FIRST VOLUME OF THE RUSSIAN CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA PUBLISHED

VATICAN CITY, APR 23, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father received this morning Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, metropolitan archbishop of the diocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, Russia, who presented to him, along with a group of academics and professors, the first volume of the Russian Catholic Encyclopedia.

After thanking Archbishop Kondrusiewicz for the initiative of "offering to the Russian people this significant gift that illustrates the tradition, life and doctrine of the Catholic Church," the Pope greeted the pastors and the faithful of the Russian Federation.

"The encyclopedia that you have prepared," he said, "is an important contribution that Catholics want to offer to Russian- speakers who want to study in depth the treasures that God has given to men through the Church. With this work, the Catholic community, present in Russia for many centuries, reaffirms its will to collaborate with the great Russian culture in order to weave together with it a worthy and fruitful dialogue, in benefit of the people that express it."

John Paul II said he hoped that the effort in the preparation of the volume "will contribute to deepening the reciprocal knowledge and esteem among those who live Christ's Gospel in your beloved country."

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DECREES OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE CAUSES OF SAINTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 23, 2002 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall, in the presence of the Holy Father, the members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the postulators of the respective causes, 19 decrees were promulgated relative to 22 Blesseds and Servants of God. Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation, read a discourse on the lives of the future blesseds and saints.

The 19 causes are:

MIRACLES

- Blessed Guiseppe Maria Rubio y Peralta (1864-1929), Spanish, professed priest of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
- Blessed Orsola Ledochowska (1865-1939), nee Giulia Maria, Austrian, foundress of the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony.
- Blessed Genoveffa Torres Morales (1870-1956), Spanish, foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sarcred Heart of Jesus and of the Holy Angels, called "The Angelicas."
- Blessed Maria Maravillas di Gesu (1891-1974), nee Maria Maravillas Pidal y Chico de Guzman, Spanish, professed nun of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites.
- Venerable Servant of God Andrea Giacinto Longhin (1863-1936), Italian, of the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchins, bishop of Treviso.
- Venerable Servant of God Pierre Bonhomme (1803-1861), French, priest of the diocese of Cahors and founder of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Calvary.
- Venerable Servant of God Marco Da Aviano (1631-1699), ne Carlo Domenico Cristofori, Italian, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins.
- Venerable Servant of God Gabrielle Maria Allegra (1907-1976), nee Elena de Chappotinde Neuville, Italian, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor.
- Venerable Servant of God Maria Della Passione (1839-1904), French, foundress of the Institute of Franciscan Missionaries of Maria.
- Venerable Servant of God Maria Dolores Rodriguez Sopena y Ortega (1848-1918), Spanish, foundress of the Congregation of Sisters of the Dolores Sopena Catechist Institute.
- Venerable Servant of God Carita Brader (1860-1943), nee Maria Giuseppa Carolina, Swiss, foundress of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Immaculate Mary.

MARTYRS

- Martyrdom of the servants of God Pietro Vitchev, Paolo Djidjo and Giosafat Chichkov, professed priests of the Congregation of Augustinians of the Assumption, killed in hatred for the faith on November 11, 1952 in Bulgaria.
- Martyrdom of the servants of God Davide Okelo and Gildo Irwa, lay catechists, killed in hatred for the faith on October 18 and 19, 1918 in Uganda.

HEROIC VIRTUES

- Servant of God Guiseppe Morgera (1844-1898), Italian, priest of the diocese of Ischia.
- Servant of God Gioacchino Da Canicatti (1831-1905), ne Gaetano La Lomia, Italian, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins.
- Servant of God Matilde Del Sacro Cuore Tellez Robles (1841-1902), Spanish, foundress of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Mother of the Church.
- Servant of God Guila Salzano (1846-1929), Italian, foundress of the Congregation of the Catechist Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
- Servant of God Marianna Saltini, widow Testi (1889-1957), called "Mamma Nina," Italian, foundress of the Institute of the Daughters of Saint Francis of Carpi.
- Servant of God Speranza di Gesu (1893-1983), nee Maria Giuseppa Alhama y Valera, Spanish, foundress of the Congregation of the Hand Maidens of Merciful Love and of the Sons of the Merciful Love.

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NEW COMMITTEE TO ASSIST CONGREGATION IN ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS

VATICAN CITY, APR 23, 2002 (VIS) - Made public yesterday afternoon was a Message from the Holy Father to Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, on the occasion of the inaugural meeting of the 'Vox Clara' Committee, recently established by the congregation.

The Pope recalls in his Message that the Vox Clara Committee "has been established to assist and advise the Congregation .... in fulfilling its responsibilities with regard to the English translations of liturgical texts. Representing the different continents as its does, the committee reflects the international character of the English language. This makes available to the Holy See the great wealth of pastoral experience drawn from different cultures."

Noting that "the 'lex orandi' conforms to the 'lex credendi'," the Pope goes on to say that "fidelity to the rites and texts of the Liturgy is of paramount importance for the Church and Christian life." He encourages the Committee in its task "of ensuring that the texts of the Roman Rite are accurately translated in accordance with the norms of the Instruction 'Liturgiam Authenticam'."

In closing, John Paul II asks Pastors of the Church "to make available to the faithful ... the vernacular translations of the 'editio tertia' of the 'Missale Romanum'." He says he is "pleased to learn that members of the Vox Clara Committee have generously pledged to assist the Holy See in expediting the revision and 'recognitio' of these translations by the Congregation."

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NO PLACE IN PRIESTHOOD FOR THOSE WHO WOULD HARM YOUNG

VATICAN CITY, APR 23, 2002 (VIS) - The meeting this morning in the Vatican with Pope John Paul, 12 United States cardinals and a number of members of the Roman Curia began with an opening prayer and a welcome by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state. The president of the United States episcopal conference addressed the meeting, as did the U.S. cardinals.

Pope John Paul then spoke. "I greatly appreciate the effort you are making," he told the American cardinals, "to keep the Holy See, and me personally, informed regarding the complex and difficult situation which has arisen in your country in recent months. ... You have come to the house of the Successor of Peter. ... The door of this house is always open to you. All the more so when your communities are in distress."

"Like you," the Pope continued, "I too have been deeply grieved by the fact that priests and religious, whose vocation it is to help people live holy lives in the sight of God, have themselves caused such suffering and scandal to the young. Because of the great harm done by some priests and religious, the Church herself is viewed with distrust, and many are offended at the way in which the Church's leaders are perceived to have acted in this matter. The abuse which has caused this crisis is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God. To the victims and their families, wherever they may be, I express my profound sense of solidarity and concern."

"It is true," he stated, "that a generalized lack of knowledge of the nature of the problem and also at times the advice of clinical experts led Bishops to make decisions which subsequent events showed to be wrong. You are now working to establish more reliable criteria to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated. ... While recognizing how indispensable these criteria are, we cannot forget the power of Christian conversion. ... Neither should we forget the immense spiritual, human and social good that the vast majority of priests and religious in the United States have done and are still doing."

"A great work of art may be blemished, but its beauty remains; and this is a truth which any intellectually honest critic will recognize." The Pope then expressed his personal "wholehearted" thanks to Catholic communities in the U.S., to teachers in Catholic universities and schools, and to American missionaries in all parts of the world.

"The abuse of the young," John Paul underscored, "is a grave symptom of a crisis affecting not only the Church but society as a whole. It is a deep-seated crisis of sexual morality, even of human relationships, and its prime victims are the family and the young. In addressing the problem of abuse with clarity and determination, the Church will help society to understand and deal with the crisis in its midst."

"It must be absolutely clear to the Catholic faithful, and to the wider community, that Bishops and superiors are concerned, above all else, with the spiritual good of souls. People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young. They must know that Bishops and priests are totally committed to the fullness of Catholic truth on matters of sexual morality."

The Holy Father told those assembled: "We must be confident that this time of trial will bring a purification of the entire Catholic community, a purification that is urgently needed if the Church is to preach more effectively the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its liberating force."

"God alone is the source of holiness," declared the Pope. "It is to him above all that we must turn for forgiveness, for healing and for the grace to meet this challenge with uncompromising courage and harmony of purpose."

The Holy Father concluded; "I beg the Lord to give the Bishops of the United States the strength to build their response to the present crisis upon the solid foundations of faith and upon genuine pastoral charity for the victims, as well as for the priests and the entire Catholic community in your country. And I ask Catholics to stay close to their priests and Bishops, and to support them with their prayers at this difficult time."

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