CONSISTORY FOR CANONIZATION OF NINE BLESSEDS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 26, 2002 (VIS) - At 11:00 a.m. this morning, during the celebration of sext, the sixth hour, in the Clementine Hall of the apostolic palace, John Paul II presided at an ordinary public consistory for the canonization of the following Blesseds:

Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, priest, founder of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei; Alonso de Orozco, priest of the Order of St. Augustine; Ignazio da Santhia (Lorenzo Maurizio Belvisotti), priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins; Pio da Pietrelcina (Francesco Forgione), priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins; Pedro de San Jose de Betancur, religious of the Third Order of St. Francis, founder of the Bethlemite Brothers and the Bethlemite Sisters; Umile da Bisignano (Luca Antonio Pirozzo), religious of the Order of Friars Minor; Paulina do Coracao Agonizante de Jesus (Amabile Visintainer), virgin, founder of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Conception; Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello, religious, founder of the Institute of Benedictine Sisters of Providence; Juan Diego Cuauhlatoatzin, layman.

The Holy Father made known the dates of the canonizations:

May 19: Alonso de Orozco; Ignazio da Santhia (Lorenzo Maurizio Belvisotti); Umile da Bisignano (Luca Antonio Pirozzo); Paulina do Coracao Agonizante de Jesus (Amabile Visintainer); Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello.

June 16: Pio da Pietrelcina (Francesco Forgione).

July 30: Juan Diego Cuauhlatoatzin.

July 31: Pedro de San Jose de Betancur.

October 6: Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer.

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PLENARY OF PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 26, 2002 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray celebrated the opening Mass of the plenary meeting of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications which is taking place from February 25 to March 1.

"Without a doubt, the work of the media is not easy given the complexity of our society and, above all, of the original society that is the Church", said the cardinal. "Evangelization is by its nature an act of communication, and due to professional affinity, the media cannot but focus all its attention on evangelization. Since its beginnings, the Church has been learning about the melting pot of cultures and civilizations, but in this age she has come to realize with sadness that she does not know how to understand or make herself understood by the modern world."

"The harsh confrontation between the Gospel and the world," he emphasized, "today, more than ever, comes about through the media, witnesses of the enormous efforts of the Church, who brings an unchanging Gospel to an ever-changing world. The media help us to understand the dimension of the changes in a society that is in continuous evolvement due to the clash of identities and unstable due to the loss of certainties.

This morning, Archbishop John P. Foley, president of the pontifical council, greeted the participants in the plenary meeting with a welcome speech delivered in the Old Synod Hall.
The archbishop reviewed the motives for the annual celebration of the assembly, among which he enumerated: "to seek the guidance of the Holy Father on matters of communications in and by the Church; ... to provide an opportunity for a type of examination of conscience on the part of all the episcopal conferences of the world regarding what they are doing in the field of communications; ... to integrate the international Catholic communications organizations into the overall pastoral strategy of the Church in communications; ... to help our members and consultors to become actively involved in the development of policy statements by the Church in communications."

The president of the pontifical council went on to announce that two documents concerning the internet, "Ethics in Internet" and "The Church and Internet", will be presented in the Holy See Press Office next Thursday, February 28. "At the beginning of this millennium," he said, "we must hear what is being done and what is being planned in evangelization in and through the media. After these reports, we must decide how such evangelization can best go forward on a global and regional scale."

"Also," he concluded, "we hope to complete our discussion on possible heavenly patrons to be proposed for the work of Catholic communicators: in cinema, internet and, indeed, in the entire field of communication."

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MESSAGE TO THE GENERAL CHAPTER OF THE SALESIANS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 26, 2002 (VIS) - Made public today was a message from the Holy Father addressed to the Sons of Don Bosco, who are holding their 25th General Chapter in Rome on the theme: "The Salesian community today."

The Pope writes to the Salesians, who have come to Rome from all parts of the world, saying: "You are well aware that you must renew your methods and means of work in order for your 'Salesian' identity to emerge in the current changing social conditions. These require, among other things, an openness to the contributions of lay helpers with whom to share the spirit and charisma which are the heritage of Don Bosco."

"Appropriately, then, the General Chapter intends courageously to propose 'tending towards sanctity' as the principle response to the challenges of the modern world. It is not so much a question of undertaking new activities and initiatives, but of living and witnessing the Gospel without compromise in such a way as to stimulate the young people you meet to sanctity. Salesians of the third millennium, like St. John Bosco, be passionate teachers and guides, saints and formators of saints."

John Paul II affirmed that "in order to proceed with a single educational and pastoral project, all communities must be united by a solid family spirit. ... Where does the secret of the union of hearts and of apostolic activity lie, if not in faithfulness to the charism? Keep, then, your eyes fixed on Don Bosco. He lived entirely in God and recommended that communities unite around the Eucharist."

"Your lives progress surrounded by children, just as Don Bosco wanted. ... Continue to open the doors of your institutions, especially to poor children, that they may feel 'at home,' and enjoy your charitable activity and the testimony of your poverty. ... Help them to be, in their turn, apostles to their friends and peers."

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IN JULY, POPE TO TRAVEL TO CANADA, MEXICO AND GUATEMALA

VATICAN CITY, FEB 26, 2002 (VIS) - At midday today, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following declaration:

"The Holy Father is to make an apostolic trip: to Toronto for the celebration of the 17th World Youth Day from July 23 to 28, 2002; to Mexico CIty for the beatification of the martyrs Juan Bautista and Jacinto de los Angeles and the canonization of Blessed Juan Diego Cuauhlatoatzin from July 29 to 30, and to Guatemala City for the canonization of Blessed Pedro de San Jose de Betancur from July 31 to August 1.

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THE RIGHT TO LIFE CANNOT BE CONCEDED BY THE AUTHORITIES

VATICAN CITY, FEB 26, 2002 (VIS) - Yesterday, in the Vatican's Old Synod Hall, the eighth plenary assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life was held. The theme of this year's gathering is: "Nature and dignity of the human being as a foundation for the right to life. The challenges of the contemporary cultural context."

The first work session was inaugurated by Archbishop Julian Herranz, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. In his address he affirmed that the primary right to life cannot "be understood either as a concession by the authorities, nor can it be dispensed by them, because its foundation lies in the very nature and dignity of the human being."

The second address was given by Andrzej Szostek, professor of ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. He highlighted that evolutionism and liberalism are "insufficient for a full understanding of man, for whom they deny the existence of an absolute truth."

For his part, the Austrian professor, W. Waldstein, emeritus of the Lateran University in Rome, spoke on "the capacity of the human mind to know natural law."

During the afternoon session there were addresses from Sergio Belardinelli, professor of the sociology of communication processes at the University of Bologna, Italy, who spoke on "nature in the cosmological, biological, anthropological and ecological sense;" and from John Finnis, professor of law and the philosophy of law at the University of Oxford, England, who spoke on "nature and natural law in the present philosophical and theological debate."

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