JOHN PAUL II WELCOMES BISHOPS OF SCOTLAND

VATICAN CITY, MAR 4, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul received the Bishops of Scotland today, as they conclude their "ad limina" visit, and, in his talk, highlighted the "demanding situations which represent pastoral challenges for the Church today," noting that in Scotland, "as in many lands evangelized centuries ago and steeped in Christianity, there no longer exists the reality of a 'Christian society'. "

"Modern civilization," he added, "although highly developed from the standpoint of technology, is often stunted in its inner depths by a tendency to exclude God or keep him at a distance. ... The crisis of civilization must be countered by the civilization of love. ... The new evangelization ... can prove a particularly effective instrument for helping to usher in this civilization of love."

The Pope affirmed that the new evangelization must be marked by hope because hope sustains the proclamation of the Gospel, enlivens faith communities, enriches society with the Gospel values of life and upholds human dignity. "Christian life itself is revitalized and pastoral initiatives are more readily directed towards their one true end: holiness. In fact, holiness is an intrinsic and essential aspect of the Church ... and is a gift, but a gift which in turns becomes a duty."

"The concept of holiness should not be thought of as something extraordinary, as something outside the bounds of normal everyday life. For God calls His people to lead holy lives within the ordinary circumstances in which they find themselves: at home, in the parish, in the workplace, at school, on the playing field. There is much in society that lures people away - sometimes intentionally - from the difficult yet profoundly satisfying quest for holiness."

The Holy Father then turned to what he termed "an important aspect of evangelization, the deeply felt need for an evangelization of culture." He remarked that cultures are constantly changing and that "the communication of values is what enables a culture to survive and flourish." He said evangelization becomes even more urgent "in societies where faith and religion are seen as something that should be restricted to the private sphere, and therefore as having no place in public or political debate. ... If culture is the context in which the individual transcends himself, then removing the Absolute from that context, or pushing it off to one side as irrelevant, results in a dangerous fragmentation of reality that gives rise to crises, as culture will no longer be able to present to the younger generation the source of meaning and wisdom which it ultimately seeks."

John Paul II urged the bishops to dedicate great time and attention to young people, the builders of future civilizations of love. He pointed out that "the powerful forces of the media and entertainment industry" target young people and try to condition their attitudes. "Confusion is created as youth are beset by moral relativism and religious indifferentism. How can they come to grips with the question of truth and the requirements of consistency in moral behavior when modern culture teaches them to live as though absolute values did not exist, or tells them to be content with a vague religiosity."

Revitalizing Christian life calls for pastoral initiatives and for a common effort by every member of the faith community - bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity. Cooperation will be especially valuable in dealing with marriage and family life, as well as "in addressing the welcome which your communities can give to refugees and asylum-seekers."

The Holy Father concluding by emphasizing that priestly formation must remain a high priority for the bishops. "Today more than ever the Church needs holy priests whose daily journey of conversion inspires in others the desire to seek the holiness which the whole People of God is called to pursue." Candidates to the priesthood, as well as priests, for whom there must be permanent formation, must strive for "a life marked by poverty, chastity and humility in imitation of Christ, the Eternal High Priest, of whom they are (to become) the living icons."

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CATHOLIC-JEWISH STATEMENT ON HUMAN LIFE, FAMILY VALUES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 4, 2003 (VIS) - After a preliminary meeting in Jerusalem on June 5, 2002, high ranking delegations of the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel met in Grottaferrata near Rome February 23-27, 2003, according to a joint communique made public yesterday afternoon by the delegations.

The communique, in English and dated February 26, was signed by Rabbi Shar Yishav Cohen, chairman of the Jewish Delegation and by Cardinal Jorge Mejia, chairman of the Catholic delegation. Others who signed included Rabbi Ratzon Arrusi, Rabbi David Brodman, Oder Wiener and Shmuel Hadas for the Jewish delegation, and Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, Fr. George Cottier, O.P., Fr. Elias Shacour, Msgr. Pier Francesco Fumagalli, Fr. Norbert Hofmann, S.D.B. and Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio in Israel, for the Catholic delegation.

"We are dialoguing as people of faith having common spiritual roots and patrimony. Dialogue is a value in itself and excludes any intention of converting," noted the statement. "We take into account our different traditions and respect each other in our otherness."

Following are selections on the topics of the sanctity of human life and family values from the statement:

"The Sanctity of Human Life. Human life is of unique and highest value in our world. Any attempt to destroy human life must be rejected, and every common effort should be made, in order to promote human rights, solidarity among all human beings, respect for freedom of conscience."

"Our common religious motivation for this central affirmation is based on the biblical statement that the human being is created in the image of the living God, in His likeness. God is the Holy One and the Creator of human life, and the human being is blessed and obliged by His holiness. Therefore every human life is holy, sacrosanct and inviolable."

"To protect human life is an evident ethical consequence of this conviction. Every believer, particularly religious leaders, should cooperate in protecting human life. Any attack against the life of a human being runs contrary to the will of God, is a desecration of God's Name, directly opposed to the teaching of the prophets. Taking any human life, including one's own, even in the name of God, is sacrilegious."

"As was emphasized time and again by Pope John Paul II in his message for the World Day of Peace 2002, no religious leader can condone terrorism (anywhere) in the world. It is a profanation of religion to declare oneself a terrorist in the name of God, to do violence to others in his name. Terrorist violence everywhere in the world is a contradiction of faith in God, the Creator of man, who cares for man and loves him."

"We should not admit any killing in the name of God who commands 'You shall not kill', avoiding fanatical or violent abuse of religion, as Jewish, Christian and Moslem leaders declared in the common statement of Alexandria (January 2002)."

"All educators should strengthen their efforts in devising programmes to educate the young in respect for the highest value of human life. Against the present trend of violence and death in our societies, we should foster our cooperation with believers of all religions and all people of good will in promoting a 'culture of life'."

"Family Life. The institution of the family stems from the will of the Almighty who created human being in the image of God; 'male and female He created them'. Marriage in a religious perspective has a great value because God blessed this union and sanctified it."

"Family and home unity provides a warm and protecting surrounding that nurtures children and ensures their proper education, in keeping with tradition and beliefs. The family unit is the basis for a wholesome society."

"Doubtless the electronic and media revolution has brought about positive changes in society. However, at the same time too often, a negative influence on behavior of society has developed. Adults and the young alike are exposed to distorted and perverted aspects of life, such as violence and pornography. As religious leaders we are challenged by these destructive developments."

"More than ever, we are obliged to educate at home and in the school towards family values, following our rich religious traditions. Parents should devote much more time to show their love to their children and guide them towards positive attitudes. Among other important family values we should stress love, unselfishness, care for life and mutual responsibility for children and parents."

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TRADITIONAL PAPAL MESSAGE FOR BRAZIL'S FRATERNITY CAMPAIGN

VATICAN CITY, MAR 4, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul's annual Message to the Church in Brazil at the start of its traditional Fraternity Campaign was released today. Dated January 4, 2003, and addressed to Bishop Jayme Henrique Chemello, president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, the Message focusses on the campaign's theme "Life, Dignity and Hope," in particular on solidarity with the elderly.

"The Church," notes the Pope, "indicates, by mandate of the Redeemer, the path for spiritual and human well-being, a path of reconciliation and penitence, through personal conversion and solidarity with one's neighbor." He said that "such solidarity was especially necessary today with the elderly" because of medical advances and increased longevity of persons. "It is therefore necessary to urgently plan assistance to our brothers and sisters. This calls for a change of mentality: we must replace the utilitarian and materialistic culture, which attributes value to a person on what they produce and consume, with a culture that recognizes the 'absolute' value of each person, be it for the degree of capacity and efficiency that they have."

The Holy Father said he hoped that new life would be given to the social and health programs of public and private institutions, as well as those of diocesan pastoral ministries. "My thoughts," he said, "go to Brazil's elderly, in a special way to widows and widowers, to the elderly religious and to our dear brothers in the priesthood."

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