LENT: SACRAMENTAL SIGN OF OUR CONVERSION

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2001 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, Ash Wednesday, the Holy Father presided over the Liturgy of the Word in the basilica of St. Sabina. At the end of his homily he blessed and distributed ashes to many of the faithful present. The Liturgy of the Eucharist was presided over by Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

In his homily, the Holy Father affirmed that Lent is "a favorable moment for welcoming the grace of God with greater openness. Precisely for this reason, it is defined as a 'sacramental sign of our conversion': an effective sign and instrument in that radical change of life that asks to be constantly renewed in believers."

John Paul II confirmed that in these weeks of Lent Christian communities must become "genuine 'schools' of prayer." He added that "another privileged objective, then, is bringing the faithful closer to the Sacrament of Reconciliation." Moreover, "the experience of God's mercy must inspire a commitment to charity" which includes "the demanding preferential option for the poor."

"In today's world there is an increased need for pacification and forgiveness. I made myself a spokesperson for this recurring desire for forgiveness and reconciliation in my Message for this Lent. The Church, whose underpinning is the word of Christ, announces forgiveness and love for one's enemies."

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PAPAL TELEGRAM FOR DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP MARCELLO ZAGO

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2001 (VIS) - Following is the text of the telegram sent by Pope John Paul to Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, upon learning of the death this morning, after a long illness, of Archbishop Marcello Zago, O.M.I., congregation secretary. The archbishop was 68.

"Having learned with sadness of the death of Archbishop Marcello Zago, I wish to send an expression of my sincere participation in the mourning of this dicastery whose diligent secretary he was. As I recall with sentiments of admiration his deep spirituality, his exemplary religious life in the congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, of which he was superior general, and the pastoral thrust as a priest and bishop, as well as the serene acceptance of the illness which he bore right up to the last minute with a trusting surrender to Divine Providence, I give thanks to the Lord for having given the Church such a zealous minister of the Gospel who also distinguished himself as a precious collaborator of the Apostolic See, especially in the area of the evangelization of peoples. As I raise fervent prayers to God that he will accept this good and faithful servant in eternal joy, having spent his energies in the service of God and souls, I send to you and to all who share in this grief my comforting apostolic blessing."

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POPE WELCOMES ROME'S CLERGY IN TRADITIONAL MEETING

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul this morning welcomed the clergy from the diocese of Rome in the Vatican's Clementine Hall, saying that this annual appointment at the start of Lent was "very important" to him, allowing him to directly meet and thank those who share in assisting him as bishop of the diocese of Rome.

Calling Lent "a favorable time, a time of grace," he said it is also "an active time, in parishes and every ecclesial reality, that is lived with great spiritual and pastoral intensity. Many, therefore, are the appointments awaiting you. ... However, concern about 'doing' should never prevail over those decisive factors of a spiritual and interior nature which are the one solid foundation of the however necessary and intense pastoral activity."

The Holy Father then spoke of the importance of "nurturing a spirituality of communion in every community." He especially emphasized the fraternal communion that should exist "among pastors and vicars, old priests and young ones and especially towards your confreres who are sick or in difficulty."

Part of this commitment to communion, he added, is "listening to the people of God. ... I am thinking of those many people who, for reasons of work and the intense rhythms of life, need to be listened to and accompanied, in catechesis and in preparation for the sacraments, in different times and ways, and answering their particular needs."

John Paul II then referred to the traditional blessing of homes in Rome by pastors during the Easter season. He said that these encounters put "us in contact with many sufferings and much poverty, ... in the families and neighborhoods of Rome. ... As did Christ the Good Shepherd, seek out every man, woman, boy, girl or older person who awaits a gesture of affection, solidarity and fraternal sharing."

The Pope also touched upon the important meeting scheduled for the diocese in June, remarking that its scope will be "to set in motion a new and fruitful season of evangelization in our city."

In closing remarks, he thanked Rome's clergy, as well as its young people, for their "availability and generosity" during the Great Jubilee. "Dear priests," he said, "love these young people with the same heart as Christ and have faith in each one of them, sustain their enthusiasm and educate them to be witnesses of faith among their peers."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in audience Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, with Bishop Enzo Dieci, auxiliary of Rome for the northern pastoral sector, and Fr. Battista Previtali, D.C., pastor of the parish of St. Andrew the Apostle, accompanied by a parish vicar.

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PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR LATIN AMERICA TO HOLD PLENARY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2001 (VIS) - The Pontifical Commission for Latin America will hold a plenary reunion in the Vatican from March 20 to 23 on the theme "Realities, Problems, Prospects and Pastoral Proposals regarding the New Evangelization, in the light of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 'Ecclesia in America'," according to a communique released by the commission today.

An estimated 40 cardinals and bishops from the Roman Curia and Latin America are scheduled to attend the plenary, listening to reports and participating in dialogue. Each member is expected to deal with a specific theme taken from the exhortation. The current ecclesial situation in Latin America will be analyzed according to the orientations of the above-named papal document. Counselors and members of the commission will submit the pastoral questions they believe to be of great importance or urgency.

Final conclusions and recommendations will be drawn up and presented to the Holy Father, dicasteries of the Roman Curia and to episcopal conferences of Latin America.

On Friday, March 23 at 7:30 in St. Peter's Basilica at the tomb of Peter, there will be a concelebrated Eucharist. An audience with Pope John Paul will conclude the plenary.

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MESSAGE FOR HISPANIC-AMERICAN DAY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2001 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of the annual Message of the presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America on the occasion of Hispanic-American Day, which will be celebrated in the dioceses of Spain on March 4th, the first Sunday of Lent.

In the Message, dated January 6, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and Bishop Cipriano Calderon, vice-president of the same pontifical commission, write: "'Go ... to meet our brothers of America'. It is the appeal which the Spanish episcopate makes to the priests, men and women religious, and the laity of the nation for Hispanic-American Day."

"It is an initiative," the Message specifies, "in perfect harmony with what the Pope has repeated many times, each time with greater vigor, throughout the Jubilee Year."

Cardinal Re and Bishop Calderon expressed the hope that "Hispanic-American Day, at the dawn of the new millennium, will see in the Spanish priests and faithful the evangelizing impulse, looking to America as the 'Continent of Hope' which, evangelized in the last five centuries, has been transformed into an evangelizing continent, turning to Europe, Africa, and Asia."

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HOLY FATHER'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR MARCH

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father's general prayer intention for March is: "That, with the committed help of all believers, the scourge of poverty may come to an end, eliminating the intolerable social and economic inequality in the world."

His missionary intention is: "That the heroism of the Martyrs and of the 'Witnesses to the faith' who have been remembered during the Great Jubilee may spur all people to increase ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Juan Piris Frigola, pastor of the "El Buen Pastor" parish, Valencia, Spain, as bishop of Menorca (area 701, population 71,131, Catholics 69,800, priests 53, religious 106), Spain. The bishop-elect was born in Cullera, Spain, in 1939, and ordained to the priesthood in 1963.

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