HOLY FATHER SENDS CARDINAL LAGHI AS SPECIAL ENVOY TO U.S.

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2003 (VIS) - The following statement was made this morning to journalists by Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office:

"In light of the Iraqi crisis, the Holy Father has named Cardinal Pio Laghi as his special envoy to meet with George W. Bush, president of the United States.
"The cardinal, who will leave Rome in coming days, will carry a message from the Holy Father and will have an opportunity to illustrate the position and initiatives undertaken by the Holy See to contribute to disarmament and peace in the Middle East."

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WORK IS INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO HUMAN DIGNITY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2003 (VIS) - The Pope today received 350 leaders of Olivetti Tecnost, recalling his trip to their offices in Ivrea in 1990 and noting that they "represent one of the industrial groups most involved in the current phase of reorganization and re-launching of the productive sectors of the Italian economy."

The Pope said that at this current time in history, marked by "contradictions and problems" but also by "innovative stimuli," it is "of fundamental importance to remember the strict bond that exists between work and the dignity of the person. ... It is a privileged occasion to reaffirm the centrality of man in the difference stages of planning, production, selling and the use of consumer goods."

The Holy Father spoke of the founder, Adriano Olivetti, "an esteemed entrepreneur who felt that work was a singular opportunity for human growth for everyone" as well as "a favorable occasion to create relationships of collaboration and solidarity among persons." He added that efforts to develop a business and to create new jobs will be "all the more efficacious when they are inspired by the ethical, cultural and religious principles of work."

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POPE WELCOMES ROMANIAN BISHOPS ON "AD LIMINA" VISIT

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2003 (VIS) - The bishops of Romania, at the conclusion of their "ad limina" visit, were welcomed by the Holy Father this morning who recalled his visit to their country in May 1999 where he "experienced the intense affection of the Romanian people for the Pope."

In his discourse to them in their language, he underscored that the two rites of the Catholic Church in Romania "are a very active minority on the spiritual and social levels. I know that your communities work side by side with the Orthodox majority of the country, collaborating ... with a fraternal spirit and in reciprocal respect." He spoke of the important work of the Mixed Commission for Dialogue between the Greek-Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church of Romania.

The Holy Father then turned his attention to the important area of pastoral ministry for families, noting that there have been meetings in this regard with the Orthodox "for a common discernment of the problems that families are facing." Among these problems, he said, are "the fragility of couples, the consistent migration of young families to western countries, the subsequent entrusting of children to grandparents, the forced separation of spouses, above all when it is the mother who leaves to seek work, the broad practice of abortion, and birth control through methods contrary to the dignity of the human person."

"And how can we forget," remarked the Pope, "the sad heritage of the communist dictatorship even in your country as seen in the crisis of a Christian vision of life?" He stated that the Church's duty to evangelize is "immense," and stressed that, "in harmony with our brothers in the Romanian Orthodox Church, ... centers of formation for young people must be developed where they can know the common Gospel legacy, and then give witness to it in an incisive way in society."

John Paul II pointed to "the heroic witness of Romanian Catholics of both rites who underwent unspeakable suffering under the communist regime," naming especially Cardinal Alexandru Todea who died last year, and the seven bishops who were martyred and whose cause is underway for canonization. He emphasized that "if it is true that the Romanian people ... knew how to resist militant atheistic materialism, preserving the legacy of the Christian proclamation, now it is important to create in the hearts of the faithful this interior richness."

"Do not fear," the Pope told the Church in Romania. "God is blessing your efforts, and a witness of this is the consistent number of candidates to the priesthood in your seminaries."

He then turned to the question of the process of integrating Romania into the broader sphere of the European Union and institutions of the continent. He said this is a positive fact, but one not without risks, especially if Romania allows itself to forget its Christian heritage and to be "conditioned by consumerism and egotistical individualism." He urged Romanians to remember that they "not only have something to receive but they also have a rich spiritual, cultural and historical legacy to offer, benefitting the unity and vitality of the entire continent."

The Pope dedicated remarks to the urgency of achieving full unity among Christians, saying he "prays the Lord to make the blessed day come when Catholics and Orthodox can receive communion together at the same table."

He also spoke of the two traditions that have existed side by side for centuries, "the Latin rite and the Byzantine rite, which together make the face of your Church more beautiful. You almost work in a spiritual 'laboratory' where the riches of undivided Christianity can show all their strength and vitality."

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ASH WEDNESDAY: PRAYER AND FASTING FOR WORLD PEACE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 2, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul reminded the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square today that Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, March 5, when "we undertake a penitential path towards Easter with a stronger commitment to prayer and fasting for peace, which has been put in doubt by growing threats of war."

He recalled that "last Sunday I announced this initiative that is intended to involve the faithful in a fervent prayer to Christ, Prince of Peace. Peace, in fact, is a gift of God that we must invoke with humble and insistent trust. Without giving in to difficulties, we must seek and pursue every possible path to avoid war, which always leads to mourning and grave consequences for everyone."

The Pope noted that not only prayer, but fasting for peace, must mark Ash Wednesday. Calling fasting "a penitential practice that calls for a deeper spiritual effort," he added that "with physical fasting ... the Christian prepares to follow Christ and to be His faithful witness in every circumstance. In addition, fasting helps us to better understand the difficulties and sufferings of so many of our brothers and sisters, oppressed by hunger, misery and war."
He urged Catholics "to live this day of prayer and fasting for peace with intense participation. ... We will ask for peace for the world, in particular for Iraq and the Holy Land, especially through reciting the Rosary, which will involve shrines and parishes, communities and families."

After praying the Angelus, John Paul II greeted pilgrims in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. He had special words for the community of Romanian faithful in Rome, saluting them in their language and telling them that he "recalls with gratitude the warmth with which I was welcomed four years ago in your land. I encourage you to persevere with fervor in Christian practice, making an effort to always be worthy of the rich spiritual traditions of your people."

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POPE JOHN PAUL'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR MARCH 2003

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father's general prayer intention for March is: "That each one the People of God and their Pastors, may grow in their realization of the importance of the sacrament of Reconciliation, the gift of God's merciful love."

His missionary intention is: "That the local Churches of Africa, in the midst of the difficult situations of the present moment may feel the urgency of announcing the Gospel coherently and courageously."

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TRADITIONAL MEETING BETWEEN HOLY FATHER, ROMAN SEMINARY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 1, 2003 (VIS) - The rector, staff, seminarians and "the entire spiritual family" of Our Lady of Trust Major Roman Seminary were welcomed to the Vatican's Paul VI Hall this evening by Pope John Paul who addressed them, after listening to an Oratory, inspired by the life and works of St. Faustina Kowalska and executed by the seminarians and diocesan choir.

Traditionally the Pope's encounter with the Pontifical Major Roman Seminary takes place at the seminary itself, adjacent to St. John Lateran Basilica, on the feast of Our Lady of Trust, a mobile feast which occurs on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday.

The seminary was founded in 1565 and was first located at the Roman College, which was founded by St. Ignatius in 1551 and administered by the Jesuits until the Society of Jesus was suppressed in 1773. Later called the Roman Seminary, it was housed in several locations in Rome until it was definitively established near St. John Lateran. The current chapel-shrine bears the name of Our Lady of Trust who, according to seminary archives, became the patroness about 1837 on the occasion of a vow taken during a severe cholera epidemic.

The Holy Father focussed his message on "the well-known invocation 'Jesus, I trust in you!' This is a simple yet profound act of trust in and abandonment to God's love," that "can transform life. In the inevitable trials and difficulties of life, as in moments of joy and enthusiasm, entrusting oneself to the Lord infuses the soul with peace, induces us to recognize the primacy of the divine initiative and opens the spirit to humility and truth."

"In the heart of Jesus," he remarked, "those anguished by life's sorrows find peace; those afflicted by suffering and illness find relief; those who feel constricted by uncertainty and anguish feel joy, because Christ's heart is filled to overflowing with consolation and love for those who turn to it with trust."

John Paul II noted that Mary, when she told the servants at the wedding feast in Cana, "Do what He will tell you," was encouraging them to have trust in Christ. He added that Mary, "an extraordinary teacher of spiritual life," shared with Jesus "joys and worries, anxieties and sufferings, right up to the supreme sacrifice of the Cross, and then shared with Him the exaltation of the Resurrection, and in prayer with the Apostles in the Cenacle awaited the descent of the Holy Spirit."

In lengthy off-the-cuff remarks to the seminarians, the Holy Father recalled his "clandestine" seminary days in Poland when, because of Nazi occupation, all seminaries in the country had been closed. Nonetheless, said the Pope, "Cardinal Sapieha, my bishop in Krakow, organized a clandestine seminary and I belonged to it, you might call it a seminary of the catacombs."
The Pope told his audience that during the Oratory his thoughts returned to his past, and to St. Faustina because she lived in and is now buried near Krakow. He noted that Sr. Faustina is buried close to the chemical plant in Solvay where he worked as a young man during the four years of the war and Nazi occupation. "Never did I ever dream, as a worker that one day, as Bishop of Rome, I would be talking of that experience with Roman seminarians."

John Paul II admitted he has never forgotten about those days as a worker/seminarian. He spoke of his eight-hour work shifts, the books he read books on metaphysics and philosophy at work and the fact that his fellow workers not only "marvelled" at his reading, but tried to help him find quiet times and places for study. He said he was able to live those clandestine years because of trust in God and in His Mother.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the office of Auxiliary Bishop of the archdiocese of Santiago de Chile, Chile, presented by Bishop Sergio Valech Aldunate upon having reached the age limit.

It was made public on Saturday March 1 that the Holy Father appointed Msgr. Bernard A. Hebda, official of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, as under-secretary of the same council.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2003 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in audience seven prelates from the Bishops' Conference of Scotland on their "ad limina" visit:

- Archbishop Mario Joseph Conti of Glasgow.

- Archbishop Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh.

- Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell.

- Bishop Vincent Logan of Dunkeld.

- Bishop John Aloysius Mone of Paisley.

- Bishop Ian Murray of Argyll and The Isles.

- Msgr. Peter Moran, diocesan administrator of Aberdeen.

On Saturday March 1, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, apostolic nuncio in Kazakhstan, Tadjikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

- Bishop Benito Stanislao Andreotti, O.S.B., ordinary abbot of Subiaco, Italy, accompanied by Fr. Dom Mauro Meacci, O.S.B., abbot of the territorial abbey of Subiaco.

- Prof. Lorenzo Ornaghi, rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.

- Dr. Vitalij Ignatenko, president of the Russian News Agency ITAR-TASS, accompanied by Ara Abramjan, president of the Federal Organization "Union of Armenians in Russia".

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

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RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL VISITS VATICAN

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2003 (VIS) - The following declaration was made this afternoon by Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office:

"The under-secretary for Relations with States, Msgr. Pietro Parolin, received this morning in the Vatican Aleksej Meskov, under-secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Russian Federation.

"Minister Meskov wished to inform the Holy See about the position of the Russian government on the international situation at the present moment. During the talks, a convergence with the Holy See position was noted."

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IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2003 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

- Bishop Elizeu De Morais Pimentel, coadjutor of Paranavai, Brazil, on February 27 at age 50.

- Bishop Jacques Le Cordier, emeritus of Saint-Denis, France, on February 17 at age 98.

- Bishop Bernardo Valfredo Tepe O.F.M, emeritus of Ilheus, Brazil, on February 14 at age 84.

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