilee committee, gave a welcome speech in the morning session, and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, spoke at the close of that meeting. Pope John Paul II addressed the assembly in its closing session.

The Pope told those present that their mission as statesmen and politicians "can well be deemed a true and genuine vocation to politics, which in practice means the governance of nations, the formulation of laws and the administration of public affairs at every level."

Stressing that "politics is the use of legitimate authority in order to attain the common good of society," the Pope went on to say that "Christians who engage in politics ' and who wish to do so as Christians ' must act selflessly, not seeking their own advantage, or that of their group or party, but the good of one and all, and consequently, in the first place, that of the less fortunate members of society." Among these, he stated, are "those who are imprisoned," and he renewed his call of July 9, the Jubilee of Prisoners, to "leaders of countries to make 'a gesture of clemency towards all those in prison' which would be 'a clear sign of sensitivity to their condition'.

"Justice must indeed be the fundamental concern of political leaders: a justice which is not content to apportion to each his own, but one which aims at creating conditions of equal opportunity among citizens, and therefore favoring those who ... risk being left behind or relegated to the lowest places in society. This is the scandal of the affluent society of today's world, in which the rich grow ever richer, since wealth produces wealth, and the poor grow ever poorer, since poverty tends to create additional poverty."

"I think," said John Paul II, "with profound distress of those areas of the world afflicted by endless wars and hostilities, by endemic hunger and by terrible diseases. ... Truly there needs to be a greater spirit of solidarity in the world. ... Christians who feel themselves called by God to political life have the duty ' quite difficult yet very necessary ' to conform the laws of the 'unbridled' market to the laws of justice and solidarity".

"I would like to speak in a particular way to those of you who have the very delicate task of formulating and approving laws. ... positive law cannot contradict the natural law. This means that laws ... must always respect and promote human persons. ... Hence a law which does not respect the right to life ' from conception to natural death ' of every human being, whatever his or her condition ' healthy or ill, still in the embryonic stage, elderly or close to death ' is not a law in harmony with the divine plan. Consequently, Christian legislators may neither contribute to the formulation of such a law nor approve it in parliamentary assembly, although, where such a law already exists, it is licit for them to propose amendments which would diminish its adverse effects."

"With an act of wholehearted and steadfast faith, renew your fidelity to Jesus Christ," Pope John Paul concluded, "and make his Gospel the guide of your thought and of your life."

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LETTERS OF CREDENCE OF NEW VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2000 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence from the new ambassador of the Republic of Venezuela, Ignacio Quintana.

In his speech to the diplomat, the Pope affirmed that just as in the past, "also under present circumstances, the Venezuelan people will benefit from the firm commitment of the Church and her pastors in support of the fundamental rights of people; in their firm defense of life from the moment of its conception to its natural end; in their intense and constant educational activity; in their promotion of the family as a natural institution and primary cell of society, and in their concern to save so many citizens from the burden of poverty, hunger, moral corruption and so many other forms of social marginalization."

"By virtue of her mission," he continued, "the Church demands the space necessary for her activities" and tries to make the people she serves "good Christians and honest citizens, committed to the sound progress of their country."

John Paul II highlighted that "there must be no reticence or, even less so, rivalry, in matters concerning the common good and the dignified future of a people. These include categorical defence for human dignity in all its integrity and for an education open to the transcendental dimension of the person - something that cannot disregard the religious dimension - as well as the fundamental civil and social rights of every human being."

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SERVE JUSTICE, PEACE, FREEDOM AND THE COMMON GOOD

VATICAN CITY, NOV 5, 2000 (VIS) - The concluding event of the Jubilee of Government Leaders, Parliamentarians and Politicians was a concert and evening of dance and music in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of the Holy Father. The choir and orchestra of the Opera Theater of Rome performed the music of Rossini, Mascagni and Mozart, and singers and dancers representing the five continents performed what the Pope termed "this ideal voyage on the paths of peace and love."

The Pope thanked not only the performers but all the guests present, including five Nobel prize winners who, he said, "have given us a personal witness about the importance of ethical and moral values in life and in the work of all who are entrusted with public power. The Church holds in great esteem the duties entrusted to politicians and men and women in government; for this reason, she never tires of recalling the basic dimension of service, which must mark the activity of representatives of the people and every public authority."

"May your work every day," he concluded, be at the service of justice, peace, freedom and the common good."

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ANGELUS REFLECTIONS ON ST. THOMAS MORE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 5, 2000 (VIS) - At the end of the Mass for the Jubilee of Government Leaders and Politicians, and before praying the angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope spoke of St. Thomas More, the new Patron of Statesmen, of Italy's Day for Cancer Research and of his forthcoming visit with Karekin II, Catholicos of all the Armenians.

"The most fitting person for Patron of Statesmen," said John Paul II, "Sir Thomas More fully lived the Christian identity in the lay state, as a husband, exemplary father and enlightened statesman. A man of unyielding integrity, in order to remain faithful to God and to his own conscience, gave up everything: honors, affection, his very life; but he thus acquired the most precious good, the Kingdom of Heaven, from where he watches over all those who dedicate themselves generously to the service of the human family in civil and political institutions."

The Holy Father then recalled that Italy today is celebrating the Day of Cancer Research. He encouraged all those suffering with cancer and expressed "the praise and solidarity of the Church, who always seeks to serve Christ in the sick and at the side of health care workers."

Following multi-language greetings to the pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, the Pope invited everyone "to pray for the meeting I will having in coming days with the Catholicos of all Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II. During a solemn Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's on November 10, I will have the joy of giving him a relic of St. Gregory the Enlightened, Patron of Armenia."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Da Nang, Vietnam, presented by Bishop Francois Xavier Nguyen Quang Sach, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Bishop Paul Nguyen Binh Tinh P.S.S., coadjutor of the same diocese.

- Appointed Fr. Francescantonio Nole O.F.M. Conv., provincial minister of the Campania and Lucania regions, Italy, as bishop of Tursi-Lagonegro (area 2,509, population 132,565, Catholics 131,665, priests 89, religious 121), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Potenza, Italy, in 1948, and ordained a priest in 1973.

- Appointed as members of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum": Cardinals Christian Wiyghan Tumi, archbishop of Doula, Cameroon and Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid, Spain. His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, Lebanon; Archbishop-bishop Stephen Fumio Hamao, emeritus of Yokohama, Japan and president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples; Archbishops Marcello Zago, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; Claudio Hummes O.F.M., of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Alberto Giraldo Jaramillo P.S.S., of Medellin, Colombia; Thaddee Ntihinyurwa of Kigali, Rwanda and Angelo Massafra O.F.M., of Shkodre, Albania; Bishops Diarmuid Martin, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Valerian D'Souza of Poona, India and Clemens Pickel, apostolic administrator of Southern European Russia; Msgr. Josef Sayer, executive director of "Misereor"; Duncan MacLaren, secretary general of "Caritas Internationalis;" Antonia Willemsen, secretary general of the "Help to the Suffering Church - International;" Jose Ramon Diaz Torremocha, president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society; Joel Thoraval, president of "Secours Catholique;" Anne Sturm, vice-president of the "Association Internationale des Charites de St. Vincent de Paul - A.I.C.;" Luca Riccardi of the Community of St. Egidio and Alberto Piatti, managing director of the Association of Volunteers for International Service.
- Appointed as consultors of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum:" Albrecht von Boeselager, hospitaler of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; Enrico Pietro Demajo, director of the foundation of the Knights of Columbus; Pablo Martin Calderon, manager of the international service of Spanish Caritas; Martin Salm, director of the international sector of the "Deutscher Caritasverband" and Justin Kilcullen, president of the "Comite International pour le Developpement et la Solidarite."

- Appointed Archbishop Julian Herranz, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, as a member of the Congregation for Bishops.

On Saturday, November 4, it was made public that he:

- Erected the diocese of Mpanda (area 46,346, population, 358,409, Catholics 224,374, priests 21, religious 12), Tanzania, with territory taken from the diocese of Sumbawanga, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Tabora. He appointed Fr. Pascal Kikoti of the clergy of Iringa, professor of dogmatic theology and patrology at the major seminary of Peramiho, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Ihumbo, Tanzania, in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1988.

- Appointed Fr. Francis Xavier Ahn Myong-ok of the clergy of Masan, Korea, professor at the major seminary of Pusan, as coadjutor bishop of the diocese of Masan (area 9,045, population 2,517,857, Catholics 132,333, priests 99, religious 350). The bishop-elect was born in Masan in 1945 and ordained a priest in 1975.

- Appointed Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, as his special envoy to the opening celebrations of the Plenary Council of Venezuela, due to take place in Caracas on November 26.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, apostolic nuncio in the Federal Republic of Germany.

On Saturday November 4, he received in audience Cardinals Opilio Rossi; Giuseppe Caprio; Giuseppe Casoria; Antonio Innocenti; Paul Augustin Mayer O.S.B.; Edouard Gagnon P.S.S.; Alfons M. Stickler S.D.B.; Giovanni Canestri; Fiorenzo Angelini; Luigi Poggi and Giovanni Cheli.

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POPE JOHN PAUL TO GO TO UKRAINE IN JUNE 2001

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2000 (VIS) - In answer to journalists who asked about the news which had appeared in recent days about the alleged resignation of John Paul II in December, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls stated today that "this news has absolutely no basis. Rather, I can confirm that the Holy Father will go to Ukraine next June."

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