DAY OF ASSISI: SINCERE RESOLVE FOR JUSTICE AND FORGIVENESS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 23, 2002 (VIS) - In today's general audience which was held in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father spoke on chapter 36 of the Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) which contains a prayer for the holy people of God.

"There," said the Pope, "the first thing we find is an imploration to God to intervene in support of Israel and against the foreign nations that oppress her. ... The God of the Bible is not indifferent in the face of evil. ... He is on the side of the victims and appears as the stern judge of the violent, the oppressors and the victors who know no pity. However, His intervention is not aimed at destruction."

John Paul II affirmed that the second part of the hymn "makes no more reference to the enemy, but asks God's favor for Israel, it implores His mercy for the chosen people and for the holy city, Jerusalem."

"In the Bible, the lamentations of the suffering are never expended in desperation, but are always open to hope. At the basis lies the certainty that the Lord does not abandon His children, He does not let those He has made fall from His hands."

After extending greetings in various languages to the pilgrims who attended the audience, the Pope recalled that tomorrow he will travel to Assisi, together with representatives from other religions, for "a day dedicated to prayer for peace in the world. ... I trust that this initiative - apart from its spiritual effects which lie beyond human control - may contribute to orienting souls and decisions towards sincere and courageous resolutions of justice and forgiveness. If this comes about, we will have contributed to consolidating the foundations of authentic and lasting peace.

"Consequently, I invite the Catholic faithful to unite their prayers to those that tomorrow, at Assisi, we will raise together as Christians; at the same time cultivating feelings of warmth in their hearts for the followers of other religions who have come to Assisi to pray for peace."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 23, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

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ARCHBISHOP FOLEY: CREDIBILITY, CORNERSTONE OF JOURNALISM

VATICAN CITY, JAN 23, 2002 (VIS) - On Tuesday, January 22, Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, gave an address at the Forum of the Association of Taiwan Journalists. The event took place in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.

In his speech, the archbishop recalled the document that his dicastery published for World Communications Day 2000. He concentrated especially on the "credibility" of information, which he defined as "the most precious characteristic of a journalist," and on the need to "promote human development" by means of the communications media.

"Faced with grave injustices, it is not enough for communicators simply to say that their job is to report things as they are. Even more fundamentally, communication structures and policies and the allocation of technology are factors helping to make some people 'information rich' and others 'information poor' at a time when prosperity, and even survival, depend upon information."

"The most important thing for each of us is to maintain our integrity and our credibility in a world filled with the temptation at least to compromise, if not surrender. The public will never forgive us if we betray them; perhaps even more telling, we will never forgive ourselves if we betray our trust to be servants of the truth and of a moral and just society."

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HOLY SEE ACCEDES TO CONVENTION AGAINST BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 23, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy See has acceded to the "Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction," which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United nations on December 16, 1971, and entered into force on March 26, 1975.

On January 4, 2002, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, apostolic nuncio in the United States, deposited the instruments of accession with the competent authorities of the United States government.
"The Holy See ... wishes to encourage the whole international community resolutely to pursue the paths leading to a system of disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, as part of the process of global and complete disarmament.

"The tragic events of September 11, 2001, have led to a clearer and more widespread awareness of the need to build a culture of multilateral dialogue and a climate of trust between all the members of the human family. At this particular point in history, instruments of cooperation and prevention constitute one of the most effective safeguards in the face of heinous acts such as the use of biological weapons capable of indiscriminately striking at innocent civilian populations."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 23, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Jose Song Sui-Wan S.D.B., director of the "Sao Luiz" Salesian Oratory in the diocese of Limeira, Brazil, as bishop of Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira (area 286,866, population 55,000, Catholics 45,000, priests 20, religious 64), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Shangay, China, in 1941 and ordained a priest in 1971. He succeeds Bishop Walter Ivan de Azevedo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

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