OUR LORD NOT INDIFFERENT TOWARD THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING

VATICAN CITY, FEB 27, 2002 (VIS) - Today in the general audience which took place in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father spoke about the Canticle of the Prophet Hezekiah, "Anguish of the dying, joy of the healed."

The Pope explained that the two distinct parts of the Canticle "describe the two typical moments of prayers of thanksgiving: on the one hand, the nightmare of suffering from which Our Lord has freed his faithful, and on the other hand, a joyful hymn of thanksgiving for the new life and salvation which God has given".

King Hezekiah, afflicted with a serious illness, raised his lament to God and the Lord heard his prayer and prolonged his life. "A prayer of thanksgiving then arose from the heart of the king".

"The Canticle of Hezekiah," continued John Paul II, "takes on a whole new meaning if read with Easter in mind. ... Above all, with the death and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, a seed of eternity is planted and grows in our mortality".

The Pope indicated that the Canticle of Hezekiah "invites us to reflect on our fragile condition as created beings. ... In times of sickness and suffering it is proper to raise cries of lament to the Lord for, as Hezekiah teaches us, He hears us and is not indifferent to our tears."

He concluded by saying: "The Lord is not indifferent to the tears of those who are suffering, and although His ways do not always coincide with our own hopes, He responds, consoles and saves. This is what Hezekiah confesses in the end, inviting everyone to hope, pray and trust in the Lord, knowing that God does not abandon His people."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, FEB 27, 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, and Fr. Albino Marin, pastor of the parish of St. Gelasius I Pope, and a parish assistant.

Yesterday, February 26, he received in audience Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy.

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INTER-RELIGIOUS COMMITTEE: EXTREMISM MUST BE CONDEMNED

VATICAN CITY, FEB 27, 2002 (VIS) - A communique made public today announced that, on February 23, representatives of the dialogue committee of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and of the permanent committee for dialogue with monotheistic religions of Al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt, met in the offices of the pontifical council.

The two delegations, headed respectively by Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the pontifical council, and Sheikh Fawzi Fadel Zafzaf, president of the permanent committee, discussed the theme of "religious extremism and its effect on humanity."

During the discussions the following points were made:

- Extremism, from whatever side it may come, is to be condemned as not being in conformity with the teachings of the two religions.
- Extremists, particularly religious extremists, can sometimes be sincere in their intentions, yet they tend to see themselves as the only ones in the right and to show intolerance to those who do not agree with them, not accepting others with their differences, tending to violate the rights of others, and sometimes using or approving violence.
- To counteract extremism dialogue can be useful provided that the conditions for a positive outcome can be guaranteed.
- Yet dialogue alone is not sufficient to overcome extremism; there is always need for attention to basic aspects of society: family life, education, social development, the influence of the mass media, promotion of justice and solidarity within countries and on an international scale.
- The two bodies composing the committee resolved, each for its part, to continue on the path of dialogue and to influence public opinion in order to bring about a rejection of extremism.

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ARCHBISHOP MARTINO: HUMAN CLONING IS UNACCEPTABLE

VATICAN CITY, FEB 27, 2002 (VIS) - On February 26, Archbishop Renato Martino, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations addressed the Committee on an International Convention against the Reproductive Cloning of Human Beings, which was meeting in New York.

The archbishop emphasized that the Holy See "supports a world-wide and comprehensive ban on human cloning, no matter what techniques are used and what aims are pursued." This position, he explained, is based on "biological analysis of the cloning process and anthropological, social, ethical and legal reflection on the negative implications that human cloning has on the life, the dignity, and the rights of the human being."

Furthermore, the Holy See considers the distinction between reproductive and therapeutic (or experimental) cloning as "unacceptable." Nonetheless, Archbishop Martino recalled that the ban on cloning does not prohibit the use of certain techniques: "to obtain a number of biological entities (molecules, cells and tissues) other than human embryos; to generate plants, or to produce non-human embryos and non-chimaeric (human-animal) embryos." He went on to say that "the Holy See supports research on stem-cells of post-natal origin since this approach is a sound, promising and ethical way to achieve tissue transplantation and cell therapy."

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