JOHN PAUL II'S SCHEDULE FOR HOLY WEEK

VATICAN CITY, APR 3, 2001 (VIS) - Following is the schedule of Holy Week activities presided by John Paul II which was released today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff:

SUNDAY, April 8: Palm Sunday and Our Lord's Passion. 16th World Youth Day on the theme: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." At 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father will bless palms and olive branches and, at the end of the procession, will celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Passion.

THURSDAY, April 12: Holy Thursday. Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at 9:30 a.m. presided by John Paul II. The Easter Triduum of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection begins with the Mass of Our Lord's Last Supper in St. John Lateran Basilica at 5:30 p.m. The Holy Father will preside at the concelebration of the Mass and will wash the feet of twelve priests. During the rite, those present will be invited to contribute to a collection for the victims of the earthquake in El Salvador. The sum collected will be given to the Holy Father at the presentation of the gifts. At the end of the celebration the Blessed Eucharist will be transferred to the chapel of reposition.
FRIDAY, April 13: Good Friday. The Holy Father will preside at the Liturgy of the Word, the Adoration of the Cross and the Communion Rite for the celebration of Our Lord's Passion in St. Peter's Basilica at 5:00 p.m. He will lead the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum at 9:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, April 14: The Easter Vigil will begin at 8:00 p.m. in St. Peter's Basilica, when the Pope will bless the new fire in the atrium of the church. After the entrance procession with the Easter candle and the singing of the Exsultet, he will preside at the Liturgy of the Word and the baptismal and eucharistic liturgies, which he will concelebrate with the cardinals.

SUNDAY, April 15: Easter Sunday. At 10:30 a.m., John Paul II will preside at Mass in St. Peter's Square, after which he will impart the "Urbi et Orbi" ("to the city and the world") blessing from the basilica's central loggia.

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POPE RECEIVES ECUMENICAL GROUP FROM GERMANY

VATICAN CITY, APR 3, 2001 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall the Holy Father received an ecumenical group of 40 Protestant and Catholic theologians from Germany, accompanied by Cardinal Karl Lehmann and by the co-president of the Evangelical Church, Bishop Hartmut Lowe.

Addressing them in their native language, the Pope said "the growing awareness of community in the Triune God has made it possible for various Christian denominations to no longer see each other as hostile or unfamiliar, but rather as brothers and sisters." He added that "the desire for unity accompanies us beyond the threshold of the Third Millennium." He also recalled the ecumenical celebrations during the Holy Year 2000, saying "we were able to see once again the incisive prophetic sign of ecumenism."

"It seems clear," added John Paul II, "that the love of truth must be the deepest dimension of a credible search for full communion of Christians. Without the love of truth it is impossible to overcome the theological and psychological difficulties."

"I see," he said in conclusion, "a sign of hope that you have chosen Rome as the place for your encounter: perhaps one day we will succeed in finding, through reciprocal and patient dialogue, a form in which the Petrine ministry can be realized by everyone as a service to truth and love."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 3, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Edward Pevec from the pastoral care of the diocese of Cleveland, U.S.A., in conformity with canons 411 and 401, para. 1, of the Code of Canon Law.

- Appointed Fr. Roger W. Gries, O.S.B., abbot of Saint Andrew's Abbey in Cleveland, U.S.A., and Fr. Martin John Amos, of the clergy of Cleveland, pastor of Saint Dominic Parish in Shaker Heights, U.S.A., as auxiliaries of Cleveland (area 8,842, population 2,822,180, Catholics 827,971, priests 639, permanent deacons 168, religious 1,819), U.S.A. Bishop-elect Gries was born in Cleveland, in 1937, and ordained to the priesthood in 1963. Bishop-elect Amos was born in Cleveland in 1941, and ordained to the priesthood in 1968.

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POPE HOPES TO VISIT CYPRUS AT A FUTURE DATE

VATICAN CITY, APR 3, 2001 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement released today that "the Holy Father received an invitation from the Cypriot authorities to go to Cyprus within the milieu of his Jubilee pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul the Apostle.

"John Paul II, with gratitude for the invitation, hopes to be able to realize this visit one day.

"The current state of preparations for the Holy Father's upcoming visit to Greece, Syria, and Malta is such that it is technically impossible to also include a stop in Cyprus."

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