TELEGRAM OF CONDOLENCES FOR PRIEST SLAIN IN COLOMBIA

VATICAN CITY, APR 9, 2002 (VIS) - Following is the telegram sent by Pope John Paul, through Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, to Bishop Libardo Ramirez Gomez of Garzon, Colombia, for the killing on Sunday of Fr. Juan Ramon Nunez as he was giving communion during Mass:

"Profoundly sorry at the sad news of the murder of Fr. Juan Ramon Nunez, while he was distributing communion during the celebration of Holy Mass, as well as of Feligres Joaquin Quebrada, His Holiness wishes to express his deepest sympathy to Your Excellency, to the priests and faithful of the diocese, and, especially to the parish community of Argentina in the province of Huila, at the same time offering prayers for the repose of the souls of the victims of such persistent and ferocious violence, so unjustified and random, that did not spare the life of a priest of Christ while he was exercising the sacred ministry.

"The Holy Father, who once again condemns vigorously any attack on the life and dignity of the person, invites the priests and other evangelizers of the diocese to place all their hope in the strength of life and peace that is born of Jesus resurrected, in order to continue their pastoral mission without discouragement.

"While he wishes to express also his paternal closeness to the families of Fr. Nunez and Mr. Quebrada in this painful circumstance, the Supreme Pontiff imparts to them, and to the ecclesiastical community, his comforting apostolic benediction."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 9, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Eight prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Bolivia, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Jesus Perez Rodriguez of Sucre.
- Archbishop Tito Solari of Cochabamba, with his auxiliaries, Bishop Angel Germi Bertocchi and Archbishop Sainz Hincjosa.
- Bishop Adhemar Esquivel Kohenque of Tarija.
- Bishop Gonzalo de Jesus Maria del Castillo Crespo, military ordinary.
- Bishop Braulio Saez Garcia of Oruro.
- Bishop Carlos Stetter of San Ignacio de Velasco.
- Bishop Flavio Calle Zapata of Sonson-Rionegro, Colombia.
- Bishop Wilton Daniel Gregory of Belleville, U.S.A., president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, accompanied by Bishop William Stephen Skylstad of Spokane, vice-president, and Msgr. William P. Fay, secretary general.

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OLDER PERSONS ARE GUARDIANS OF THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY

VATICAN CITY, APR 9, 2002 (VIS) - Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Ministry of Health, spoke yesterday afternoon in Madrid at the United Nations Second World Assembly on Ageing.

"Older persons are the guardians of the collective memory, they have the perspective of both the past and the future," he said. "Their life must converge in intergenerational relationships, transmitting to all people the treasury of their time, their capacity and experiences." Yet, he noted, "in the present culture of global productivity, they face the danger of considering themselves as not being useful."
As the number of ageing people increases throughout the world, he said, there is also "an increasing number of abandoned older persons." Though it has insufficient resources and lacks personnel, said the archbishop, the Catholic Church "now, as before, tries to help (the elderly) even in their economic aspects. He observed that "Catholic agencies and institutions have ... 13,238 hospices for older persons in the whole world."

Archbishop Lozano said that an inclusive society based on intergenerational equality must be created, and he suggested 14 actions that would help achieve this. The Holy See suggestions included: involving older persons in decision-making at family and social levels; giving special care to older persons who suffer from mental diseases such as Alzheimer's; creating legislation and strengthening existing legal measures to eliminate abuse; protecting their dignity and life until its natural end by providing palliative care; and helping older persons maintain their self-sufficiency for as long as possible.

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DIRECTORY OF POPULAR DEVOTIONS AND LITURGY PRESENTED

VATICAN CITY, APR 9, 2002 (VIS) - Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez and Archbishop Pio Tamburrino, prefect and secretary respectively of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments, presented today in the Holy See Press Office the "Directory of Popular Devotions and Liturgy. Principles and Guidance."

Cardinal Medina recalled that the fathers of Vatican Council II underlined the importance that "culture expressions conform to the laws and norms of the Church" and "are in accordance with the sacred liturgy, and derive from it in some way, and lead the people toward it." From there, he highlighted, "the importance of knowing the value of popular devotions, of protecting their genuine substance, purifying where necessary, illuminating with the light of Sacred Scripture, orienting them to the Sacred Liturgy, without setting one against the other."

"If the passage of time and the change in mentality and of society have been able to obscure its Christian character and emphasize the exterior to the detriment of the interior, it is up to the shepherds of the Church to help rediscover in these cultural expressions the vital link of believing and living in Christ."
The prefect of the congregation affirmed that "popular devotions are reflected as much in private life as in public life." He emphasized that the Directory responds to questions about the authentic significance of signs and gestures such as wearing a religious habit, kissing a sacred image, making a pilgrimage, etc.

"I hope," he concluded, "that the document helps to make the spiritual life of the Christian people grow which is developed in an effective way through the liturgical celebration of the mystery of Christ and other forms of prayer that are inspired and lead to it."

Archbishop Tamburrino emphasized that the Directory "is a document of pastoral character. ... It is not a complete catalogue of the manifestations of popular devotions of different countries but rather it offers the basic outline of common application." It is the duty of the bishops "to establish norms and practical guides, keeping in mind the local traditions and the particular expressions of religiosity and popular piety existing in their dioceses."

The Directory has two parts, preceded by an Introduction that illustrates the theme, those to whom it is addressed, the principles and the language of popular devotions. "In the first part, we find the points of reference, taken from history, the Magisterium and theology, which must reconcile popular devotions with the liturgy." In the second part, the "especially relevant points of popular devotions" are addressed: "The particular veneration that the Church offers to the Mother of the Lord; devotion to the angels, saints and blesseds; prayers of repose for the souls of our deceased brothers and sisters; pilgrimages and displays of piety at shrines."

"The goal of the Directory," concluded the secretary of the dicastery, "is not to establish new norms but to underline the theological and liturgical principles and the applicable discipline, in light of the reception of the fruitful link between liturgy and popular devotions, desired by Vatican Council II and put into practice in Christian communities."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 9, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father has named as Ordinary Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences: Thierry Boon, professor of immunology at the Catholic University of Louvain and director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research of Brussels, Belgium; Pierre Lena, professor of astrophysics at the University of Paris VII-Denis Diderot in Meudon, France; Gunter Blobel, professor of cellular biology at the Rockefeller University of New York, U.S.A.; Enrico Berti, professor of philosophy at the University of Studies of Padua, Italy.

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