POPE WELCOMES GROUP FROM WORLD INSTITUTE OF PHENOMENOLOGY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 22, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul today welcomed a small delegation from the World Institute of Phenomenology from Hanover, Massachusetts on the occasion of the presentation in Rome of the volume "Phenomenology Worldwide. Foundations - Expanding - Dynamics - Life Engagements. A Guide for Research and Study."

The Pope noted that the volume is "the fruit of the collaboration of over 70 specialists in the various fields of phenomenological research." He said that Edmund Husserl, "the father of phenomenology, hoped in fact that a community of research would be formed to face with diverse yet complementary approaches the great worlds of man and life."

"I thank God," stated John Paul I, "for having allowed me to participate in this fascinating undertaking, starting with my years of study and teaching and even afterwards, in the successive stages of my life and pastoral ministry."

He described phenomenology as "first of all a style of thought, an intellectual relation with reality, whose essential and constitutive traits one hopes to gather, avoiding prejudices and schematisms. I would like to say it is almost an attitude of intellectual charity towards man and the world and, for the believer, towards God, the principle and the end of all things."

AC;PHENOMENOLOGY;...;...;VIS;20030324;Word: 200;

PEACE IS THE ONLY WAY TO BUILD A MORE JUST SOCIETY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 22, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father received this morning in audience the personnel of the Italian television station "Telepace" on the twenty-fifth anniversary of its founding.

"Telepace," said the Pope, noting that the Italian word "pace" means peace, "wants to be a television of peace, of that peace which is a gift from God and a humble and constant achievement of man. When war, like that underway in Iraq, threatens the future of humanity, it is even more urgent to proclaim with a strong and decisive voice that peace is the only way to build a more just and unified society. Violence and arms can never resolve the problems of men. Your broadcast station has made this indispensable education of peace its objective from the beginning."

John Paul II indicated that during these 25 years, Telepace "has maintained its charism unaltered, free of economic pressure in order to serve God and man in the Church. Since 1985, in collaboration with the Vatican Television Center, it covers the apostolic trips of the Successor of Peter and transmits on a daily basis his word and his teaching to countless families in Italy, Europe and, since last year, in so many other nations on earth."

Telepace, he affirmed, invites its viewers toward solidarity, seeking concrete help for the needy: "It informs, educates on the faith, encourages hope, stimulates solidarity, spreads peace which is born from an encounter with Christ."

The Holy Father concluded by recalling the spiritual help that Telepace offers through "the daily celebration of Holy Mass and the recitation of the Rosary, eucharistic adoration and spiritual exercises and other air time devoted to prayer and Christian formation."

AC;TELEPACE ANNIVERSARY;...;...;VIS;20030324;Word: 290;

JOHN PAUL II BEATIFIES FIVE SERVANTS OF GOD

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2003 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's Square, the Pope beatified five servants of God: Pierre Bonhomme (1803-1916); Maria Dolores Rodriguez Sopena (1848-1918); Maria Caridad Brader (1860-1943); Juana Maria Condesa Lluch (1862-1916) and Laszlo Batthyany-Strattman (1870-1931).

In his homily, the Holy Father said that "meditation on Scripture was an incomparable source for the pastoral activity of Fr. Pierre Bonhomme, in particular his attention to the poor, sick, deaf-mutes and handicapped people, for whom he founded the Institute of the Religious of Our Lady of Calvary."

Speaking about Blessed Maria Dolores Rodriguez Sopena from Spain, he said: "She wanted to respond to the challenge of making Christ's redemption present in the world of work. For this reason, she gave herself the goal of 'making all men one single family in Jesus Christ'."

John Paul II affirmed that Blessed Juana Maria Condesa Lluch "had a deeply Christian youth: she used to go to daily mass, ... and she strengthened her faith with constant prayer. In this way, she prepared herself for total surrender to the love of God, founding the Congregation of Servants of Mary Immaculate which, faithful to its charism, continues to be committed to the promotion of the women who work."

Mother Maria Caridad Brader, virgin and foundress of the Congregation of the Religious Franciscans of Mary Immaculate, "with total confidence in divine providence, founded schools and charity centers, putting all her energy in total Eucharistic devotion."

Referring to Blessed Laszlo Batthyany-Strattman, a Hungarian layman, the Holy Father emphasized that "he never put the riches of the earth before the true good of heaven. May his example of family life and generous Christian solidarity be encouragement for everyone to follow the Gospel faithfully."

AC;BEATIFICATIONS;...;...;VIS;20030324;Word: 300;

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Peter Fernando of Tuticorin, India as metropolitan archbishop of Madurai (area 8,910, population 5,889, Catholics 300,244, priests 184, religious 1,022), India. He succeeds Archbishop Marianus Arokiasamy whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Joannis Spiteris, O.F.M.Cap., as archbishop of Corfu, Zante, Cefalonia, Greece and apostolic administrator "ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Thessaloniki, Greece. The archbishop-elect was born in Corfu in 1940 and was ordained a priest in 1968. The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese and from the same apostolic vicariate presented by Archbishop Anthonios Varthalitis, A.A., upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Philip Anyolo of Kericho, Kenya as bishop of Homa Bay (area 7,778, population 1,600,000, Catholics 333,694, priests 37, religious 432), Kenya.

- Appointed Fr. Emmanuel Okombo of the clergy of the diocese of Bungoma, Kenya as bishop of Kericho (area 4,800, population 1,480,906, Catholics 198,653, priests 30, religious 110), Kenya. The bishop-elect was born in 1942 in Bungoma, Kenya and was ordained a priest in 1972.

- Appointed Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as his special envoy to the celebrations of the 750th anniversary of the canonization of St. Stanislaw, bishop and martyr, which will take place on May 11, 2003 in Krakow, Poland.

- Appointed Cardinal Mario Francesco Pompedda, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, as his special envoy to the celebrations of the seventh centenary of the death of St. Ivo, patron of jurists, which will take place in Treguier, France May 16-18, 2003.

- Appointed Archbishop Jean-Claude Perisset, apostolic nuncio in Romania, as apostolic nuncio in Moldova.

NER; RE; NA; NN;...;...;...;VIS;20030324;Word: 310;

WORLD FORUM ON WATER, AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT FOR LIFE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 22, 2003 (VIS) - Archbishop Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, today addressed the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan, and presented a Note prepared by the council entitled "Water, An Essential Element for Life." The Forum began March 16 and ends on Sunday, March 23.

In his remarks, the archbishop said that "even the title of the Note reflects the concern of the Holy See, as well as its ethical and religious understanding of the many complex water-related problems. Water is a good that must serve for the development of the whole person and of every person."

He explained that "after the first section, in which some of the fundamental moral principles related to the question of water are laid out, the Note deals with the key problems which governments and the international community have to face today at the social, economic, political and environmental level. In the final section, after having acknowledged the importance water holds within religious traditions, the Note considers in some detail the right to water because of the growing importance that the efforts towards its full recognition are assuming in the public debate."

In conclusion, Archbishop Martino said that "after the Third World Water Forum, and in the light of its conclusions, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace will deal with the topic of water in a more developed and detailed document. The topic is closely related to the message of the social doctrine of the Church concerning human promotion and is also an extremely urgent problem in today's world."

The document consists of an Introduction, six parts and a Conclusion. Part I, entitled "A Far-Reaching Question," notes that "water plays a central and critical role in all aspects of life - in the national environment, in our economies, in food security, in production, in politics. Water has indeed a special significance for the great religions." It adds that water is, for the poor, a crucial issue for life, indeed "a right to life issue."

Part II, "The Water Issue: Some Ethical Considerations," highlights that respect for life must guide development policy, that the human person is central to policy issues, including water, and that water is included in the "principle of the universal destination of the goods of creation."

Part III, "Water: A Social Good," examines Water for Food and Rural Development, Safe Drinking Water, Health and Sanitation and Peace and/or Conflict. Part IV then looks at "Water: An Economic Good," studying The Economics of Water, Water and Energy, Private Sector Engagement and Privatization. In Part V, "Water: An Environmental Good," the Note reviews Environmentally Sound Sanitation and Disaster Mitigation and Risk Management.

Part VI, entitled "Other Issues Impacting Water Supply," looks at the issues of Population, Politics, A Right to Water and Poverty. The Conclusion states that "none of the issues presented here is done in isolation. Only in a true holistic approach can the human being confront the challenges set forward in addressing the issue of water. The Holy See's contribution is presented with the conviction of the central role of the human being in caring for the environment and its constitutive elements."

DELSS;WATER FORUM;...;JAPAN; MARTINO;VIS;20030324;Word: 540;

PILGRIMS AT BEATIFICATIONS RECEIVED BY POPE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2003 (VIS) - Today at noon, the Holy Father received participants in the beatifications of the following Servants of God which took place yesterday: Pierre Bonhomme, Maria Dolores Rodriguez Sopena, Maria Caridad Brader, Juana Maria Condesa Lluch and Laszlo Batthyany-Strattman.

The Pope asked the sisters of Our Lady of Calvary, the spiritual daughters of the French priest Pierre Bonhomme, to remain "faithful to the spirit of service" that characterized their founder who was "totally dedicated to the poor."

John Paul II then spoke to the pastors, religious and lay people who attended the beatification of Blesseds Maria Dolores Rodriguez Sopena and Juana Maria Condesa Lluch, both from Spain, and the Swiss blessed who had a "Latin-American and universal soul," Mother Maria Caridad Brader: "The three lived during the same time, they fed their life of faith consistently with prayer, intimacy with the Eucharist and loving devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary."

The Holy Father said that Blessed Laszlo Batthyany-Strattman, a lay person from Hungary, "worked during his life for peace and for the building of a new common European home. For this reason, this new blessed can be considered a protector" of Europe.

At the end of the audience, Archbishop Agustin Garcia-Gasco of Valencia, Spain was presented with the "Icon of the Holy Family," a symbol of the world days with families, since the next gathering will take place in this Spanish city in 2006. The Pope asked that contemplation of this image, in the years leading up to the encounter, "may serve as an inspiration to continue working for the defense and promotion of the institution of the family ... and that the family may be 'gaudium et spes', the joy and hope, of humanity, a school of transmission of the genuine values that man needs and a place of welcome for life."

AC;BEATIFICATIONS;...;...;VIS;20030324;Word: 320;

TO LUTHERANS: WE MUST FOSTER A SPIRITUALITY OF COMMUNION

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2003 (VIS) - A delegation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, making an ecumenical journey to Istanbul, Rome and Canterbury, was welcomed this morning by Pope John Paul, who said "May your visit confirm you in your commitment to the cause of Christian unity."

"The quest for full communion among all Christians," he went on, "is a duty which springs from the prayer of the Lord Himself. In recent times we have come to appreciate more deeply the fellowship existing between Lutherans and Catholics, which led to the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed in 1999. In that document we are challenged to build on what has already been achieved, fostering more extensively at the local level a spirituality of communion marked by prayer and shared witness to the Gospel."

The Holy Father, in closing, said that "in a world filled with danger and insecurity, all Christians are called to stand together in proclaiming the values of the Kingdom of God. The events of recent days make this duty all the more urgent."

AC;EVANGELICAL LUTHERANS;...;...;VIS;20030324;Word: 190;

POPE IMPLORES MARY FOR GIFT OF PEACE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 23, 2003 (VIS) - At the end of this morning's Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Square, during which he beatified five Servants of God, the Pope addressed the pilgrims who came from diverse countries for the beatifications, and then prayed the Angelus with them.

He greeted the pilgrim groups in French, German, Hungarian, and Spanish, concluding in Italian, with a plea for peace. "We now turn to Mary Most Holy, whom the new Blesseds loved and venerated with special devotion. Let us implore her, above all at this time, for the gift of peace. To her we entrust in particular the victims of these hours of war and their family members who are suffering. I feel especially close to them in affection and prayer."

Speaking French, the Pope welcomed the pilgrims who came for the beatification of Fr. Pierre Bonhomme. Then, in remarks to the German and Hungarian faithful, the Holy Father spoke of the life of Blessed Laszlo Batthyany-Strattman, a layman and father of 13. "May the example of Blessed Laszlo, who daily prayed the Rosary with his family, strengthen you in the veneration of Our Lady."

The Holy Father in Spanish then addressed the cardinals, archbishops, and bishops present at today's celebration, and especially "the religious of the institutes founded by the New Blesseds Maria Dolores Rodriguez Sopena, Juana Maria Condesa Lluch and Maria Caridad Brader."

ANG;BLESSEDS; PEACE;...;...;VIS;20030324;Word: 240;

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2003 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in audience two prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Indonesia on their "ad limina" visit:

- Bishop Joseph Theodorus Suwatan, M.S.C. of Manado.

- Bishop Aloysius Sudarso, S.C.I of Palembang.

On Saturday March 22, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of San Cristobal de la Habana, Cuba.

- Frere Roger of Taize, and an entourage.

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

AL; AP;...;...;... ;VIS;20030324;Word: 80;

TELEGRAM FOR DEATH OF CARDINAL GROER

VATICAN CITY, MAR 24, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul sent a telegram of condolences to Cardinal Christoph Schonborn. O.P., archbishop of Vienna, Austria upon hearing of the death last evening in St. Polten, Austria of Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, O.S.B. at the age of 83.

Cardinal Groer was born in Vienna on October 13, 1919. He was ordained a priest in April 1942, a bishop in September 1986 and was created a cardinal by John Paul II in the consistory of June 28, 1988. He served as archbishop of Vienna from 1986 to 1995.

TGR;DEATH GROER;...;SCHONBORN;VIS;20030324;Word: 90;