GENERAL AUDIENCE: THE "UNITING" OF ALL THINGS IN CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2001 (VIS) - The theme of John Paul II's catechesis for today's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, was: "The 'uniting' of all things in Christ."

The Pope affirmed that "the salvific design of God, 'the mystery of His will' concerning every creature, is expressed in the Letter to the Ephesians with a characteristic term: 'to unite' all things, heavenly and earthly, in Christ." Thus, "Christ confers a unifying meaning to all syllables, words, and works of creation and of history."

"In the expression 'all things'," affirms Irenaeus, "is included man, touched by the mystery of the Incarnation. ... Christ is the new Adam, that is, the First-born of the human faithful," who cancels the sin "which Adam in rebellion sowed in the secular affairs of humanity and in the horizon of creation. With His full obedience to the Father, Christ opens the era of peace with God and among men, reconciling scattered humanity in Himself."

The Holy Father continued the catechesis affirming: "This work will reach fulfillment in the fullness of time, when," as Paul also recalls, "'God may be everything to everyone'. ... Christ will 'deliver the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power ... The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under the feet' of His Son."

"The Church, bride in love with the Lamb," the Holy Father concluded, "with her gaze fixed on that day of light, raises the ardent invocation: 'Maranatha', 'Come, Lord Jesus!'"

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka and Bishop Gianni Danzi, respectively president and secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, accompanied by Giulio Sachetti, special delegate of the same commission and president of the State Council, and Msgr. Giorgio Corbellini, secretary of the State Council.

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POSITION OF THE CHURCH ON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2001 (VIS) - Offered below are excerpts from an interview given to Vatican Radio by Bishop Elio Sgreccia, vice-president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, on the position of the Church concerning biomedical research.

What is your comment on the criticisms directed at the Church regarding her position on scientific research?

"The official thought of the Catholic Church is well known. She has repeatedly declared her appreciation for and encouragement of scientific research, especially when it is geared towards the prevention and healing of illnesses and the relief of human suffering, regarding such research as fully responsive to faith in God the Creator."

However, the Church place limits on research. What are they?

"Experimental science, like all human activity, must be directed to the good of man and the respect of every individual, both in the ends it pursues and in the means it uses. It must always respect man, every human subject involved in experimentation, especially in the most fragile stages of life and when the subject under experimentation cannot give consent. A scientific research which pretends to disregard rigorous scrutiny of the ethical nature of the objectives, methods, and consequences, would not be worthy of man and would expose itself to the risk of being used against the most weak and defenseless."

Criticisms raised recently also had to do with research on stem cells; what is the position of the Pontifical Academy for Life in this regard?

"In the document of August 25, 2000 which this Pontifical Academy dedicated to the use of stem cells, encouragement was expressed for research on stem cells taken from the adult organism or, at birth, the umbilical cord, as well as from involuntarily aborted fetuses, in conformity with the hypotheses already confirmed by internationally recognized research. ... The fact that this same Academy has expressed a negative judgement from an ethical viewpoint on the destructive use of embryos for stem cell research and for the advancement of forms of human cloning, inappropriately defined as therapeutic, was motivated by the viewpoint of rational ethics and certainly not by the demands of religious faith alone. ... Selective and discriminatory biomedical experimentation cannot be justified, not even in the face of hypothetical advantages, which are moreover achievable through other methods."

The criticisms also referred to positions which are resistant to the use of biologically modified animals and vegetables.

"Cautions related to previously confirmed health risks were simply shown, especially as regards the cultivation of seeds and vegetables which are used in the preparation of foods derived precisely from so-called 'transgenic organisms.' We also confirmed the obligation to inform citizens and to safeguard fairness in the area of economics, especially in comparison with developing countries."

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AUDIENCE: GREETINGS TO PILGRIM GROUPS PRESENT

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2001 (VIS) - Following today's general audience catechesis in Italian, and summaries of the talk in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and German, the Holy Father greeted a number of groups present in the Paul VI Hall in various languages. He also had special words, as is customary each week, for young people, newlyweds and the sick.

The Pope welcomed the participants in the annual meeting of the Bishop Friends of the Focolare Movement, currently underway at the Mariapolis Center in Castelgandolfo. He expressed "cordial acknowledgment for this visit, which allows me to express appreciation for your efforts to favor growth in communion in the heart of episcopal conferences and in diocesan communities and to encourage a productive dialogue with the wide world of other religions."

John Paul II then greeted the participants in a course sponsored by "Studium" magazine for future postulators and collaborators of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He said he hoped they would "receive personal spiritual benefits from the course, drawing on the great patrimony of the Church, that of holiness, and enrich it with your personal Christian witness."

In closing, the Pope turned his thoughts "to the Belarussian children, guests of the convent of Friars Minor Capuchins in Fiuggi. May the Lord protect you and all who have generously welcomed you."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Aloysius Sutrisnoatmoko, M.S.F., professor of dogmatic theology at the Sanata Dharma University of Yogyakarta, as bishop of Palangkaraya (area 153,564, population 1,769,812, Catholics 50,781, priests 23, religious 68), Indonesia. The bishop-elect was born in Wedi, Indonesia, in 1953, and ordained a priest in 1981.

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