MESSAGE FOR 18TH WORLD YOUTH DAY: "BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER!"

VATICAN CITY, MAR 11, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul's Message for the 18th World Youth Day, to be celebrated in dioceses throughout the world on Palm Sunday 2003, was published today. The Pope noted that the theme he chose, "Behold your Mother!" is linked to the Year of the Rosary which he proclaimed on October 16, 2002.

He also announced the themes of the 19th World Youth Day in 2004, "We wish to see Jesus," and the 20th World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany in 2005: "We have come to worship Him."

The Holy Father said that "Jesus, before He died, gave the Apostle John the most precious gift He had; His Mother, Mary. These were the last words of the Redeemer, and therefore they take on a solemn character and become His spiritual testimony." He stated that Mary, "the Mother of God from the first moment of the Incarnation, became the Mother of men at the last moments of the life of her Son Jesus."

The Pope told young people to remember that they are never alone and can turn to Mary when they suffer "the solitude, failures and delusions in personal life, difficulties in becoming part of the adult and professional world, separations and deaths in families, the violence of wars and the death of innocent people." My motto as bishop and Pope, he reminded them, has been "'Totus tuus'. I have always felt Mary's loving and efficacious presence in my life."

John Paul II urged youth to be Christians always and everywhere because "Christianity is not an opinion. ... It is Christ! He is a Person, He is Living!" He entreated them to get to know and love Christ through Mary, and by reciting the Rosary. "Don't be ashamed to recite it alone, on the way to school, the university or work, on the street or in public transportation; recite it among yourselves, in groups, movements, and associations, and don't hesitate to suggest praying it at home."

"Only Jesus knows your hearts and your deepest desires. ... Mankind has a decisive need for the witness of courageous and free young people who dare to go countercurrent and proclaim strongly and enthusiastically their faith in God, Lord and Savior. ... In this time threatened by violence, hatred and war, give witness that only He can give true peace to the hearts of men, to families and to the peoples of the earth."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 11, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramon, Peru, presented by Bishop Julio Ojeda Pascual, O.F.M., in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2, of the Code of Canon Law. Coadjutor Bishop Gerardo Antonio Zerdin Bukovec, O.F.M., succeeds him.

- Appointed Bishop Michael Richard Cote, auxiliary of the diocese of Portland, U.S.A., as bishop of Norwich (area 5,121, population 632,726, Catholics 226,408, priests 123, permanent deacons 41, religious 378), U.S.A. He accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese presented by Bishop Daniel Anthony Hart upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Guillermo Jose Garlatti of San Rafael, Argentina, as metropolitan archbishop of Bahia Blanca (area 82,634, population 700,000, Catholics 595,000, priests 120, permanent deacons 7, 295), Argentina. The archbishop-elect was born in Forgaria, Italy in 1940 and was ordained a priest in 1964.

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PAPAL, HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS: JANUARY - JUNE 2002

VATICAN CITY, MAR 11, 2003 (VIS) - Following are highlights of papal and Holy See activities for the first six months of 2002:

JANUARY

Tuesday, 1: 35th World Day of Peace, papal Message on theme "No Peace Without Justice, No Justice Without Forgiveness."

Thursday, 3: Holy Father receives Leszek Miller, prime minister of the Republic of Poland,

Sunday, 6: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord: John Paul II confers episcopal ordination upon ten priests from Italy, the Philippines, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Portugal; World Mission Day of Childhood: on the theme "Kindle Hope."

Thursday, 10: Pope John Paul addresses members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See for the traditional exchange of New Year greetings.

Sunday, 13: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: In the Sistine Chapel, the Pope administers Baptism to 20 newborns from Italy, France, Spain and the U.S.A.

Sunday, 20: Following the angelus, Holy Father launches a new appeal for peace in the Holy Land.

Tuesday, 22: Papal Message for the 36th World Communications Day, to be held on May 12 on the theme: "Internet, A New Forum for Proclaiming the Gospel."

Wednesday, 23: The Holy See consents to the "Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction," adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on December 16, 1971, and entered into force on March 26, 1975.

Thursday, 24: Pope John Paul and 300 representatives from the world's different religions arrive in Assisi, Italy, to participate in the Day of Prayer for Peace in the World.

Thursday, 31: Argentinean Foreign Minister Carlos Ruckauf visits Vatican.

FEBRUARY

Saturday, 2: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and Sixth Day of Consecrated Life: Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Basilica.

Tuesday, 5: Presentation of the Holy Father's Message for Lent 2002 on the theme "Freely you have received, freely shall you give."
Friday, 8: Presentation of Letters of Credence of new ambassador of the Philippines to the Holy See, Francisco Acevedo Alba; Presentation at the Embassy of Canada to the Holy See of World Youth Day 2002, to be held in Toronto July 23-28.

Monday, 11: Elevation of four apostolic administrations in the Russian Federation to the level of dioceses: archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow, diocese of St. Clement at Saratov, the diocese of the Transfiguration at Novosibirsk and the diocese of St. Joseph at Irkutsk. Pope also creates the ecclesiastical province with the metropolitan see in the archdiocese of the Mother of God, assigning the other three dioceses as suffragans; Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the Tenth World Day of the Sick.

Wednesday, 13: Ash Wednesday: penitential prayer services in St. Anselm Church, procession to and liturgy in Santa Sabina Basilica.

Wednesday, 20: The Pope decrees that, at the beginning of 2003, it will be possible to consult documents concerning Germany and relative to Pope Pius XI and the period 1922-1939 contained in the archives of the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State and in the Secret Vatican Archives.

Thursday, 21: Holy Father welcomes President Bashar Al-Assad of the Arab Republic of Syria.

Thursday, 28: Presentation of "Ethics and the Internet," and "The Church and the Internet," two documents produced by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications; Pope receives President Aleksander Kwasniewski of the Republic of Poland.

MARCH

Monday, 4: John Paul II sends all heads of government and of State in the world a Letter containing "The Decalogue of Assisi for Peace."

Tuesday, 5: Holy See Press Office announces that a period of rest has been prescribed for the Pope whose arthritic knee condition has worsened.

Friday, 8: The archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Christodoulos, sends a delegation of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece to Rome for a working meeting, upon the invitation of Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Monday, 11: Letters of Credence presented by Marcelo Fernandez de Cordoba Ponce, new ambassador of Ecuador to the Holy See; Telegram for death of Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, archbishop emeritus of Zagreb.

Wednesday, 13: Telegram for death of Cardinal Louis-Marie Bille, archbishop of Lyon.

Thursday, 14: Letters of Credence presented by new ambassador of Korea, Seo Hyun-seop.
Monday, 18: Presentation to Holy Father of New Roman Missal; Telegram for the murder of Archbishop Isaias Duarte Cancino of Cali, Colombia; Announcement that 14 journalists will write the Meditations for the Way of the Cross to be held at the Colosseum on Good Friday evening.

Thursday, 21: Publication of Pope's Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 2002.

Monday, 25: Agreement signed between Holy See and Albania regulating reciprocal relations.

Sunday, 31: Easter Sunday, Urbi et Orbi blessing and message.

APRIL

Thursday, 4: Holy See Press Office statement on the high-level meetings in the Vatican's Secretariat of State regarding the critical situation in the Middle East.

Tuesday, 9: Presentation of "Directory of Popular Devotions and Liturgy. Principles and Guidance," published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments.

Thursday, 11: Pope welcomes new ambassador from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Darko Tanaskovic.

Tuesday, 16: Pope John Paul telephones Franciscan Friars in the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem: they have been in this church since it was occupied by an estimated 200 Palestinians in early April and under siege since by Israeli troops.

Saturday, 20: Holy See statement on Bishop Jerzy Mazur, who was expelled from Russian Federation.

Tuesday, 23: Start of two-day meeting in Vatican to discuss the situation in the U.S. Church of sex abuse by clergy. In attendance were Pope John Paul, some heads of dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the cardinal secretary of state, 12 U.S. cardinals and the president, vice-president and secretary general of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Monday, 29: Letters of Credence from Armindo Fernandes do Espirito Santo Vieira, ambassador of Angola.

MAY

Wednesday, 1: Cardinal Roger Etchegaray is papal envoy to Jerusalem; Presentation of Apostolic Letter in the Form of Motu Proprio "Misericordia Dei" On Certain Aspects of the Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance.

Friday, 3: Pope welcomes new ambassador from Morocco, Mohamed Sbihi.

Sunday, 5: John Paul II travels to Italian diocese of Ischia.
Friday, 10: Holy Father receives Zef Bushati, new ambassador from Republic of Albania; Cardinal Angelo Sodano receives Shimon Peres, Israeli foreign minister.

Saturday, 11: End of the siege of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Tuesday, 14: Conclusion of official visit to People's Democratic Republic of Korea by Msgr. Celestino Migliore, under-secretary for Relations with States.

Friday, 17: Pope receives Letters of Credence of eight new ambassadors to the Holy See: They represent Belarus, Niger, Sweden, Thailand, Benin, Sudan, Iceland and Jordan.

Saturday, 18: Pope John Paul turns 82; Message for World Mission Day: "Mission is a Proclamation of Pardon."

Monday, 20: Papal Message to newly independent nation of the Democratic Republic of East Timor.

Wednesday, 22: Holy Father departs for Azerbaijan and Bulgaria; Telegram for death of Cardinal Alexandru Todea.

Tuesday, 28: Pope John Paul receives U.S. President George W. Bush.

Friday, 31: President Karl Auguste Offman of the Republic of Mauritius welcomed by Pope.

JUNE

Saturday, 1: Letters of Credence of Romania's new ambassador, Mihail Dobre.

Friday, 7: Audience to Prime Minister Dato' Seri Mahathir bin Mohamad of Malaysia.

Friday, 14: Publication by Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, "Starting Afresh from Christ. A Renewed Commitment to Consecrated Life in the Third Millennium."

Sunday, 16: Canonization of Blessed Padre Pio of Pietrelcina.

Friday, 21: John Paul II welcomes Archbishop George Carey of Canterbury, prior to his retirement as head of the Anglican Communion.

Thursday, 27: New ambassador from France, Pierre Morel, presents his Credentials.

Friday, 28: Letters of Credence of new ambassador of Ex-Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ivan Angelov; Statutes of Neocatechumenal Way are approved.

Saturday, 29; Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles; Holy Father bestows palliums on 28 new metropolitan archbishops.

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NO HOLY SEE INITIATIVE FOR SADDAM HUSSEIN EXILE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 11, 2003 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls today told journalists, "concerning a presumed initiative aimed at obtaining exile for President Saddam Hussein of Iraq, an initiative that would find agreement between the Holy See and several Arab countries: 'I categorically deny this. This information is totally baseless'."

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