AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 23, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience four prelates from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Region IX) on their "ad limina" visit:

- Bishop Joseph Leo Charron of Des Moines.

- Archbishop James Patrick Keleher of Kansas City in Kansas, with Coadjutor Bishop Joseph F. Naumann.

- Bishop Ronald E. Michael Gilmore of Dodge City.
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CONGREGATION PLANS STUDY DAY ON ROMAN MARTYROLOGY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 23, 2004 (VIS) - The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments has undertaken the task of promoting every year on  December 4, the anniversary of the Constitution "Sacrosanctum Concilium," a day of study on themes of liturgical interest. The celebration this year will start at 9 a.m. in the Hundred Days Room of the Chancery Building. The theme of the 2004 study day is occasioned by the publication of the second edition of the "'Martyrologium Romanum'. Theology, Liturgy, Holiness."

  The Martyrologium, says a communique, "is a liturgical book filled with history and is of great ecclesial interest as it expresses in the most complete way the sense of that particular and renewed attention that the Church reserves to the veneration of the saints, in a special way during the pontificate of John Paul II."

  The study day, which will feature opening remarks by Cardinal Francis Arinze, will offer theological and liturgical reflections as well as specialized contributions in the field of hagiography. For this occasion, several priceless handwritten codes and celebrated print editions of the liturgical book, on loan from the Vatican Library, will be exhibited.
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CATALOGUE OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS OF THE FAITHFUL

VATICAN CITY, NOV 23, 2004 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for the Laity will celebrate its 21st Plenary Assembly in Rome from November 24 to 28 on the theme, "Discover once again the true face of the Parish."  Members of the committee of the presidency will participate as well as members and consultors of the dicastery.

  After brief opening remarks by council president, Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, the under-secretary, Professor Guzman Carriquiry will speak about "The present day situation of the laity: crucial questions."

  Among the scheduled topics are: "The parish in a changing world: the great social, cultural and religious challenges"; "The institutional parish: a pastoral, juridical and historic perspective"; "Building up the community parish together: councils, ministers, services and other forms of collaboration and involvement for lay people."  On the third day, Bishop Josef Clemens, secretary of the pontifical council, will speak about the dicastery's future plans and in the afternoon, contributions will be presented for the 11th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist.

  A communique that accompanied the announcement of the plenary celebration, indicates that a "Catalogue of International Associations of the Faithful" was recently published in response to John Paul II's invitation to the council in the Apostolic Exhortation "Christifideles laici" to prepare an index of associations that are officially approved by the Holy See.

  The volume, which was published in Italian and which will be translated into English, Spanish and French, is more than 300 pages long and includes 123 associations of the faithful, ranging from the more traditional groups to the newest ecclesial movements and communities. Associations that depend juridically on the Congregations for the Clergy, the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life and the Evangelization of Peoples, as well as groups that work exclusively on the national or diocesan level, are not included in the list.

  Each association is listed according to its official name in the original language, and contains the following data: the year of its foundation, history, identity, structure, presence in the world, activity, publications, web sites and the contact information of the headquarters.
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WORLD CONGRESS ON CONSECRATED LIFE BEGINS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 23, 2004 (VIS) -  The Second World Congress on Consecrated Life, organized for the first time jointly by the Union of Superiors General and the International Union of Superiors General, will take place November 23-27 in Rome on the theme, "Passion for Christ, Passion for Humanity." Nine-hundred religious from 130 countries, representing one million consecrated people in the world, are scheduled to participate, as are theologians, bishops and representatives of other Christian confessions and other religions.

  During the meeting, participants will reflect on consecrated life since the First World Congress in 1993 and the synod dedicated to consecrated life in 1994 in light of the Apostolic Exhortation "Vita Consecrata" and the apostolic letters of John Paul II, "Tertio millennio adveniente" in 1994 and "Novo millennio ineunte" in 2001. 

  During the week, reports and group discussions by continent are scheduled with the purpose of analyzing the challenges of consecrated life at the beginning of the third millennium. The congress was inspired by two Gospel images that illustrate the meaning and purpose of consecrated life: the Samaritan woman who asks Jesus for the "living water" and the Good Samaritan who cares for those who are suffering.
 
  The religious men and women, according to the working paper of the congress, will try to look for answers to the phenomena of globalization, human mobility and migration, the culture of death and the pro-life movement, pluralism and the path towards dialogue, the secularized vision of life, the post-modern mentality and its influences on society, inter-religious dialogue and ecumenism, and the lack of vocations.
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POPE TO GIVE RELICS TO ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW

VATICAN CITY, NOV 23, 2004 (VIS) - At 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 27, in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope John Paul II, together with Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, will preside at an ecumenical celebration during which the Pope will turn over to the Patriarch the relics of Saints Gregory Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, Bishops and Doctors of the Church.

  A communique from the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff explains that "the celebration will take place according to the structure of the Liturgy of the Word and will include the following rituals: the introduction and veneration of the relics; Bible and patristic readings with several excerpts from the two Doctors of the Church and troparion songs of the Byzantine liturgy; a moment of prayer consisting of the universal Prayer and the Lord's Prayer, the rite of turning over the relics with a text read by the Holy Father and thanksgiving by the Patriarch; concluding rites."

  "The celebration," says the communique, "is a sign of the desire of the Church of the West and of the East to walk together towards the gift of full unity so that the world will believe in Christ, the One Savior."

  The Orthodox community of Rome will take part in this celebration. The clergy, religious and faithful of the diocese of Rome are also invited.
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"HONORIS CAUSA" FOR POPE: SIGN OF DIALOGUE, SCIENCE , FAITH

VATICAN CITY, NOV 23, 2004 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received the rector and members of the faculty and staff of the Nicolaus Copernicus University of Torun in Poland who presented him with the title of doctor "honoris causa."  "I accept it with gratitude," said the Pope, "as a sign of dialogue between science and faith in continual development."

  John Paul II recalled that during his visit to the university in June of 1999, he spoke about this dialogue, "which is called to overcome the contrast, made during the Enlightenment, of truth reached through reason and truth known through faith. Today we understand ever more that it is the same truth and that it is necessary for men and women not to walk alone but to try to confirm their own intuition through dialogue with others when reaching the truth on their own."

  "Only in this way," he continued, "will experts and men of culture be capable of assuming that special responsibility which I spoke about in Torun: 'the responsibility of truth; to strive towards it, to defend it and to live according to it'."

  The Pope expressed his joy that the university "is developing with dynamism, putting science ever more in the reach of young people. ... I know that this development is taking place with the help of the local authorities of a city that can certainly be called a 'college town.' May this common work serve the city of Torun, the region and all of Poland."
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