MEXICO: LOCATION OF THE NEXT EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 2000 (VIS) - Shortly before praying the angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II announced that the next International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the year 2004.

The Pope recalled that over the last few days, Rome has been "the city of the Eucharist" and he referred to the conclusion this evening of the International Eucharistic Congress which has been considering the theme "Jesus Christ, only Savior of the World, Bread for a New Life."

"We firmly believe," he said, "that Christ is the only Savior of the world. He is the Mediator of the new and eternal Covenant. ... A Covenant open to all people in anticipation of the great eschatological banquet announced by the prophets of Israel. In the light of this truth, the Church does not despise the various religious experiences that man adopts in order to bring himself closer to God and receive His purification; on the contrary she favors a profitable inter-religious dialogue. However, at the same time she has to say clearly that Christ is the only Redeemer, the Son of God who for us was made flesh, died and rose again."

John Paul II closed by entrusting to the Virgin Mary the fruits of the recently-concluded Eucharistic Congress and the success of the next one. "May Mary," he concluded, "who lived in intimate and constant communion with Jesus, Word made flesh, help all Christians to recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of her divine Son, to welcome Him with faith and to invoke Him with love."

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PRESENTATION OF MESSAGE OF FATIMA

VATICAN CITY, JUN 26, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today in the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., respectively prefect and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, presented the document "The Message of Fatima."

During the conference, the cardinal explained the themes presented in the text concerning the "third secret," particularly highlighting the role of the Mother of Christ in the history of salvation.

"There exists a synergy between Mother and Son that spans all history," said the cardinal, and he mentioned the Gospel account of the wedding of Cana when Mary "induced (her Son) to the first sign that manifested His glory. The poverty of the guests is what inspired Mary to intervene then. Poverty at any time is a motive for the Mother of the Lord to intervene."

The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith continued saying, "Mary stands next to the cross of her Son, sharing in the suffering and in the power of salvation. ... The publication of this third part of the secret of Fatima at the beginning of the new millennium, proposing once more the center of the Gospel message, also reminds the Church and the world of the meaning and importance of the Mother of the Lord in the history of salvation, and thus of the meaning and value of women, all women, in human history."

Archbishop Bertone then spoke. He explained the reasons for which his congregation had been charged with making the third part of the secret public.

"These reasons," he said, "may be easily deduced: connections of the literary genre 'apparitions' and 'supernatural manifestations' ... with the doctrine of the faith and the great public revelation. ... The specific area of expertise of the dicastery that through a special office traces and examines, in collaboration with diocesan bishops, all real or imagined supernatural phenomena that are indicated to the local Churches."

Following the presentation, Cardinal Ratzinger and Archbishop Bertone answered journalists' questions.

Archbishop Bertone made it clear that John Paul II did not read the message until after May 13, 1981 - in other words, after the attempt on his life - and emphatically rejected the hypothesis that he may have read it before.

For his part, Cardinal Ratzinger highlighted that the decision not to publish the "third secret" over the years was not inspired by reasons of dogma but of prudence. He recognized that the price paid for this was the possibility of speculation as to the content. Even so, having waited to divulge it until after the beatification of the shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco and at the end of a century that had seen the greatest number of martyrs in history and an almost infinite series of wars and disasters, was a signal of hope and allowed, in the light of history, to places Lucia's vision in a global context.

The prefect also made it clear that in order to understand the message's reference to Russia, it was necessary to bear in mind what he had said about the recipient of the vision's limited capacity of comprehension. "In fact, Sr. Lucia said that we (the shepherds) knew nothing of Russia, we did not even know the word Russia. They understood that something dangerous was meant and, naturally, to the limited capacities represented by the mind and soul of three shepherd children the Virgin did not refer to Russia as a country with many Christians, rather (she referred to) an anti-Christian system. This is not a condemnation of Russia, we know the great faith of the Russian people, it is a condemnation of a classical atheist system that threatened humanity. In reality, other systems, especially Nazism, were radically anti-theist and threatened both the Church and humanity, there is no exclusive right over that word. As I said, each word of the vision does not have an exact historical correlation."

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INTERNATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS CLOSES IN ROME

VATICAN CITY, JUN 25, 2000 (VIS) - At 6:30 p.m., the Holy Father presided at the "Statio Orbis" in St. Peter's Square marking the closure of the 47th International Eucharistic Congress whose theme has been "Jesus Christ, only Savior of the World, Bread for a New Life."

Thirty cardinals, 60 bishops and 1,000 priests, in Rome for the eucharistic congress, concelebrated with the Pope. Among the faithful were 10,000 children who have received first communion this year.

"From this square," said John Paul II in his homily, "we wish to repeat to the men and women of the third millennium the extraordinary announcement: for us, the Son of God was made flesh and He offered Himself in sacrifice for our salvation. He gives us His body and His blood as the sustenance of a new life, of a divine life that is no longer subject to death.

"With emotion we once again receive this gift from Christ's hands so that, through us, it may reach all families, all cities, the places of pain and the places where hope is forged in our time. The Eucharist is an infinite gift of love: in the bread and wine we recognize and adore the single and perfect sacrifice of Christ."

The Pope affirmed that from this 'Statio Orbis' his thoughts were already turning "to the solemn Eucharistic celebration that will close World Youth Day. My words go out to you, young people of Rome, of Italy and of the world: prepare yourselves with care for this international rendezvous of youth where you will be called to face the challenges of the third millennium."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 26, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Hugo Banzer Suarez, president of the Republic of Bolivia, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee, prime minister of India, accompanied by his entourage.
- His Royal Highness, Prince of Asturias, Felipe de Bourbon.
- Cardinal Edouard Gagnon, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.

On Saturday June 24, he received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
- Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves O.P., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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HOLY SEE HAD NET SURPLUS OF $5 MILLION FOR 1999

VATICAN CITY, JUN 23, 2000 (VIS) - Archbishop Sergio Sebastiani, president of the Prefecture of the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, announced this morning at a conference in which he presented the Consolidated Financial Statement of the Holy See, that there was a net surplus of $5,046,000 for the fiscal year 1999. The exchange rate used was 1,927 lire to $1. The 1998 surplus was $1.5 million.

Joining him in the Holy See Press Office for the biannual conference on Holy See finances were Bishop Franco Croci and Ivan Ruggiero, respectively secretary and general accountant of the prefecture. The 1999 statements were published in both Italian and English.
The archbishop explained that a Consolidated Financial Statement "means that there are grouped together in one statement the costs and revenues of the seven administrations of the Holy See: APSA (Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See), the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Apostolic Chamber, Vatican Radio, the Vatican Printing Press/L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican Publishing House and the Vatican Television Center."

"It is interesting to note," he said, "that, in comparison with the previous fiscal year, the expenses grew by .... 3.7 percent, and that the growth of revenue was .... 5.8 percent."

He highlighted that Canon 1271 of the Code of Canon Law, which asks dioceses to make financial contributions to the Apostolic See, was enforced after an April 1991 meeting of all the presidents of the episcopal conferences in the world. The income deriving from this provision has increased from 10.398 billion lire ($6.3 million) in 1992 to 41.244 billion lire in 1999.

Archbishop Sebastiani then explained that the Operating Financial Statement of the Holy See is divided into four sectors: Institutional Activities (all Roman Curia offices: (a loss of 44,962 million lire in 1999); Financial Activities (a gain of 86,913 million lire); Real Estate Activities (a gain of 18,741 million lire) and Activities of the Four Institutions Connected with the Holy See (a loss of 39,276 million lire).

The archbishop pointed out that the newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, has a deficit but has increased its presence in Europe and the Mediterranean and now distributes approximately 4 million copies. He added that Vatican Radio has a deficit, but now transmits in 47 languages, has increased its broadcast hours, and has approximately 400 people working for it, representing 63 countries.

The Consolidated Financial Statement," he concluded, "will now be translated into English, French, German and Spanish and a copy will be sent to all the bishops in the world and to the major superiors of Religious Institutes."

According to a communique released this morning along with the financial statement, the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organizational and Economic Questions of the Holy See met on June 21 in the Vatican under the presidency of Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano. Also present at the meeting were 11 other cardinals as well as Archbishop Sergio Sebastiani.

The communique announced that Vatican City State, a budget separate from the Holy See, had a surplus of 5.4 billion lire ($2.6 million). It pointed out that expenses incurred in 1999 included building the new entrance to the Vatican Museums, the underground parking lot and work on preserving or restructuring several buildings.

Finally, it was announced that the 1999 Peter's Pence - the offerings of the faithful for the Pontiff's charitable works and for the support of needy churches - amounted to $55,313,587.

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