PAPAL LETTER COMMEMORATES CARDINAL JOHN HENRY NEWMAN

VATICAN CITY, FEB 27, 2001 (VIS) - Made public this morning was a Letter from Pope John Paul to Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham, England, on the occasion of the second centenary of the birth of Cardinal John Henry Newman. The letter, written in English, is dated February 22.

The Pope said he joined "the host of voices throughout the world in praising God for the gift of the great English cardinal and for his enduring witness ... He was born at a particular time - February 21, 1801, in a particular place - London, to a particular family. ... But the particular mission entrusted to him belongs to every time and place."

"Newman was born in troubled times," writes the Holy Father, when "old certitudes were shaken, and believers were faced with the threat of rationalism on the one hand and fideism on the other. Rationalism brought with it a rejection of both authority and transcendence, while fideism turned from the challenges of history and the tasks of this world to a distorted dependence upon authority and government. In such a world, Newman came eventually to a remarkable synthesis of faith and reason."

The Pope underscored how Newman's "search was shot through with pain" and trials, "but, rather than diminish or destroy him they paradoxically strengthened his faith in the God who had called him, and confirmed him in the conviction that God 'does nothing in vain'. In the end, therefore, what shines forth in Newman is the mystery of the Lord's Cross: This was the heart of his mission."

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PONTIFICAL ACADEMY FOR LIFE TO HOLD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 27, 2001 (VIS) - The Pontifical Academy for Life will hold its Seventh General Assembly in the Holy See Press Office from March 1 to 4 on the theme "The Culture of Life: Presuppositions and Dimensions," according to a communique released today.
The communique commented on last year's general assembly which was dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the 1995 Encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" (The Gospel of Life) and to a look at the current situation in the world of "the right to life." In this regard, there was also a review of the programs of action of the United Nations conferences held in recent years: Cairo in 1994 (Population and Development) and Beijing in 1995 (Conference on Women). The results of these studies were published last year by the academy in the English-language book, "'Evangelium Vitae': Five Years of Confrontation with Society."

It was noted that the results demonstrated "a prevalently negative thrust, moved by a strong culture of death which has become very aggressive over the past five years, especially through political support of international organizations, heedless of the demographic and moral damages which have been caused." The academy wishes this year, says the communique, to "enter into a period of positive reflection and to ask itself what must be the 'roots', the presuppositions, of a cultural and moral nature, to develop a culture of life, and what can be the prospects for a long term educational commitment guided by the charism of truth."

The academy, which Pope John Paul II established in 1994, hopes that the topics to be studied during the General Assembly "will lead to laying the foundations of a future in which culture, laws and actions will work to favor the life of every person."

Academy president, Juan de Dios Vial Correa, will conclude the assembly with a report on "John Paul II, The Pontiff of Life."
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POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

VATICAN CITY, FEB 27, 2001 (VIS) - The following declaration was made yesterday afternoon by Holy See Press Office Director, Joaquin Navarro-Valls:

"The Holy Father, John Paul II, received in audience this morning Mikhail Mikhailovich Kasianov, president of the Council of the Russian Federation. Following this, Mr. Kasianov also met with Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano. In the course of the meetings, held in a very cordial atmosphere, opinions were exchanged on the current situation in Russia and Europe, as well as on the bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the Holy See."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 27, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Cristian Caro Cordero, auxiliary of Santiago de Chile, Chile, as archbishop of Puerto Montt (area 18,205, population 296,000, Catholics 249,000, priests 48, permanent deacons 16, religious 85), Chile. He succeeds Archbishop Savino Bernardo Cazzaro Bertollo, O.S.M., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, in conformity with the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. Declan Ronan Lang, vicar general of Portsmouth, as bishop of Clifton (area 10,912, population 2,566,407, Catholics 125,740, priests 204, permanent deacons 31, religious 369), England. The bishop-elect was born in Cowes, England, in 1950, and ordained to the priesthood in 1975. He succeeds Bishop Mervyn Alban Alexander, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in conformity with the age limit.

- Appointed Archbishop Francois Bacque, apostolic nuncio in the Dominican Republic, as apostolic nuncio in the Netherlands.

- Appointed Msgr. Timothy P. Broglio, nunciature counselor, as apostolic nuncio in the Dominican Republic and apostolic delegate in Puerto Rico, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Cleveland, U.S.A., in 1951 and was ordained a priest in 1977.

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