GENERAL AUDIENCE: PSALM IN HONOR OF DIVINE LAW

VATICAN CITY, NOV 14, 2001 (VIS) - In today's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father spoke on Psalm 118, verses 145-152, "The promise to observe God's law."

John Paul II affirmed that this Psalm is a prayer composed in 22 stanzas, which correspond to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. It is a song in honor of divine law.

"Each of the 176 verses which make up this praise of the Torah, that is to say, the Law and the divine Word, contains at least one of the eight words with which the Torah itself is defined: law, word, testimony, judgement, saying, decree, precept, order. In this way divine revelation is celebrated, which is the unveiling of the mystery of God, but also a moral guide for the life of the faithful."

The Pope noted that "after a long night of waiting and of prayerful vigil in the temple, the believer is certain that the Lord will answer one who has spent the night praying, hoping, and meditating on the divine Word. Comforted by this knowledge ... he will no longer fear dangers. He knows that he will not be overcome by those who persecute him with evil purpose, because the Lord is near him."

"This stanza," the Holy Father concluded, "expresses an intense prayer: 'With my whole heart I cry; answer me O Lord! ... I rise before the dawn and cry for help; I hope in thy words'. ... At the same time, this stanza is also the exaltation of a certainty: we are not alone because God listens and intervenes."

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HOLY FATHER "SPIRITUALLY CLOSE" TO ALGERIA'S FLOOD VICTIMS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 14, 2001 (VIS) - At the end of the weekly audience catechesis in Italian, and summaries in five other languages, in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father told the pilgrims present that his "thoughts go to the very dear populations of Algeria, recently struck by a flood that caused thousands of victims and left many families homeless."

The Pope continued: "While I entrust to the merciful goodness of God all those who so tragically died, I express my spiritual closeness to their families and to all who are suffering because of this serious calamity. May there be no lack of solidarity and concrete support by the international community for these brothers and sisters of ours, who have been so sorely tested."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 14, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Luigi Conti, apostolic nuncio in Malta and Libya.
- Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome, with Bishop Enzo Dieci, auxiliary of Rome for the northern pastoral sector, and Fr. Giancarlo Casalone, pastor of the Parish of St. Alessio, with a parish vicar.

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HOLY SEE AT U.N. ON HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS, RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 14, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy See Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Archbishop Renato Martino, yesterday afternoon addressed the Third Committee of the 56th session of the U.N. General Assembly on Item 119c "Human Rights Questions - Religious Tolerance."

Speaking of the Report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on freedom of religion or belief, he said: "Of serious concern to my delegation is the information contained in the Report which reveals the maintenance, in many parts of the world, of discriminatory or intolerant policies with regards to minorities in States having an official religion: the increase in extremism affecting all religions; and the gradual shift towards non-belief within society, characterized by a growing militancy that enters into competition or conflict with religions."

Archbishop Martino added that "Religion expresses the deepest aspirations of the human person. It shapes people's vision of the world and affects their relationships with others. Religious freedom, constitutes the very heart of human rights, and the right to religious freedom is based upon the dignity of the human person, who experiences the inner and indestructible exigency of acting freely according to the imperatives of his or her conscience."

He stated that "The right to life and the right to freedom of religion or belief are the basic premises for human existence. The fact that there are still many places today where the right to gather for worship is either not recognized or is limited to the members of one religion alone, is a sad commentary. ... It is a direct and serious contradiction to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states clearly that 'everyone has the right to freedom of religion, including the freedom to change his or her religion or belief.'

"On the other hand," Archbishop Martino said, "my Delegation renews its conviction that recourse to violence in the name of religious belief is a perversion of the very teachings of the major religions. The Holy See reaffirms here today what many religious leaders have repeated so often: 'The use of violence can never claim a religious justification, nor can it foster the growth of true religious feeling'."

He concluded: "While no one can ever deny that there are important differences between religious traditions, these differences should be accepted with humility and respect, in mutual tolerance. ... When such respect and understanding is not realized, and when the divisions become manifest in civil strife and war, there is a need for mutual forgiveness."

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INTEGRATING POOR COUNTRIES IN TRADE SYSTEM BENEFITS EVERYONE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 14, 2001 (VIS) - Published yesterday was the speech given on November 12 in Doha, Qatar, by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Holy See permanent observer to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and head of the Holy See delegation to the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Doha. The conference ran from November 9 to 13.

"The Holy See's hope," he stated, "is that this Fourth Ministerial Conference will be - and will be remembered as - the 'development Conference' of the WTO. The integration of the poorer economies into an equitable world trade system is in the interest of all. The enhanced development of the poorer countries is a contribution to global progress, international security and peace."

"Trade liberalization," observed Archbishop Martin, "can bring great benefit to poorer countries. Too often, however, this has remained just a theoretical, indeed even an ideological affirmation. For the future, the World Trade Organization must take greater stock of exactly how trade liberalization affects the poorer countries in concrete, verifiable terms, on a country by country basis."

He highlighted "two specific trade-related questions that are of special interest to fostering human development for the poorest countries today. The first is the relationship between trade rules, and especially intellectual property rules, and health. ... The second area is that of market access for products in which the poorest countries have advantage. ... Prolonged protectionism and other trade practices which bring disproportionate benefit to wealthier sectors of the world's economies cannot be the basis for an equitable rules-based system."

The head of delegation concluded: "'The economy', Pope John Paul II reminds us, 'is only one aspect, one dimension of the whole of human activity' and 'economic liberty is only one element of human freedom'. May this Ministerial Conference be the moment in which we shape trade policies that really become a driving force for the integral development of the entire human family."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 14, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Romeu Brigenti from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in accordance with the age limit.
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