POPE ADDRESSES KOREAN BISHOPS, IN ROME ON "AD LIMINA" VISIT

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul today welcomed the bishops of Korea as they conclude their quinquennial "ad limina" visit to Rome and to the Successor of Peter. He recalled his two visits to their country and remarked on "how the Church has grown and flourished since the time the Gospel seed was first sown there over two centuries ago."

The Pope noted that the background to their visit was formed by the 1998 Synod for Asia and by the "grace-filled experience of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000." He said that the synod "was the occasion for a fruitful and enriching reflection on the challenges posed for evangelization in a continent where Christians form a very small minority."

For an efficacious evangelization, he said, "you have the responsibility of constantly identifying the features of a pastoral plan adapted to the needs and aspirations of God's people. ... The Successors of the Apostles should never be afraid of proclaiming the full truth about Jesus Christ, in all its challenging reality and demands, since the truth has an intrinsic power to draw the human heart to all that is good, noble and beautiful."

"In this regard," continued the Holy Father, "I am especially pleased to learn of efforts to promote the Biblical apostolate. The availability of a modern Korean translation of the Bible ... makes it possible for all the faithful to have direct access to God's saving word."

"By the mandate of Christ," he affirmed, "the bishop is appointed to teach - 'in season and out of season' - the unchanging faith of the Church, as it is to be applied and lived today." He animated them "to support and encourage the work of theologians" and "at the same time you must be concerned to safeguard the authentic interpretation of the Church's teaching and thus ensure that the local Church abides in the truth which alone saves and liberates."

"In your homeland," noted John Paul II, "you face the challenge of an increasingly materialistic mentality which is undermining many of the authentic human values upon which Korean society is traditionally based. This calls for renewed efforts to address the widely-felt crisis of values and to strengthen the sense of the transcendent in the lives of the faithful." He commended the bishops for their initiatives relative to bioethical questions, especially for their "steadfast opposition to abortion, ... a terrible offense against God's gift of life" which "introduces into society a relativistic attitude to all fundamental moral and ethical principles."

He highlighted the "indispensable" role of the laity in the Church and the bishops' "task to discern the gifts of the laity." He then remarked how Korea "is blessed with a high number of priestly vocations. ... The new Pontifical Korean College here in Rome is a sign of your resolve to ensure that priests receive a solid continuing formation."

John Paul, in closing, told the bishops that he rejoices "whenever I hear of progress in advancing reconciliation, mutual understanding and cooperation among all the members of the Korean family. ... To provide material and spiritual solidarity with the Catholic community and the whole population of North Korea, in appropriate ways and with pastoral charity, will undoubtedly prove a positive step towards reconciliation."

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JOHN PAUL II INAUGURATES PONTIFICAL KOREAN COLLEGE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2001 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon John Paul II inaugurated the Pontifical Korean College, which will be the residence of seminarians preparing for the priesthood and priests taking academic courses at Rome's various pontifical universities. Participating in the celebration of the Word were the prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, who have just concluded their "ad limina" visit, the rector, priests, and the students of the new college.

The Holy Father said that the entire theological and pastoral formation of the college "will be directed towards ensuring that every priest may be Christ for others, a convincing sign of His love and His salvific action. ... Foremost to their care, therefore, must be a constant familiarity with Jesus in the Eucharist, and confident recourse in prayer to His grace and the light of His Word."

John Paul II recalled that this year commemorates the "bicentenary of the great persecution of 1801, which caused the death of more than 300 Christians in your country. Thanks to the courage of those witnesses of faith and of others who followed their example, the Gospel seed, the seed of hope, did not die despite the subsequent wave of persecutions. In fact, it progressively developed, giving solidity to an astonishing growth of the Church in your country."

After remembering the figure of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, martyr and patron of Korea, the Holy Father said that he "was faithful until death. ... He exhorted the believers to draw from divine charity the strength to remain united and resist evil. As did the early community, ... so also the Korean Church had to find the secret of its cohesion and growth in adherence to the teaching of the successors of the apostles, in prayer and in the breaking of the bread. This same unity of purpose and the same spirit of charity, I am certain, will be the soul of the Pontifical Korean College."

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EVANGELIZING WITH PROGRAMS OF APPROPRIATE CHRISTIAN FORMATION

VATICAN CITY, MAR 25, 2001 (VIS) - "The Church has the mission of announcing and sharing the great treasure of the 'Gospel of mercy' with all men. Here is the source of joy which permeates this Sunday's liturgy, called precisely 'Laetare Sunday'," the Pope said this morning during the Eucharistic celebration in the Roman parish of St. Dominic.

The Holy Father recalled that in the almost 27 years since its foundation, the parish "has made noteworthy efforts to offer a proper welcome to the many families who live here. It is now necessary to achieve a determined step forward, favoring evangelization in every way, through appropriate programs of Christian formation."

"The challenge before you is demanding," the Pope went on. A program of faith formation is necessary "which involves those who approach the sacraments of Christian initiation and which continues through adolescence and youth, affecting as well their fiances and families. ... An ever more active presence of the laity in organisms of pastoral participation is also to be encouraged."

John Paul II told the parishioners that in their area it is necessary to confront "the challenge of sects. I must tell you to exert yourselves so that the Gospel may be announced to your children and all persons of good will, as the Church has been doing for two thousand years. Offer the truth of the Christian faith with clarity, accompanying it always with a language of love and fraternity, understandable to all."

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VATICAN RADIO: BILATERAL MEETING TO DISCUSS RADIATION EMISSIONS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2001 (VIS) - Following is the joint declaration, made public today, of the Italy-Holy See Bilateral Commission for the solution of problems tied to the intensity of electromagnetic fields in Santa Maria di Galeria, Vatican Radio's transmission center. The commission met yesterday evening at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The Vatican delegation was presided over by Msgr. Celestino Migliore, under-secretary for Relations with States, and the Italian delegation by Ambassador Umberto Vattani, secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Communications.

"The parties examined the technical protocol on concrete methods of measurement relative to the existing electromagnetic fields.

"The two delegations will meet again at the beginning of next week to establish working methods with the goal of coordinating the findings on the installations with the measurements on Italian territory. In any case, the two parties are also independently qualified to carry out controls and examinations which do not involve breaches of their respective sovereignties.

"All of the participants expressed the desire to immediately address the worries and health concerns of the area's population."

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CARMELITES DEDICATE 2001 TO CELEBRATION OF MARIAN YEAR

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Pope sent a Message to Fr. Joseph Chalmers, prior general of the Order of Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (O.Carm.), and to Fr. Camillo Maccise, superior general of the Order of Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (O.C.D.), on the occasion of the celebration of a Marian Year in 2001.

In the Message, dated March 25, the Holy Father expresses his joy that the Carmelite Order, in its two branches, old and reformed, has dedicated the year 2001 to the Virgin, "invoked as Flower of Carmel, Mother and Guide in the journey to sanctity." The celebration of the Marian Year coincides with the 750th anniversary of the Virgin's gift of the scapular to St. Simon Stock, prior general of the Order, on July 16, 1251.

"I hope that this Marian Year helps all Carmelite men and women religious and the pious faithful who venerate Mary filially," he concluded, "to grow in her love and radiate in the world the presence of this Lady of silence and prayer, invoked as Mother of mercy, Mother of hope and of grace."

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POLISH UNIVERSITY CONFERS HONORARY DOCTORATE ON JOHN PAUL

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul this morning welcomed members of the Academic Senate of Poland's Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, who conferred an honorary doctorate on him.

In accepting this degree, the Pope said: "I do not wish the meaning of this doctorate 'honoris causa' to be limited to my person. I accept it as a sign of a creative coexistence between science and religion and of fruitful cooperation of scientific and ecclesiastical milieux. It seems that this honor is an even more eloquent sign because all the faculties of the university proposed to confer this degree on me. I am especially happy at the fact that there is now a Faculty of Theology."

Recalling that the basic principles of the university, inaugurated in 1919, included preparing people who were good professionals and who had a sense of civic duty and concern for the spiritual good of the nation, the Holy Father added: "Today this spiritual good ... must be seen in the perspective of the unification of Europe. ... I hope that even in the future the University of Poznan continues to be a place of encounter between Polish culture, consolidated in its identity, and European culture, respectful of perennial values."

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THE ANNUNCIATION: MARY'S OPENNESS TO THE WILL OF GOD

VATICAN CITY, MAR 25, 2001 (VIS) - After returning to the Vatican from St. Dominic's Parish in Rome where he celebrated Mass, John Paul II appeared at his study window to pray the noon Angelus with the faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square.

In reflections he made before reciting the Angelus, the Holy Father reminded the faithful that today marks the feast of the Annunciation but, as it falls on a Sunday in Lent, it will be celebrated tomorrow. He said he recalled "the intense moments of the celebration that last year, in these very days, I was able to preside in Nazareth at the basilica of the Annunciation. With profound emotion I knelt in the humble grotto in which Mary heard the words of the angel, and pronounced her 'fiat', making herself totally open to God's will."

He asked the faithful to contemplate this mystery and to "faithfully serve' the 'Gospel of life' entrusted to us by Christ. In the face of the culture of death and the attacks which, unfortunately, are multiplying against the life of man, may the commitment to defend it in every stage, from the first instant of conception to the twilight of life, never be lacking. May mankind know a renewed springtime of life in respecting and welcoming every human being, in whose face shines the image of Christ! Let us pray for this together with Mary, 'the living word of comfort for the Church in her struggle against death'."

In post-Angelus reflections, the Pope turned to yesterday's celebration in Italy of the Day of Prayer and Fasting for Missionary Martyrs, saying that this initiative "invites ecclesial communities to remember the men and women who died for fidelity to Christ and the Gospel." He recalled that during the year 2000, 29 missionaries, including four Italians, died.

After greetings to the faithful in several languages, Pope John Paul concluded with words of thanks to all those who belong to groups or associations "actively committed against abortion and for life. Remembering the day in which Mary conceived the Child Jesus, I wish to send a special blessing to women awaiting a child and especially to those who are in difficult situations. To all I say: A child conceived is always an invitation to live and to hope."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop George Pell of Melbourne, Australia, as metropolitan archbishop of Sydney (area 1,264, population 1,824,810, Catholics 589,244, priests 498, permanent deacons 1, religious 1,655), Australia. He succeeds Cardinal Edward Bede Clancy, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted in conformity with Canon 401, para. 1, of the Code of Canon Law.

On Saturday, March 24, it was made public that the Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation of Bishop Joao Alves of Coimbra, Portugal, in conformity with canon 401, para. 1, of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Albino Mamede Cleto.

- Appointed Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, as special envoy to the centenary celebrations of the Catholic Church in Malawi, which will take place in Lilongwe, Malawi, on July 28, 2001.

- Appointed Cardinal Marco Ce, patriarch of Venice, Italy, as special envoy to the 16th centenary celebrations of the death of St. Vigilius, bishop, patron of the archdiocese of Trento, Italy, which will take place in Trento, next June 26th.

- Appointed Frs. Percival Joseph Fernandez, professor at St. Pius X College, Goregaon, India, and Agnelo Rufino Gracias, pastor of St. Michael's Shrine, Mahim, India, as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Bombay (area 9,713, population 14,636,931, Catholics 544,177, priests 569, religious 1,769). Bishop-elect Fernandez was born in Mangalore, India, in 1935, and ordained to the priesthood in 1960. Bishop-elect Gracias was born in Mombasa, Kenya, in 1939, and ordained to the priesthood in 1962.

- Appointed Msgr. Leo Boccardi, nunciature counsellor at the Secretariat of State, as Holy See permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Preparatory Committee of the Treaty of Global Interdiction for Nuclear Experiments (CTBTO), and as Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations Organization for Industrial Development (O.N.U.D.I.), and the Office of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria.

- Appointed Eduardo Lacetera as bureau chief in the ordinary section of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in separate audiences six prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan, on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit.
- Archbishop Francis Xavier Kaname Shimamoto of Nagasaki.
- Archbishop Peter Takeo Okada of Tokyo.
- Archbishop Leo Jun Ikenaga of Osaka, with Auxiliary Bishop Michael Goro Matsuura.
- Bishop Paul Shinichi Itonaga of Kagoshima.
- Bishop Joseph Satoshi Fukahori of Takamatsu.

On Saturday, March 24, he received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Bruno Musaro, apostolic nuncio in Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles; apostolic delegate in the Comoro Islands with functions of apostolic delegate in Reunion.
- Five prelates of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop Paul Choi Duk-ki of Suwon.
- Bishop Gabriel Chang Bong-hun of Ch'ongju.
- Bishop Peter Lee Ki-heon, military ordinary.
- Fr. Placidus Ri Dong-ho, O.S.B., abbot of Tokwon; apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Hamhung.
- Msgr. Leo Kim Ok-tai, diocesan administrator of Andong.
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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JOHN PAUL II TO TRAVEL TO GREECE, SYRIA, AND MALTA IN MAY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2001 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls declared this morning that "the Holy Father, in fitting continuity with the pilgrimages made during the Great Jubilee, will also go on pilgrimage in the footsteps of the apostle Paul to Athens, Greece; Damascus, Syria; and Malta, from May 4 to 9, 2001.

An overview of the Pope's itinerary was also published today. He is scheduled to arrive in Athens, Greece on Friday, May 4, after a 2 hour flight from Rome. He will leave Athens the following day for Damascus, Syria, remain in Damascus on May 6 and travel from Damascus to Qunietra on May 7, a one-hour trip by car. On Tuesday, May 8 the Holy Father will fly from Syria to Valletta, Malta, leaving Malta the following day for Rome.

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