PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN TOURISM

VATICAN CITY, MAR 12, 2002 (VIS) - Msgr. Piero Monni, Holy See permanent observer to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), will speak on March 16 in Berlin, Germany, during the 10th meeting of the task force to protect children from sexual exploitation in tourism.

According to a communique of the WTO, the present state of tourism in the world will be examined in the meeting. In addition, a strategic plan of action will be developed by the WTO task force to protect children from the sexual exploitation associated with the tourism industry. The issues already examined in the second World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children (Yokohama, Japan, December 2000) will be revisited.

The problem of pederasty and of sexual tourism will also be addressed during the presentation of a book written by Msgr. Monni, entitled "L'Archipelago della Vergogna. Turismo sessuale e Pedofilia" (The Archipelago of Shame. Sexual Tourism and Pedophilia). The permanent observer expressed his belief that "the root of this unseemly trade and of all forms of exploitation is always and everywhere the same: a deviated perception of another as an inferior being. Where there is destitution and a lack of respect for the dignity of the person, the forms of exploitation increase."

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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL KUHARIC

VATICAN CITY, MAR 12, 2002 (VIS) - John Paul II sent a telegram of condolence to Archbishop Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, Croatia, upon learning of the death of Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, emeritus of that same archdiocese, yesterday at the age of 82.

The Pope writes that the deceased cardinal "knew how to serve with wisdom and faithfulness the people of God who were entrusted to his pastoral care. During the time of the communist regime as well as during the recent troubled period of national history, he committed himself with all his energy to defending the liberty and the dignity of the Croatian people. ... A man completely dedicated to the cause of the Gospel, he gave a coherent testimony of Christ, tirelessly instilling confidence and courage in the faithful during the trying times to which the Croatian land has been subjected."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 12, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians, Ukraine, accompanied by an entourage.

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