CARDINAL EGAN, SYNOD GENERAL RELATOR, TO RETURN TO U.S.

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2001 (VIS) - It was announced this morning by Cardinal Jan Schotte, C.I.C.M., secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, that "the General Relator of the Tenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Edward Michael Egan, archbishop of New York, after having presided last October 11th in his cathedral at a commemoration of the victims of the September 11 terrorist massacre, finds himself in the upsetting situation of having to leave the Synodal Assembly to return to his faithful, where his presence is required by necessity."

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ARCHBISHOP MARTINO ADDRESSES U.N. ON CULTURE OF PEACE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2001 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon Archbishop Renato Martino, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations, addressed the plenary of the General Assembly on the Culture of Peace, at U.N. headquarters in New York.

He called the Culture of Peace an "appropriate" topic for the General Assembly to address, noting that "The imperfect peace in which our world has dwelt has suddenly been shattered by violent and senseless attacks against innocent human beings." However, he said, real peace is possible, through conversion of minds and hearts and, as Pope John Paul has said throughout his pontificate, through dialogue.

"Peace begins within hearts," the archbishop affirmed. "It is not simply the absence of war, nor is it sought only to avoid widespread conflict but rather it helps to direct our reasoning and thus our actions toward the good of all. It becomes a philosophy of action that makes us all responsible for the common good and obliges us to dedicate all our efforts to its cause. ... A 'culture of peace' might be seen as 'that pattern of human behavior which must be cultivated and transmitted to future generations'."

The nuncio noted that "Situations of conflict exist in today's world where a just solution may have been refused over time, by both parties involved. This has fostered feelings of frustration, hatred and temptations to vengeance to which all must remain attentive. Those who honour God must be in the first rank of those who fight against all forms of terrorism."

"Acts of revenge will not cure such hatred," emphasized Archbishop Martino. "Reprisals, which strike indiscriminately at the innocent, continue the spiral of violence and are illusionary solutions that prevent the moral isolation of the terrorists. We must rather remove the most obvious elements that spawn the conditions for hatred and violence and which are contrary to any movement toward peace. ... (Elements such as) poverty, ... situations of marginalization, ... the denial of human dignity, the lack of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, ... intolerable refugee situations, ... and physical or psychological oppression are breeding grounds only waiting to be exploited by terrorists."

He stressed that "Building a culture of peace is not preposterous, nor a utopian dream. It is, rather, an attainable reality. ... Pope John Paul has always used the idea of this search for peace as a major theme," always expressing his "conviction that dialogue - true dialogue - is an essential condition for true peace."

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TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF JOHN PAUL II FOUNDATION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received this morning in the Paul VI Hall 500 members of the John Paul II Foundation, mostly from Poland, and also other countries, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Foundation's institution.

"When I instituted the Foundation twenty years ago," the Pope recalled, "I desired that a vast cultural, scientific, social, and pastoral activity be undertaken. I wished a milieux to be formed which would support and deepen the tie between the Apostolic See and the Polish nation, and which would oversee the spreading in the world of the patrimony of the Christian culture and of the teaching of the Church."

John Paul II recalled that every year the Council of the Foundation presents to him "a detailed report of its activities. I know therefore that, thanks to the initiatives of the Foundation's thirty-six Groups of Friends of the Foundation in fourteen countries, and thanks to the generosity of thousands of people of good will throughout the world, a fund was instituted, which guarantees the functioning of four important institutions: the Polish House in Rome, the Center of Documentation of the Pontificate, the Institute of Christian Culture and the House of the John Paul II Foundation in Lublin. ... The Polish House and the Center of Documentation form the material and spiritual basis for the activity of the Institute of Christian Culture in Rome."

"The initiative, for which perhaps we must rejoice the most, is the scholarship fund for the youth of central and eastern Europe and other countries of the former Soviet Union."

The Holy Father concluded his discourse, saying, "My thanks goes to those who during these twenty years have in some way supported the activity of the Foundation and to those who guide such activity with wisdom and dedication."

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SYNOD OF BISHOPS TO CONCLUDE SATURDAY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2001 (VIS) - On Saturday, October 27, at 10:30 a.m., the Holy Father will preside in the Vatican Basilica over a Eucharistic concelebration with the synod fathers on the occasion of the conclusion of the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Jozef Tomko as president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in audience the following participants of the Synod of Bishops:

- Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, M.S.U., major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians, Ukraine.
- Archbishop Justo Mullor Garcia, apostolic nuncio and president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Vatican City State.
- Fr. Giacomo Bini, O.F.M., minister general of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, Italy.
- Fr. Merino Aquilino Bocos, C.M.F., superior general of the Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Spain.
- Fr. Virginio Domingo Bressanelli, S.C.I., superior general of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Argentina.
- Abbot Francois Eid, O.M.M., superior general of the Mariamite Maronite Order, Lebanon.
- Fr. David A. Fleming, S.M., superior general of the Society of Mary, U.S.A.
- Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus, the Netherlands.
- Fr. Camilo Maccise, O.C.D., superior general of the Discalced Carmelites, Mexico.
- Fr. Antonio Pernia, S.V.D., superior general of the Society of the Divine Word, the Philippines.
- Abbot Thierry Portevin, O.S.B.Subl., president of the Congregation of the Benedictines of Subiaco, France.
- Fr. Joseph William Tobin, C.SS.R., superior general of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, U.S.A.

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