CONGREGATION ARCHIVES TO BE ELECTRONICALLY CATALOGUED

VATICAN CITY, DEC 5, 2002 (VIS) - Fr. Ciro Benedettini, vice director of the Holy See Press Office, made the following statement this morning regarding the computerization of the archives of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which will be financed by Italy's Ministry for Cultural Goods.

"This morning Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Prof. Salvatore Italia, director general for the Archives of the Italian Ministry for Patrimony and Cultural Activities, signed an agreement of collaboration for the electronic cataloging of the historical archives of the Vatican dicastery, which are comprised of the records of the former Congregation of the Holy Office and of the Index of Prohibited Books, as well as those of the tribunal of the Inquisition of Siena.

"The Archives were officially opened for consultation by scholars on January 22, 1998, causing notable interest among historians throughout the world. The agreement signed today will allow for the completion, in four years, of an ambitious project of computerizing the catalogue and inventory of the above-mentioned records. A team of young archivists has already begun this work and up to now they have cataloged 2,500 pieces, including antique file folders and files, registers, parchments, designs, engravings and various documents, which date from the middle of the 16th century to the early years of the 20th century, and embrace a very broad area of subject matters, which makes the study of such records absolutely indispensable for knowing Italian, European and world history and culture of modern times.

"The agreement therefore consolidates the fortunate harmony between the two administrations in the common commitment for the safekeeping, knowledge and use of cultural goods in the service of a more ample development of the good of mankind and civil coexistence."

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CATHOLIC UNIVERSITIES: BEAR WITNESS TO THE FAITH

VATICAN CITY, DEC 5, 2002 (VIS) - At noon today the Pope received the participants in an international conference focusing on the theme, "Globalization and Catholic Universities," organized jointly by the Congregation for Catholic Education and the International Federation of Catholic Universities.

The Holy Father encouraged rectors and professors of Catholic universities all over the world to "be observant of what is promising to man and mankind in scientific and technological progress and also in the phenomena of globalization, but also of the dangers that may exist in the future." In this sense, he referred to topics that directly concern the dignity of the person and man's fundamental rights which "are intimately related to the big questions in bioethics, such as the statute of the human embryo and stem cells, today the object of disturbing experiments and manipulations, not always moral or scientifically justified."

Professors and students, he said, "are called to bear clear witness to their faith before the scientific community, showing their commitment to the truth and their respect for the human person. For Christians, research must in effect be undertaken in the light of faith, rooted in prayer, listening to the Word of God, in Tradition and in the teaching of the Magisterium."

John Paul II emphasized that Catholic universities "have the duty to live the teaching of the Magisterium in the different fields of research in which they are involved, while preserving their scientific autonomy."

The Pope stated that university authorities have the obligation to "be vigilant in maintaining rectitude and Catholic principles in teaching and research in the heart of their university. It is clear that university centers that do not respect the Church's laws and the teaching of the Magisterium, especially in bioethics, cannot be defined as Catholic universities."

The Holy Father concluded by affirming that Catholic universities "are called to be places of dialogue with the whole university world in order that cultural formation and research may be at the service of the common good and of man, who cannot be considered a simple tool for research."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 5, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Leszek Miller, prime minister of the Republic of Poland, and an entourage.

- Two prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (Northeast Region III) on their "ad limina" visit:

- Bishop Ricardo Jose Weberberger, O.S.B., of Barreiras.

- Bishop Antonio Eliseu Zuqueto, O.F.M.Cap., of Teixeira de Freitas-Caravelas.

- Joao Bosco Soares de Mota Amaral, president of the parliament of the Republic of Portugal, and an entourage.

- Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congrehation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

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