MEETING OF GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF SYNOD OF BISHOPS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2002 (VIS) - The ordinary council of the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops held its second meeting in the Vatican from February 6 to 8. The meeting, according to a communique made public today, was presided by Cardinal Jan P. Schotte C.I.C.M., secretary general of the Synod of Bishops.

Seven cardinals, six archbishops and four members of the general secretariat of the synod took part in the work. They studied the "Propositiones" of the Tenth Ordinary General Assembly, which was held last month in the Vatican, with the aim of offering suggestions to the Holy Father for the Post-synodal Exhortation on "the Bishop: Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World," which was the theme of the assembly.

Dates were also fixed for the next two council meetings. The first will be held on June 13 and 14, 2002, and the second from November 5 to 7, 2002.

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EVERYONE'S DUTY IS TO PRAY FOR PRIESTLY VOCATIONS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2002 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican's Clementine Hall, in a meeting traditionally held at the beginning of Lent, John Paul II received the clergy of the diocese of Rome. After listening to the testimonies of various priests, the Pope offered some reflections on the need "for vocations in the life, testimony and pastoral activities of our ecclesial communities."

The Pope stated that vocations decline when "the intensity of faith and spiritual fervor diminishes. We must not, then, let ourselves be easily satisfied by the explanation that would have the scarcity of priestly vocations compensated by a growth in the apostolic commitment of the laity, or even that it is a design of Providence to favor the development of the laity. Quite the contrary, the greater the number of laity who seek to live their baptismal commitment with generosity, the more necessary the presence and activity of ordained ministers."

Going on to refer to obstacles that hinder a positive response to the call of the Lord, he said: "The Church's commitment to vocations must have at its roots a great common commitment; one that calls upon lay people, priests and religious, and that consists in rediscovering that fundamental aspect of our faith by which life itself - each human life - is the fruit of God's call, and can be positively fulfilled only as a response to that call."

John Paul II stressed that the priestly vocation "is a mystery" in which man gives himself to Christ that "He may use him as an instrument of salvation. ... If the mystery of this 'exchange' is not perceived, it is not possible to understand how it can be that a young man, hearing the words 'follow me!', may come to renounce everything for Christ in the certainty that, along this path, his human personality will be fully realized."

"Thus it becomes clear," he continued, "why the first and principal commitment for vocations can be none other than prayer. ... Prayer for vocations is not and cannot be the fruit of resignation," as if it were the only possible response after having "already done everything possible with meager results."

The Holy Father indicated that prayer for vocations is a task "for the entire Christian community" and must form a part of pastoral care. Consequently, "Christian families have a great and irreplaceable mission and responsibility. ... In the same way, catechesis and all the pastoral care of Christian initiation must comprehend a first vocational element. ... Finally, each parish and Christian community ... must feel a shared responsibility in proposing and accompanying vocations."

He added that vocational pastoral care "is entrusted in the first place to our prayer, our ministry and our personal testimony." For this reason, he explained, for a vocation to be born there must be the personal contact, friendship and spiritual guidance of a priest.

"If boys and young men see priests busy with too many cares, open to discouragement, ready to complain and careless in prayer and the tasks of their ministry, how can they be fascinated by the path of the priestly life? Yet, if they see in us joy at being ministers of Christ, generosity in the service of the Church, and readiness to assume the burden of the human and spiritual growth of the people entrusted to our care, they will be inspired to ask themselves if this is not, for them too, 'the better portion'."

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CONVERSION OF HEART, THE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECT OF LENT

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2002 (VIS) - In the evening of yesterday, Ash Wednesday, in the Basilica of St. Sabina, the Pope presided at the Liturgy of the Word and, following his homily, blessed and imposed the ashes on a number of faithful. The Eucharistic liturgy was presided by Cardinal Jozef Tomko, who holds the title of St. Sabina.

In the homily, the Pope commented on the words of the prophet Joel, taken from today's liturgy. They, he said, indicate that "conversion of heart" is "the fundamental aspect of this special time of grace which we are now preparing to experience" and prompt an awareness that "the Lord is merciful and each individual is a child of His, loved and called to conversion."

John Paul II affirmed that the passage from Joel reminds us "that spiritual commitment must be translated into solid choices and actions, that authentic conversion must not be reduced to exterior forms or vague intentions, but calls for involvement and the transformation of all existence."

"We must all ask forgiveness of the Lord. ... We too, like the contemporaries of the prophet, have images of suffering and enormous tragedies - often the result of irresponsible egoism - before our eyes and impressed upon our souls. We too feel the weight of the confusion of so many men and women who are faced by the pain of innocent people and by the contradictions of modern humanity. We need the Lord's help in order to recover faith and the joy of life. We must return to Him, who today opens for us the door of His heart, so full of goodness and mercy."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, FEB 14, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Camillo Ruini, his vicar general for the diocese of Rome, accompanied by Bishop Enzo Dieci, auxiliary of Rome for the northern pastoral sector; Fr. Romano Esposito, pastor of the parish of St. Henry, and two parish assistants.

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