CONFRONT THE PROBLEM OF PROTECTING REFUGEES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2002 (VIS) - Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Office in Geneva, spoke at the 53rd Session of the Executive Committee of the Program of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The head of the delegation of the Holy See referred to two specific questions "which require urgent attention for the future: The 'asylum-migration' nexus must be addressed urgently and systematically. ... The lack of intelligent immigration policies only increases the likelihood of the trafficking of persons, while vast resources are diverted to counteracting the movement of those who might in fact bring a useful contribution to the economic and social progress in the host country."

Archbishop Martin then spoke about the second question, the protection of children. "Refugee children, including adolescents under 18, constitute about 45% of all refugees. ... The serious allegations regarding the sexual exploitation of refugee children clearly point to the need of a continual review of the policies of UNHCR and all its partners in this area." He concluded by emphasizing that "the community of nations affirms today with renewed vigor that the systematic use of sexual exploitation, of children or adults, by humanitarian operators remains equally unacceptable."

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VISIT BY PATRIARCH OF THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2002 (VIS) - The patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Teoctist, will make an official visit to the Holy Father and the Church of Rome from October 7 to 13. The Pope visited Patriarch Teoctist in May of 1999 during his apostolic trip to Romania.

According to a communique made public today, three metropolitans, an archbishop and various representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church will accompany the patriarch.

Patriarch Teoctist and his entourage will participate in the audience with the Pope for the pilgrims who have come for the Canonization of Blessed Escriva. On October 11 the patriarch will be received by the cardinal vicar of Rome, Camillo Ruini, in the Basilica of St. John Lateran where he will attend a short liturgy during which a relic of St. Silvester will be returned to him to be restored to an Orthodox church in Bucharest.

On the morning of Saturday October 12, a meeting between the Holy Father and the patriarch is scheduled. During this meeting, there will be an exchange of speeches and gifts and they will sign a common declaration. In the afternoon at the church of St. Bartholomew on Tiberina Island, an ecumenical celebration will take place which will be presided by the patriarch, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Ruini and Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, U.S.A., titular of the same church.

The concluding solemn event of the visit will take place on October 13 with the Eucharistic Liturgy of the 28th Sunday in Ordinary time, presided by John Paul II in the presence of His Beatitude Teoctist and his entourage in the Vatican Basilica.

During his stay in Rome, His Beatitude Teoctist will meet with Cardinal Kasper, the secretary of the dicastery, and officials from the Eastern section. In addition, he will visit the basilicas of St. Peter, St. Mary Major and St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. He will also meet with the Romanian Orthodox community of Rome in the Cistercian Abbey of the Three Fountains and in the Church of the 'Scala Coeli'. The patriarch, invited by the community of St. Egidio, will meet one afternoon with young people and will participate in a prayer ceremony in the Basilica of St. Mary in Trastevere and in a dinner in his honor.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Her Royal Highness, Princess Victoria of Sweden and her entourage.
- Seven prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Chile on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, archbishop of Santiago, accompanied by his auxiliaries, Bishops Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, S.D.B., and Andres Arteaga Manieu.
- Archbishop Cristian Caro Cordero of Puerto Montt.
- Bishop Gonzalo Duarte Garcia de Cortazar, SS.CC., of Valparaiso, accompanied by his auxiliary, Bishop Santiago Silva Retamales.
- Bishop Ignacio Ducasse Medina of Valdivia.
- Reverand Bertil Werkstrom, Lutheran archbishop emeritus of Uppsala, Sweden.
- Reverand Gunnar Weman, Lutheran archbishop emeritus of Uppsala, Sweden.
- Members of the International Theological Commission.

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