AGENDA FOR MEETING IN VATICAN WITH U.S. CARDINALS

VATICAN CITY, APR 22, 2002 (VIS) - Following is the agenda and the list of participants of the April 23-24 meeting in the Vatican between United States cardinals and members of the Roman Curia:

On April 23 and 24, in the Bologna Hall of the Apostolic Palace, there will be, as previously announced, an interdicasterial meeting with United States cardinals and with the presidency of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States.

The meeting follows talks that took place recently in the Vatican with representatives of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, with a view to the assembly that this same episcopal conference will hold in Dallas from June 13 to 15.

The Holy Father will closely follow the work, compatible with his previously arranged appointments, including Wednesday morning's general audience.

The following will participate in the meeting:

1. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State, President.

United States Cardinals:
2. Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, Archbishop of Boston.
3. Cardinal Roger Michael Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles.
4. Cardinal Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia. 5. Cardinal William Henry Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore.
6. Cardinal Adam Joseph Maida, Archbishop of Detroit.
7. Cardinal Francis Eugene George, Archbishop of Chicago.
8. Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington.
9. Cardinal Edward Michael Egan, Archbishop of New York.
10. Cardinal James Aloysius Hickey, Archbishop emeritus di Washington.
11. Cardinal Avery Dulles.

Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States:
12.Bishop Wilton Daniel Gregory, President.
13.Bishop William Stephen Skylstad, Vice President.
14.Msgr. William P. Fay, secretary general.

United States Cardinals of the Curia:
15. Cardinal William Wakefield Baum, Archbishop emeritus of Washington, Major Penitentiary emeritus.
16. Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, Archbishop emeritus of Detroit and President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.
17. Cardinal James Francis Stafford, Archbishop emeritus of Denver and President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

Heads of Dicastery of the Roman Curia:
18. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
19. Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
20. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
21. Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments.
22. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy.
23. Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
24. Archbishop Julian Herranz, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

The meetings will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will continue until 12:30 p.m. They will reconvene at 4:30 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m., according to the following schedule:

Tuesday April 23

Opening prayer of Adsumus; Welcome by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State; Speech by the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Speeches by United States Cardinals, in order of diaconate; Speech by the Holy Father; Recitation of the Regina Coeli and conclusion of the morning sessions.

Speeches by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos and the heads of dicasteries; Resumption of speeches by United States Cardinals, and concluding prayer.

Wednesday April 24
Prayer of Adsumus; Presentation of the proposals of the preceding day, by the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Open floor for discussion; Recitation of the Regina Coeli and conclusion of the morning sessions.

Final meeting.

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CHRISTIAN UNITY ESSENTIAL TO PROCLAIMING CHRIST TO THE WORLD

VATICAN CITY, APR 22, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed 85 participants in a meeting of The Bible Societies and remarked that the Societies "exist to open the inexhaustible riches of Sacred Scripture to all who will listen, and that is a noble Christian service, for which I give thanks to God."

He noted that "for many years your Societies have been engaged in translating and distributing the text of Scripture, an essential part of proclaiming Christ to the world. For it is not just words which we must speak: it is the Word of God Himself!"

"The urgency of this task," the Pope stated, "demands that we commit ourselves to the cause of Christian unity, for division among the disciples of Christ has certainly impaired our mission. Your meeting therefore draws together members of different Churches and Ecclesial Communities. ... Whatever differences remain between us, the promotion of the Bible is one point where Christians can work closely together for the glory of God and the good of the human family."

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RESTORE HOLY SITES TO PRAYER, PILGRIMS, GOD AND MAN!

VATICAN CITY, APR 21, 2002 (VIS) - Following the priestly ordination this morning in St. Peter's Basilica of 20 deacons of the diocese of Rome, Pope John Paul greeted the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for the recitation of the Regina Coeli.

He reminded the pilgrims that "following a significant tradition, today, the fourth Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. This Sunday is also called Good Shepherd Sunday because in the Gospel Jesus gives Himself this eloquent biblical title. ... I invite everyone to raise to God a chorus of prayer, especially on this Day, for a flowering of numerous and holy vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life among the People of God."

The Holy Father then spoke of the Middle East, saying "our prayers also continue insistently for the situation in the Holy Land from where, unfortunately, worrisome news and scenes of destruction continue to arrive. These are images that are stronger than any appeal and they induce one to try everything, at all levels, so that this Land, blessed by God, will come out of the spiral of hatred and violence as soon as possible.

"In particular," he stated, "every day I spiritually visit Bethlehem, and the Basilica of the Nativity, where I lived unforgettable moments during the course of my Jubilee pilgrimage. For almost 20 days now the basilica and connected buildings have been the theatre of clashes, blackmail and unbearable exchanges of accusations. May that place, and all the holy sites, be immediately restored to prayer and pilgrims, to God and to man!"

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 22, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed the following as members of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace: Archbishops George Pell of Sydney, Australia, and Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo; Bishops Amedee Grap of Chur, Switzerland, Reinhard Marx of Trier, Germany, Olivier de Berrauger of Saint-Denis, France, Leon Tharmaraj of Kottar, India, and Antonio Ledesma of Ipil, the Phillipines; Silvio Marcus Helmons of Belgium, Tomas Raga Gil of Spain, Raymond Ranjeva of Madagascar, Onno Ruding of the Netherlands, Andrea Riccardi of Italy, Maria E. Diaz de Pfennich of Mexico, and Mary Yuen Mee-Yin of Hong Kong.

On Saturday April 20, it was made public that the Holy Father erected the apostolic exarchate for the Catholic Greek-Melkites living in Argentina with its see in Cordoba. He also appointed Fr. Georges Haddad S.M.S.P. as first exarch of the newly-erected exarchate, assigning him the titular see of Mira of the Greek-Melkites. The bishop-elect was born in 1957 in Beirut, Lebanon and was ordained a priest in 1983.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 22, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Four prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuya.
- Bishop Athanasius Atule Usuh of Makurdi.
- Bishop Vincent Valentine Egwuchukwu Ezeonyia of Aba.
- Bishop John Moore, apostolic vicar of Bauchi.
- Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, archbishop major of Lviv of the Ukrainians, with Auxiliary Bishops Stanislaw Padewski, O.F.M.Cap., Ihor Vozniak, C.SS.R., and Hlib Lonchyna, M.S.U.

On Saturday April 20, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, apostolic nuncio in Kazakhstan and Tadjikistan.
- Two prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Hilary Paul Odili Okeke of Nnewi.
- Bishop Joseph Egerega, apostolic vicar of Bomadi.
- Bishop Joseph Edra Ukpo of Ogoja.
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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