ONLY THOSE WHO LIVE WHAT THEY PROFESS CAN HOPE TO BE HEARD

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2000 (VIS) - At 6:30 this evening, the vigil of Pentecost, the Pope presided at the Eucharist in St. Peter's Square. During the Jubilee Year, on the occasion of this solemnity, the Church is celebrating the "Day of Reflection and Prayer On the Duties of Catholics Towards Other Men: Announcing Christ, Witnessing and Dialogue."

With the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, John Paul II recalled in his homily, "began the double witness: that of the Holy Spirit and that of the Apostles. The witness of the Spirit is divine in itself: it proceeds from the depth of the Trinitarian mystery. The witness of the Apostles is human: it transmits, in the light of revelation, their experience of living next to Jesus."

"What is decisive for the efficacy of proclamation," affirmed the Holy Father, "is a witness that is lived. Only a believer who lives what he professes with his lips, has the hope of being heard." When it is not possible to explicitly announce Jesus Christ, "the witness of a respectful, chaste life, detached from riches and free in the face of the powers of this world, in a word, the witness of holiness, even if offered in silence, can reveal all its strength of conviction."

Furthermore, he added, "it is clear that firmness in witnessing to Christ with the strength of the Holy Spirit does not impede one from collaborating in service to mankind with those belonging to other religions. ... If the children of the Church will know how to remain open to the action of the Holy Spirit, He will help them to communicate, in a way that respects other religious convictions, the one and universal message of salvation in Christ."

Pope John Paul gave thanks to God for "the witness of the first community in Jerusalem which, through generations of martyrs and confessors, became throughout the centuries the legacy of countless men and women through the world."

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HOLY SEE DELEGATION AT U.N. CONFERENCE ON "WOMEN 2000"

VATICAN CITY, JUN 10, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was the speech made yesterday in New York by Kathryn Hoomkwap on behalf of the Holy See delegation to the 23rd Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century." This session was held to evaluate the progress made since the Fourth World Conference on Women which was held in Beijing in September 1995.

Mrs. Hoomkwap said that "the 'living heart' of the initiatives called for in the Beijing Platform for Action correspond to the multiplicity of services the Catholic Church has historically provided to women." However, she expressed the delegation's "fear for the health and well being of children in Africa, ... the continued prevalence of diseases, ... the number of people, especially the children, who suffer from malnutrition, ... the growing conflicts" and the number of "those who cannot read and write."

"My delegation," she affirmed, "strongly supports the document's provisions condemning all forms of violence against women, upholding women's rights to economic and political empowerment, its measures against poverty and its references - brief though they are - to high mortality rates among girls and women due both to chronic illness and to widespread infections, including tropical diseases."

"However," the Holy See delegate added, "the 'Women 2000' document, like the Beijing platform, would emphasize, seemingly endlessly, one issue - sexual and reproductive health - to the detriment of a holistic view of the health of women and their families which is so desperately needed to alleviate women's fears."

"We must proceed with full and complete human development - not only social and economic, but also spiritual. The Holy See renews its pledge to help find an end to hunger, to find a way towards educational opportunities for all, toward remedy and comfort for the suffering caused by sickness and disease, and through these means to continually seek to extinguish the fear that keep us from celebrating life as the gift that it is."

"In closing," stated Mrs. Hoomkwap, "the Holy See delegation wishes to state that nothing that the Holy See has done in the 'Women 2000' process should be understood as en endorsement of concepts it does not support for moral reasons. Nothing is to be understood to imply that the Holy See endorses abortion or has in any way changed its moral position concerning abortion or contraceptives. The Holy See reaffirms its belief that life begins at conception and that every human life must be protected from the earliest moments to the end of the life cycle."

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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF SYRIAN PRESIDENT ASSAD

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2000 (VIS) - Following is the text of the telegram, written in French and sent by Pope John Paul to Bachar El-Assad, son of Hafez El-Assad, the president of Syria who died on Saturday, June 10:

"Having been informed of the death of President Hafez El-Assad, who for a long time led the destiny of his country and played a great role in the Middle East, I join the pain of his family and that of the Syrian people. I entrust the deceased to the mercy of the All Powerful. May the Most High comfort the authorities and the people of Syria in this painful hour and assist them in the task of always pursuing the development of the country in the journey on the path of peace in the service of all Syrians and all the inhabitants of the region!"

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PAPAL APPEAL TO END VIOLENCE IN THE CONGO

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2000 (VIS) - Following the Regina Coeli prayer today, Pope John Paul issued an appeal for an end to the violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, saying "once again, my thoughts turn to Africa: once again the heart of Africa is bleeding!"

"In recent days the populations of the city of Kisangani, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were taken hostage by the violence of armed factions warring among themselves. Even Church institutions were not spared. There were hundreds of dead and wounded.

"I appeal to the responsibility and sensitivity of the political and military authorities and I pray God to make the voice of conscience echo in them: Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo in particular, needs reconciliation and peace. May Mary Most Holy, Queen of Peace, intercede for us!"

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POPE LAUDS KOREAN LEADERS FOR UPCOMING MEETING

VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2000 (VIS) - Today, before praying the Regina Coeli with the faithful who had gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope reflected on Pentecost, on today's Jubilee celebration dedicated to reflection on the duties of Catholics towards others, and on the forthcoming meeting in Pyongyang of leaders of North and South Korea.

He said that today's celebration of the solemnity of Pentecost recalls the day 2000 years ago in the Cenacle in Jerusalem when "the Church was born, one, holy catholic and apostolic. One, because from the Spirit the Church became the mystery of communion, an icon on earth of the Most Holy Trinity; holy, because the Spirit is the guardian of the holiness of Christ the head in the members; catholic, because the Spirit exhorts it to announce to all peoples the one Gospel of salvation; apostolic, because through the ministry of the Apostles and their successors, the Spirit guides it on the paths of history."

"In the light of this feast," John Paul II continued, "today's Jubilee day takes on special meaning, (as it is) dedicated to reflection on the duties of Catholics towards others: proclaiming Christ, witnessing and dialogue. Promoted by the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, this celebration invites every baptized person and every ecclesial community to meditate on how to commit themselves ever more to proclaiming and witnessing to Christ to everyone, in respect for the diverse religious confessions. It is ever more important for every man and woman of good will to build a more just and fraternal world."

In concluding remarks before reciting the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father noted that "in coming days a meeting of historic significance will take place between the leaders of North and South Korea, in Pyongyang, in the Peoples' Democratic Republic of Korea. I join all persons of good will in congratulating the leaders of the two countries for this initiative, in the hope that the dialogue and the exchanges might contribute to the reconciliation of the two peoples, to the reunion of families which have now been separated for a half a century and to renewed stability and prosperity for the entire Korean peninsula. Only through a generous commitment will it be possible to overcome the difficulties and reach a positive result, which would be a motive of joyous hope for mankind."

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