OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 20, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Jose Sotero Valero Ruiz, auxiliary of Valencia, Venezuela, as bishop of Guanare (area 15,200, population 760,000, Catholics 700,000, priests 33, religious 65), Venezuela.

- Fr. Joseph Lai Hung Seng, pastor of the cathedral of Macao, as coadjutor of the bishop of Macao (area, 19, population 430,500, Catholics 28,015, priests 83, religious 228), China. The bishop-elect was born in 1946 in Macao and was ordained a priest in 1972.

- Bishop Filiberto Jimenez Narvaez, emeritus of Riohacha, Colombia, as auxiliary of the archbishop of Medellin (area 708, population 2,952,956, Catholics 2,512,065, priests 896, religious 3,560), Colombia.

- Msgr. Joaquin Maria Lopez de Andujar, vicar general since 1991 of the diocese of Getafe, as auxiliary of the bishop of Getafe (area 2,295, population 1,122,601, Catholics 639,500, priests 243, religious 816), Spain. The bishop-elect was born in 1842 in Madrid, Spain and was ordained a priest in 1968.

On Saturday, March 17, it was made public that he appointed the following as members of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue: Archbishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale of Bloemfontein, South Africa; Bishops Jean Khamse Vithavong, apostolic vicar of Vientiane, Laos; Gabriel Piroird of Constantine, Algeria; Albert Ayinde Fasina of Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria; Tod David Brown of Orange in California, U.S.A., Charles Maung Bo of Pathein, Myanmar; Vincent Coulibaly of Kankan, Guinea-Conakry; Paul Yoshinao Otsuka of Kyoto, Japan; Andrew Francis of Multan, Pakistan; Patrick O'Donoghue, auxiliary of Westminster, Great Britain, and Everard Johannes de Jong, auxiliary of Roermund, Netherlands.

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WOMEN ARE UNIQUELY GIFTED TO PASS ON CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2001 (VIS) - After a summary in English of his catechesis for today's weekly general audience, Pope John Paul greeted all the English-speaking visitors at the audience, and had special words for the members of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations, meeting in Rome for their general assembly.

"You have come together to grow in a deeper understanding of your mission and to support one another as you seek to live out your commitment to Christian holiness, to feminine holiness," said the Pope. "This form of discipleship is indispensable to the Church in the Third Millennium. Women, in fact, are uniquely gifted in the task of passing on the Christian message in the family and in the world of work, study and leisure. Catholic women who live by faith, hope and love, and who honor God's name in prayer and service, have always played a central role in transmitting the genuine sense of Christian faith and in applying it to every circumstance of life."

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"MARY, PILGRIM IN THE FAITH, STAR OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM"

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2001 (VIS) - The theme of John Paul II's catechesis during today's general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square, was: "Mary, Pilgrim in the Faith, Star of the Third Millennium."

The Pope affirmed that "the annunciation is 'the point of departure for Mary's whole journey towards God'," a journey which passes "through the winding paths of exile in Egypt and inner darkness, when Mary 'did not understand' the behavior of the twelve-year old Jesus in the Temple, and yet 'kept all these things in her heart'."

"The hidden life of Jesus also passes in the half-light. ... Certainly, shafts of light are not lacking in Mary's life, such as at the wedding of Cana, where - though in seeming detachment - Christ welcomes the prayer of His Mother and fulfills the first sign of revelation, stirring up the faith of the disciples."

The Holy Father emphasized that "the summit of this earthly pilgrimage in faith is at Golgotha, where Mary intimately lives the Paschal Mystery of her Son: she dies in a certain sense as mother in the death of her Son and opens herself to the 'resurrection' with a new maternity in relation to the Church."

"We turn to her," the Holy Father continued, "that she may continue to guide us towards Christ and the Father, even in the dark night of evil, and in moments of doubt, crisis, silence, and suffering."

The Pope recalled that Mary's visit to Elizabeth "is marked by the canticle of the 'Magnificat', a hymn which spans all Christian centuries as perpetual melody: a hymn which unites the souls of Christ's disciples beyond historical barriers, which we are committed to overcoming in view of a full communion."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Archbishop Ennio Antonelli, secretary general of the Italian Episcopal Conference, as archbishop of Florence (area 2,205, population 874,172, Catholics 826,484, priests 665, permanent deacons 34, religious 2,163), Italy. He succeeds Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, in conformity with the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Edward Joseph Gilbert, C.SS.R., of Roseau, Dominica, as metropolitan archbishop of Port of Spain (area 5,123, population 1,250,000, Catholics 395,000, priests 90, religious 253), Trinidad and Tobago.

- Appointed Msgr. Jose Antonio Gentico, vicar general of Moron, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Buenos Aires (area 202, population 3,826,000, Catholics 3,506,000, priests 915, permanent deacons 3, religious 2,852), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Arnedo, Spain, in 1932, and ordained to the priesthood in 1968.

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COMMUNIQUE FROM THE UNION OF SUPERIORS GENERAL

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2001 (VIS) - A communique from the Union of Superiors General (USG, for men religious)) and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG, women religious) was released this afternoon by the Holy See Press Office. Following are excerpts:

"Consecrated life today involves about 200,000 men religious and 1 million sisters, present in all countries of the world. Consecrated life is also represented, at a central level, by the USG and the UISG.

"The strength of consecrated life lies in the fact that, concretely, in everyday life, men and women religious are able to live faithfully their choices of chastity, poverty, obedience and service. The challenge to serve with an undivided heart is a true and precise choice."

"In the face of the articles in the media these days, relative to cases of sexual abuses undergone by women religious, .... the two Unions (note that they) have not been insensitive (to the problem) and are endeavoring (to work on it) in a concrete manner.

"Consecrated life wishes to transmit hope to a world divided by wars, nationalisms and so many forms of injustice in individuals and in structures. Men and women religious are strongly committed: in culture, ... in social activities for the recovery and prevention of hardships; in favor of abandoned minors; in assistance to prisoners; ... in hospitals, in scholastic and educational activities, for the promotion of women and their autonomy.

"Men and women religious in their everyday lives are witnesses of the radical nature and the strength of the Gospel, even with their personal weaknesses."

"In three days, on March 24, we will celebrate the Day of Missionary Martyrs. In the year 2000 priests, lay people and religious lost their lives, witnessing to the Gospel in the diverse situations of conflict throughout the world.

"Therefore, we repeat, in perfect harmony with what the Vatican spokesman said yesterday, that 'several negative situations cannot allow us to forget the fidelity, often on a heroic scale, of the overwhelming majority of religious and priests'."

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JOHN PAUL II CALLS FOR END TO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2001 (VIS) - At the end of the weekly general audience, the Holy Father reminded the pilgrims present in St. Peter's Square that "today, March 21 is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. He added that "it also marks the start of a week of solidarity with all those who are fighting against such injustice."

Pointing to international instruments adopted in this regard and to world conferences on the subject, the Pope said "these constitute important stages on the path to affirming the basic equality and dignity of every person, and for a peaceful coexistence between all peoples. Despite these efforts, millions of human beings have not yet seen their 'right of citizenship' in the human family recognized."

John Paul II said in conclusion: "The Church joins the commitment of all those who defend human rights, and she feels solidarity with all who, for racial, ethnic, religious or social reasons are victims of discrimination. ... I wish to repeat that no one is a stranger in the Church and everyone should feel at home!"

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