PROMOTING ECUMENISM MUST BE A CONSTANT CONCERN

VATICAN CITY, JAN 18, 2003 (VIS) - Fifteen members of the administrative council of the Catholic Committee for Cultural Collaboration were welcomed this morning by the Holy Father who expressed his appreciation for the work "of ecclesial support for the Orthodox Churches and the ancient Churches of the East" that the members of this consultative body have been undertaking for years.

He noted that their activities include "giving scholarships to Orthodox candidates presented by their own ecclesial authorities; sending books and literature, especially theological and patristic, to Orthodox seminaries and libraries; promoting special projects in these seminaries and in institutes of formation."

The Pope added that the presence of Orthodox scholarship candidates "expresses an efficacious synergy which helps activate a basic element of the ecumenical commitment: the exchange of gifts among the Churches in their complementarity."

"At the beginning of the new millennium," affirmed the Holy Father in conclusion, "in this period of transition between what has been accomplished and what we are called to accomplish in order to promote the ecumenical path up to the point of reaching full communion, we have an inescapable duty: ... That of favoring capillary reception of the results already reached in the various ecumenical initiatives, not losing the occasion to underline that promoting the ecumenical commitment must be a constant concern in the work of formation."

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PRIESTS MUST BE HOLY AND EDUCATORS OF HOLINESS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 18, 2003 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received superiors and students from the diocesan seminary of Rome, "Almo Collegio Capranica," on the occasion of the feast of its patroness, St. Agnes, on January 21.

The Pope told the students that "the lesson that we can learn from St. Agnes is heroic constancy in the faith 'usque ad effusionem sanguinis'. This young martyr invites us to persevere with fidelity in our mission, even to the point of sacrificing our life if necessary. It calls for an interior disposition that must be fed daily with prayer and a serious ascetic program."

"Priests," he continued, "called to be enlighhtened guides and coherent examples of Christian life for the People of God, cannot fall short of the faith that the Lord and His Church place in them. They must be holy and they must be educators of holiness with their teaching, but even more with their witness. This is the 'martyrdom' to which God calls them, a martyrdom which, even though it does involve violent bloodshed, always requires that bloodless but 'heroic constancy in the faith' which characterizes the existence of the true disciples of Christ."

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WITNESS CEASELESSLY TO THE BEAUTY OF MARRIAGE, THE FAMILY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2003 (VIS) - The Pope today welcomed 300 members of Les Equipes Notre Dame (Teams of Our Lady), which is an international movement of married couples founded in France and dedicated to promoting the spiritual life of couples through prayer and study. He thanked them for the fruits generated worldwide by their movement and encouraged them to "witness ceaselessly and in an explicit manner to the greatness and beauty of human love, marriage and the family."

He noted that the movement is celebrating the centenary of the birth of its founder, Fr. Henri Caffarel who, he said, "showed the greatness and beauty of the vocation to marriage and ... underscored the call to holiness linked to conjugal and family life" and developed a specific spirituality for married couples.

"In the face of the threats that weigh on the family and the factors that make it so fragile, the theme of your (world meeting in Rome), 'Couples called by Christ to the New Covenant,' is especially opportune," remarked the Holy Father. "By their entire life, Christian spouses receive the mission to show, in a visible way, God's unfailing covenant with the world. The Christian faith presents marriage as the Good News: a reciprocal and total relation that is unique and indissoluble, between a man and a woman, who are called to give life."

The Pope highlighted the importance of the Eucharist in the life of a married couple and invited couples to draw their strength from it. He also underscored the importance of "teams participating ever more actively in ecclesial life, especially by being close to young people, who are awaiting the Christian message about human love, which is both demanding and exalting."

John Paul II told his guests that he thanked God "for the fruits of your movement worldwide," but added that his prayers also accompanied those homes and couples in difficulty. "I desire to express my spiritual closeness to separated people, the divorced and the divorced and remarried who, as baptized persons, are called, in respect of the Church's rules, to participate in Christian life."

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ROME CELEBRATES DIOCESAN DAY OF THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

VATICAN CITY, JAN 19, 2003 (VIS) - Following the Angelus prayer recited with pilgrims assembled in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father greeted the administrators, teachers, students and parents of Rome's Catholic schools who are celebrating today the Diocesan Day of the Catholic School on the theme "Family, School, Community. Together for Educating to a Project of Life."

Noting the "integral vision of the human person that Catholic schools offer to young people," John Paul II thanked "all those who live and work in Catholic schools," and said he "hopes that every family will have the concrete possibility to choose this type of school for its own children. I express appreciation for the quality of service that is given and for the tenacity and spirit of sacrifice with which current difficulties are being faced. I encourage everyone to pursue this precious mission which is well inserted in the diocesan pastoral program on the theme of vocations."

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THE CHURCH CELEBRATES WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 19, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul, addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square below his apartment window before praying the Angelus with them, noted that yesterday began the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This is celebrated each year from January 18 to 25, except, as the Pope said, in the southern hemisphere where it is celebrated near Pentecost.

"This year," he explained, "the theme is 'A treasure as in earthen vessels', taken from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians. In our hearts gleams the awareness of divine glory which shines brightly on the face of Christ; we, however, carry this treasure 'in earthen vessels', that is, in the fragility of our human condition so that 'it appears that the extraordinary power comes from God and not from us'."

The Holy Father stated that today's reflections for the week of prayer for unity come from the same text of St. Paul and say: "'We are afflicted in every way but not crushed'. Yes, we are oppressed by divisions and there are many barriers which still separate us! But we are not crushed because the Lord's glory, which shines on us, continues to lead us to purification and reciprocal pardon and infuses light and strength on the prayer that together we raise to God so that He will heal the wounds of our division."

The Pope reminded the faithful that on January 25 he will close the week of prayer by presiding at the celebration of vespers in the basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father erected the Military Ordinariate in Slovakia and appointed Bishop Frantisek Rabek, auxiliary of Nitra, Slovakia, as military ordinary.

On Saturday January 18 it was made public that the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone of Genoa, Italy, as a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2003 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Five prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (Southern Region I) on their "ad limina" visit:

- Bishop Decio Pereira of Santo Andre, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Airton Jose dos Santos.

- Bishop Fernando Legal, S.D.B., of Sao Miguel Paulista.

- Bishop Osvaldo Giuntini of Marilia.

- Bishop Antonio Gaspar of Barretos.

- Archbishop Celestino Migliore, apostolic nuncio and permanent observer to the United Nations.

On Saturday January 18 the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Three prelates from the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (Southern Region I) on their "ad limina" visit:

- Bishop Antonio Celso Queiroz of Catanduva.

- Bishop Emilio Pignoli of Campo Limpo.

- Bishop Amaury Castanho of Jundiai.

- Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, accompanied by family members.

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FINNISH ECUMENICAL DELEGATION: REAL BUT INCOMPLETE COMMUNION

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2003 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received members of an ecumenical delegation from Finland who came to Rome to celebrate the feast of their patron, St. Henrik.

John Paul II recalled that the "Second Vatican Council committed the Catholic Church 'irrevocably to following the path of the ecumenical venture, thus heeding the Spirit of the Lord Who teaches people to interpret carefully the 'signs of the times'."

"This is an invitation," he continued, "that I have embraced throughout my Pontificate. At this time, we recognize a new ecumenical moment in which we can acknowledge a real, if still incomplete, communion. The Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification is a concrete sign of this new situation as a 'brotherhood rediscovered'."
The Holy Father expressed the hope that "by building on this brotherhood we can further promote a shared spirituality which will assist us in our pilgrimage towards full communion."

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