POPE CELEBRATES ANNUAL MASS FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 12, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul presided at a Eucharistic celebration last evening in St. Peter's Basilica for the rectors, teachers and students of various Roman, Italian and European universities. Choirs from 16 nations, including one from the United States, sang at the papal Mass, which is an annual event.

The Pope urged the young people "to go forth, filled with trust, and meet Jesus, because in Him you will be free and safe, even when the paths of life become threatening and insidious. Have trust in Him. ... Shout out, young university students, with the witness of your faith! Do not be content with a mediocre life, without an ideal impetus, aiming only at pursuing immediate personal advantage."

"Europe needs a new intellectual vitality," noted the Holy Father, "a vitality that proposes projects of austere life, capable of commitment and sacrifice, simple in their legitimate aspirations. straightforward in their realization, transparent in their behavior. We need a new boldness of thought, free and creative, ready to accept, in the perspective of faith, the questions and challenges that arise from life, to make the final truths about man emerge with clarity."

The Pope then quoted Isaiah: "'All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flowers of the field'. The liturgy of Advent aims our glance towards the eternal truths that illuminate with wise realism the events of daily life. In this light, the words of the prophet ring out as an invitation not to give in to the illusions of a progress that is not in conformity with the divine plan. In fact, no matter how amazing is modern scientific and technological development, and no matter how promising the future of mankind appears, it brings with it, however, terrifying shadows of destruction and death. It is necessary to respect the impassable limits that moral references pose. When man loses the sense of limits and raises himself up as legislator of the universe, he forgets that he is like grass and the flowers of the field, whose life is brief."

"May scholars and scientists," the Pope concluded, "always be aware of the high mission that Providence has entrusted to them. You too, brothers and sisters, must cooperate in this exalted mission."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 12, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received in separate audiences today:

- Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar for the diocese of Rome and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia, vice-gerent of Rome, and Fr. Angelo De Caro, S.M.M., pastor of Santa Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus parish, and a parish assistant.
- Archbishop Peter Paul Prabhu, apostolic nuncio in Zimbabwe.

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GENERAL AUDIENCE: GOD IS NEAR TO HIS PEOPLE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 12, 2001 (VIS) - The theme of John Paul II's catechesis at this morning's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall, was the Canticle of the Prophet Daniel: "Every creature praise the Lord."

The Pope explained that the canticle is sung by the three young Hebrews thrown into the fiery furnace for refusal to worship a statue of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. "From the furnace the three young men, miraculously preserved from the flames, sing a hymn of blessing to the Lord."

"The object of praise, of our Psalm, is above all the 'glorious and holy' name of God, the proclamation of which resounds in the temple, which is also 'gloriously holy'. The priests and the people, while contemplating God in faith ... notice the glance upon them which 'penetrates the depths' and this knowledge brings forth praise from their hearts: 'Blessed ... blessed'. God, who 'sittest upon cherubim' and has as His habitation the 'firmament of heaven', is nevertheless near to His people, who thus feel protected and safe."

John Paul II affirmed that "In singing this canticle the believing Christian is invited therefore to contemplate the world of the first creation, perceiving there the outline of the second, inaugurated with the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus."

Greeting the pilgrims present, the Pope welcomed the participants of the Conference on International Bilateral Legal Relations between the Holy See and the States, promoted by the Slovak Foreign Ministry, the Slovak Embassy, and the Pontifical Oriental Institute.

After recalling that today is the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of Mexico and Queen of America, the Holy Father personally inaugurated the official website of the Basilica dedicated to her (www.virgenguadalupe.org.mx), saying, "this new form of communication makes visible on a greater scale her consoling protection, especially for the poorest and most marginalized. May the spreading of the Guadalupan Indian image stimulate fraternity among races, increase dialogue between cultures, and be the promoter of peace."

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