THANKS TO PREACHER OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

VATICAN CITY, FEB 23, 2002 (VIS) - This morning, at the close of the spiritual exercises of the Pope and the Roman Curia in the Vatican's "Redemptoris Mater" chapel, John Paul II thanked, in the name of all the participants, the preacher, Cardinal Claudio Hummes O.F.M., archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The Pope said: "These days of thoughtful contemplation have helped us to rediscover with joy the inexhaustible grace of the Christian and apostolic vocation. The Spirit has once again helped us understand that our entire life is centered on Christ, Who reveals the Father."

"Our profound awareness of being disciples - which, together with you dear Cardinal Hummes, we have revived - spurs us on to courageous dedication in our ministry at the service of the people of God. Each now returns to their own task. You too will return to your diocese. When you are once more among your own people, take to the faithful, especially children and those who suffer, the expression of my affection and the assurance of my prayers."

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JOHN PAUL II: EUROPE MUST CONSERVE ITS CHRISTIAN HERITAGE

VATICAN CITY, FEB 23, 2002 (VIS) - This morning, John Paul II received participants in the third international forum promoted by the Alcide De Gasperi Foundation for democracy, peace and international cooperation, who are presently reflecting on the subject of Europe.

The Pope recalled that "the painful religious schism between the largely-Catholic West and the largely-Orthodox East, was one of the factors that prevented the full integration into Europe of certain Slavic peoples, with negative effects above all for the Church which needs to breath 'with two lungs,' the western and the eastern. Thus, I have strived for dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, with a view to full unity."

"My greatest concern for Europe is that the continent conserve and develop its Christian heritage. Indeed, it cannot be denied that Europe's roots lie - apart from in the Greco-Roman patrimony - also in the Jewish-Christian heritage which has, for centuries, constituted the most profound essence of its soul. ... The very modes of thought, feeling, expression and behavior among European peoples have undergone profound Christian influence."

The Holy Father noted that since the 18th century "a process of secularization has taken place, aimed at excluding God and Christianity from all expressions of human life." The Christian religion has come to be relegated to the sphere of private life. "In this perspective, is it not significant that all explicit reference to religion, and hence also to Christianity, has been removed from the map of Europe? I have expressed my sadness at this fact, which I feel to be anti-historical and offensive to the Fathers of the new Europe, among whom a pre-eminent place is due to Alcide De Gasperi."

"Indeed, it is by virtue of the Christian message that great human values have become affirmed in people's consciences. Values such as the dignity and inviolability of the individual; freedom of conscience; the dignity of work and of workers; the right of each to a secure and dignified life and, consequently, to share in the goods of the earth, destined by God to the enjoyment of all mankind."

The Pope emphasized that "the Church today, with renewed vigor, again proposes these values to a Europe which risks falling into ideological relativism and surrendering to moral nihilism, at times declaring as good that which is evil, and as evil that which is good. It is my hope that the European Union may know how to draw new lifeblood from the Christian heritage that is its own, proposing adequate responses to the new questions that arise, especially in the field of ethics."

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DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO UNREGULATED SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 25, 2002 (VIS) - At midday today, John Paul II received representatives of the Italian League for the Fight against Tumors, for the occasion of the 80th anniversary of its foundation.

The Pope affirmed that the concern of this association is that the disease "be accepted without drama and faced with realism, relying with faith on the resources of the human organism and on medical research."

After highlighting the need for experiments that concern the person to be "carried out in full respect of human dignity," he said: "Scientific research will thus become a priceless gift for so many families and for all humanity."

The Holy Father added that suffering and pain can be "an occasion for spiritual growth, opening broader horizons than those to which the limitations and precariousness of our physical being confine us."

Medical professionals "must always bear in mind the centrality of the human being, regardless of race or religion. ... Never must we lose from sight the final aim of the true good of man; never must we surrender to the temptation to unregulated medical and scientific progress, that could become a dangerous form of 'technological control' of life."

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ANGELUS: FOLLOW CHRIST ON THE PATH OF SILENCE

VATICAN CITY, FEB 24, 2002 (VIS) - At midday today, John Paul II appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square in order to pray the angelus with pilgrims and faithful gathered below.

Prior to the Marian prayer, the Holy Father recalled that this Sunday's liturgy with its Gospel account of the Transfiguration invites us to follow Christ to Mount Tabor, "the mountain of silence and contemplation. ... This, together with my collaborators in the Roman Curia, is what I have had the grace to do during this week of spiritual exercises; an experience I recommend to all, in ways adapted to differing vocations and life conditions."

Following the angelus, the Pope greeted, "with particular affection," young people from neocatechumenal communities in parishes and dioceses throughout Italy. "You," he said, "are on the road to World Youth Day, which will take place in Toronto, Canada, this July. You are young people marching with Christ. I thank you because, by your presence, you give me the opportunity to renew the invitation to your peers to prepare carefully for this important date. In all circumstances, know how to present with humility and respect the hope that is within you."

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POPE ADDRESSES ROME'S FILIPINO COMMUNITY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 24, 2002 (VIS) - Today, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's vicar general for the diocese of Rome, presided at Mass for Rome's Filipino community in the Basilica of "S. Pudenziana al Viminale."

As Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls announced yesterday, John Paul II's pastoral visit to this basilica has been postponed, due to arthritic pain in his right knee.

The homily, which the Holy Father had prepared, was read by Cardinal Ruini. "With great joy," he began, "I greet those who work in Rome's Philippine Catholic chaplaincy, better known as 'Sentro Pilipino.' It coordinates the 38 pastoral centers spread around the city, meeting the spiritual, moral and social needs of tens of thousands of Filipino immigrants."

Commenting on the first reading of today's Mass which was taken from the Book of Genesis in which "God promised Abraham two things which seemed impossible: a son and a land," the Pope affirms that, in blessing the patriarch with these two things, "God offers him a life that is bigger than death. ... The promise to Abraham is fulfilled only when death itself is destroyed; and death is destroyed when Christ is raised to new life."

"'Leave your country, your family and your father's house!' God says to Abraham. Many of you have done just that: you have left home and family, so that in your own way you may become a blessing for those you love back in the Philippines, contributing to their economic support, providing greater opportunities culturally and socially for your children and families. The separation is difficult and the cost is high, but it is a price you are willing to pay in a difficult and often unjust world."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, FEB 25, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Six prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Argentina, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Estanislao Esteban Karlic of Parana, accompanied by his auxiliary Juan Alberto Puiggari.
- Archbishop Alfonso Delgado Evers of San Juan de Cuyo.
- Archbishop Hector Ruben Aguer of La Plata.
- Bishop Luis Teodoro Stockler of Goya.

He also received the following Argentinian prelates:

- Archbishop Moises Blanchoud, emeritus of Salta.
- Archbishop Jorge Manuel Lopez, emeritus of Rosario.
- Archbishop Emilio Ognenovich, emeritus of Mercedes-Lujan.
- Bishop Joan Rodolfo Laise, emeritus of San Luis.
- Bishop Bernardo Witte, emeritus of Concepcion.
- Bishop Andres Sapelak, emeritus of Santa Maria del Patrocinio en Buenos Aires of the Ukrainians.

On Saturday, February 23, it was made public that he received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Claudio Hummes O.F.M., archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and preacher during this year's spiritual exercises of the Roman Curia.
- Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munoz, apostolic nuncio to the European Community.
- Msgr. Paul Richard Gallagher, special envoy and permanent observer to the Council of Europe.
- Cardinal Camillo Ruini, his vicar general for the diocese of Rome and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, accompanied by Bishop Luigi Moretti, auxiliary of Rome for the central pastoral sector; Fr. Remo Bati S.D.B., chaplain to Filipino immigrants in the diocese of Rome, and Msgr Gino Amicarelli, rector of the church of "S. Pudenziana al Viminale."
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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INAUGURATION OF THE ARGENTINIAN PRIESTLY COLLEGE IN ROME

VATICAN CITY, FEB 25, 2002 (VIS) - Made public today was a letter from the Pope to Archbishop Estanislao Karlic of Parana, Argentina, president of the Episcopal Conference of Argentina, and to the archbishops and bishops of that country, for the occasion of the inauguration of the Argentinian Priestly College.
"The priests sent by their bishop to this center", the Holy Father writes in the letter dated February 24, "will have the privileged opportunity to complete their studies and deepen - using particularly appropriate scientific methods - their reflections on the one true faith, which is expressed in different languages and cultural forms."

John Paul II affirmed that "apart from this moving experience, your stay in the Church of Rome, See of Peter and his successors, must serve to increase your faithfulness to the Church. Your physical proximity will contribute strongly to this end, as will the chance you will have to see and listen personally to those who have received the mission to confirm their brothers in the faith and to nourish the people of God as an 'amoris officium'."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 25, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Luis Teodorico Stockler of Goya, Argentina, as bishop of Quilmes (area 518, population 1,200,000, Catholics 1,00,000, priests 135, permanent deacons 81, religious 300), Argentina.

- Gave his consent to the canonical election by the Synod of Bishops of the Church of Antioch of the Syrians meeting at Charfet, Lebanon, from September 11 to 15, 2001, of Chorbishop Pierre Melki as patriarchal exarch of the Syrian faithful resident in Jerusalem, Palestine and Jordan.

- Appointed as members of the Pontifical Council for the Laity: Cardinals: Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay, India, and Claudio Hummes O.F.M., archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Archbishops Robert Sarah, emeritus of Conakry, Guinea, and secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, Croatia, and Francisco Javier Martinez Fernandez of Cordoba, Spain. Bishop Francesco Lambiasi of Anagni-Alatri and assistant ecclesiastic general at Italian Catholic Action. Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, U.S.A.; Said. A. Azer, Egypt; Tanios Chahwan, leader of youth pastoral care in the Maronite Patriarchate, Lebanon; Carlos Corsi, Colombia; Maria Eugenia Diaz de Pfennich president of the World Union of Catholic Female Organizations, Mexico; Vladimir Durikovic, member of the movement of Christian families, Slovakia; Crescencia Gabijan Cabilao, Philippines; Christiana Habsburg-Lothringen, Austria; Priscilla Kuye, vice-president of the National Council of the Laity, Nigeria; Yuk Fai Lai, vice-president of the Central Committee of Catholic laity, Hong Kong; Pedro Morais Vieira, member of the secretariat of the Episcopal Commission for the Laity and member of parliament, Angola; Allan Panozza, president of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services, Australia; Nicoletta Pisa, president of the International Coordination of Young Catholic Labor, G.B.; Antoinette Prudence, Republic of Mauritius; Jose Maria Riera I Mas, president of the Community of Christian Life, Spain; Jacqueline Sfeir, dean of the faculty of education of the University of Bethlehem; Catherine Soublin, France, and Alexei Youdine, teacher at the St. Thomas Aquinas theological college in Moscow, Russia.

- Appointed as consultors of the Pontifical Council for the Laity: Bishop Mounged El-Hachem of Baalbek - Deir El-Ahmar of the Maronites, Lebanon. Frs. Libero Gerosa, rector of the faculty of theology in Lugano, Switzerland; Jean Mbarga, Cameroon, and Luis Felipe Navarro of the clergy of the prelature of Opus Dei, Spain. Paola Bignardi, president of Italian Catholic Action; Emanuela Di Nunzio, Italy; Luis Fernando Figari, of the movement for Christian Life, Peru; Zbigniew Nosowski, Poland; Jesus Perez Saturnino, Spain, and David Schindler, U.S.A.

On Saturday, February 23, it was made public that he appointed:

- Msgr. Gino Reali of the clergy of Spoleto-Norcia, vicar general of that archdiocese, as bishop of Porto-Santa Rufina (area 2,000, population 260,000, Catholics 254,000, priests 193, permanent deacons 6, religious 1,162), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Monteleone di Spoleto, Italy, in 1948 and ordained a priest in 1971.

- Fr. Vincenzo Battaglia O.F.M., professor of theology at the Pontifical Antonianum Athenaeum, as president of the International Pontifical Marian Academy.

- Bishop Joseph Vu Duy Thong, auxiliary of Thanh-Pho Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, as a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

- As members of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry: Archbishops Carlos Amigo Vallejo O.F.M., of Seville, Spain; Wladyslaw Ziolek of Lodz, Poland; Jose Dimas Cedeno Delgado of Panama, Panama. Bishops Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva of Leiria-Fatima, Portugal; Thumma Bala of Warangal, India; Peter Joseph Connors of Ballarat, Australia; Joseph Leo Charron C.PP.S., of Des Moines, U.S.A.; Jacques Perrier of Tarbes et Lourdes, France; Jacinto Guerrero Torres of Tlaxcala, Mexico; James Mathew Wingle of Yarmouth, Canada. Sisters Maria del Camino Agos Munarriz, superior general of the Hospiatalier Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Rome, and Serafina Dalla Porta, superior general of the Daughters of St. Camillus, Grottaferrata, Italy.

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