BISHOPS OF BRAZIL: OFFER TEACHING UNITED TO THE MAGISTERIUM

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2002 (VIS) - This morning John Paul II received prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (North/Northwest region) who just completed their "ad limina" visit.

The Pope affirmed that "the ecclesiastical communities need shepherds that are men of faith and who are united among themselves, capable of confronting the challenges of a society tending ever-more toward secularization and consumerism."

"A good portion of people," said the Holy Father, "have received baptism in the Catholic Church," but "sometimes lack a solid and clear faith." In this sense, "indifference toward religious values and ethical principles is a great obstacle for evangelization. All of this is made even more difficult by the presence of sects and new pseudo-religious groups."

"As teachers of doctrine, called to show the way that leads to the Father," he continued, "... do not stop offering the teaching of the Magisterium, united as the successors of the Apostles."

John Paul II recalled that "Christ gave his Church a solid doctrine. ... We have an infinite scientific treasure: the Word of God, preserved by the Church; the grace of Christ, entrusted to his pastors through the administration of the Sacraments."

"It is inevitable that we show our love and veneration to this Church. It is the natural attitude of children toward their mother. Its pastors must show a love of predilection without limits, a self-sacrificing service, capable of renouncing all personal interests to live the same obedience with which Christ suffered on the Cross."

The Pope emphasized the idea that "the episcopate is also rooted in the unity of the Church." He then referred to his letter to the world episcopate in which he stated: "Unity of the Eucharist and unity of the episcopate with Peter, under Peter there are no roots independent of the unity the Church, because Christ instituted the Eucharist and the Episcopate as fundamentally linked truths."

At the end of the speech, the Holy Father spoke about the "importance of giving priority to the formation of vocations, through adequate formation of candidates to the priesthood. At the same time, it is important to make an effort to guide priests in their ministerial duties, with appropriate permanent human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation within the limits of the possibilities of each diocese, or with regional or national initiatives."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Claudio Hummes, archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil, as a member of the Congregation for Bishops.

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MESSAGE TO SISTERS OF OUR LADY OF SUFFRAGE

VATICAN CITY, SEP 14, 2002 (VIS) - John Paul II wrote a message to Sister Fabiola Detomi, superior general of the Institute of the Minim Sisters of Our Lady of Suffrage which is celebrating the general chapter of the congregation, focused on the theme "Give witness to Christ, our hope in a world that is changing."

Referring to the theme, the Pope writes that "Christ, our hope is at the root of everything and is the end to which everything is directed. His mysterious presence keeps alive that eschatological tension of our existence that each believer must have. Your congregation considers this eschatological tension of our existence one of its fundamental characteristics which you received as a legacy from your blessed founder."

Afterward, the Holy Father recalls the founder of the order, Blessed Francesco Faa de Bruno, whom he elevated to the altars in 1988. He underlines that he worried about his final destination, "encouraged always by the interior desire to cooperate in the salvation of his brothers. The final goal of man is, in effect, to find God."

In this context, the Pope cites the construction of a church by the blessed in Turin dedicated to Our Lady of Suffrage and says to the religious: "To worry about 'suffrage', about praying for the repose of the souls in Purgatory: this is ... your characteristic charism which prompts you to constant prayer for those who have gone before you. This same charismatic intuition is a concrete stimulus to fill every earthly day of those goods which do not pass or fade away."

John Paul II concludes by urging the religious to be "joyful and tireless heralds of hope for humanity of our time, so many times obscured by violence and injustices and enclosed by merely earthly horizons. ... Help each brother and sister to discover that everlasting 'not yet' and 'beyond' to which we are all headed."

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TELEGRAM FOR FLOODS IN GUATEMALA

VATICAN CITY, SEP 16, 2002 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of the telegram sent by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State, in the Holy Father's name to Archbishop Ramiro Moliner Ingles, apostolic nuncio in Guatemala, for the floods that have had tragic consequences in the country.

"Having received the sad news of the floods that have provoked serious damage and many victims in various parts of the country, the Holy Father wishes to make present his special closeness to the victims, offering prayers for the souls and the eternal rest of the deceased and asking the Almighty to give comfort and Christian hope to all those who are suffering this adversity."

"In addition, he urges national and international institutions as well as all people of good will to intensify their solidarity and fraternal charity, bringing the necessary help to overcome the dramatic situation in which many Guatemalan families have found themselves."

At the end of the telegram, the Pope imparts his apostolic blessing "as a sign of affection to the beloved people of Guatemala who received him with so much affection during his recent apostolic visit."

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ANGELUS: DISCOVER TRUE MEANING OF THE CROSS

VATICAN CITY, SEP 15, 2002 (VIS) - This afternoon before praying the Angelus with pilgrims and faithful in the courtyard of Castelgandolfo, the Pope spoke about today's feast of Our Lady, Virgin of Sorrows and yesterday's feast, the Exaltation of the Cross.

John Paul II said that these two liturgical memorials "invite us to make a spiritual pilgrimage to Calvary. They inspire us to join the Virgin Mary in contemplating the mystery of the cross."

After recalling that "the main symbol of Christianity is the cross," he affirmed: "Wherever the Gospel has taken root, the cross indicates the presence of Christians. In churches and homes, hospitals, schools and cemeteries, the cross has become the sign par excellence of a culture that obtains truth and liberty, confidence and hope from Christ's message."

"In the process of secularization which characterizes a great part of the contemporary world," he continued, "it is more important than ever that believers focus their gaze on this central sign of revelation and discover its original and true meaning."

The Holy Father indicated that "also today, according to the school of the old Fathers, the Church presents the cross to the world as a 'symbol of life,' in which the ultimate and full sense of each life and all of history can be discovered."

"Since Jesus made the Cross an instrument of universal salvation, it is not a symptom anymore of misfortune but of blessing. ... In a word, the cross is the supreme symbol of love. For this reason, young Christians carry it with pride on their paths in the world, leaving all their worries and hopes for freedom, justice and peace to Christ."

After greeting those present in different languages, the Pope entrusted to the Sorrowful Virgin "young people and families, nations and all of humanity. I invoke her in a special way for the sick and all those who suffer, for innocent victims of injustice and violence, for Christians persecuted for their faith. May Christ's glorious Cross be for everyone a sign of hope, redemption and peace!"

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 16, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Three prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (West 1-2) on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Bonifacio Piccinini, S.D.B., of Cuiaba.
- Archbishop Vitorio Pavanello, S.D.B., of Campo Grande.
- Archbishop Izidoro Kosinski, C.M., of Tres Lagoas.
- Thierry Muuls, ambassador of Belgium, on his farewell visit.

On Saturday September 14, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Giovanni Battista Morandini, apostolic nuncio in Korea and Mongolia.
- Archbishop Santos Abril y Castello, apostolic nuncio in Argentina.
- Archbishop Janusz Bolonek, apostolic nuncio in Uruguay.
- Archbishop Fernando Filoni, apostolic nuncio in Jordan and Iraq.
- Two prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Carillo Gritti, I.M.C., prelate of Itacoatiara.
- Bishop Walmir Alberto Valle, I.M.C., of Ze Doca.

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SPORTS, OCCASION FOR DIALOGUE AND UNDERSTANDING

VATICAN CITY, SEP 16, 2002 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received at Castelgandolfo members of management, technicians and players of the Real Madrid Football Club.

In his greetings, John Paul II affirmed that the Church "considers sports as an instrument of education when elevated human and spiritual ideals are fostered; when they form young people in a complete way in values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, solidarity and peace. Sports, overcoming the diversity of cultures and ideologies, provide the ideal occasion for dialogue and understanding among people for the construction of the desired civilization of love."

"I therefore invite you," he concluded, "to put into practice these values, based on the dignity of the human person, in the face of possible interests that can cast a shadow on the nobility of sports."

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