AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 19, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Fernando Henrique Cardoso, president of Brazil, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.
- Three prelates from the German Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Walter Mixa of Eichstatt.
- Bishop Johannes Kreidler, diocesan administrator of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, accompanied by his auxiliary, Bishop Thomas Maria Renz.
- Archbishop Jean-Claude Perisset, apostolic nuncio in Romania.

This evening he is scheduled to receive five prelates from the German Episcopal Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Maximilian Sterzinsky, archbishop of Berlin, accompanied by his auxiliary, Bishop Wolfgang Weider.
- Archbishop Johannes Joachim Degenhardt of Paderborn, accompanied by his auxiliaries, Bishops Reinhard Marx and Heinz Josef Algermissen.

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ST. PETER'S BASILICA TO HAVE NEW ILLUMINATION

VATICAN CITY, NOV 19, 1999 (VIS) - Cardinal Virgilio Noe, president of the Fabric of St. Peter's, will present a project for the new illumination of St. Peter's Basilica, including the facade, atrium and dome, in a press conference to be held in the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday, November 23 at 12:30 p.m.

Joining him will be Sandro Benedetti of the Fabric of St. Peter's, Fulvio Vento and Paolo Cuccia of ACEA, an Italian utilities company, and Aldo De Luca, head of the project.

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"THE PILGRIM'S PAPER" TO DEBUT IN ROME ON NOVEMBER 21

VATICAN CITY, NOV 19, 1999 (VIS) - One million copies of "The Pilgrim's Paper," a new publication from the Communication and Documentation Center of the Vatican's Jubilee Committee, will be distributed in St. Peter's Square and other parts of Rome on Sunday, November 21, on the occasion of a canonization ceremony in the Vatican.

This test edition of the publication will appear in Italian, French, English and Spanish on November 21. Starting December 22, "The Pilgrim's Paper" will be published every 15 days in those languages as well as in German, Portuguese and Polish. One million copies will be printed of each issue and offered free to all pilgrims.

A note from the Central Jubilee Committee states that the purpose of this periodical is "to become a companion to every single pilgrim, furnishing complete and punctual information about Jubilee events, their spiritual meaning, testimonials, guides to Jubilee sites, useful addresses and phone numbers and a worthwhile insert, in serialized form, on the history of the Jubilee."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 19, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. Robert Francis Vasa of the clergy of the diocese of Lincoln, U.S.A., and vicar general and curia moderator of the same diocese, as bishop of Baker (area 173,013, population 413,900, Catholics 34,811, priests 48, permanent deacons 5, religious 44), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Lincoln in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1976. He succeeds Bishop Thomas John Connolly whose resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Baker the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. George L. Thomas, vicar general of Seattle (area 64,269, population 4,277,700, Catholics 501,055, priests 328, permanent deacons 86, religious 837), U.S.A., as auxiliary of the same archdiocese. The bishop-elect was born in Anaconda, U.S.A., in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1976.

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POVERTY, HUNGER AND DISEASE DEMAND ACTION, NOT PARALYSIS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 18, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed the participants in the 30th conference of the Rome-based Food and Agricultural Organization, and, in his speech to them, paid tribute to the work of both FAO and of the United Nations "in promoting the well-being of the human family."

He highlighted the many ways that life today is "under assault," and indicated that what is needed is action, not "palliative approaches" by "people who are overcome by a kind of moral paralysis, believing that little or nothing can be done to address these great problems at their roots."

"As we survey the entire planet and the multitude of the human family," observed the Pope, we see that "millions of human beings are denied the most basic necessities of life - food, water, shelter. Diseases both old and new continue to affect countless lives. The scourge of violence and war is unceasing. The gap between rich and poor increases alarmingly. Scientific and technological progress is not always accompanied by attention to the moral and ethical values which alone can ensure its correct application for the genuine good of people today and tomorrow."

Underlining that "it is clear that ideologically motivated action is not the solution to hunger" or so many other issues, John Paul II said: "What is needed is the more profound and infinitely more creative power of hope, ... which entails a vision of the human person as created in the image and likeness of God." In this respect, he added, in the last part of this century "there is a growing sense of the human person's worth and dignity, and of the inviolable rights which flow from it. ... People are recognizing more and more that there are certain innate and inviolable rights which do not depend on any human authority." Without openness to these principles, he stated, "our vision of the world will be distorted ... and our efforts to relieve suffering ... doomed."

The Holy Father affirmed that, with a right sense of who man is, with the power of hope to help mankind overcome its problems, and "with the means available today, poverty, hunger and disease can no longer be regarded as either normal or inevitable."

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