OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 9, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop John Njue of Embu, Kenya, as coadjutor archbishop of Nyeri (area 16,529, population 1,867,606, Catholics 658,502, priests 116, religious 234), Kenya. The archbishop-elect was born in Embu in 1944, ordained a priest in 1973 and consecrated a bishop in 1986.

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GIVE TESTIMONY OF LIFE WITH APOSTOLIC AUDACITY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 9, 2002 (VIS) - This morning John Paul II received 1200 faithful of different dioceses in Poland in the Paul VI Hall, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the reorganization of the administrative structures of the Church in that country.

The Pope expressed his desire that this restructuring of the ecclesiastical provinces encourage "the organization of meetings in the inter-diocesan context, in order to face and resolve, as a community, the questions that cannot be the immediate concern of the plenary assemblies of the episcopal conference." In addition, he requested that this form of collaboration help "to develop a pastoral program that responds to the demands of the new evangelization and the challenges of time and place."

He underlined: "Today it is more necessary than ever to give testimony with one's own life, energetically and with apostolic zeal. It is necessary for the bishops to be close to their faithful and the faithful to their bishops. Let this goal be the object of your petition, prayer and reflection!"

The Holy Father referred to the priests saying: "may they embark on their pastoral mission with zeal in the new dioceses in which they work, which are often far from their homes." He also asked the bishops to take special care with the permanent intellectual and spiritual formation of the priests.

He concluded by saying: "During the second half of the past century, the lay faithful in Poland gave proof time and again of a spirit of sacrifice and of a sincere love for the Church. I pray to God that they continue this beautiful tradition and that they undertake with new determination their evangelical tasks, occupying their rightful place in the Church and in the life of society; the place due to them by virtue of their specific vocation and of the holy sacraments."

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NEW AMBASSADOR OF ECUADOR PRESENTS LETTERS OF CREDENCE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 11, 2002 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of the new ambassador of Ecuador to the Holy See, Marcelo Fernandez de Cordoba.

In his address, the Pope made reference to the importance of the education of new generations in order that they may have "access to an integral formation, in which humanist and technical knowledge is accompanied by moral values and exposure to the transcendent and religious dimension of life, respecting scrupulously the right of families to choose the type of education for their children."

John Paul II affirmed that, in light of the economic crisis that Ecuador is facing, the Church "is doing, and will continue to do, everything possible to remain close to the Ecuadorian people, providing every type of help that she possibly can especially to those most in need, who are often also those most forgotten when it comes to distributing available resources."

After noting that a consequence of the economic crisis has been the emigration of many citizens to other countries, he emphasized that this problem is compounded by that of "cultural upheaval, the risk of religious disorientation, ... and the painful break-up of the family nucleus; without forgetting the unfortunate consequences of so much illegal immigration ... For this reason, we must combat the circumstances that seem to force so many citizens to leave their homeland."

The Pope ended by indicating that the "recent initiatives for dialogue between State authorities and different ethnic groups - which are aimed at improving understanding and achieving better participation in the life and resources of the nation - are a sign of hope that must be continued. Following this path, Ecuador can become an example and a promoter of coexistence and peace in the Andean region. Dialogue ... is always the most appropriate way to resolve serious internal and external problems, thus obtaining the desired fruits for the good of all the Ecuadorian people."

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ANGELUS: CHRIST, THE LIGHT THAT TRANSFORMS SIN

VATICAN CITY, MAR 10, 2002 (VIS) - This morning, prior to praying the angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II recalled that the blind man mentioned by St. John in today's Gospel, "represents man, marked by sin, who wishes to know the truth about himself, ... but who is prevented from doing so by congenital sickness."
He went on: "Only Jesus can cure him. ... By entrusting themselves to Him, all human beings, spiritually blind since birth, have the chance 'to come to the light' once more, in other words, to be born to supernatural life."

Then, quoting the Gospel which speaks of the Pharisees' refusal to recognize the miracle of Jesus' curing the blind man because it was performed on a Saturday, the Pope said: "For those who meet Jesus, there are no half measures: or we recognize that we need Him and His light, or we chose to do without. In this latter case, it is one and the same presumption that prevents both those who feel they are righteous before God and those who consider themselves as atheist, from opening themselves to true conversion.

"May no one," he concluded, "close their soul to Christ! To those who accept Him, He gives the light of faith; a light that can transform hearts and, consequently, mentalities and the social, political and economic situations that are dominated by sin."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 11, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Daniel Hays, president of the Canadian Senate, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

On Saturday March 9, he received in separate audiences:

- Ayatollah Mehdi Karrubi, President of the Consultative Islamic Assembly of Iran, accompanied by an entourage.
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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