FORMAL CONTACTS BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND FRATERNITY OF ST. PIUS X

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2001 (VIS) - In response to many requests from journalists regarding possible official contacts between representatives of the Holy See and the leaders of the Fraternity of St. Pius X, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following statement yesterday:

"I can confirm that there have been formal contacts between the Holy See and the Fraternity of St. Pius X. These contacts, desired by the Holy Father, are still in progress. For the moment I do not have other information."

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PAPAL LETTER TO FOURTH MEETING OF CHURCHES OF SICILY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2001 (VIS) - Published today was Pope John Paul's Letter to Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi, archbishop of Palermo and president of the Sicilian Episcopal Conference, on the occasion of the Fourth Meeting of the Churches of Sicily, which is currently underway in Acireale. The meeting, whose motto is "In History, Leaven for the Kingdom," and whose theme is "Laity for the Mission of the Church in Sicily in the Third Millennium," ends tomorrow. The first such gathering took place in 1985.

The Pope thanked Sicilian Catholics for "the fidelity with which you are committed to adhering to the directives of the Magisterium in the many pastoral initiatives you have promoted."

He returned to the theme of his post-Jubilee Letter, "Novo Millennio Ineunte," that is, Christ's invitation, "Duc in Altum! Put out into the deep!" He invited the Church in Sicily to reflect on how to realize this call by Christ in order to "be heralds of the Gospel in our times." He then reiterated words he spoke at the 1995 meeting in Palermo: "Our time ... is not a time simply to preserve the existing, but rather a time of mission."

John Paul II underscored the laity's mission to holiness: "The lay faithful, disciples of Christ, become holy 'in the world' and 'for the world': they are inserted into temporal realities, into earthly activities, into the ordinary professional and social life, ... thus becoming in history and in time leaven for the Kingdom and for eternity."

Two duties of the lay faithful, he noted, are keeping the faith alive and a permanent part of one's existence, and spreading the faith. "As 'salt' and 'light', they are called to work prophetically in the family and school, in the spheres of culture and social communications, the economy and world of work, in politics and art, in the fields of health and where there is sickness and suffering, in sport and tourism, close to the marginalized and the many immigrants."

The Pope warned against "the temptation to reduce Christian communities to social agencies" and to take care not to practice a spirituality which is interiorized in an exaggerated manner, that is, it should be other-centered, not egocentric.

He dedicated closing remarks to communion: communion within parishes, among parishes and among dioceses. In particular he emphasized the need for "full and visible communion among Christians." In this regard, the Holy Father said: "Very meaningful in this sense, will be the prayer encounter, towards the end of your meeting, with Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople."

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OPEN WIDE THE DOORS OF AMERICA TO CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2001 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received the counsellors and members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America who participated in their Plenary Assembly from March 20 to 23 at the Vatican.

John Paul II affirmed that the challenges of the evangelizing mission in Latin American countries are numerous. "One of these," said the Pope, "is to conserve, defend, and increase the integrity of the faith. ... To this end it is necessary to give particular attention to the problem of sects which constitute 'a grave hindrance to the work of evangelization'. ... A determined pastoral action is necessary to confront this grave problem, reviewing the pastoral methods used, reinforcing the structures of communion and mission." The Pope assured that, where there are evangelizers, "sects do not prosper."

"Another challenge of particular importance," he continued, "is the promotion and care for vocations. Latin America needs many priests. ... To the bishops I recommend a regular and constant presence among the seminarians and above all among the priests, to accompany them, encourage them, and inspire them to generous work."

The Holy Father then made reference to the evangelization of youth: "It is necessary," he emphasized, "to evangelize them profoundly, starting from their resources of generosity, openness, and intuition. I hope that the next World Youth Day, which will be celebrated in America, in Toronto, Canada may be a new and decisive milestone in the evangelization of youth in this beloved continent."

After recalling Christ's words to St. Peter, "Duc in altum," quoted in his Apostolic Letter "Novo Millennio Ineunte," John Paul II said: "The Pope repeats these words to you, fishers of men, at the conclusion of your Plenary Assembly. Open wide the doors of America to Christ and to His Gospel! Your nations need, today as yesterday, great evangelizes of the nature and talent of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, whose feast we celebrate today, proclaimed Patron of all Latin American bishops by myself in 1983."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in separate audiences:

- Four prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Augustine Cheong Myong-jo of Pusan.
- Bishop Vincent Ri Pyung-ho of Chonju (Jeon Ju).
- Bishop James Kim Ji-seok of Wonju.
- Bishop John Chang-yik of Ch'unch'on.
- Brother Roger, prior of Taize.
- Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, with Bishop Enzo Dieci, auxiliary of Rome for the northern pastoral sector, Fr. Paolo Corsi, pastor of the parish of San Domenico di Guzman, and a parish vicar.

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BOOK ON PAPAL TOMBS AND FUNERAL MONUMENTS TO BE PRESENTED

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2001 (VIS) - A press conference will be held on Tuesday, March 27, at 11:30 a.m. in the Holy See Press Office, for the presentation of the book: "The Tombs and Funeral Monuments of the Popes in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican."

Participating in the conference will be the book's author, Cardinal Virgilio Noe, president of the Fabric of St. Peter's; Dr. Claudio Strinati, superintendent of the artistic and historical patrimony of Rome; and Dr. Vittorio Casale, professor of the History of Art Criticism at University III, Rome.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Msgr. John A. Boissonneau, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Toronto, Canada, former rector of St. Augustine's Seminary of Toronto, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Toronto (area 13,000, population 5,215,000, Catholics 1,798,000, priests 888, permanent deacons 114, religious 1,398). The bishop-elect was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1949, and ordained to the priesthood in 1972.

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