OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 14, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Irineu Silvio Wilges O.F.M., pastor of the parish of St. Anthony in the archdiocese of Porto Alegre, Brazil, as bishop of Cachoeira do Sul (area 11,119, population 210,000, Catholics 177,000, priests 30, permanent deacons 5, religious 77), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Pinheiral, Brazil in 1936 and ordained a priest in 1962.

It was made public today that on June 7, the Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Lwena, Angola, presented by Bishop Jose Prospero da Ascensao Puaty, in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Gabriel Mbilingi C.S.Sp.

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PRESS OFFICE STATEMENT ON CLEMENCY FOR ALI AGCA

VATICAN CITY, JUN 14, 2000 (VIS) - Following is the declaration made yesterday afternoon by Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls regarding the clemency granted to Ali Agca, who shot Pope John Paul in St. Peter's Square on May 13, 1981 and who has spent the last 19 years in Italian prisons:

"The Holy See has learned with satisfaction the news of the pardon granted to Ali Agca by Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, president of the Republic of Italy.

"As is well known, John Paul II forgave his attacker immediately.

"Some time ago, the Pope informed the Italian authorities that he was in favor of an act of clemency whenever the Italian legal system felt it was appropriate. This desire was recently renewed.

"That the granting of pardon comes during the Jubilee celebration makes the Holy Father's personal satisfaction even greater."

Ali Agca was extradited to his native Turkey where he arrived by plane early this morning. He was brought to a prison in Istanbul and is expected to serve time for the murder of a Turkish journalist.

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TOMORROW THE POPE WILL OFFER LUNCH TO 200 POOR PEOPLE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 14, 2000 (VIS) - Below is the full text of a communique from the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee 2000 regarding an initiative by the Pope, who tomorrow will offer luncheon in the Vatican to 200 poor people:

"Two hundred guests, invited to the table of the 'Pope's charity,' will share in a luncheon offered by the Holy Father to the poor. The event will take place on Thursday June 15 in the atrium of the Paul VI Hall. The guests will be men and women of all ages - Christians but also from other religions, among them a number of Muslims - Italians and foreigners from five continents, chosen by the Community of St. Egidio, by Rome Caritas and by the 'Dona di Maria' House. Each person was sent a personalized invitation.

"With this initiative, the Pope once again brings charity to the fore as a 'sign' of the Great Jubilee and reaffirms 'the Church's preferential option for the poor and the marginalized' as indicated in fundamental Jubilee documents, the Apostolic Letter 'Tertio millennio adveniente' and the Bull of Indiction 'Incarnationis mysterium.' The choice of the day is also symbolic, the Thursday of the Lord's Supper, between Pentecost and the International Eucharistic Congress. Tables for 13 people will be prepared where ten poor people will sit with a cardinal or a bishop and two volunteers to help them. In order to represent the priestly ministry as service, lunch will be served by seminarians from the Seminary of Rome, while a group of Legionaries of Christ will provide accompaniment with music and songs.

"The poor people will live a true Jubilee day. On the morning of June 15, they will cross the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica and pause in prayer over the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, they will then proceed to the Paul VI Hall. The Holy Father will join them at lunch time. At the conclusion, there will be an exchange of gifts between the guests and the Pope. As a memento, the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee 2000 will give the guests, among other things, a reproduction of the Jubilee logo. About 20 high-ranking prelates will participate in the luncheon.
"The menu is typical of an average Italian family: ravioli with ricotta cheese, roast veal and roast potatoes, small mozzarella cheeses from Aversa with fresh salad, a dessert and fruit salad with ice cream as well as wine, non-alcoholic drinks, sparkling wine and coffee."

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THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE IN THE MESSAGES OF JOHN PAUL II

VATICAN CITY, JUN 13, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, there was a press conference at which the book, "The Sacrament of Penance in the Messages of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II to the Apostolic Penitentiary," was presented.

The volume, 95 pages long and written in Italian, is made up of a preface written by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, an introduction and 12 messages from the Holy Father. These are addressed to the Apostolic Penitentiary, the penitentiary fathers of Rome's patriarchal basilicas, the priests who every year take part in the course on the internal forum and, as the cardinal writes in his preface, to all priests and all the faithful of the world.

During the presentation of the book, in the presence of Cardinal William Baum, major penitentiary, Fr. Urbano Navarrete S.J., consultor of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, affirmed that "the Pontifical Magisterium's particular concern" for the sacrament of Penance was demonstrated in the pontificate of Pius XII, it intensified during the pontificate of Paul VI and "reaches its culmination in the Magisterium of John Paul II." The present pontiff "not only dedicates formal documents (to the subject of) reconciliation - such as the encyclicals 'Dives in Misericordia' (November 30 1980), 'Reconciliatio et paenitentiae' (December 2 1984), the apostolic letter 'Tertio millennio adveniente' (November 5 1994) and the bull of indiction of the Great Jubilee 'Incarnationis mysterium' (November 29 1998) - but also constantly (highlights the theme) in his daily Magisterium, especially in his lenten homilies and on the 'ad limina' visits of bishops." In all these cases he illustrates "the richness and efficacy of the sacrament as a means by which to tend towards Christian perfection, even when it is not necessary in order to re-acquire the state of grace."

"The variety of subjects covered, all concerning the sacrament of penance," said Fr. Navarrete, "offers the Holy Father the occasion to remind ministers of the sacrament of fundamental doctrinal points and to give, both to ministers and to penitents, enlightening and encouraging instructions and advice."
The 12 documents brought together in the book, concluded Fr. Navarrete, "constitute a 'vade mecum' for confessors that - without going into the details of every day cases - presents a synthesis, both of doctrinal principles on the Sacrament of Penance that confessors put into effect at each sacramental confession, and a great variety of specific directives and practical advice."

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JOHN PAUL II TO PRESIDE AT OPENING OF EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 13, 2000 (VIS) - On Sunday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m. in St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II will preside at the second vespers of the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity on the occasion of the opening of the 47th International Eucharistic Congress on the theme "Jesus Christ, The Only Savior of the World, Bread for a New Life."

The evening's liturgy will be marked by an entrance procession with the Holy Father and celebrants, the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the celebration of vespers and the Eucharistic benediction.

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