BE PRIESTS AFTER THE HEART OF JESUS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 2, 2001 (VIS) - The Pope this morning welcomed 60 cardinals, bishops, priests and friends of the Pontifical Filipino College as they celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the college by Blessed John XXIII on October 7, 1961.

"My visits to your country," he told them, "have enabled me to experience at first hand the warm hospitality and lively faith of your people. These are the people that you, the young priests of the College, are preparing to serve. ... They expect much of you (and) they expect you to be priests after the heart of Jesus."

He invited them "to develop a deep and authentic Eucharistic spirituality" and "to learn to love the Sacrament of Penance, so that as confessors you may make known to the faithful the compassionate heart of God Who reconciles us to Himself. Be men of prayer, charity and zeal."

Saying that "study is also an essential dimension of the priest's entire life," the Holy Father added: "Through your commitment to study you will be prepared to carry out the ministry of the word, proclaiming the mystery of salvation clearly and without ambiguity, distinguishing it from mere human opinion."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 2, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Jean-Pierre Kutwa, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, pastor of Notre Dame of Treichville, as metropolitan archbishop of Gagnoa (area 21,951, population 1,124,703, Catholics 124,470, priests 107, women religious 50), Ivory Coast. He succeeds Archbishop Noel Kokora-Tekry, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with the age limit. The archbishop-elect was born in Blockhauss, Ivory Coast, in 1945, and ordained to the priesthood in 1971.

- Appointed Fr. Vincent Rakotozafy, of the clergy of Fianarantsoa, Madagascar, vicar general of the same archidiocese, as bishop of Tolagnaro (area 45,000, population 1,000,000, Catholics 75,000, priests 39, religious 145), Madagascar. He succeeds Bishop Pierre Zevaco, C.M., whose resignation from the pastoral care of Tolagnaro the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with the age limit. The bishop-elect was born in Mahasoabe, Madagascar, in 1944, and ordained to the priesthood in 1975.

- Appointed Fr. Zygmunt Robaszkiewicz, M.S.F., of the Polish Province of the Missionaries of the Holy Family, missionary in Madagascar, currently vicar general and pastor of the Morombe Cathedral, as bishop of Morombe (area 31,917, population 302,000, Catholics 26,000, priests 14, religious 33.), Madagascar. The bishop-elect was born in Nietuszkowo, Poland, in 1958, and ordained to the priesthood in 1986.

- Appointed Fr. Joseph Ake, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Abidjan (area 3,810, population 2,500,000, Catholics 750,000, priests 184, religious 571), Ivory Coast, professor of Sacred Scripture at the "Institut Catholique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest" (ICAO), as auxiliary of Abidjan. The bishop-elect was born in Memni, Ivory Coast, in 1951, and ordained to the priesthood in 1978.

- Appointed Fr. Gaetano Di Pierro. S.C.I., of the Italian Province of the Dehonian Fathers, missionary in Madagascar, currently vicar general of Ambatondrazaka (area 33,500, population 1,167,940, Catholics 242,940, priests 29, religious 140), Madagascar, as auxiliary of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Orta Nova, Italy, in 1948, and ordained to the priesthood in 1975.

- Appointed Archbishop Angelo Acerbi, apostolic nuncio, as member of the Council of Cardinals and Bishops of the Section for Relations with States of the Secretary of State, and of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

- Appointed Msgr. Renato Dardozzi, honorary academic of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, as consultor of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry.
- Appointed Fr. Pascual Piles Ferrando, prior general of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God (Fatebenefratelli), as member of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum."

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HOLY SEE U.N. OBSERVER: SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT

VATICAN CITY, JUN 2, 2001 (VIS) - According to a communique from the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, the Mission, together with the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, will co-sponsor a Symposium at United Nations Headquarters, entitled "Children in Armed Conflict: Everyone's Responsibility," on Tuesday, 5 June 2001.

The communique continues: "Today in more than 50 countries, children are the innocent victims of armed conflict. Their suffering has many faces: children are killed and maimed; they are sexually abused; they are uprooted from their homes and families; they are recruited and used as child soldiers, and forced to give expression to the hatred of adults; they lose out on their childhood, their education and their health; and they inherit the deep psychological trauma of war. During the 1990's more than twenty million children were killed, injured or displaced as a result of war. Their suffering creates the conditions for continuing cycles of violence. Only a broad-based coalition of governments, religious and civil society organizations can create the critical mass needed to end the victimization of children in times of war.

"The symposium will feature the testimony of several former child soldiers and other war-affected children."

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ONE CAN ACCOMPLISH GREAT GOOD EVEN IN ILLNESS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 4, 2001 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall, John Paul II received 180 child cancer patients of the "Intesa senza barriere" Foundation of Poland.

"I know how difficult the experience of illness is, especially for a child," the Pope said. "Therefore, together with you, I pray with all my heart to the Lord Jesus for the gift of health for you and for all of your peers tried by infirmity and suffering." He also prayed that they "be strong in spirit, especially when the body is subjected to weakness. Thinking of the difficult situation of health care service in Poland today, I also ask God to instil in all of those in charge the spirit of love and wisdom, which prompts them to do what is possible to effectively change this reality, for the good of all the Polish."

The Holy Father assured the children that "even in illness a great good is accomplished both in the sick person and in the hearts of those who are near him." He then thanked Jesus for the love of the parents and relatives, the doctors and nurses, and for "the generosity of people, often unknown, who support you materially and spiritually. May this love and this goodness never be lacking!"

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POPE PLEADS FOR CHILDREN INVOLVED IN ARMED CONFLICTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 3, 2001 (VIS) - At the end of today's Pentecost Mass in St. Peter's Square, and before reciting the Regina Coeli with the tens of thousands of pilgrims present for the Mass, Pope John Paul reflected on children involved in armed conflicts, and urged the international community to protect them.

"We place in Mary's hands," he said, "the world's aspirations for peace and justice. In particular we wish to recommend to Our Lady's intercession the lives of so many young people who are victims of the absurd violence underway, unfortunately, in different countries as witnessed by the news coming in recent days from the Holy Land. A special thought goes to the children involved in armed conflicts. In about 50 countries, so many minors live in the midst of conflicts or post-conflict situations. They are victims of forced recruiting and abuses of every type; they can't go to school, they are separated from their parents and they are submitted to physical and psychological violence.

"I invite the international community to increase its efforts to protect and rehabilitate all who live in such dramatic circumstances. May children, who are the future and hope of mankind, finally grow up far from the scourge of war and every form of violence."

The Holy Father then turned to his predecessor, Pope John XXIII, whose body lay in a new crystal and bronze casket in front of the papal altar in the square. Reminding the faithful that soon Blessed John would have his final resting place in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope said: "I return with admiration to the brief but intense pontificate of my well-remembered predecessor. I would like to recall above all his fervent devotion to Our Lady. He often recalled the good tradition of his childhood when the oldest members of the family led the rosary in their home. From that time on - he loved to say - Mary Most Holy took him by the hand and led him on the path of the priesthood, and (she) was the ideal for his entire life."

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JOHN XXIII'S MOST PRECIOUS GIFT: HIS WITNESS OF HOLINESS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 3, 2001 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. today, Solemnity of Pentecost, John Paul II celebrated Mass with the cardinals in St. Peter's Square, in the presence of 30,000 faithful.

Before the Eucharistic Celebration, Cardinal Virgilio Noe, archpriest of the Vatican Basilica, accompanied the casket of Blessed John XXIII from the basilica to the square. Joined by other priests, he led the procession from the basilica through the Arch of the Bells to a central aisle in the square, in the midst of the faithful, and finally to the altar where the Mass was celebrated in the piazza.

In his homily, John Paul II observed: "By a happy coincidence, in today's solemnity we have the joy to have with us, next to the altar, the venerated remains of Blessed John XXIII," who died June 3, 1963.

After recalling that Vatican Council II was "announced, called, and opened by Pope John XXIII," John Paul II said that "we can indeed say that the Holy Spirit was the protagonist of the Council, from the very moment the Pope convoked it."

"If today we recall that singular ecclesial season," he continued, "it is because the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 was placed in continuity with Vatican Council II, taking from it numerous aspects both of doctrine and method. And the recent extraordinary consistory has re-proposed its contemporariness and richness for the new Christian generations. All this is for us a further motive of gratitude with regard to Blessed Pope John XXIII."

The Holy Father underscored that "the most precious gift left by Pope John to the People of God was himself, that is to say, his witness of holiness. ... If evangelization requires holiness, this in turn needs the lifeblood of the spiritual life; of prayer and of intimate union with God through the Word and the Sacraments. It needs, in a word, the personal and profound life in the Spirit."

Blessed John XXIII "was molded by the Spirit day by day, seeking with persevering patience to conform himself ever more to His will. Here is the secret of the goodness with which he won over the People of God and many men of good will."

"Entrusting ourselves to his intercession, we wish today to ask the Lord that the grace of the Great Jubilee shine upon the new millennium, through the witness of holiness of Christians. We profess with trust that this is possible. It is possible through the action of the Paraclete Spirit Who, according to Christ's promise, remains ever with us."
At the end of the Mass, Blessed John XXIII's casket was transferred to the Altar of the Confession for the veneration of the faithful, before being permanently placed under the Altar of St. Jerome.

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ARCHBISHOP PAUL CORDES OF "COR UNUM" VISITS BELGRADE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 4, 2001 (VIS) - Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes leaves today for Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, where he will meet the Catholic bishops and aid organizations and "help lay the bases for a new thrust for the work of the Catholic Church in the fields of assistance, education, health and social development." He will also meet Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic before his June 5 departure.

The president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," states a council communique, "had already been sent twice in 1999 by Pope John Paul II to Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo with the scope of contributing to the creation of a 'humanitarian corridor' to meet the primary emergencies caused by the war. The Holy See, together with the entire Church, has never ceased taking care of the needs of the inhabitants of Serbia and Montenegro by sending aid materials and especially persons who, collaborating with the local populations, have begun reconstruction. Among the most committed Catholic organizations we must mention Italian Caritas."

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TELEGRAM FOR ATTACK ON CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BANGLADESH

VATICAN CITY, JUN 4, 2001 (VIS) - The following telegram was sent in the Holy Father's name by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, to Bishop Michael Atul D'Rozario, C.S.C. of Khulna, Bangladesh, following the victims caused by the bomb blast on Sunday at the Catholic Church of Baniarchar, Bangladesh:

"Deeply saddened by news of the explosion at Baniarchar Church, the Holy Father asks you to convey to the parishioners the assurance of his closeness in prayer at this time of tragedy and loss. His Holiness commends those who have died to our heavenly Father's mercy, and upon their grieving families and the injured he invokes the powerful intercession of Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted. Condemning acts of violence and destruction, he appeals to all to cooperate in ensuring a climate of peace and mutual respect. As a pledge of comfort and strength in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Father cordially imparts his apostolic blessing."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 4, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in separate audiences:

- His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins.
- Five prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Gabon, on the occasion of their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Basile Mve Engone of Libreville, with Auxiliary Bishop Mathieu Madega.
- Bishop Timothee Mobido-Nzockena of Franceville.
- Bishop Dominique Bonnet of Mouila.
- Bishop Jean-Vincent Ondo of Oyem.

On Saturday, June 2, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Francesco Monterisi, secretary of the Congregation for Bishops.
- Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, with Bishop Marc Ouellet, secretary, and Msgr. Francesco Eleuterio Fortino, under-secretary of the same Pontifical Council.

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SIXTH REUNION OF POST-SYNODAL COUNCIL FOR LEBANON

VATICAN CITY, JUN 4, 2001 (VIS) - The Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops for the Special Assembly for Lebanon held its sixth reunion in Rome from May 17 to 18, and was presided over by Cardinal Jan P. Schotte, C.I.C.M., secretary general of the Synod.

According to a communique made public today, during the meeting there was an exchange of information on the economic, social, and political situation in Lebanon, and two reports were presented on the application of the Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation "A New Hope for Lebanon," of May 1997.

The council, says the communique, "considered it opportune to send a letter to all the leaders of religious orders and of various ecclesial and academic organisms in order that they communicate the results of the work done in applying the above-mentioned post-synodal document."

The next council meeting is planned for May 23 and 24, 2002.

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