JOHN PAUL II INAUGURATES COMPLETELY RESTORED SISTINE CHAPEL

VATICAN CITY, DEC 11, 1999 (VIS) - Pope John Paul this morning inaugurated the Sistine Chapel, completely restored after 20 years of work on the renowned ceiling and Last Judgement by Michelangelo and the frescoes on the side walls, depicting scenes from the lives of Christ and Moses and painted by Perugino, Botticelli, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, Rosselli and Signorelli.

He spoke to the invited guests of the "full splendor" of this chapel which "is very dear to the faithful of the world, not only for the masterpieces it houses but for the role it has in the life of the Church. Here, in fact - I recall with emotion - the election of the Successor of Peter takes place."

The Pope mentioned the completion, in 1994, of the restoration of the ceiling and the Last Judgment, "the works of Michelangelo which undoubtedly give the tone to this room and which in a certain sense consume it, such is their grandeur. They go right up to the ultimate horizon of Christian theology, pointing to the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the judgement, the mystery of creation and that of history, all of which converge on Christ, Savior and judge of the world."

John Paul II then spoke specifically of the final phase of restoration in the Sistine Chapel, that of the frescoes on the side walls which depict, six to a side, parallel scenes from the life of Moses and that of Christ. These walls were completed in 1482, and in fact, predate by 30 years the ceiling by Michelangelo, which was finished in 1512. He began the Last Judgement in the spring of 1536 and completed it on October 31, 1541. He termed the 12 scenes depicted "a sort of 'lectio divina' in which, even more than the single biblical episodes, what emerges is the unity of Scriptures, the Old and the New Testaments."

"What is evident," he added, "is that everything gravitates around Christ. ... These decorations are, therefore, a hymn to Christ. Everything leads to Him. Everything finds its fullness in Him."

The Holy Father observed that "the centrality of Christ is not overshadowed, but rather highlighted by the role He attributes to the apostles, and to Peter in particular." Perugino's painting, he said, underlines not only "the fullness of authority conferred on the first of the apostles," but "the touching expression of humility on Peter's face when he receives the sign of his ministry."

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PROMOTE MORAL VALUES AND SOLID ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 11, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received prelates from the Dominican Episcopal Conference, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

In his address the Pope made reference to the bishops' quinquennial reports in which they have underlined the need to "keep lay adults well formed in order that they be true witnesses to the Gospel, ... willing to intervene in the fields most suited to them such as the family, the workplace, the world of culture or of politics."

For this reason, he continued, what is required is "continuous and systematic formation (of lay adults) making them aware of their dignity as baptized Christians and the commitment that this brings with it, as well as giving them a solid knowledge of the Church's doctrine and Magisterium. In fact, you can only promote moral values through solid ethical principles. This is especially so in a society where a high percentage of the population lives in conditions of extreme poverty, where there is high unemployment, especially among youth, and where there is an increase in violence and corruption." These factors have repercussions "in phenomena such as adolescent single mothers or child labor and exploitation."

The Holy Father affirmed that in the face of the weakening of the family, there is a need for incisive catechesis "that gives deep roots to the Christian ideal of faithful and indissoluble conjugal communion, true path of sanctity and open to procreation." Furthermore, "it is also necessary to recall the need to respect women's inalienable dignity and, moreover, to recognize their vital role in the home as well as in the Church and in society. In fact, it is sad to note how 'women still meet forms of discrimination', especially when they are the frequent victims of sexual abuse and male dominance."
The Pope recalled the presence, in the Dominican Republic, of "particular ideologies or schools of thought that, in one way or another, deny God or advocate a distancing from Him (and) relativize moral values. ... Consequently, in her evangelizing work, the Church feels the pressing need, not just to defend the truth about man, his primacy over society and his openness to the transcendent, but also to speak and teach in such a way that 'the Gospel is proclaimed in the language and in the culture of its hearers.' At the same time, in this task, she must avoid the risk that excessive attachment to certain cultures and traditions ends up relativizing the Christian message or rendering it void of meaning."

At the close of his talk, John Paul II entreated the prelates to make the Jubilee, "this year of grace, become a strong impulse to spiritual renewal, both individual and communal."

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POPE JOHN PAUL BLESSES BABY JESUS STATUES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 12, 1999 (VIS) - In what has become a traditional pre-Christmas event, Pope John Paul today blessed the statues of Baby Jesus, brought to St. Peter's Square by the children of Rome. The statues will then be placed in the nativity scenes set up in their homes.

The Pope said that "today's liturgy invites us to joy because 'the Lord is near'. His birth is very close, as is the Great Jubilee, which will be like spreading out through an entire year the feast of the mystery of the Incarnation, at a distance of 2,000 years of the coming of the Son of God in the humility of our human nature."

"One of the most popular expressions of the much-awaited joy of Christ is the preparation of the nativity scene within a family. In Christian homes," said the Pope before blessing the statues, "a special place is chosen to place the statues, leaving space between Mary and Joseph, for the Child Jesus. ... May Christmas, which is now imminent and is the start of the Great Jubilee, motivate you and all believers in every part of the world to prepare a worthy home to receive Jesus."

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JOHN PAUL II MAKES LAST PARISH VISIT BEFORE THE JUBILEE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 12, 1999 (VIS) - This morning the Pope made his last pastoral visit to a parish community in Rome before the start of the Holy Year, visiting the parish of Sts. Urban and Lawrence at Prima Porta.

Making reference in his homily to John the Baptist's call to prepare the way for the Lord, the Holy Father said: "With a light heart, let us hasten towards the Great Jubilee, towards the year of grace in which the whole Church will ring out with a great hymn of praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

John Paul II went on to recall that many elderly people live in the neighborhood. "They frequently welcome their married children into their homes, children who have difficulty in finding homes elsewhere. In this way, a broad and rich family community comes into being, one in which grandparents, children and grandchildren live together. I hope that this communal existence may, as well as offering reciprocal material support, also favor the transmission of those human and Christian values that constitute the precious heritage of the beloved Italian nation."

"In this third Sunday of Advent," he went on, "the whole diocese of Rome is celebrating the day for new churches. ... Let us pray to the Lord that, through the support of everyone, those areas of Rome presently without an adequate parish center may, as soon as possible, have a new place of worship. Let us also pray that each parish will be always, but especially during the coming Jubilee year, a community capable of bearing witness to the Gospel, attentive to people's problems, open and hospitable."

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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT TJUDMAN OF CROATIA

VATICAN CITY, DEC 11, 1999 (VIS) - Following is the text of the telegram sent by Pope John Paul II to the president of the parliament of Croatia, Vlatko Pavletic, upon the death of the president of the republic, Franjo Tudjman:

"Having learned of the death of His Excellency Franjo Tudjman, president of the Republic of Croatia, I join in the pain felt by the authorities and the entire people. I ask the Lord to give him eternal peace and happiness. and to bring to those close to him the comfort which they need in this moment of trial. In recalling our meetings I salute the memory of this statesman who led Croatia on the path of independence, I hope that the country, at the point of having a new legislature, will continue to build its future while maintaining its stability in promoting peace, justice, unity and dialogue in the heart of the national community and in the region. I ask for an abundance of divine grace upon the family of the deceased, on the country's leaders and on all the inhabitants of Croatia."

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