AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 23, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience four prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Colombia on their "ad limina" visit:

- Bishop Jorge Alberto Ossa Soto of Florencia.

- Bishop Rigoberto Corredor Bermudez of Garzon.

- Bishop Ramon Dario Molina Jaramillo, O.F.M., of Neiva.

- Bishop Alvaro Efren Rincon Rojas, C.S.S.R., apostolic vicar of Puerto Carreño.
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NUNCIOS IN AFRICA AND MADAGASCAR HOLD MEETING IN VATICAN

VATICAN CITY, SEP 23, 2004 (VIS) - Pontifical representatives of Africa and Madagascar start a three-day meeting today in the Domus Sanctae Martha in the Vatican. The gathering was convened by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of State, six years after the first such meeting in March 1998 and ten years after the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops.

  Archbishop Michael Courtney, apostolic nuncio in Burundi who was assassinated in December 2003, will be remembered during the meetings. According to a communique that was issued today, the assembly intends to express the spiritual closeness of John Paul II and the solidarity of the universal Church to the peoples and local Churches in Africa. It will respond to the urgent need - continuously mentioned by the Holy Father - not to abandon this continent so that, by using its many and abundant natural and human resources, it can overcome the serious evils that afflict it and become the protagonist of its own integral development.

  Joining the nuncios will be the cardinal secretary of State, the substitute for General Affairs, the secretary for Relations with States, and the heads of various dicasteries of the Roman Curia most directly interested in this area. There will be an exchange of information and participants will reflect on the political, social, economic, religious and ecclesial situation of the African continent and on the best ways to fulfill the delicate mission entrusted to them, a mission often marked by hardships and sacrifices.

  This morning Jacques Diouf, director general of the Food and Agricultural Organization, addressed the gathering. Participants will be welcomed by the Holy Father on September 25 in Castelgandolfo.
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MASS FOR REPOSE OF SOULS OF POPES PAUL VI, JOHN PAUL I

VATICAN CITY, SEP 23, 2004 (VIS) - A communique from the Office of Liturgical Ceremonies of the Supreme Pontiff states that on Tuesday, September 28 at 6 p.m. there will be a Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica for the repose of the souls of the deceased Popes, Paul VI and John Paul I. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the Eucharistic celebration in the name of the Holy Father.
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BENEDICTINES: WITNESS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE ORIENTED TOWARD GOD

VATICAN CITY, SEP 23, 2004 (VIS) - This morning at Castelgandolfo John Paul II received participants in the Congress of the Abbots and Priors of the Benedictine Confederation and the meeting of "Communio Internationalis Benedictarum."

  The Pope urged those present not to be discouraged "by the problems of our time" and he told them, "Stay faithful to your history. Our secularized world is in debt to you for the witness of your communities which put God at the center. Many bishops ask to have these vital spaces for encountering Our Lord in their dioceses. Through the liturgy, study and work, may you always be an example of Christian life, fully oriented toward God, respectful of man and creation."

  "I know," he said, "that you maintain contact with monks and nuns of every religion: these relations are very important and could be fruitful. I urge you to deepen ecumenical relations with our brothers and sisters in Eastern Europe. Monasticism is a natural platform for mutual understanding. This is extremely important at this moment in history for Europe to preserve its Christian roots."

  The Holy Father expressed his joy that "as a large Benedictine family, you are always discovering your common heritage. Follow in the footsteps of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica. 'Do not put anything before Christ.' Faithful to this rule of life, you will have a future full of God's blessings."
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