PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION REQUIRES ETHICAL DISCERNMENT

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - This morning John Paul II received the members of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, on the occasion of their annual meeting, which was held in Rome this year.

The Pope emphasized that the process of globalization, "while opening up new possibilities for progress, poses urgent questions regarding the very nature and purpose of economic activity. It calls for ethical discernment aimed at protecting the environment and promoting the full human development of millions of men and women, in a way that respects every individual's dignity and makes room for personal creativity in the workplace.

"It is my hope and prayer that your association, by advancing these eminently human goals, will enable future generations to enjoy a prosperity which is not merely economic but spiritual as well, corresponding to the deepest aspirations of the human heart."

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JOHN PAUL II WELCOMES NINE NEW AMBASSADORS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul II this morning welcomed nine new ambassadors to the Holy See during a ceremony in which they collectively presented their Letters of Credence. He addressed the ambassadors as a group, and then met individually with them, consigning to each one a letter which accented the particular situation in their respective country.

The new ambassadors are: Balram Singh Malla of Nepal; Saida Chtioui from Tunisia; Indrek Tarand of Estonia; Silumelume Kufunduka Mubukwanu from Zambia; Abraham Doukoure of Guinea; Prasad Kariyawasam from Sri Lanka; Chuluuny Batjargal of Mongolia; Patricia Nozipho January-Bardill from South Africa and Gibril Seman Joof of Gambia.

The Holy Father began his French-language discourse to the diplomats by greeting the heads of state, political leaders and peoples of each of the nine nations represented this morning.

He went on to say that, "during my Jubilee pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul in Greece, Syria and Malta, I closely followed the dramatic events which were taking place in the Near East. I would like once again to profit from the presence of an important number of diplomats to renew with ever greater force my appeal for peace on all continents, asking the leaders of social life to make courageous decisions which will commit peoples in a resolute manner to the path of peace and reconciliation."

John Paul II continued: "Peace and security of persons and communities are an essential good. It is impossible to imagine that a country would build its future by making an abstraction of the peoples who surround it or the cultural and ethnic diversities which comprise it. It would be fitting if all powers - local, national and international - would commit themselves to resolving the conflicts which have already caused too many innocent victims.

"In this domain," the Pope concluded, "the role of diplomacy is especially important. I therefore, with all my heart, call for a commitment by all diplomatic services in favor of a negotiated resolution of the different conflicts and focal points of tension existing on the different continents. Such a commitment will contribute to restoring confidence and hope to those populations which for too long have been in situations of instability."

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POPE JOHN PAUL CELEBRATES HIS 81ST BIRTHDAY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul today is celebrating his 81st birthday with a normal work day, which includes Mass in his private chapel and receiving individuals and groups of visitors in the Vatican. He is also preparing for the start on Monday of the consistory of the entire College of Cardinals, which he called for May 21 to 24.

In the 12 months since his 80th birthday, the Holy Father presided over dozens of events of the Jubilee Year 2000, including World Youth Day which attracted over 2 million young people to Rome, and the closing of Holy Year on January 6, 2001. He has met scores of heads of State, heads of government and religious leaders, created 44 new cardinals in a consistory on February 21, 2001, called the consistory of cardinals which begins on May 21, and has canonized 150 Blesseds and beatified 214 Servants of God. He just concluded a six-day pilgrimage to Greece, Syria and Malta - his 93rd foreign apostolic - and will travel to Ukraine in June.

His pontificate, the sixth longest in history, began its 23rd year on October 22, 2000.

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CARDINAL CONNELL TO MARK 50 YEARS OF PRIESTHOOD

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of a Message from John Paul II, written in Latin and dated April 7, to Cardinal Desmond Connell, archbishop of Dublin, Ireland, on the occasion of the priestly jubilee which he celebrates tomorrow, May 19.

Cardinal Connell was born in Dublin on March 24, 1926, ordained to the priesthood on May 19, 1951, and received episcopal orders in 1988. He was made a cardinal by John Paul II in the February 21, 2001 consistory.

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HOLY FATHER'S CALENDAR FROM MAY TO JUNE, 2001

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has made public the following calendar of liturgical celebrations over which the Holy Father will preside from May to June:

MAY
- Sunday, 20: 6th Sunday of Easter. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Edith Stein. Mass at 9:30 a.m.

- Thursday, 24: Solemnity of Ascension of the Lord. Mass concelebrated by the cardinals at the conclusion of the Extraordinary Consistory, in the Vatican Basilica at 10:30 a.m.

- Sunday, 27: 7th Sunday of Easter. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Angela Merici. Mass at 9:30 a.m.

JUNE

- Sunday, 3: Pentecost. Mass in St. Peter's Square, at 10 a.m. Transfer of casket containing the body of Blessed Pope John XXIII to St. Peter's Square for the Mass and then to St. Peter's Basilica for viewing by the public.

- Sunday, 10: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Canonization of Blesseds Luigi Scrosoppi, Agostino Roscelli, Bernardo da Corleone, Teresa Eustochio Verzeri, Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayes, in St. Peter's Square, at 10 a.m.

- Thursday, 14: Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Mass in the Basilica of St. John Lateran at 7 p.m., followed by a procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for Eucharistic Benediction.

- Saturday, 23 to Wednesday 27: Apostolic Trip to Ukraine.

- Friday, 29: Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. Mass and imposition of the Pallium in the Vatican Basilica, at 9:30 a.m.

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CONSISTORY OF COLLEGE OF CARDINALS TO CONVENE MONDAY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul has called all 183 cardinals of the Church to meet in the Vatican from May 21 to 24 to reflect on the theme "Prospects of the Church for the Third Millennium, in the light of 'Novo millennio ineunte'." It is the sixth time in his pontificate that he has summoned the College of Cardinals to an extraordinary consistory.

Canon 349 of the Code of Canon Law explains that the cardinals of Holy Roman Church "assist the Roman Pontiff collegially when they are called together to deal with questions of major importance; they do so individually when they assist the Roman Pontiff in the daily care of the universal Church by means of the different offices they perform."

The cardinals will meet for three days in both morning and afternoon sessions. On Thursday, May 24, feast of the Ascension, they will concelebrate Mass with Pope John Paul in St. Peter's Basilica. Afterwards they will have lunch with him in the Vatican's Domus Sanctae Marthae residence.

Cardinals Bernardin Gantin, dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, and Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will act as moderators during the three-day consistory.

On May 21 there will be reports on the Jubilee Year and a brief introduction to the consistory's theme by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. Individual speeches are scheduled for each day of the meetings. There will also be meetings by language groups. On May 23, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez will present the Final Report.

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HOLY SEE ADDRESSES CONFERENCE ON LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, head of the Holy See Delegation at the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, taking place in Brussels, Belgium from May 14 to 20, addressed the meeting on May 16. That speech was published today.

Archbishop Martin, Holy See Permanent Observer to the Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, Switzerland, noted that the number of the least developed countries has actually increased and "we cannot remain indifferent to such a situation."

"Our era possesses the knowledge, the means and the policy orientations needed to address poverty, exclusion and crass inequalities. ... It recognizes that only a comprehensive, holistic development strategy, centered on the human person, will ensure long-term development."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in separate audiences five prelates of the Pakistan Episcopal Conference, on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Simon Anthony Pereira of Karachi, with Auxiliary Bishop Evarist Pinto.
- Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo of Islamabad-Rawalpindi.
- Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad.
- Bishop Max John Rodrigues of Hyderabad in Pakistan.

This evening he is scheduled to receive Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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ARCHBISHOP FOLEY TO GIVE A SERIES OF TALKS IN THE U.S.

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, will be in the United States for a week where he is scheduled to speak in New York, New York, Fort Wayne/South Bend, Indiana and in Dallas, Texas.

On May 20, the archbishop will give the benediction at the commencement ceremonies at St. John's University in New York. On May 22, he will give an address in Fort Wayne/South Bend on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the diocesan newspaper, Today's Catholic.

On May 24, in Dallas, Texas, Archbishop Foley will address the annual breakfast of CNS, the Catholic News Service, during the Catholic Press Association convention. On May 25 he will preach a homily at a memorial Mass during the convention and, later in the day, is scheduled to address a convention workshop on Ethics in Communications.

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THIRD MEETING OF CATHOLIC AIRPORT CHAPLAINS OF EUROPE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - According to a communique made public today, the Third Meeting of the Catholic Airport Chaplains of Europe will be held from May 28 to 31 in the Diocesan Pastoral Center of Brussels, Belgium.

Forty airport chaplains and pastoral workers from 17 international airports in 12 countries are scheduled to participate in the meeting, which is promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples in collaboration with the European Secretariat of Catholic Airport Chaplains.

The two themes chosen by the organizers are: the spirituality of the airport chaplain and the pastoral situation of those seeking asylum in airports. "One of the greatest challenges of our time, especially in Europe," the communique states, "is certainly the welcoming of migrants, refugees, and those seeking asylum. Their presence in the airports is an unceasing call to live Christian charity. We cannot ignore them."

"Currently in Europe," the communique concludes, "there are approximately 150 airport chaplains (Catholic, ecumenical, inter-confessional). Of these, 110 are Catholic chaplains, usually assisted by numerous volunteers."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Included the following cardinals among the members of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia:
- Council of Cardinals and Bishops of the Section for Relations with States of the Secretary of State: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
- Pontifical Council for the Laity: Cardinals Antonio Jose Gonzalez Zumarraga, Desmond Connell, Julio Terrazas Sandoval, Francisco Alvarez Martinez, Jose da Cruz Policarpo, and Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan.
- Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: Cardinals Ignace Moussa I Daoud, Francisco Alvarez Martinez, Lubomyr Husar, and Sergio Sebastiani.
- Presidential Committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family: Cardinals Marian Jazworski, Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, Bernard Agre, Claudio Hummes, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and Edward Michael Egan.
- Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace: Cardinals Theodore Edgar McCarrick, Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Bernard Agre, Jorge Maria Mejia.
- Pontifical Council "Cor Unum": Cardinals Ignacio Antonio Velasco Garcia and Claudio Hummes.
- Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples: Cardinals Geraldo Majella Agnelo and Pedro Rubiano Saenz.
- Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers: Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins.
- Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts: Cardinals Ignace Moussa I Daoud, Agostino Cacciavillan, Zenon Grocholewski, and Mario Francesco Pompedda.
- Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue: Cardinals Claudio Hummes, Sergio Sebastiano, Crescenzio Sepe, and Jorge Maria Mejia.
- Pontifical Council for Culture: Cardinals Ivan Dias, Louis-Marie Bille, Claudio Hummes, Jose da Cruz Policarpo, Jorge Maria Mejia, and Walter Kasper.
- Pontifical Council for Social Communications: Cardinals Audrys Juozas Backis, Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Bernard Agre, and Crescenzio Sepe.
- Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See: Cardinals Theodore Edgar McCarrick, Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, and Karl Lehmann.
- Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See: Cardinals Louis-Marie Bille and Severino Poletto.
- Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church: Cardinals Ivan Dias, Geraldo Majella Agnelo, Audrys Juozas Backis, Severino Poletto, and Jorge Maria Mejia.

- Included among the counsellors of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America Cardinals Antonio Jose Gonzalez Zumarraga, Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, Julio Terrazas Sandoval, Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, Ignacio Antonio Velasco Garcia, Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Claudio Hummes, and Agostino Cacciavillan.

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