ANGELUS: THANK YOU TO RELIGIOUS FOR THEIR HELP AT WYD

VATICAN CITY, JUL 27, 2002 (VIS) - John Paul II went this morning from Strawberry Island to the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Toronto where he will stay till July 29th when he will leave for Guatemala City.

The complex where the Pope is staying is in the middle of a large park in north Toronto - F.K. Morrow Park, named after a philanthropist who gave the nuns the grounds of his property -and is comprised of the Mother House of the order, a residence and a rest home for elderly religious, a chapel and an infirmary.

The community was founded in France in 1651 by Fr. Joseph Medaille, S.J. In the 19th century, the bishop of Toronto asked the religious, as well as the monks of St. Basil, to go to Canada to take charge of an orphanage during the epidemic of typhus and cholera. In 1892, the Sisters of St. Joseph inaugurated the first of their hospitals in Canada which were followed by hospices for the elderly, schools and university residences.
The Pope arrived at the Mother House of the religious just before 11 a.m. where the Canadian political authorities were waiting for him: Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Governor general Adrienne Clarkson, Governor David Young of Ontario, and Mayor Mel Lastman of Toronto. The Holy Father spoke in private with each of them and after greeting the superior general and the council of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, he went to the chapel to pray the Angelus with the community.

Before the Marian prayer, John Paul II thanked the nuns for their hospitality and emphasized that he knew how much they had worked "together with so many religious in preparation for World Youth Day and in welcoming young people from all over the world."
After recalling that the congregation just celebrated 150 years since its foundation, he said: "With you I bless the Lord who has done so many marvels through the dedication, sacrifice and humble and hidden service of so many religious of St. Joseph."

After praying the Angelus, the Pope ate lunch in the refectory of the convent with 120 bishops of the Canadian Episcopal Conference.

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JOHN PAUL II HAS LUNCH WITH 14 YOUTHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

VATICAN CITY, JUL 26, 2002 (VIS) - This afternoon, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls recounted details about John Paul II's day of rest on Strawberry Island to journalists who are accompanying him on his apostolic trip.

Navarro-Valls said that the Holy Father had taken a boat ride in the morning and later had done the Way of the Cross which is his custom on Fridays.

In response to the Pope's invitation, 14 youths from Canada, Germany, India, the United States, Sudan, China (Hong Kong), Kenya, Tahiti, Peru, Australia, Jordan and Bosnia-Herzegovina, who participated in World Youth Day, arrived on the island at midday to eat lunch with him.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office affirmed that the encounter with the Pope lasted two hours. The Holy Father asked each one for news about their life and country. Of special interest were comments made by a representative of Sudan who told the Pope about the difficult situation in his country, affected by a bloody war and famine, and by another representative from China who said, "There are many people in my country who love him."

After lunch, several of the youths sang. One of the Canadians played country-rock music and a representative from Kenya performed a dance of the Masai tribes.

Among the most significant gifts that the Pope received was a Chinese flag, signed with greetings from young people of the nation, on which it was written: "We hope that one day World Youth Day will be celebrated in our country."

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POPE TRAVELS TODAY TO GUATEMALA CITY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 29, 2002 (VIS) - After celebrating Mass this morning in private, the Pope will go to Lester B. International Airport in Toronto where he will say goodbye to civil and religious authorities at 11:15 a.m. local time (5:15 p.m. Rome time).

The Holy Father will arrive in Guatemala City in 5 hours after covering 3,398 kilometers. His arrival at the international airport in Guatemala City is scheduled for 3 p.m. local time (11 p.m. Rome time).

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YOUNG PEOPLE: POPE IDENTIFIES WITH YOUR HOPES

VATICAN CITY JUL 28, 2002 (VIS) - This morning at 9:30 a.m. local time, John Paul II presided at the Eucharistic Concelebration which concluded World Youth Day in Downsview Park. Four hundred bishops and 1,000 priests concelebrated with the Pope. Eight hundred thousand young people attended the Mass, celebrated in French, English, Inuktikut and in the languages of the diverse participants.
The Pope's homily was dedicated to the theme of the 17th World Youth Day: 'You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.'

The Pope quoted the gospel passage in which Jesus' disciples, close to the Lake of Galilea, were listening to his "voice, gentle and urgent ... as a call to choose between life and death, between truth and falsehood."

"Today," he continued, "he is speaking the same words to you, the young people ... His words tell you who you are as Christians. They tell you what you must do to remain in his love. ... Jesus offers one thing, and the 'spirit of the world' offers another. The 'spirit of the world' offers many false illusions and parodies of happiness. There is perhaps no darkness deeper than the darkness that enters young people's soul when false prophets extinguish in them the light of faith and hope and love. The greatest deception, and the deepest source of unhappiness, is the illusion of finding life by excluding God, of finding freedom by excluding moral truths and personal responsibility. The Lord is calling you to choose between these two voices."

"The world you are inheriting is a world which desperately needs a new sense of brotherhood and human solidarity. ... It needs you - to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt seasons and improves the flavor of food. ... You have to change and improve the 'taste' of human history. ... You have to humanize the world we live in."

"If you love Jesus, love the Church! Do not be discouraged by the sins and failings of some of her members. The harm done by some priests and religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame. But think of the vast majority of dedicated and generous priests and religious whose only wish is to serve and do good!"

"You are young, the Pope is old and a bit tired," he said, as he was interrupted by participants who were exclaiming: "It's not true, the Pope is young." John Paul II then responded, improvising: "To be 82 or 83 is not the same as 22 or 23." Returning to his homily, he emphasized: "But he still fully identifies with your hopes and aspirations. Although I have lived through much darkness, under harsh totalitarian regimes, I have seen enough evidence to be unshakably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is so great that it can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal in the hearts of young."

When the Mass was over, John Paul II prayed the Angelus with the young people. Before the Marian prayer, the Pope entrusted the fruits of World Youth Day to Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, so that "in time, with her help, they may flourish."

"I wish formally to announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in 2005 in Cologne, Germany. In the great Cathedral in Cologne the relics of the Magi, the Wise Men from the East who followed the star which led them to Christ, are honored. As pilgrims, your spiritual journey to Cologne starts today."

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LET THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINE IN YOUR LIVES

VATICAN CITY, JUL 27, 2002 (VIS) - This afternoon the Pope went from the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph to Downsview Park in Toronto to participate in the Vigil with young people from all over the world. The gathering had the same theme as World Youth Day: "You are the salt of the earth; you are light of the world."

Downsview Park used to be a military airport. It was converted into the first urban national park with its 260 hectareas. The Holy Father celebrated Mass here during his pastoral visit in 1984.

After taking a ride in the popemobile while greeting 500,000 young people from 173 countries, the Holy Father went up to the podium, installed on a large stage.

The event included a welcome from young Canadians to the Pope and the pilgrims, testimony by several youths from different continents, liturgy of the Word, a speech by the Pope, prayers of the faithful, a final blessing and the singing of the World Youth Day 2002 song, 'Light of the World.'

At the beginning of his speech, John Paul II recalled that when in 1985 he started the World Youth Days he imagined them to be "a powerful moment in which young people of the world could meet Christ, who is eternally young, and could learn from Him how to be bearers of the Gospel to other young people. This evening, together with you, I praise God and give thanks to him for the gift bestowed on the Church through the World Youth Days."

"The new millennium opened with two contrasting scenarios: one, the sight of multitudes of pilgrims coming to Rome during the Great Jubilee" and "the terrible terrorist attack on New York, an image that is a sort of icon of a world in which hostility and hatred seem to prevail."

"The question that arises is dramatic," he continued, "on what foundations must we build the new historical era that is emerging from the great transformations of the twentieth century? Is it enough to rely on the technological revolution now taking place, which seems to respond only to criteria of productivity and efficiency, without reference to the individual's spiritual dimension or to any universally shared ethical values? Is it right to be content with provisional answers to the ultimate questions, and to abandon life to the impulses of instinct, to short-lived sensations or passing fads? The question will not go away: on what foundations, on what certainties should we build our lives and the life of the community to which we belong?"

The Holy Father emphasized that the 20th century tried "to build the city of man without reference to Him. It ended actually building that city against man! Christians knows that it is not possible to reject or ignore God without demeaning man."

Humanity nurtures "a new civilization marked by freedom and peace." For this, "a new generation of builders is needed" and he affirmed, "you must be those 'builders', young people."

John Paul II urged the youths: "Let yourselves be taken over by the light of Christ, and spread that light wherever you are. .. If your friendship with Christ, your knowledge of his mystery, your giving of yourselves to him, are genuine and deep, you will be 'children of the light' and you will become 'light of the world'".

"This evening the Pope, along with all of you, young people from every continent, reaffirms before the world the faith that sustains the life of the Church. Christ is the light of the nations. Precisely for this reason I say to you this evening: let the light of Christ shine in your lives! Do no wait until you are older in order to set out on the path of holiness! ... Communicate to everyone the beauty of the contact with God that gives meaning to your lives. In the quest for justice, in the promotion of peace, in your commitment to brotherhood and solidarity, let no one surpass you!"

When the vigil concluded, the Pope went to his residence in the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph to spend the night.

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TELEGRAMS: SHIPWRECK IN INDIA; AIR SHOW CRASH IN UKRAINE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 28, 2002 (VIS) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of State, sent a telegram in the Pope's name to Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, apostolic nuncio in India, for the many victims of a shipwreck on a lake in the southern state of Kerala which occurred yesterday.

In addition, the cardinal sent another telegram to Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, apostolic nuncio in Ukraine, following an accident in an air show yesterday afternoon in which a military plane crashed into people who were attending an exhibition, causing dozens of deaths and injuries.

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GUATEMALA CITY, SECOND LEG OF JOHN PAUL II'S TRIP

VATICAN CITY, JUL 29, 2002 (VIS) - On the occasion of John Paul II's apostolic trip to Guatemala City, capital of Guatemala, we offer some information about the country and its civil and ecclesiastical state.

Guatemala is the center of Mayan civilization which flourished between the 10th and 12th centuries. It fell to Aztec domination in subsequent centuries until Pedro de Alvarado, Hernan Cortes' captain, conquered the country for the Spanish crown in 1523.

Guatemala belonged to Spain until 1821 when it declared its independence. In 1839, it declared itself an autonomous republic. Another important date in its history is 1954, when President Arbenz Guzman, supporter of radical agrarian reform, was over thrown after a military coup. Since then, and till 1985, the various military regimes that have gained power have faced guerilla forces which consist primarily of indigenous people. In 1996, the government and the National Revolutionary Union signed a peace accord.

Guatemala City, founded in 1776, after an earthquake that destroyed Old Guatemala, is the nation's capital and political, social, cultural and economic center. In addition, it is the biggest city in Central America.

After the country declared its independence, Guatemala City was the capital of the province of Central America for two years under the Mexican empire of Augustin de Iturbide and until 1833 it was also the capital of the Federation of Central America. The real capital of Guatemala until 1902, however, was Quetzaltenango, which was destroyed in the same year by an earthquake. From that date on, the most influential families moved to Guatemala City.

Affected by many earthquakes, the capital was reconstructed between 1917 and 1918. Its main monuments are the churches of San Francisco de la Merced and Santo Domingo, the latter famous for its Holy Week processions. The National Archeological Museum contains important collections of Mayan art. On the outskirts of the city, half of the country's industry is concentrated. The village of Chimnautla, famous for its ceramics, is close to Guatemala city, as are the Indian communities of San Pedro and San Juan Sacatepequez.

The archdiocese of Guatemala City consists of 2,922,080 people, of which 2,045,456 (70%) are Catholics. There are 125 parishes, and 47 churches or missionary stations. There are 96 diocesan priests, 325 religious priests, 579 non-priest, male religious and 1,128 female religious. There are 92 educational institutions and 89 charitable centers. The archbishop is Rodolfo Quezada Toruno and the apostolic nuncio is Archbishop Ramiro Moliner Ingles.

The Pope will be received by Alfonso Portillo Cabrera, president of the Guatemalan Republic, the prime minister of Belize and the presidents of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic. The bishops of Guatemala, the diplomatic corp and different civil and religious leaders will also welcome the Holy Father.

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