FILL HEARTS WITH JOY IN PREPARATION FOR CHRISTMAS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 15, 2002 (VIS) - Today, the third Sunday in Advent, traditionally called Gaudete (Joy) Sunday, the Holy Father celebrated Mass in the Paul VI Hall for the community of the Roman parish of St. John Nepomucene Neumann.

The Pope affirmed in the homily that "in the face of the difficulties of life, uncertainties and fears for the future and the temptation to get discouraged and disappointed, the Word of God once again puts forth the 'joyful proclamation' of salvation. ... May this joy, precursor of the joy of Christmas which is near, penetrate our hearts and every sphere of our existence."

After recalling that the parish, founded two years ago, "still does not have a suitable cultural center", John Paul II said: "Precisely on this third Sunday in Advent, the diocese celebrates a day of prayer and awareness so that all areas of the city, especially those on the outskirts, may have a church with the necessary facilities in order to carry out liturgical, formative and pastoral activities. I hope," he added, "that you also may be able to realize this project as soon as possible, without losing the missionary style that in these years has made your parochial life lively and dynamic."

The Holy Father urged the parishioners to take special care of children and adolescents "so that they do not want for attention, friendship and faith. Support families, in particular those that are young and those that are poor or experiencing difficulties."

Referring at the end to St. John Nepomucene, "this figure of missionary Bishop and extraordinary pioneer of the Gospel in North America in the second half of the nineteenth century", he concluded: "Imitate his zeal for proclaiming the Gospel and his ardent love for the Church and for those in need."

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FOCSIV: LOVE FOR NEIGHBOR KNOWS NO BOUNDS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 14, 2002 (VIS) - This morning John Paul II received participants in the annual assembly of the Federation of Christian Organizations for International Volunteer Service (FOCSIV) which celebrates the 30th anniversary of its founding this year.

The Pope recalled that since its beginnings, FOCSIV has been characterized by promoting the development of the poor thanks to the work of thousands of volunteers who, "since 1972 till today, have been sent to so-called third world countries by the different organizations that make up the Federation."

"What characterizes your worthy Federation, called to work together with so many other organizations of assistance and human promotion, is the Christian inspiration that guides it and sustains its activities in so many parts of the world."

After emphasizing that Christians are called to bear witness to the "provident compassion of our Heavenly Father", he added: "Love for our neighbor, which knows no bounds, needs to be nourished in the hearth of divine charity. This means dedicating much time to prayer, listening attentively and constantly to the Word of God and above all living an existence centered on the mystery of the Eucharist."

"The secret to the efficacy of all your projects," the Holy Father underlined, "is therefore constant reference to Christ. Many of your friends, who have distinguished themselves as authentic and generous promoters of the Gospel, have born witness to this even to the point of sacrificing their lives. Following their example," he concluded, "continue with confidence. Furthermore, intensify your apostolic zeal in order to respond to the needs of those who are forced to live in conditions of discomfort and neglect."

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DECREE OF RECOGNITION: NORMS ON ABUSE OF MINORS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 16, 2002 (VIS) - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, sent a letter to Bishop Wilton Daniel Gregory, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in which he communicates the decree of "recognitio" for the "Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests of Deacons."

In the letter, written in English and dated December 8, Cardinal Re expresses his "renewed and sincere appreciation for the pastoral concern and resolve with which the bishops of the United States have addressed the distressing situation caused by such aberrant crimes."

"The Holy See," he continues, "is fully supportive of the bishops efforts to combat and to prevent such evil. The universal law of the Church has always recognized this crime as one of the most serious offenses which sacred ministers can commit, and has determined that they be punished with the most severe penalties, not excluding - if the case so requires - dismissal from the clerical state. Moreover, the Holy Father in the year 2001 already had determined that this crime should be included among the most serious delicts ('graviora delicta') of clerics, to underscore the Holy See's aversion to this betrayal of the trust which the faithful rightly place in Christ's ministers, and to ensure that the guilty will be appropriately punished. He therefore gave to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith a special competence in this matter, applicable for the whole Church, establishing a particular procedure to be followed."

The prefect recalls that "the Holy See is spiritually united to the victims of abuse and to their families, and encourages particular concern for them on the part of the bishops, priests and the whole Catholic community. This closeness is now once again confirmed through the approval of the present 'Essential Norms' ... [which] in their present formulation are intended to give effective protection to minors and to establish a rigorous and precise procedure to punish in a just way those who are guilty of such abominable offenses."

"At the same time, by ensuring that the true facts are ascertained, the approved Norms protect inviolable human rights - including the right to defend oneself - and guarantee respect for the dignity of all those involved, beginning with the victims. Moreover, they uphold the principle, fundamental in all just systems of law, that a person is considered innocent until either a regular process or his own spontaneous admission proves him guilty."

"The genuine ecclesial communion between the Episcopal Conference and the Apostolic See, demonstrated once again in these painful circumstances, prompts us all to pray earnestly to God that from the present crisis might emerge, as the Holy Father has stated: 'a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate, and a holier Church'. In this way, the bonds of communion which unite the bishops with their priests and deacons, and the faithful with their pastors, will be further strengthened."

"The Holy See, moreover, together with the bishops of the United States, feels duty-bound in justice and in gratitude to reaffirm and defend the good name of the overwhelming majority of priests and deacons who are and have always been exemplary in their fidelity to the demands of their vocation but have been offended or unjustly slandered by association. As the Holy Father has said, we cannot 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'. Indeed, it appears necessary to devote every available resource to restoring the public image of the Catholic priesthood as a worthy and noble vocation of generous and often sacrificial service to the People of God."

"As regards religious priests and deacons I would ask the representatives of the Episcopal Conference to continue to meet with the representatives of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men to examine more closely the various aspects of their particular situation, and to forward to the Holy See whatever agreements they may reach."

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ANGELUS: A SIGN OF HOPE THROUGH CHRISTIAN FAMILIES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 15, 2002 (VIS) - After his encounter with the community of the Roman parish of St. John Nepomucene Neumann, John Paul II appeared at the window of his study at noon to pray the Angelus with the numerous pilgrims gathered below in St. Peter's Square.

Among those present were many children who came with figurines of the Baby Jesus to be blessed by the Pope, as is customary on the third Sunday in Advent.

"Your joy," said the Holy Father addressing the children, "is in harmony with the spirit of joy typical of the third Sunday in Advent. Christmas," he continued, "is par excellence the feast of the family because God, being born into a human family, chose it as the first community consecrated by his love."

Finally the Pope recalled the celebration of the 4th World Meeting with Families on January 22 and 26 of 2003 in Manila, Philippines. Previous meetings were held in Rome (1994), Rio de Janeiro (1997) and again in Rome during the Jubilee Year. "The next meeting," he affirmed, "will help to promote once again the Gospel of the Family in the third millennium. ... The world needs a sign of hope to come from Christian families."

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AUDIENCES

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

- Stjepan Mesic, president of the Republic of Croatia, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

- Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, apostolic nuncio in Ireland.

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

- Archbishop Antonio Mennini, representative of the Holy See to the Russian Federation.

- Archbishop Marc Ouellet of Quebec, Canada.

- Tayaab Siddiqui, ambassador of Pakistan, on his farewell visit.

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 16, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father, accepting the request of the French Episcopate, reorganized the French ecclesiastical provinces.

A) He erected the following provinces:

- Marseille, immediately subject to the Holy See, elevating the archdiocese to the level of metropolitan Church and assigning to it as suffragans the archdioceses of Aix and Avignon, metropolitan sees, and the dioceses of Ajaccio, Digne, Frejus-Toulon, Gap, Nice. He appointed Archbishop Bernard Panafieu as metropolitan archbishop.

- Clermont, elevating it to level of metropolitan Church and assigning to it as suffragans the dioceses of Le Puy-en-Velay, Moulins, Saint-Flour. He appointed Bishop Hippolyte Simon as metropolitan archbishop.

- Dijon, elevating it to the level of metropolitan Church and assigning it as suffragans the archdioceses of Sens, metropolitan see, and the dioceses of Autun, Nevers, and the prelature of the "Mission de France" or Pontigny. He appointed Bishop Michel Coloni as metropolitan archbishop.

- Montpellier, elevating it to the level of metropolitan Church and assigning to it as suffragans the dioceses of Carcassonne, Mende, Nimes and Perpignan-Elne. He appointed Bishop Guy Thomazeau as metropolitan archbishop.

- Poitiers, elevating it to the level of metropolitan Church and assigning to it as suffragans the dioceses of Angouleme, La Rochelle, Limoges and Tulle. He appointed Bishop Albert Rouet as metropolitan archbishop.

B) He assigned as suffragans:

- the dioceses of Aire, Agen, Bayonne and Perigueux to the metropolitan Church of Bordeaux.

- the dioceses of Annecy, Belley-Ars, Grenoble, Saint-Etienne, Valence, Viviers, and the archdiocese of Chambery, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Tarentaise, metropolitan see, to the metropolitan Church of Lyon.

- the dioceses of Amiens, Beauvais, Chalons, Langres, Soissons and Troyes to the metropolitan Church of Reims.

- the dioceses of Angers, Laval, Le Mans, Lucon, Nantes, Quimper, Saint-Brieuc and Vannes to the metropolitan Church of Rennes.

- the archdioceses of Albi and Auch, metropolitan sees, and the dioceses of Cahors, Montauban, Pamiers, Rodez, Tarbes and Lourdes to the metropolitan Church of Toulouse.

- the archdiocese of Bourges, metropolitan see, and the dioceses of Blois, Chartres and Orleans to the metropolitan Church of Tours.

C) He confirmed as suffragans:

- the dioceses of Belfort-Montbeliard, Nancy, Saint-Claude, Saint-Die and Verdun to the metropolitan Church of Besancon.

- the dioceses of Arras and Lille to the metropolitan Church of Cambrai.

- the dioceses of Creteil, Evry-Corbeil-Essonnes, Meaux, Nanterre, Pontoise, Saint-Denis and Versailles to the metropolitan Church of Paris.

- the dioceses of Bayeax, Coutances, Evreux, Le Havre and Sees to the metropolitan Church of Rouen.

D) He confirmed the archdiocese of Strasbourg and the diocese of Metz as "immediate subiectae Sanctae Sedi".

On Saturday December 14, it was made public that the Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Ngozi, Burundi presented by Bishop Stanislas Kaburungu, in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2, of the Code of Canon Law. Bishop Gervais Banshimiyubusa, coadjutor of the same diocese, will succeed him.

- Appointed Fr. Joachim Ntahondereye, professor of moral theology at the Major Seminary in Gitega, Burundi, as bishop of Muyinga (area 5,767, population 959,920, Catholics 525,027, priests 31, religious 122), Burundi. The bishop-elect was born in 1953 in Camzai, Burundi and was ordained in 1980.

- Appointed Msgr. Jair Ferreira Pena, Frs. Miguel Vasco Costa de Salis Amaral and Fernando Jose Monteiro Guimaraes, C.SS.R., as consultors of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints.

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