APPEAL FOR PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND

VATICAN CITY, DEC 5, 2001 (VIS) - At the close of today's general audience held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope made a call for peace in the Holy Land:

"I feel the need to express my profound condolence for the new victims of the senseless violence that continues to stain the Middle East with blood. Once again I repeat, with sorrowful heart, that violence never resolves conflicts, it only exacerbates their dramatic consequences.

"I launch a new and pressing appeal to the international community that it may, with ever greater determination and courage, help Israelis and Palestinians to break this useless cycle of death. May negotiations be resumed as soon as possible in order that the longed-for peace may finally be attained."

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AUDIENCE: THE HAND OF THE LORD LEADS TO VICTORY OVER EVIL

VATICAN CITY, DEC 5, 2001 (VIS) - In the general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father spoke on Psalm 117, "Song of joy and victory."

The Pope recalled that the Psalm contains "two phrases that will come to echo in the New Testament: ... 'the stone which the builders rejected has become the corner-stone,' (and) ... 'blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'." The Psalm is part of what is known as "the Easter 'Hallel', in other words the psalmic praise used by Jews for the Passover as well as for other principal solemnities of the liturgical year.

"The unifying theme of Psalm 117 may be considered to be the processional rite ... with the backdrop of the Holy City and its temple. ... A hymn of praise is sung in which there is an essential message: that even in times of anguish, the torch of faith must be held high, because the mighty hand of the Lord leads His faithful to victory over evil and to salvation."

John Paul II indicated that when the procession reaches the temple, a second thanksgiving hymn is sung. "The final scene that opens before us is a joyous rite of sacred dances, accompanied by a festive waving of branches. ... This rite, evoked by the Psalm, is presented to Christians again in Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, celebrated by the liturgy of Palm Sunday."

"Psalm 117," he concluded, "encourages Christians to recognize in the events of Easter, 'the day which the Lord has made', when 'the stone which the builders rejected has become the corner-stone'."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 5, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Dourados, Brazil, presented by Bishop Alberto Johannes Forst, O. Carm., upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Redovino Rizzardo, C.S.

- Appointed Bishop Julio Edgar Cabrera Ovalle of Quiche, Guatemala, as bishop of Jalapa (area 7,204, population 733,360, Catholics 623,356, priests 33, religious 67), Guatemala. He succeeds Bishop Jorge Mario Avila del Aguila, C.M., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

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AFRICA HAS URGENT NEED FOR PEACE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 5, 2001 (VIS) - Archbishop Renato Martino, Holy See Permanent Observer to the United Nations, spoke yesterday at the plenary assembly on article 48, "Causes of conflict and the promotion of peace and lasting development in Africa."

"Today's Africa," said the archbishop speaking in French, "has an urgent need for peace, for the resolute support of the international community not only to stop the current wars, but also to combat the profound causes of conflicts in order to establish a lasting peace on the continent."

Archbishop Martino affirmed that "the conditions necessary for the promotion of lasting development and peace certainly cannot be reached without the establishment of a participatory democracy which permits the African peoples to be the architects of their own future."

"The world," he continued, "has witnessed too many situations of violence and conflict which have their origin in economic inequality and desperation. ... Another crucial problem that continues to weigh upon the future of the African peoples is, without a doubt, the international debt of the continent's countries." In this regard, he recalled the Pope's invitation to consider a significant reduction if not a total cancellation of the debt.

The permanent observer said that "while recognizing the new initiative of international financial institutions - which consists in creating strategies for combatting poverty, with the particular participation of the governments and civil societies in the countries concerned - it remains urgent that appropriate measures be taken to ensure sincere collaboration between those governments and civil societies, indeed their ample participation, so as not to stifle the voice of the millions of poor and marginalized whom the U.N. initiative seeks to help."

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