THE CHURCH CONTINUES TO RAISE ITS PRAYER FOR PEACE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 2002 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall, the Pope met with cardinals, members of the pontifical family, the Curia and the Roman prelature for the traditional exchange of Christmas greetings.

John Paul II began by saying that for him, this Christmas is "especially significant because it falls on the 25th year of my pontificate. It is this reason that urges me to have you participate in my 'thanks' to the Lord for the gifts that he has given me in this long period of time spent in the service of the Universal Church."

"Our gathering," he continued, "gives a particular tone because it takes place during the Year of the Rosary. ... In the apostolic letter 'Rosario Virginis Mariae' I underlined the anthropological value of this prayer, which, helping us in contemplating Christ, guides us to look at man and history in the light of the Gospel."

The Holy Father affirmed that we cannot forget that Christ's face "continues to have a sorrowful expression, of true passion, for the conflicts that stain so many regions of the world with blood, and for those that threaten to explode with renewed force. The situation in the Holy Land continues to be emblematic, as well as the 'forgotten' wars, that are no less devastating. Terrorism continues to reap victims and dig more graves. Faced by this horizon stained by blood, the Church does not cease to make itself heard, and, above all, continues to raise its prayer."

The Pope later referred to the beauty of creation which reflects a "ray of splendor of Christ's face", but also "the devastation man's neglect is capable of inflicting upon the environment. ... For this reason, I am happy to have been able to bear witness to the Church's commitment to the environment during this year, on different occasions."

In regards to relations with States, "I have reminded everyone," said John Paul II, "of the urgency to put the dignity of the human person and service to the common good at the center of national and international politics."

Speaking about the celebration of World Youth Day, held in July in Toronto, Canada, the Holy Father recalled "the presence of so many young people" without forgetting so many others "taken in by other messages or misguided by thousands of different proposals. It is up to young people to evangelize their peers."
Afterwards, the Pope recalled the progress made on the ecumenical front, despite "reasons for bitterness. But," he continued, "we must look at the lights rather than the shadows." He also recalled, along with the aforementioned joint Declaration with the Patriarch Bartholomew I, the visit made by the Delegation of the Greek Orthodox Church with a message from His Beatitude Christodoulos, archbishop of Athens and of all of Greece, and the meeting with the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Teoctist with whom he signed a common declaration this past October.

"When will the Lord finally give us the joy of full communion with the Orthodox brothers?" he asked. "The answer lies in the mystery of Divine Providence. But faith in God does not exempt us from personal commitment. For this reason, the ecumenism of prayer and holiness must be intensified above all."

The last paragraphs of the Pontiff's speech were dedicated to holiness, "summit of the ecclesiastical landscape." The Holy Father also thanked God for this year's beatifications and canonizations: Pedro de San Jose Betancur, Juan Diego and the martyrs of Oaxaca during his apostolic trip to Guatemala City and Mexico City, and in Rome Padre Pio of Pietrelcina and St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer who inspired "public opinion's particular interest."

He concluded by saying: "My apostolic trip to Poland was also characterized by sanctity, for the dedication of the shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Lagiewniki. On that occasion, I once again reminded our world, tempted by discouragement in the face of so many unresolved problems and threatening unknowns of the future, that God is 'full of mercy'. For those who trust in Him, nothing is definitively lost; everything can be rebuilt."

AC;CURIA; CHRISTMAS GREETINGS;...;...;VIS;20021223;Word: 680;

GUARANTEE ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL MEDICINES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 2002 (VIS) - Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, permanent observer to the World Trade Organization (WTO), spoke on December 20 in a meeting of the WTO dedicated to Aspects of the Rights of Intellectual Property related to Trade (TRIPS).

The archbishop recalled that when the 'Doha Declaration' on TRIPS and public health was approved, it "was considered a significant breakthrough in attempting to reconcile two important values for our world community: permitting governments to respond rapidly to urgent public health needs of their people ... assuring access to essential medicines at affordable prices and respecting the creativity and innovative possibilities offered by a rules-based international system for the protection of intellectual property."

"It was hoped," continued the prelate, "above all that it would constitute a victory for the poorest and those most vulnerable to health risks and suffering, especially in Africa."

After emphasizing this hope the archbishop expressed, however, the Holy See's concern that it has not been possible "to arrive, within the deadline set, at a consensus application of the Declaration for those countries that do not have the domestic capacity to produce their own medicines."

Archbishop Martin recalled John Paul II's words in his Message for the World Day of Peace 2003: "Promises made to the poor should be particularly binding" and "the failure to keep commitments in the sphere of aid to developing nations is a serious moral question."

"The protection of private property," he continued, "including intellectual property, is an important value, which we must respect. ... The very creative and innovative impetus which the intellectual property rights system offers - especially in the health sector -is there primarily to serve the common good of the human community."

The permanent observer concluded by stressing that "a positive decision on this question would have been an important sign from the World Trade Organization especially in the Christmas season. My delegation hopes that a sense of common responsibility will urge us all to ensure that what has been achieved in these days not to be lost, and that we can arrive at a positive decision for the good of our human family as early as possible."

DELSS;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY;...;MARTIN;VIS;20021223;Word: 360;

URBI ET ORBI BLESSING IN ST. PETER'S SQUARE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 2002 (VIS) - This morning Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, made the following declaration:

"Restoration work has been going on for some months on the interior of the facade of St. Peter's Basilica. This work also affects the Hall of Blessings, which, as is known, runs horizontally across the facade of the Basilica at the level of the central balcony.

"For this reason, this year the Holy Father will impart the 'Urbi et Orbi' Christmas blessing from St. Peter's Square and not from the central balcony."

OP;CHRISTMAS BLESSING;...;NAVARRO VALLS;VIS;20021223;Word: 110;

THE POPE RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE PRINCE VICTOR EMANUEL OF SAVOY

VATICAN CITY, DEC 23, 2002 (VIS) - The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, made the following declaration:

"This morning, the Holy Father His Royal Highness Prince Victor Emanuel of Savoy with his wife and son in a private audience.

"John Paul II welcomed his guests to the Vatican and visited with them for approximately twenty minutes, in cordial dialogue exchanging greetings for Christmas and for the New Year.

"Prince Victor Emanuel thanked the Holy Father for this audience, defining it has an 'historical event' for his family.

"Afterwards, the Prince and his wife and son met with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State."

OP;AUDIENCE SAVOY FAMILY;...;NAVARRO-VALLS;VIS;20021223;Word: 130;

THE TRADITION OF CHRISTMAS GIFTS MUST NOT LOSE IT'S MEANING

VATICAN CITY, DEC 22, 2002 (VIS) - At noon today, the IVth Sunday of Advent, the Holy Father came to the window of his office in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Square.

Speaking about the Nativity Scene, the Pope said that it's "simplicity is in contrast with the image of Christmas, which is often proposed in an insistent way by advertising. Even the beautiful tradition of exchanging gifts for Christmas between parents and friends, affected by a certain consumeristic mentality, runs the risk of losing its true 'Christmas' spirit."

John Paul II continued, saying that the tradition of exchanging gifts is comprehended because "Jesus in person is God's Gift to humanity, our gifts wishing to be a reflection and an expression of this. For this reason, those acts of solidarity and welcome towards the poor and the needy should be favored."

While contemplating the Nativity scene, where "the Virgin and Saint Joseph await Jesus' birth", the Pope said that the conditions necessary to our preparation for Christmas are "interior silence and prayer, which allow the contemplation of the mystery being commemorated and one's readiness to welcome the Will of God."

He ended by saying "Mary and Joseph's 'yes' is complete and commits their entire being: spirit, soul and body." He exclaimed "May it be thus for us! May Jesus, who will make our Nativity Scene shine with joy, find a generous welcome in every Christian family, as what occurred in Bethlehem on the Holy Night."

ANG;NATIVITY;...;...;VIS;20021223;Word: 260;

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 23, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Msgr. George Cosmas Zumaire Lungo, apostolic administrator of Chipata, as bishop of this same diocese (area 69,106, population 1,480,967, Catholics 274,007, priests 46, religious 179), Zambia. The bishop elect was born in Zumaire (Zambia) in 1960 and was ordained priest in 1985.

On Saturday, December 21, it was made public that the Holy Father:
- Appointed Fr. Melchor Sanchez de Toca y Alameda, as bureau chief for the Pontifical Council for Culture.

- Appointed Bishop Kevin McDonald of Northampton, Great Britain, as member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

- Appointed the following prelates as members of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples: Archbishop Francesco Monterisi, secretary of the Congregation for Bishops; Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

- Appointed the following prelates as members of the Committee of the Presidency of the Pontifical Council for the Family: Patriarch Angelo Scola of Venice; Archbishop George Pell of Sydney, Australia; Archbishop Vingt-Trois of Tours, France and Bishop Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, Sweden.

- Apppointed the following as members of the Pontifical Council for the Family: Francisco and Geraldine Padilla of the Philippines; Prof. Michael M. Waldstein and Susie Burnham Waldstein of Austria.

- Appointed the following as consultors of the same Pontifical Council: Msgr. Renzo Bonetti of the diocese of Verona, Italy; Fr. David Maria A. Jaeger, O.F.M., of the Custody of the Holy Land; Prof. Carl Albert Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, U.S.A.; Prof. Pedro Morande Court, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Catholic Pontifical University of Chile; Prof. Dina Nerozzi Frajese, lecturer at the University of Tor Vergata, Rome; Timothy T. O'Donnell, president of Christendom College, U.S.A and Antonia Willemsen, secretary of 'Aid to the Suffering Church', Germany.

- Gave his consent to the election, canonically carried out by the Synod of Bishops of the Coptic Catholic Church which met on December 19 in Cairo, Egypt, of Msgr. Antonios Aziz Mina, bureau chief of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, as auxiliary bishop of the Patriarchate of Alexandria of the Coptic Catholics [Catholics: 91,500; priests: 120; religious: 389], Egypt. The bishop-elect was born in Minya, Egypt in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1978.

NA; NEA;...;...;...;VIS;20021223;Word: 350;

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 23, 2002 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- His Royal Highness Prince Victor Emanuel of Savoy, with his wife and son.

- Archbishop Domenico Caloyera, emeritus of Izmir, Turkey.

On Saturday December 21, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

AP;...;...;...;VIS;20021223;Word: 30;