PROMOTING A CHRISTIAN CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2001 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Synod Hall, John Paul II received the participants of the General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference, whose central theme was pastoral directives for the next decade.

After thanking the bishops for "the spiritual and pastoral dynamism which characterizes the Church in Italy," the Pope made reference to "the widespread tendencies to live 'as if God did not exist', and these tendencies often are emphasized and echoed by the media, with serious risks for the moral formation of individuals and the community. It is a part of the pastor's mission both to teach with clarity the correct doctrine in matters of faith and morals, and to support and encourage all those initiatives which can offer a valid alternative to similar tendencies. ... The Pope ... is at your side in the commitment to promote and spread, also through the instruments of communications, a culture and lifestyle inspired by Christianity."

The Holy Father emphasized that "a decisive factor for the present and future fortunes of Italy is without doubt the family." He reaffirmed that "it is indispensable that the families themselves become more fully protagonists in evangelization and the social life, in order that their authentic identity is defended and their role adequately recognized. I renew, therefore, the request that the rights of the family founded on marriage be safeguarded, without confusing this with other forms of cohabitation. ... Commitment to the family is inseparable from support of human life."

"The education of new generations," the Pope said, "represents in turn one of our fundamental pastoral concerns." In this sense, he added, "the task of the school is enormously significant. ... (The Church) renews the strong call to finally realize an effective scholastic equality, overcoming old statal conceptions."

AC;ITALIAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE;...;...;VIS;20010517;Word: 310;

PURSUE A GLOBALIZATION BASED ON SOUND ETHICAL VALUES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning addressed 300 participants in a meeting promoted by the Ethics and Economy Foundation of Bassano del Grappa, Italy. He focussed his talk on the phenomenon of globalization, underlining that "the word 'global', if understood coherently, must include everyone."

The Pope encouraged the members of this new foundation as they strive towards a "well-articulated reflection on globalization, solidarity and free economic initiatives based on solid ethical and spiritual values." He animated them "to pursue this work to insert into the economic field the expectations and indications of the Magisterium and Social Doctrine of the Church."

He said that globalization is "no doubt a phenomenon which allows for great possibilities for growth and producing riches" but "many also admit that per se it does not assure fair distribution of goods among the citizens of various countries. In reality, the wealth produced often remains in the hands of only a few, with a consequent further loss of sovereignty of national States, already rather weak in the area of development."

"The Church's doctrine," John Paul II affirmed, "teaches that economic growth must be integrated with high values, so as to become qualitative growth; therefore, fair, stable, respectful of cultural and social individuality, as well as ecologically sustainable."

He contended that "man must be the protagonist, not the slave, of the means of production. ... Globalization is ... a phenomenon which is intrinsically ambivalent, half way between a potential good for mankind and social damage with serious consequences."

"There must be," the Pope concluded, "intensified collaboration between politics and economy," especially to care for "those who could be victims of globalization on a worldwide scale. I am thinking, for example, of instruments which could alleviate the heavy burden of foreign debt of developing countries, or legislation which protects infancy from exploitation which occurs when children are sent to work."

AC;GLOBALIZATION; ETHICS;...;...;VIS;20010517;Word: 310;

ARCHBISHOP TAURAN, ENVOY TO CHURCH CELEBRATIONS IN RUSSIA

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2001 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from the Holy Father to Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for Relations with States, whom the Pope had named on April 21, 2001, as his special envoy for the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the reorganization of the Catholic Church of Latin rite in the Russian Federation. The Letter is dated April 25 and is written in Latin.

The other members of the Pontifical Mission, who will accompany Archbishop Tauran to the May 25-27 ceremonies in Moscow, are: Archbishop Giorgio Zur, Holy See representative to the Russian Federation; Msgr. Ivan Jurkovic, nunciature counsellor in the Secretariat of State, and Msgr. Marek Solczynski, secretary in the Holy See's representation to the Russian Federation.

DELSS;ANNIVERSARY CHURCH;...;RUSSIA; TAURAN;VIS;20010517;Word: 130;

TELEGRAM FOR ASSASSINATION OF THREE SALESIANS IN INDIA

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2001 (VIS) - Following is the text of the telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, in the name of Pope John Paul, to Fr. Juan Edmundo Vecchi, major rector of the Salesians, upon hearing of the assassination on May 15 of two Salesian priests and one seminarian:

"Having learned of the tragic deaths of Fr. Rafael Paliakara, Fr. Andreas Kindo, and seminarian Shinu of this Institute, barbarously assassinated in the novitiate of Imphal, in the State of Manipur, India, the Supreme Pontiff desires in this painful moment to express to you, your confreres, and the relatives and friends of the victims, his particular closeness and heartfelt sorrow for the grievous loss of these generous servants of the Gospel, reaffirming his strong censure of every form of violence. In the hope that the blood shed will become a seed of hope in building an authentic fraternity between peoples, His Holiness assures his fervent prayers of suffrage for the eternal repose of these elect souls, and sincerely imparts a comforting apostolic blessing."

TGR;ASSASSINATION SALESIANS;...;SODANO; VECCHI;VIS;20010517;Word: 190;

ITINERARY PUBLISHED FOR POPE'S JUNE TRIP TO UKRAINE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2001 (VIS) - Made public this morning was the itinerary for the Holy Father's June 23-27 trip to Ukraine during which he is scheduled to visit Kiev (Kyiv) and Lviv.

Saturday, June 23, following his arrival in Kiev, the Pope will pay a courtesy visit to the president of Ukraine at the presidential palace and will meet with representatives of the world of politics, culture, science and business.

On Sunday, June 24, John Paul II will celebrate Mass at the Kiev airport and have separate meetings with the members of the Ukrainian Catholic episcopate and with representatives of the Pan-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations in the palace of the National Philarmonic of Kiev.

The following day, Monday, June 25, the Pope will celebrate a divine liturgy in the Byzantine rite at the Kiev Airport prior to his departure for Lviv, where he is expected in the early evening.

The Pope will preside at a Mass with beatifications on Tuesday, June 26 at the hippodrome in Lviv, following which he will go to St. Joseph's Latin rite major seminary in Bryukhovychi and have lunch with the Catholic bishops of Ukraine. Later that day in Sykhiv there will be an encounter with youth.

On the final day of his trip, Wednesday, June 27, there will be a divine liturgy in the Byzantine rite with beatifications at Lviv's hippodrome, followed by lunch with the bishops of Ukraine at St. George's Archdiocesan Palace.

JPII-TRIP;ITINERARY; UKRAINE;...;...;VIS;20010517;Word: 250;