HOLY SEE ADDRESSES ANNUAL MEETING OF OSCE3

VATICAN CITY, NOV 28, 2000 (VIS) - The foreign affairs ministers of the 55 member countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including the recently admitted Yugoslavia, are holding their annual meeting in Vienna, Austria, to review the commitments made 25 years ago in the Helsinki Act and 10 years ago in Paris with the Charter for a New Europe.

Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran heads the delegation of the Holy See, which is a full member of the OSCE, to this November 27-28 meeting. The first annual meeting of this organization, known then as the CSCE or Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, was held in Helsinki 25 years ago.
Archbishop Tauran, in his address, spoke of the "joy" of seeing so many nations of Eastern and Central Europe who had reattained their freedom and were now full members of the OSCE.

He also listed some of "the challenges facing the world's leaders: trade in human beings, protecting the rights of children and the fight against the proliferation of small caliber weapons." He stated that certain values - such as the sacredness of life, the defense of basic freedoms, security and economic and social cooperation - must be continually affirmed in solving these problems.

The archbishop expressed a concern of the Holy See's, namely, that "too often religion is taken into consideration only in the context of defending rights of minorities or to denounce fanaticism." He said "it would be good to consider religion ... for itself," as a source which inspires man to better himself. "Believers who feel respected for what they are will always be more willing to cooperate in building democratic and civil communities where differences are synonymous with mutual enrichment and where diversity calls for solidarity."

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ROMAN UNION OF URSULINES CELEBRATES CENTENARY

VATICAN CITY, NOV 28, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was Pope John Paul's Letter to Rev. Mother Colette Lignon, prior general of the Roman Union of the Order of St. Ursula, on the occasion of the centenary of this institute, born on November 28, 1900. The letter, written in French, was dated November 10, 2000.

The Pope recalled that it was Pope Leo XIII who had the "happy initiative of gathering in one Union the many monasteries of Ursulines who had emigrated throughout the entire world since the foundation of the very first community by St. Angele Merici in 1535."

Highlighting their presence on nearly all the continents, the Holy Father wrote of their "solid educational experience, most especially in the service of young people." He underscored that catechesis can occur directly through the teaching of the Word "but also through the witness and example of a life given in service to the Lord and His Church." Transmitting the faith in both of these ways, he said, "is essential in a world where so many young people do not have the solid guidance which family education gives."

"Forming Christ's disciples who are capable of witnessing in their family, professional and social life to the spiritual and moral values which the Gospel has sown in the heart of man is an indispensable work in order for the new evangelization to bear abundant fruits in the century which has just started. In this perspective what is especially important is service to the poor, the 'little ones' whom the Lord wishes to be in first place and whom our societies, too often marked by an appetite for riches and competition, have a tendency to exclude from economic growth and social organization."

"In announcing the Kingdom," the Pope concluded, "the Church walks on the path of men and with them, she shares their questions about the meaning of life, she reveals the Word of the Lord to them and gradually reveals His presence to them, in order to lead them to the full knowledge of His love, shown in the treasure of the sacramental life entrusted to her."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 28, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain, accompanied by Queen Sofia and an entourage.

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LIVE THE JUBILEE AS A MOMENT OF CONVERSION AND RENEWAL

VATICAN CITY, NOV 25, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father received various groups of pilgrims, encouraging them to live the Jubilee "as a moment of conversion and interior renewal."

Addressing a group of civil servants who work for the president of the Italian Republic, the council of ministers, the senate and the chamber of deputies, he called on then not to abandon themselves to "the routine" in their work. "Always look to the people, to their problems and their suffering, even when your only contact with them is through papers and figures, legal codes and dry regulations. Make your work a space for true humanity and an occasion for moral perfection. ... All work can be a path to sanctity."

"The virtues that must shine within you," continued the Pope, "without doubt include loyalty towards the institutions you are called to serve in full respect of the primacy of God: 'Render to Ceaser the things that are Ceaser's, and to God the things that are God's.' ... Christians must be firm witnesses of this principle, going as and when necessary 'against the current.' When this happens, they will find support in the strength of prayer."

Going on to address a group of transport workers, John Paul II encouraged them to make every effort to carry out their duty, despite the difficulties, "as a true act of love. ... Be, for the people you transport, 'cristofori,' carriers of Christ, He who wishes to be met and treated with love in each individual, especially the poorest."

Finally, the Pope greeted a group from the Italian press agency ANSA. He called on the Lord to illuminate them and help them to render the best possible service, something that today calls for special responsibility "because of the general conditions that prevail in the mass media and the influence, not infrequently excessive, exercised by the few major players who hold the power of information."

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GOD CALLS THE LAITY TO RENEWED MISSIONARY DRIVE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 25, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano read a message from the Pope to participants in the Congress of Catholic Laity which is being held in Rome from November 25 to 30 in the "Domus Pacis." The congress is promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

In the message, dated November 21, the Pope recalls that, as baptized we are all members of the Church. He also calls for an awakening, "in the entire People of God, of the true 'sensus Ecclesiae,' together with the intimate awareness of being Church, mystery and communion.

"At the threshold of the third millennium, God calls believers, especially the laity, to renewed missionary drive. ... Christ must be announced with the witness of life and with the word. Prior to being a strategic and organized commitment, the apostolate comports the glad and joyous communication to all of the gift of encountering Christ."

John Paul II affirms that the Church needs lay people and relies upon them, and he encourages them not to become discouraged in the face of difficulties but "to seek in prayer the source of all apostolic strength; draw from the Gospel the light that guides your steps."

"The participation of the laity in the life and mission of the Church," he writes, "is also expressed and supported by various groups." These are "a significant means to more profound Christian formation and more incisive apostolic activity." He expresses his thanks to movements and associations for their efforts in the field of formation and for their missionary enthusiasm.

The Pope affirms that the role of the laity "is essential in the life of the Church," and highlights: "If faith has not been cancelled from the lives of entire peoples, it is thanks, above all, to the courageous witness of the lay faithful, not infrequently to the point of martyrdom."

"The Christian spring, of which we can already see no small number of signs, may be perceived in the radical choice of faith, in the true sanctity of life and in the extraordinary apostolic zeal of many lay faithful, men and women, young people, adults and the elderly. Thus, it is the present generation's task to carry the Gospel to the humanity of tomorrow."

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