CARDINALS CALL FOR PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2001 (VIS) - The College of Cardinals today made public a Message for the closing of the sixth extraordinary consistory, held in the Vatican from May 21 to 23. The cardinals called for peace in the Holy Land and for an end to the wars and tensions in Africa.

The 155 cardinals who gathered in the consistory thanked the Lord, with the entire Church, for the fruits of the Holy Year of 2000. "We are convinced," they write, "that the great legacy which the Jubilee offers us ... is the renewing ... of our confession of faith in Jesus Christ."

Excerpts from the Message follow:

"The prayerful contemplation of Christ, while it leads to the communion of love with Him, nourishes the evangelizing mission of the Church."

"The condition, strength, and fruit of the evangelizing mission is communion, the unity of the disciples, for which Christ prayed.

"In a world heavily marked by injuries and conflicts and in a Church which bears the wounds of divisions, we more strongly feel the duty of cultivating the spirituality of communion: both within the Christian community and in continuing, with charity, truth, and faith, the ecumenical journey and interreligious dialogue, following the exemplary impetus which comes to us from the Holy Father.

"Communion urges the Church to act in solidarity with humanity, particularly in the present context of globalization with the growing numbers of poor, suffering, and those whose sacrosanct rights to life, health, culture, social participation, and religious freedom are violated.

"Towards the peoples who suffer from tensions and wars we renew our commitment to work for justice, solidarity, and peace. Our thoughts particularly go out to Africa, where many peoples are tried by ethnic conflicts, by continual poverty, and by serious illnesses. The solidarity of the entire Church goes out to Africa.

"Together with the Holy Father, we address a heartfelt call to all Christians that they may intensify their prayer for peace in the Holy Land, and we ask the leaders of nations to help the Israelis and Palestinians to live together peacefully. In the Land of Jesus the situation lately has been aggravated and too much blood has been shed. In union with the Holy Father, we entreat the parties involved to immediately reach a cease-fire and to resume dialogue on a level of equality and mutual respect."

"While we accompany the Holy Father with prayer in his upcoming pilgrimage to Ukraine, we desire to confirm our fraternal communion with all of the Eastern Churches."

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POPE MAPS OUT MISSIONARY CHALLENGES FOR CHURCH IN NEW MILLENNIUM

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul and the 155 cardinals who came to Rome to participate in the three-day extraordinary consistory concelebrated Mass today, solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord, in St. Peter's Basilica. The Pope's homily centered on the Church's evangelizing mission in the new millennium and the challenges she faces including secularism, relativism, globalization, bioethical and related moral problems, social justice, the family and married life.

Recalling that the Church's nature has been missionary ever since Jesus told Peter 2,000 years ago "'duc in altum', put out into the deep," the Pope said that the "'altum' towards which the Church today must aim is not only a stronger missionary commitment but an even greater contemplative commitment."

John Paul II affirmed that he had called the extraordinary consistory so that he and the world's cardinals could meet "to face several of the more relevant themes of evangelization and the Christian witness in the world today."

The Holy Father underscored a number of times the missionary nature of the Church, saying that "it finds support in episcopal collegiality and is encouraged by the Successor of Peter, whose ministry aims at promoting communion in the Church, guaranteeing unity in Christ of all the faithful."

The Pope spoke of his recently-concluded pilgrimage to Greece, Syria and Malta and said: "I experienced the joy of sharing with affectionate admiration some aspects of the life of our beloved Oriental Catholic brothers and to see new ecumenical perspectives open with our equally loved Orthodox brothers. With God's help some significant steps have been taken towards the hoped-for goal of full communion." He added that "the encounters with Muslims were also beautiful" and "the moment of dialogue very intense."

Affirming that we live in an age "of an over-abundance of words," the Pope said that "the words we really need today are those rich in wisdom and holiness."

He then turned to some of the "enormous challenges" faced by the Church today. "It's not just a 'quantitative' problem," he said, "due to the fact that Christians are a minority, although secularization continues to erode the Christian tradition even of Christians which were evangelized in ancient times." He pointed out that the problems collateral to secularization are "a general change in cultural horizons, dominated by the primacy of experimental sciences inspired by criteria of scientific epistemology." Modern man, he said, can accept the idea of God, but cannot accept the idea of God Who became man, died, rose and ascended into heaven.

Other challenges, said the Holy Father, "derive from the phenomenon of globalization" and "in the sphere of moral questions. Never, as today, especially on the level of the great bioethical themes as well as those of social justice, the institution of the family and married life, has mankind been called to face such formidable problems, which place into question his very destiny."

He said that the extraordinary consistory faced these and other issues, "developing deeply-studied analyses and proposing deeply meditated solutions." Pope John Paul also said, as he concluded his homily, that he intends to draw upon the work of the consistory for "opportune operative indications."

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POPE GREETS DELEGATION FROM EX-YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed a delegation from the ex-Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in Rome for their traditional visit on the occasion of the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, "the Apostles of the Slavs."

"By the power of God," John Paul II observed, "the two brothers of Salonika made a decisive and enduringly valid contribution to the building of Europe. Not only did they bring different peoples together in the bond of Christian communion, but they also brought cultural and civic unity to the lands where they worked. In recent times the peoples of the Balkans have known much suffering and fear, and I therefore feel obliged to recall the immediate and practical relevance of the teaching that Saints Cyril and Methodius have left behind."

"Given the tensions and conflicts in your region," the Pope concluded, and the threat which they represent to individuals and to society, the path traced by Saints Cyril and Methodius remains as valid as ever."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Vicente M. Navarra of Kabankalan, Philippines, apostolic administrator of the diocese of Bacolod (area 2,019, population 1,254,481, Catholics 1,034,336, priests 150, religious 358), Philippines, as bishop of the same diocese.

- Fr. Sofronio A. Bancud, of the Congregation of the Most Holy Sacrament, superior of the community of Santa Cruz in Manila, as auxiliary to the bishop of Cabanatuan (area 2,743, population 1,026,235, Catholics 820,277, priests 40, religious 42), Philippines. The bishop-elect was born in Atulayan, Philippines, in 1948, and ordained to the priesthood in 1977.

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CARDINAL DAOUD TO PRESENT BIBLE OF "BAJ" AT MAY 29 CONFERENCE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2001 (VIS) - On Tuesday, May 29, at 11:30 a.m. in the Holy See Press Office, His Beatitude Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, will present the anastatic reprint of the Bible of "Baj" (1975), "monument of the Romanian language," which was edited by the Vatican Printing Office.
Scheduled to join the cardinal are: Archbishop Metropolitan Lucian Muresan of Alba Julia and Fagaras of the Church United with Rome; Eugen Simion, president of the Romanian Academy; Camil Murasanu of the Romanian Academy and Cesare Alzati of the University of Pisa.

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PRESS CONFERENCE ON POPE'S PASTORAL VISIT TO UKRAINE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2001 (VIS) - Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians, and Cardinal Marian Jaworski, archbishop of Lviv of the Latins, participated this morning in a press conference at the Holy See Press Office on John Paul II's upcoming apostolic trip to Ukraine (June 23-27).

Cardinal Husar recalled that the birth of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, a "sui iuris" Church, dates back to 988 A.D. He said that this Church "lived in the catacombs for practically 43 years, that is from 1946 to 1989. ... In September 1989, ... approximately 250,000 people participated in a public manifestation and requested full legalization and rehabilitation of the Church."

"On November 20, 1989 the decree was signed allowing the registration of the Greek-Catholic communities" and Cardinal Lubachivsky, head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, returned to his see "after 46 years of forced absence."

"Today," the major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians continued, "ten years after the official legalization of the Greek-Catholic Church in Ukraine, we have 9 eparchies (dioceses), and an exarchate, a major archbishop and 14 bishops, 2,278 priests, including 701 religious priests, 933 nuns, 3,467 communities, 5 seminaries, one theological academy, and between 5 and 5.5 million faithful. The Greek-Catholic Church is the second largest confession in Ukraine, after the Orthodox."

Cardinal Jaworski, archbishop of Lviv (Leopoli) of the Latins, recalled that "the archdiocese of Leopoli was created in 1375 on land of the so-called Red Russia, with the see in Halicz. Pope Leo XI, with a bull in 1412, ... decided to move the ecclesial structures to Leopoli. ... This city was the see of three metropolitans: of Latin, Greek-Catholic, and Armenian rite."
The archbishop of Lviv of the Latins recalled that "in 1945 the archdiocese had 1,079,108 faithful. After the Second World War ... and again in 1956, the faithful of the archdiocese of Lviv emigrated, primarily ... to the western part of Poland."

"The Soviet authorities," Cardinal Jaworski continued, "impeded the archbishop of Lviv from carrying out his pastoral ministry and the archdiocese lost all of its ecclesial structures."

Cardinal Jaworski emphasized that in 1991 "the Holy Father was able to reestablish the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Latin dioceses in Ukraine." Cardinal Jaworski, who was at that time apostolic administrator of Lubaczow, was named by the Pope as archbishop of Lviv. He added that "currently the archdiocese has approximately 260 churches, 60 native priests and 75 from Poland, serving approximately 300,000 believers."

Cardinal Husar was asked if there had been developments in relations with the Orthodox in Ukraine, such as there were in Greece. He responded that "the situation in Ukraine is quite complicated. In Greece there is one Orthodox Church but in Ukraine there are three or four Orthodox jurisdictions. The Holy Father will meet them all as they are all members of the Council of Churches and the encounter will take place in a neutral milieu."

"We have great hope," Cardinal Husar added, "that the presence of the Holy Father in Ukraine will help us in some way to 'sistemare,' to 'define' our relations with the Orthodox. These relations up to now have been correct but not warm."

The cardinal said that "a clear distinction must be made between the people and the hierarchy. The people are very desirous of meeting the Holy Father, whereas the hierarchy is more divided: some are favorable but others, those more closely linked to Russia, are contrary. There are some elements who have been trying to postpone, if not outright annul, the Pope's trip."

A journalist asked how Ukrainians are being informed about the Pope and his June trip, given that a recent survey indicated that 30 percent of the people were unaware that the Pope was about to visit. Cardinal Husar said they are using the radio and newspapers to inform the people. "The press has kept its promise to give news about the Pope and his trip, and the government has said it will be covered on television. This is the country's first encounter with this Catholic reality. We are hopeful this could be the start of the conversion of many people."

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BULGARIAN DELEGATION RECEIVED BY POPE JOHN PAUL

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2001 (VIS) - As is traditional each year on the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Pope welcomed to the Vatican a delegation from Bulgaria. In his talk to them in French he recalled that they come to Rome "as pilgrims to the tomb of St. Cyril in the ancient basilica of St. Clement."

Speaking of the "Apostles to the Slavs," the Pope said that "the two brothers from Salonika first dedicated themselves to translating the Bible, learning the language, but also the customs and usages of the peoples who welcomed them. In creating a new alphabet, adapted to the Slav language, they made an essential contribution to the culture and literature of the ensemble of Slav nations."

John Paul II observed that, "in a Europe which seeks its identity and unity, they present an exemplary and stimulating path so that the Gospel, rooted in the culture of the peoples, thrives in and nourishes it."

"May the Bulgarian people," he concluded, "continue their path towards developing their legitimate aspirations for peace and harmony!"

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in separate audiences:

- Two prelates of the Guatemalan Episcopal Conference, on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Prospero Penados del Barrio of Guatemala.
- Archbishop Victor Hugo Martinez Contreras of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango-Totonicapan.
- Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, with Bishop Enzo Dieci, auxiliary of Rome for the northern pastoral sector, and Fr. Guido Peressini, pastor of the parish of St. Angela Merici.

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