AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 11, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences 18 prelates from the German Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, accompanied by his auxiliaries, Bishops Klaus Dick, Norbert Trelle, Friedhelm Hofmann, Manfred Melzer.
- Archbishop-Bishop Johannes Dyba of Fulda, military ordinary, accompanied by his auxiliaries, Bishops Ludwig Schick, Johannes Kapp.
- Bishop Hubert Luthe of Essen, accompanied by his auxiliaries, Bishops Franz Grave, Franz Vorrath.
- Bishop Reinhard Lettmann of Munster, accompanied by his auxiliaries, Bishops Friedrich Ostermann, Heinrich Janssen, Werner Thissen.
- Bishop Joachim Wanke of Erfurt.
- Bishop Hermann Josef Spital of Trier, accompanied by his auxiliary, Bishop Felix Genn.

AL;...;...;... ;VIS;19991111;Word: 120;

VATICAN TO HOST CONFERENCE ON "ECONOMY AND HEALTH"

VATICAN CITY, NOV 11, 1999 (VIS) - On Monday, November 15, at 11:30 a.m. in the Holy See Press Office, Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Ministry to Health Care Workers, will present the council's 14th annual conference, to be held in the Vatican November 18-20 and entitled "Economy and Health."

Scheduled to join him in the presentation are Bishop Jose L. Redrado. O.H. and Fr. Felice Ruffini, M.I., respectively secretary and under-secretary of the council, Lillian Azqueta Fanjul, director of the New Hope Foundation in Palm Beach, U.S.A. and Dr. Antonio Cicchetti, director general of Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

OP;ECONOMY; HEALTH;...;LOZANO BARRAGAN;VIS;19991111;Word: 120;

HOLY YEAR 2000: JUBILEE ON THE HIGH SEAS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 11, 1999 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples announced today that the Jubilee indulgence will be granted to seafarers who, due to long periods of work at sea, would otherwise be unable to celebrate the Holy Year 2000 at the holy sites designated in Rome, the Holy Land or their country of origin.

A special decree to this effect was signed by Cardinal William Baum, Major Penitentiary of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, on November 1, and grants those at sea the possibility of receiving the Jubilee indulgence that is received by those who make a pilgrimage under the following conditions: a perfect act of contrition and a firm intention to receive the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist as soon as possible; the recitation of the Our Father and the Creed in front of a religious image and a prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

The communique states: "The Holy Father, showing once again his paternal solicitude for the special situation of seafaring persons who live and work far from their Christian community and their families in conditions which are particularly difficult and often dangerous, wanted the Jubilee celebration to be facilitated for them and desired that the particular conditions that he offers them be promulgated through a special official decree from the Holy See."

CON-SM;INDULGENCE SEAFARERS;...;BAUM;VIS;19991111;Word: 240;

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 11, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:
- Archbishop Janusz Bolonek, apostolic nuncio, as apostolic nuncio in Uruguay.

- As consultors of the Prefecture of Economic Affairs of the Holy See: Bishop Attilio Nicora, emeritus of Verona and delegate for juridical questions of the presidency of the Italian Episcopal Conference; Edoardo Boitani, vice president of the Central Institute for the Sustenance of the Clergy, Rome, Italy; Pietro Fatello, business consultant, Rome; Maurizio Prato, central director of the I.R.I. and president of FINTECNA, Rome; Giovanni Battista Santucci, economist, L'Aquila, Italy.

- Madeleine Ramaholimihaso of Antananarivo, Madagascar, as member of the College of Auditors of the Prefecture of Economic Affairs of the Holy See.

NN; NA;...;...;... ;VIS;19991111;Word: 120;

JOHN PAUL II GREETS PILGRIMS IN ST. PETER'S SQUARE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 10, 1999 (VIS) - At 11 this morning, speaking from his study window, Pope John Paul greeted and briefly addressed the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. The weekly general audience had not been put on the Pope's calendar for this Wednesday given the expected late hour of his arrival from Georgia after a long flight and three time zone changes.

"I greet you with affection," he said. "I returned last night from my apostolic pilgrimage in India and Georgia. In New Delhi I met many Asian bishops and faithful; in Tbilisi I visited the Catholic community and its apostolic administrator. With everyone I prayed, sharing their respective hopes and desires."

Saying that he would talk of "this interesting trip at next week's general audience," the Holy Father asked the faithful to join him in "asking God to render fruitful the seeds sown during this apostolic trip."

Thanking the authorities of both countries he visited, the Pope expressed "particular thanks to Patriarch-Catholicos Ilia II for the cordiality which he showed me."

AG;TRIP INDIA GEORGIA;...;...;VIS;19991110;Word: 180;