RECEIVING THE PRIESTHOOD MEANS ALWAYS LIVING CELIBACY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 16, 2002 (VIS) - Made public yesterday afternoon was the Pope's Message addressed to Archbishop Luigi de Magistris, major pro-penitentiary, and to the prelates and officials of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

In this year's Message, the Holy Father emphasizes the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance as a "beautiful exercise of the virtues" and he urges priests "to personally frequent (confession) as a real help on the path to holiness, and therefore, as a good form of spiritual direction. One can achieve holiness, and in particular priestly holiness, only by habitual, humble and trusting recourse to the Sacrament of Penance."

After recalling Jesus' teaching that the Sacrament of Penance is "irreplaceable for the life of grace," he says: "Therefore, to want to reduce the remission of sins to private and individual contact between the faithful and God is not consistent with the faith."

"In addition," he adds, "the conviction is erroneous of those who conceive of the Sacrament of Penance as something 'supererogatory', although not denying its positive value, because the Lord's forgiveness would have been given 'semel pro semper' on Calvary and therefore, the sacramental application of mercy would not be necessary to regain grace."

Referring to "specific forms of ascetism" to guide the penitent, he adds that these forms "must not be inspired by philosophical or religious concepts contrary to the Christian truth. For example, those concepts which reduce a human being to an element of nature, or on the contrary, exalt him to one who possesses absolute freedom. One could easily recognize, above all in this last case, a renewed form of Pelagianism."

"The Sacrament of Penance is the main instrument for discerning one's vocation. In order to continue toward the goal of the priesthood, solid and mature virtue is necessary, which guarantees in the future, as far as humanly possible, a solid perspective of perseverance."

"For this reason," he concludes, "those who are responsible for authorizing a candidate to join the priesthood must be 'hic et nunc' certain of his real suitability for the post. If this applies to all virtues and moral habits, it is clear that it is all the more necessary in the case of chastity, given that when the candidate receives holy orders, he must live in perpetual celibacy."

MESS;CONFESSION;...;APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARY ;VIS;20020318;Word: 390;

POPE'S SORROW UPON THE DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP OF CALI

VATICAN CITY, MAR 17, 2002 (VIS) - After praying the noon Angelus today with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope announced that last evening Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino of Cali, Colombia was assassinated, and he called for prayers for peace in that country.

"From Colombia," he said, "the sad news arrives of the death of Msgr. Isaias Duarte Cancino, archbishop of Cali, cruelly murdered when he was leaving Good Shepherd Parish, after having celebrated several weddings. A generous and brave pastor in the proclamation of the Good News, he has paid a high price for the energetic defense of human life, his firm opposition to all types of violence and his dedication to social action based on the roots of the Gospel. As I elevate my prayers for the repose of the soul of the deceased prelate, I express my closeness to the Colombian Church which mourns this tragic loss, and I urge Colombians once again to forge ahead by means of dialogue, rejecting all types of violence, blackmail and kidnapping, and committing themselves firmly to authentic paths to peace."

John Paul II then remarked that, in coming days, the International Conference for the Financing of Development will take place in Monterrey, Mexico. He asked for prayers so that the "international community knows how to respond with generous and determined commitment to the immense needs of so many brothers that live in poverty that offends the dignity of man."

ANG;MURDER ARCHBISHOP COLOMBIA;...;...;VIS;20020318;Word: 260;

ANGELUS: ST. JOSEPH MASTER OF FAITH AND MILDNESS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 17, 2002 (VIS) - At midday today, fifth Sunday of Lent, the Pope appeared at the window of his private study overlooking St. Peter's Square, in order to pray the angelus with the faithful gathered below.

John Paul II recalled that Tuesday is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and patron of the Universal Church. "The extreme discretion with which St. Joseph carried out the role that God entrusted to him gives evidence, above all, of his faith. This faith consisted in his being docile to the Lord, in seeking to understand His will so as to obey with all his heart and strength."

"Faith, nourished by prayer: This is the most precious treasure that St. Joseph transmits to us. His example has been followed by generations of parents who, with the example of a simple and industrious life, have engraved in their children's souls the priceless mark of faith, without which all other wealth risks becoming worthless. Here and now I would like to give my assurance of a special prayer for all fathers on the day dedicated to them. I ask God that they be men of robust interior life in order to fulfill in an exemplary fashion their mission in the family and in society."

The Holy Father announced that on Thursday afternoon, March 21 he will meet with young people in St. Peter's Square in preparation for Palm Sunday and World Youth Day, and he addressed an invitation to boys and girls from all parishes and dioceses to join him there.

ANG;ST JOSEPH;...;...;VIS;20020318;Word: 270;

PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR CULTURE CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 16, 2002 (VIS) - Pope John Paul today received the members of the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. "Pursue with renewed zeal," he said, "your relations with cultures, in order to create bridges among men, to witness to Christ and to make our brothers receptive to the Gospel."

The Pope highlighted how, in 1993, this pontifical council and the Council for Dialogue with Non-believers were joined as one council with the goals of promoting "the study of the problems of non-belief and religious indifference present in various forms in various cultural milieux" and helping the Church "in the evangelization of cultures and the inculturation of the Gospel."

The Holy Father noted that cultural milieux today "are often strangers to any spiritual or interior dimensions" and exist "in situations basically dominated by material aspects. Now, more than in any other period of history, there is without doubt a rupture in the process of transmission of moral and religious values between generations, which leads to a sort of heterogeneity between the Church and the modern world."

John Paul II underscored how families and educational institutions encounter special difficulties in their "heavy task of transmitting to younger generations the human, moral and spiritual values that will allow them to become men and women anxious to lead worthy personal lives and to engage in the life of society."

He likewise emphasized that "the phenomenon of globalization, which today has become a cultural fact, constitutes both a difficulty and an opportunity." Difficulties occur when there is an oversimplification or levelling of cultures, communities and ethnic identities, giving all equal value. A positive side occurs when globalization "lowers barriers among cultures and offers persons occasions to meet and become acquainted." He urged the leaders of nations "to respect what is proper to individuals and cultures in order to guarantee the good of persons and peoples."

"The Church," the Pope concluded, "does not seek to take the place of those in charge of public affairs, but she does hope to have her own place in debating questions."

CON-C;PLENARY; ANNIVERSARY;...;...;VIS;20020318;Word: 360;

ITALIAN REGIONAL SEMINARY CELEBRATES 90TH ANNIVERSARY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 18, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed the rector, priests, teachers and seminarians of the St. Pius X Regional Seminary of Catanzaro, in southern Italy, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the seminary's founding.

"You, who do you say that I am?" asked the Pope. "This is the question that Jesus asked those rather special seminarians, the Apostles. And He asks this same question of each of you, called to be evangelizers in the region of Calabria." He recalled his visit to Catanzaro and this seminary in 1984 and said that the words he spoke then are still current today: "'The more people become dechristianized and the more they become prey to uncertainty and indifference, the more they need to see in priests that radical faith that is like a lighthouse in the night or like a rock to which they can cling to'."

John Paul II stressed that a seminary must be "a place of silence" and "a house of prayer" where those who will be future priests can have an intimate encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ Who will prepare them "to become teachers of the faith."

"The period of formation in the seminary," he went on, must be "a special time of silence and awaiting, of poverty and communion, of research for God and love for one's brothers, especially for the least of these, making the seminary community a privileged expression of the Church, the 'seed and beginning' on the earth of the Kingdom of Christ and God."

The Pope closed his remarks by recalling that tomorrow is the solemnity of St. Joseph who, he noted, "shines in the Church for his singular vocation lived in silence, in an attentive search for God's loving plan and in total dedication to Christ."

AC;ANNIVERSARY SEMINARY;...;CATANZARORO;VIS;20020318;Word: 300;

TELEGRAM FOR THE MURDER OF ARCHBISHOP OF CALI

VATICAN CITY, MAR 18, 2002 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano sent a telegram of condolences in the Pope's name to Archbishop Alberto Giraldo Jaramillo of Medellin, president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, for the murder on March 16 of Archbishop Isaias Durate Cancino of Cali:

"Recalling the figure of this valiant and generous pastor who was so decidedly committed to the service of God, the Church and his fellow man, and so concerned with favoring peace and justice for his people who, for so many years, have been tried by conflicts that still afflict them and give rise to so many deaths, kidnappings and all kinds of suffering, the Pope wishes to encourage the Church on her pilgrim journey in that country not to allow herself to be overcome by despair and the difficulties of her mission in proclaiming the Gospel of life and peace; bringing it to society through a commitment to building more fraternal, united and peaceful forms of co-existence. Moreover, in reiterating his firm condemnation of any attack on human life and dignity, he calls on the Almighty to help the authorities and people of Colombia to start decisively down the path that leads to true peace, the fruit of justice, of dialogue and of respect for the fundamental rights of each human being."

TGR;MURDER ARCHBISHOP CALI;...;SODANO;VIS;20020318;Word: 230;

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 18, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, dean of the College of Cardinals.
- Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, and an entourage, for the presentation of the new Roman Missal published by his dicastery.

On Saturday March 16, he received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, apostolic nuncio in Nigeria.
- Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, permanent observer to the Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, Switzerland and to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

AP;...;...;...;VIS;20020318;Word: 70;