TWENTY-SECOND GENERAL CONGREGATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 22, 2001 (VIS) - This morning, at the start of the 22nd General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops, the president delegate on duty, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, in the name of the 229 synod fathers present, congratulated the Pope on the 23rd anniversary today of the solemn inauguration of his Petrine ministry. Following this, in the first half of the morning session, the unified list of propositions was read.

At 11 a.m. the synod fathers met in language groups to prepare the collective amendments to the propositions.

This afternoon, tomorrow and Wednesday morning, the language groups will continue to work and discuss the individual amendments. Each group will give its approval for the collective amendments, voted by absolute majority, which will then be brought by the moderators to the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops on Wednesday, October 24.

The collective amendments will be studied by the moderators of the language groups under the guidance of the relator general and the adjunct relator general, assisted by the special secretary and experts. The results will be presented in the form of a final list of propositions in the 24th General Congregation, to take place Friday morning, October 26.

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FIRST BEATIFICATION IN HISTORY OF A MARRIED COUPLE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 21, 2001 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope beatified the first married couple in the history of the Church, Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi (1880-1951) and Maria Corsini (1884-1065), Italians. Present at the ceremony were three of the beatified couple's four children: two sons, Msgr. Tarcisio and Fr. Paolino, who concelebrated with the Pope, and a daughter Enrichetta. Their second daughter, who became a nun, has passed away.

Due to the rain, the Mass was moved from St. Peter's Square to inside the basilica, and half of the 40,000 pilgrims seated in the square were invited to take their chairs and to enter the basilica. The remaining pilgrims followed the Mass by means of large screens in the square.

In his homily, John Paul II noted that the new Blesseds "assumed with full responsibility the duty of collaborating with God in procreation, dedicating themselves generously to their children in educating, guiding, and directing them to the discovery of His design of love."

Luigi and Maria, he continued, "lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way. Among the joys and worries of a normal family, they lived an existence extraordinarily rich in spirituality. At the center, the daily Eucharist, to which was added filial devotion to the Virgin Mary, invoked with the recitation of the Rosary every evening, and reference to wise spiritual advisers. In this way they knew how to accompany their children in vocational discernment."

Addressing the married couples present, many with their children, who took part in the previous day's National Encounter of the Family with the Pope, promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference, the Holy Father said: "As with every journey towards sanctification, yours as well, dear married people, is not easy. Every day you face difficulties and trials in being faithful to your vocation, in cultivating conjugal and family harmony, in accomplishing the mission of parents and participating in the social life. May you know how to seek in the word of God the answer to the many questions which daily life puts to you."

John Paul II particularly recalled those who live "the drama of separation," those who are sick and those who suffer the premature death of a spouse or child, and affirmed that "even in these situations a great testimony of faithfulness in love can be given."

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THE FAMILY: PRINCIPAL SOURCE OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 20, 2001 (VIS) - This evening in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II participated in the National Encounter of the Family, organized by the Italian Episcopal Conference on the theme, "To believe in the family is to build the future." The Pope's arrival was preceded by songs and the testimonies of several families.

The encounter, celebrated a year after the Jubilee of Families, took place in the presence of the statue of Our Lady of Loreto, proclaimed Queen of the Family by the Pope, and brought to the Vatican for the occasion.

The Holy Father emphasized before the 50,000 faithful present that the family "is the principle source of hope for the future of humanity. ... If we lose the conviction that the family founded upon marriage cannot be equated with other forms of affective union, then the very social structure and its juridical foundation is threatened. The harmonious development and progress of a people depend in large part on their ability to invest in the family, ensuring at the legislative, social, and cultural levels the full and effective realization of its functions and duties."

"A particular responsibility lies on the shoulders of politicians and those in government whose duty it is to apply the constitution and welcome the most authentic requests of the population composed in large part of families who have based their union on the bond of matrimony. Rightly, therefore, legislative interventions are awaited, centered upon the dignity of the human person and the correct application of the principle of subsidiarity between the State and the family."

The Pope underlined that "it is important and urgent, in particular, to fully bring about a scholastic and educational system which is centered in the family and in its freedom of choice. This is not a matter, as some erroneously affirm, of taking from the public school to give to the private school, but rather of overcoming a substantial injustice which penalizes all families, hindering an effective freedom of initiative and choice."

"Particular attention," he concluded, "must then be reserved for the legitimate concerns of the many families who report a growing degradation in the means of communication, which, transmitting violence, banality, and pornography, are ever less attentive to the presence of minors and their rights. Families cannot be abandoned by institutions and social forces in the effort to ensure for their children milieux which are healthy, positive, and rich in human and religious values."

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EVANGELIZE WITH STUDY AND RESEARCH

VATICAN CITY, OCT 20, 2001 (VIS) - Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, presided yesterday evening in St. Peter's Basilica over the Eucharistic concelebration for the inauguration of the academic year of the ecclesiastical universities. The Pope gave the homily and imparted the final blessing.

In his homily, the Holy Father affirmed that theological knowledge must be "fully inserted in the vital context of ecclesial communion. ... Theology is called," he said, "to offer the contribution of research and in-depth examination of revealed truth, in order that the Gospel of salvation become more rightly understood and more easily communicated to all men."

"Analogously," he continued, "teachers of the other ecclesiastical disciplines will be supported by a strong passion for the truth and by a coherent desire of service to the evangelizing mission of the Church."

John Paul II invited the professors and students to be conscious "of carrying out your work with the Church, in the Church and for the Church. This requires a continual engagement with the 'sensus fidei' of the People of God and a profound harmony with the Magisterium of the Church."
"It is my heartfelt hope that the experience of studying in Rome helps everyone to deepen the sense of belonging to the Church and the experience of her 'Catholicity'."

The Pope concluded emphasizing that "the study of theology and the ecclesiastical disciplines is directed towards evangelization. May you know how, therefore, to follow a rigorous method, facing the fatigue of research with courage and generosity, to then experience in first person the fruitful meeting between faith and reason."

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HOLY SEE ADDRESSES UNESCO CONFERENCE IN PARIS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 21, 2001 (VIS) - Made public today was a speech given on October 19 by Msgr. Lorenzo Frana, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, during the 31st session of UNESCO's General Conference in Paris. The conference began October 15 and ends November 3.

Msgr. Frana recalled that he has been the Holy See permanent observer to UNESCO for 26 years during which time, he said, he has met many people "who have shown me the richness of the human soul when it spends itself in the service of others. He said he also has "observed and followed the continuity and evolution" of UNESCO.

He stated that "UNESCO offers itself as the 'conscience of the world', 'the crossroads of ideas', the 'meeting of cultures', a high place for dialogue'. It has been called 'the areopagus of the world' by Pope John Paul II." The head of the Holy See delegation added that UNESCO can also have a role as a "catalyst, through a deeper study of the ethical reflection on precise subjects: life, education for all, poverty and the humanization of cities, the economy, new technologies and, above all, of globalization."

He noted that "ethics occupy a large part of the preparatory documents of this General Conference. We know that ethics is in essence a question: 'What must one do to do good?', keeping one's view fixed on man, the dignity of every human being and the relation between truth and freedom, so as to give a convincing response to the basic questions of 'What is the meaning of human freedom?' and 'What are its creating power and its breadth?'"

In closing, Msgr. Frana spoke of the fight against terrorism, urging civil society, and UNESCO, "to do everything so that the future will be one of a dialogue of cultures" and above all "to build peace on earth."

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HOLY FATHER DECRIES VIOLENCE IN MIDDLE EAST

VATICAN CITY, OCT 21, 2001 (VIS) - In reflections made before praying the Angelus with the faithful who came for the beatification this morning of a married couple from Rome, Luigi and Maria Quattrocchi, Pope John Paul decried the violence in the Holy Land and expressed his closeness to the victims.

He first recalled that "today we celebrate World Mission Day, instituted 75 years ago by Pope Pius XI" to remind us that the "mission entrusted by Christ to His Church (is) to announce the Gospel to all nations. This mandate has a special urgency today, at the start of the third millennium, if we look at that immense part of mankind that does not yet know or recognize Christ. Thus, the mission 'ad gentes', to all peoples, is more valid than ever."

Turning to the situation in the Middle East, John Paul II said: "At the present time there is no lack of threatening situations which fill all of mankind with anxiety. It is with deep sadness that I receive painful and worrisome news from Bethlehem, as well as from the cities of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour. War and death have even arrived at the square of the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lord. In the name of God I repeat once again: violence is for everyone a path of death and destruction which dishonors the holiness of God and the dignity of man.

"I express to the families who are victims of violence my closeness in their pain, in prayer and in hope. They have the gift of living in the Holy Land, land which is holy for Jews, Christians and Muslims. It must be everyone's commitment to make this finally a land of peace and fraternity."

Last evening's meeting with families, and today's Mass and Angelus took place in the presence of the statue of Our Lady of Loreto. This is the first time since 1922 that the statue has left the shrine in Loreto, Italy.

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JOHN PAUL II WELCOMES GREEK-ORTHODOX PATRIARCH OF ANTIOCH

VATICAN CITY, OCT 22, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul II this morning welcomed His Beatitude Ignace IV Hazim, Greek-Orthodox patriarch of Antioch and, in his talk to the patriarch, called him one of the "avant garde artisans in the efforts at rapprochement between the East and West."

The Pope spoke of his trip to Syria in May of this year, recalling the ecumenical celebration of the Word at Our Lady of the Dormition Cathedral in Damascus. He also recalled Patriarch Hazim's visit to Rome in May of 1983 "so that we could advance resolutely together on the path of unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God."

"We suffer," said the Holy Father, "for our pace is sometimes slowed down. It happens that the love, sweet and peaceful, compassionate and merciful, which animates us is tarnished en route by the habit of confrontation, by the powerlessness to find a common expression, by forgetting Christ's prayer: 'I ... pray also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one'."

The Pope told patriarch Hazim, "From the start you have supported the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches in their ensemble. Today we implore the Lord to give us the grace and strength to go beyond the marking of time of dialogue, due to fruitless hesitating, for the Lord has already shown us the way, ... for He has vanquished the world!"

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 22, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Luis Antonio G. Tagle, of the clergy of the diocese of Imus, the Philippines, rector and professor of theology in the diocesan seminary, pastor of the cathedral, and member of the International Theological Commission, as bishop of Imus (area 1,287, population 2,104,501, Catholics 1,851,960, priests 191, religious 623). The bishop-elect was born in Manila in 1957, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1982. He succeeds Bishop Manuel C. Sobrevinas, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with the age limit.

- Conferred episcopal dignity to Fr. Edwin Angot de la Pena, prelate of the territorial prelature of Marawi, the Philippines. The bishop-elect was born in San Juan in 1954, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1981.

- Appointed Fr. Juan Florindo Agurto Munoz, O.S.M., pro-vicar general of the apostolic vicariate of Aysen, Chile, as coadjutor of San Carlos de Ancud (area 24,483, population 151,520, Catholics 118,100, priests 22, permanent deacons 5, religious 45), Chile. The bishop-elect was born in Santiago de Chile in 1959, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1986.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 22, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in audience Archbishop Pierre Mouallem of Akka of the Greek-Melkites, Israel.
He also received the following participants of the Synod of Bishops:

- Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico.
- Cardinal Pedro Rubiano Saenz, archbishop of Bogota, Colombia.
- Archbishop Elias Yanes Alvarez of Zaragoza, Spain.
- Archbishop Eduardo Vicente Miras of Rosario, Argentina.
- Archbishop Jose Mario Ruiz Navas of Portoviejo, Ecuador.
- Archbishop Roberto Octavio Gonzalez Nieves, O.F.M., of San Juan de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico.
- Bishop Jeronimo Tomas Abreu Herrera of Mao-Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic.
- Bishop Mario de Gasperin Gasperin of Queretaro, Mexico.
- Bishop Fabio Suescun Mutis, military ordinary, Colombia.
- Bishop Juan Matogo Oyana, C.M.F., of Ebebiyin, Equatorial Guinea.
- Bishop Horacio del Carmen Valenzuela Abarca of Talca, Chile.
- Bishop Ignacio Gogorza Izaguirre, S.C.I., of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay.

On Saturday, October 19, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- His Royal Highness El Hassan bin Talal, prince of Jordan, accompanied by his entourage.
- Archbishop Antonio Franco, apostolic nuncio in the Philippines.
- Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu, Uganda.

He also received the following participants of the Synod of Bishops:

- Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinsangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Archbishop Georges Edmond Robert Gilson of Sens, France.
- Archbishop Vital Komenan Yao of Bouake, Ivory Coast.
- Bishop Paulin Pomodimo of Bossangoa, Central African Republic.
- Bishop Timothee Modibo-Nzockena of Franceville, Gabon.
- Bishop Alphonse Georger of Oran, Algeria.
- Bishop Norbert Brunner of Sion, Switzerland.
- Bishop Jean Ntagwarara of Bubanza, Burundi.
- Bishop Louis Pelatre, A.A., apostolic vicar of Istanbul, Turkey.
- Bishop Jacques Sarr of Thies, Senegal.
- Bishop Olivier de Berranger of Saint-Denis, France.
- Bishop Vincent Mensah, emeritus of Porto Novo, Benin.

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