NUCLEAR WEAPONS INCOMPATIBLE WITH PEACE WE SEEK

VATICAN CITY, APR 10, 2002 (VIS) - Monsignor Francis Chullikatt, deputy head of the Holy See delegation to the Preparatory Committee for the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, meeting in New York from April 8 to 19, spoke at the opening session on April 8.

He noted that "the 2000 Review ... obtained a clear-cut commitment from the nuclear weapon states that systematic and progressive efforts to implement Article VI would include 'An unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear weapon states to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament to which all states parties are committed under Article VI'."

Msgr. Chullikatt pointed to the lack of progress, indeed the "regression" regarding the 13 practical steps suggested for implementing this commitment, and said: "In fact, the prospects for future implementation are alarming." He then affirmed that "Even more serious than the lack of progress is the overt determination of some nuclear weapon states to maintain nuclear weapons in a critical role in their military doctrines."

"The Holy See has constantly recalled the fact that the strategy of deterrence can be envisaged only as a stage in the process aimed at disarmament, even of a progressive nature. So long as it is taken as an end in itself, deterrence encourages the protagonists to ensure a constant superiority over one another, in a ceaseless race of over-arming."

In concluding remarks, Msgr. Chullikatt said that "the rule of law cannot countenance the continuation of doctrines that hold nuclear weapons as essential. There can be no moral acceptance of military doctrines that embody the permanence of nuclear weapons. That is why Pope John Paul II has called for the banishment of all nuclear weapons through 'a workable system for negotiation, even of arbitration'."

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GENERAL AUDIENCE: GOD IS ALWAYS WILLING TO FORGIVE

VATICAN CITY, APR 10, 2002 (VIS) - Psalm 79, "Visit, oh Lord, your vine," was the theme of the Pope's catechesis during the general audience celebrated this Wednesday in St. Peter's Square.

The psalm, said the Holy Father, "is a song of lament and a supplication of all the people of Israel. ... The Lord is invoked as 'shepherd of Israel'," who "from the height of the arch of the covenant, assisted by the angels, guides His flock, His people, and protects them from all danger."

Using the image of a vine, "sign of fertility and joy," the psalm evokes the "main periods of Jewish history." The vine "represents, on one hand, the gift, grace and love of God; on the other hand, it requires the work of a farmer ... and therefore, represents the human response, personal compromise and fruit of just works."

"The psalm reminds us that on God's vine the storm has passed, that is, Israel has endured a severe trial, a hard invasion that has devastated the promised land ... For this reason, (Israel) directs an urgent plea to God so He returns to defend the victims, breaking His silence."

The Pope concluded by underlining that Psalm 79 is a "song marked by suffering, but also by unshakable faith. God is always willing to 'return' to His people, but it is necessary also that the people 'return' to Him in fidelity. If we convert from sin, the Lord will 'convert' from His intention to punish: this is the psalmist's belief which echoes in our hearts, opening us up to hope."

At the end of the audience, speaking Italian to the pilgrims present, John Paul II said: "I invite everyone to join me now in prayer to implore the Lord for peace in the Holy Land. Let us ask the Holy Virgin to intercede so that the present efforts of the various parties are successful in order to overcome the tragic situation in which those people, so tried, find themselves. Pray for peace in the Holy Land!"

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 10, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Msgr. Isidro Barrio Barrio, rector of the major seminary and vicar general of the diocese of Huancavelica, Peru, as coadjutor of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Villafranca Montes de Oca, Spain in 1943 and was ordained a priest in 1968.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 10, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Domitien Ndayizeye, vice-president of the Republic of Burundi, and an entourage.

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