ANGELUS: THE LORD'S GIFTS NEVER FADE AWAY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 5, 2003 (VIS) - In today's Angelus, John Paul II reminded the faithful and the pilgrims present in Saint Peter's Square that "the sublime mystery of the incarnation of the Eternal Word came to live within us," from the opening of the Gospel of Saint John.

He continued, "These words, while echoing in the heart of the Church for over two thousand years, still maintains its freshness and contemporaneity. (...) The Child born in Bethlehem is truly a 'contemporary' of each person on the face of the world. And thereby, also our 'contemporary'. The gifts of the Lord never fade away. This is the good news of the Nativity: the divine light (...) also shines for us today."

"The drama lies in the fact that Christ-light of the world is not known by many, He is not welcomed by others, rather He is refused by them. In our society, a culture filled with egoism and closed off to the knowledge and love of God is widespread. This is a culture that generates personal loss and dissatisfaction, indifference and solitude, hate and violence, by refusing any solid reference to divine transcendence. Therefore, how urgent is the need to joyfully bear witness to the only message of salvation, ancient yet always new, in the Gospel of life and of light, of hope and of love!"

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EUROPE: MAINTAINING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

VATICAN CITY, JAN 4, 2003 (VIS) - The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, made the following declaration:

"Today, Friday, January 3, the President of the European Parliament, Patrick Cox, was received by Pope John Paul II and, after, met with His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State of His Holiness.

President Cox's visit was a propitious occasion for an exchange of views about Europe. The Holy See underlined that, in a particular way, the joining of the new nations to the Union will be an enrichment for all Europeans and a hope for all people.

During the meeting, they also spoke about the project for the future constitutional treaty and about the interests of the communities of faithful in the European nations, where they maintain a majority, to have their identity and their specific contribution to the life of society respected, as well as the benefits from the statute in the national legislations. The Holy See underlined that this does not mean looking for a privileged juridical statute, rather the maintaining of religious freedom, with full respect for the laity of the civic and community institutions, as well as the non-denominational organizations."

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THE CHURCH'S MISSIONARY VOCATION EMERGES DURING THE EPIPHANY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 6, 2003 (VIS) - This morning, after having ordained twelve bishops in the Vatican Basilica, the Pope appeared at the window of his study overlooking Saint Peter's Square, to recite the Angelus with the faithful present in the square.

John Paul II said that today's Solemnity, the Epiphany of the Lord, brings out the universal and missionary vocation of the Church. She is called upon to spread throughout the world the light of the Good News, the source of life and renewal for each person and for humanity. In a special way, this is the duty of the Apostles and their successors, the bishops: therefore, this morning, as in the past, I wished to ordain some new bishops."

He invited all to pray for the "beloved brothers and sisters of the Oriental Churches who, following the Julian Calendar, celebrate the Nativity during these days. May the Lord, born of the Virgin Mary for us, bring serenity and peace to all the ecclesial Communities."

After the Marian prayer, the Pope reminded that this year commemorates the 160 anniversary of the foundation of the Pontifical Missionary Society of the Holy Child, "present today in more than one hundred nations. It proposes to children to pray and to offer gestures of real solidarity, even through personal sacrifice, for their contemporaries who do not know Jesus yet and live in difficult situations. I would like to thank all these 'little missionaries' for their contribution to the spreading of the Gospel and hope they will bear witness to it every day with their lives."

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THE NEW BISHOPS: OFFER A CLEAR WITNESS OF HOLINESS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 6, 2003 (VIS) - Today, on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, John Paul II conferred episcopal ordination to twelve presbyters from various nations during a Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica.

In the homily, the Holy Father recalled that in today's liturgy "the Magi, coming from the Orient to Jerusalem, are guided by a star and represent the first peoples attracted to the light of Christ."

Addressing the new Bishops, he said, "Faith in Christ, the light of the world, guided your steps from childhood to the offering of yourselves to presbyteral consecration. (...) Now Christ asks you to renew this oblation, to take on the episcopal ministry in the Church. (...) Receive the fullness of this gift, at the same time, you are asked for the fullness of commitment."

The Pope continued saluting each one of the twelve Bishop individually. To Monsignors Paul Tschang In-nam, Celestino Migliore, Pierre Nguyen Van Tot and Pedro Lopez Quintana, he said that they would be "his representatives in Asian and African nations and to the United Nations. (...) With respect towards the institutions and the cultures, invite the Nations you are sent to, to be open to the Gospel. Only Christ can guarantee a deep renewal of consciences and of peoples."

He asked Monsignors Angelo Amato and Brian Farrell, respectively Secretaries of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, for "faithfulness to Catholic tradition and for commitment to ecumenical dialogue."

John Paul II saluted Monsignors Calogero La Piana, of Mazara del Vallo, Italy; Rene-Marie Ehuzu, of Abomey, Benin; Jan Babjak, of the Eparchy of Presov, Slovak Republic; Andraos Abouna, Auxiliary of the Patriarchate of Babylonia of the Chaldeans, Iraq; Milan Sasik, Apostolic Administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the Eparchy of Mukacheve, Ukraine and Giuseppe Nazzaro, Apostolic Vicar of Alep of the Latin Rite, Syria.

He continued, "May the ecclesial communities that will welcome you, and who I salute with affection, find diligent and generous shepherds in you. On the example and the help of the Good Shepherd, always guide the faithful to the pastures of eternal life."

The Holy Father ended by recalling that the Lord demands that the bishops "live and bear witness to His love. (...) Make the beauty of the Gospel, a compendium of divine charity, shine in the eyes of the flock entrusted to you. Offer the entire Christian population a clear witness of holiness. Always be the Epiphany of Christ and His merciful love, and may nothing stop you from achieving this mission."

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ROME SANITATION WORKERS VISIT THE POPE'S NATIVITY SCENE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 5, 2003 (VIS) - From the beginning of his papacy, John Paul II always visited the Nativity Scene of the Rome Sanitation Department Workers. This year, he invited them to visit his Nativity Scene in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

During the brief encounter in the Clementine Hall, the Holy Father said that this year he did not personally see their Nativity Scene, but was satisfied in admiring it "in a photograph (...) as well as in a small reproduction of it, built with the same materials. However, at the end of the Christmas festivities, I wished to invite you in answer to your courtesy."

John Paul II thanked them for having accepted his invitation and for "the important service their company makes for the city and its population. May God help you to do this with commitment."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 7, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Nechan Karakeheyan, of Ispahan of Armenians, Iran, Apostolic Adminstrator of the Ordinariate for the Catholics of Armenian Rite residents in Greece.

- Appointed Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Cardinal Mario Francesco Pompedda, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura; Archbishops Luigi Dossena, Apostolic Nuncio; Renato Raffaele Martino, President of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace"; Attilio Nicora, Bishop emeritus of Verona, Italy and President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See; Reverends Daniel Lagni, National Director of the Pontifical Missionary Works, Brazil; Gianbattista Zanchi, Superior General of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions, Rome, Italy. Appointed Members of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Cardinals Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Koln, Germany; Adam Joseph Maida, Archbishop of Detroit, U.S.A.; Archbishops Attilio Nicora, Bishop emeritus of Verona, Italy, and President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See; Lluis Martinez Sistach, of Tarragona, Spain; Tarcisio Bertone, of Genoa, Italy.

Last Saturday, January 4, the Holy Father:

- Created the diocese of Nyahururu, (area 8,065, population 672,918, Catholics 181,632, priests 26, religious 77) Kenya, separate from the Archdiocese of Nyeri, suffrage to the same metropolitan church. He also appointed Reverend Luigi Paiaro, "fidei donum" missionary of Padua, as the first bishop of Nyahururu. The bishop-elect was born in 1934 in Voltabarozza, Italy, and was ordained a priest in 1959.

- Appointed Reverend Abba Kindane Yebio as Bishop of the Eparchy of Keren (area 25,949, population 949,000, Catholics 51,291, priests 32, religious 69) Eritrea. The bishop-elect was born in 1958 in Shinnara, Eritrea, was ordained a priest in 1985 and was the administrator of the same Eparchy.

- Appointed Msgr. Alan Stephen Hopes and Reverend Bernard Longley as Auxiliary Bishops of the Archbishopric of Westminster (area 3,634, population 4,435,000, Catholics 501,900, priests 771, religious 1,914, permanent deacons 4) in England, Great Britain. The bishop-elect Hopes was born in Oxford, England in 1944, was "ordained a priest" in the Anglican Church in 1968. He was received in the Catholic Church in 1992 and in 1955 was ordained a priest. Since 2001, he was the Vicar General of the same archdiocese. The bishop-elect Longley was born in Manchester, England, in 1955, was ordained a priest in 1981 and was the assistant to the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference for Questions of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 7, 2003 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

-The following Bishops ordained yesterday, with his family members:
- Archbishop Paul Tschang In-nam, Apostolic Nuncio in Bangladesh.

- Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Permanent Observer to the United Nations.

- Archbishop Pierre Nguyen Van Tot, Apostolic Nuncio in Benin and Togo.

- Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, Apostolic Nuncio.

- Archbishop Angelo Amato, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

- Bishop Calogero La Piana, of Mazara del Vallo, Italy.

- Bishop Rene-Marie Ehuzu, of Abomey, Benin.

- Bishop Jan Babjak, of the Eparchy of Presov of Catholics of the Byzantine Rite, Slovak Republic.

- Bishop Andraos Abouna, Auxiliary of the Patriarchate of Babylonia of the Chaldeans, Iraq.

- Bishop Milan Sasik, Apostolic Adminstrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the Eparchy of Mukacheve, Ukraine.

- Bishop Giuseppe Nazzaro, Apostolic Vicar of Alep of Latin Rite, Syria.

- Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

Last Saturday, January 4, he received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Eugenio Sbarbaro, Apostolic Nuncio to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

- Bishop Javier Echevarria Rodriguez, Prelate of the personal Prelature of Opus Dei.

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