HOLY FATHER ADDRESSES MEETING OF FAMILIES IN MANILA

VATICAN CITY, JAN 25, 2003 (VIS) - One of the principal celebrations of the Fourth World Meeting of Families, which started January 22 in Manila, took place this afternoon in the presence of delegates from 77 countries, the papal envoy, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, and prelates from the Philippines and around the world.

A focal moment of the ceremony, which began at 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. in Rome) and included a liturgy of the light and testimonials from families representing the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, was a television linkup with Pope John Paul. The Pope blessed the candles that were used and led a brief prayer referring to light. Following the witnessing by families, the Holy Father addressed the assembly, estimated to be 2 million faithful.

John Paul II spoke in English to the families and his speech was also released in Italian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish. At the end of his speech he said he was "pleased to announce that the Fifth World Meeting of Families will be held in Valencia, Spain, in 2006."

"My thoughts and prayers are with you, dear families of the Philippines and from throughout the world, as you gather in Manila for your Fourth World Meeting," began the Pope. "With great affection I greet all of you in the name of the Lord! On this occasion I also offer a prayerful greeting to all the families of the world which you represent."

"In the theological-pastoral session just concluded," he noted, "you discussed the theme: 'The Christian Family: Good News for the Third Millennium'. I chose these words with your World Meeting in mind, in order to highlight the sublime mission of the family."

John Paul II entreated Christian families "to proclaim joyfully to the whole world the wonderful treasure which you, as domestic churches, possess! Christian couples, in your communion of life and love, in your mutual self-giving and in your generous openness to children, become, in Christ, the light of the world."

"Above all," he urged, "be 'good news' for the third millennium by remaining faithful to your vocation. Whether you were married recently or many years ago, the Sacrament of Matrimony continues to be your own special way of being disciples of Jesus, contributing to the spread of the Kingdom of God and growing in the holiness to which all Christians are called."

The Pope told married couples to "accept fully and without reserve the love which, in the Sacrament of Matrimony, God first gave to you. ... Stand firm in the one conviction which can give meaning, strength and joy to your life: Christ's love will never abandon you, His covenant of peace with you will never fail."

"The grace which you received in marriage," he remarked, "remains with you through the years. Its source is in the pierced heart of the Redeemer. ... It is the grace of a selfless love which forgets the hurt it has suffered, a love faithful unto death, a love bursting with new life. It is the grace of a generous love, which believes all things, bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things, a love which has no end, a love which is greater than all else."

The Holy Father said he knew that "such a love is not always easy. Daily life is full of pitfalls, tensions, suffering and even fatigue. But on this journey you are not alone. Jesus is always present at your side, just as he was for the newlyweds at Cana in Galilee during a moment of difficulty."

"Be 'good news for the third millennium'," exhorted the Pope, "by bearing convincing and consistent witness to the truth about the family. The family founded on marriage is a patrimony of humanity, a great good of priceless value, necessary for the life, development and the future of peoples. According to the plan of creation established in the beginning, the family is the setting in which the human person, made in the image and likeness of God, is conceived and born, grows and matures."

He told his audience that he was "grateful for the testimonies which you have given this evening, and which I have carefully followed. They bring to mind my own experiences as a priest, as Archbishop of Krakow and in the nearly twenty-five years of my papacy. As I have often said, the future of humanity passes by way of the family."

John Paul II again urged Christian families "to show by your daily lives that despite numerous difficulties and obstacles marriage is able to be fully lived out as a meaningful experience and as 'good news' for the men and women of today. Be leaders in the Church and in the world."

In concluding, the Pope told couples that "if you wish to be 'good news for the third millennium', do not forget that family prayer is a sure way to remain united in a way of life in harmony with God's will. When I proclaimed the Year of the Rosary several months ago, I recommended this Marian devotion as a prayer of the family and for the family. By reciting the Rosary, families 'place Jesus at the center, they share His joys and sorrows, they place their needs and their plans in His hands, they draw from Him the hope and the strength to go on'."

The Pope then imparted his Apostolic Blessing and told couples to "make the Gospel the guiding light of your families."

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TELEGRAM FOR DEATH OF SENATOR GIOVANNI AGNELLI

VATICAN CITY, JAN 25, 2003 (VIS) - Following is the telegram of condolences sent by Pope John Paul to Cardinal Severino Poletto, archbishop of Turin, upon the death of Senator Giovanni Agnelli yesterday morning in Turin at the age of 81:

"Having learned the sad news of the death of Senator Giovanni Agnelli, I entrust to you the task of conveying to his wife Marella and family members the expression of my deep participation in their sorrow due to this grave loss. In remembering such a prominent protagonist in important moments in Italian history who knew how to give of himself with generous entrepreneurship for the good and economic and social development of the country, I raise fervent prayers for the repose of the soul of the illustrious and mourned attorney and I invoke from divine goodness eternal peace for his soul while I impart a special, heartfelt and comforting apostolic blessing on his family members and all those who mourn his loss."

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CATHOLIC CHURCH, ANCIENT EASTERN CHURCHES MEET IN ROME

VATICAN CITY, JAN 27, 2003 (VIS) - The following communique was published today by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity:

"The Catholic Church and the Ancient Eastern Churches - Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Egypt, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, Armenian Apostolic Church (Seat of Etchmiadzine and of Antelias in Lebanon), Orthodox Church of Ethiopia, Orthodox Church of Eritrea, Malankar Orthodox Syrian Church - begin a second phase of dialogue on January 27, 28 and 29, 2003 in Rome, during a meeting that will take place at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. During the first phase of this dialogue, Pope John Paul II and the authorities of these Churches signed important declarations of Christological accord. The present meeting has a preparatory character and intends to establish themes and methods for future dialogue. On Tuesday January 28, members of the preparatory committee will be received in audience by the Pope.

"The Ancient Churches were separated from the Church of Rome and from Byzantium in response to the Council of Chalcedon in 451."

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POPE FOCUSSES ANGELUS REMARKS ON THE FAMILY, LEPERS, PEACE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2003 (VIS) - Appearing at his study window at noon today, Pope John Paul addressed the pilgrims assembled in St. Peter's Square, reminding everyone of the just-concluded Fourth Meeting of Families in Manila, the Philippines. He said that the meeting's theme, "The Christian Family: Good News for the Third Millennium," was "very significant," adding that "the faithful union of a man and a woman, blessed by Christ's grace, constitutes an authentic Gospel of life and hope for mankind."

"In the Apostolic Exhortation 'Familiaris consortio', I wrote that the future of society goes through the family," the Pope recalled. "But what family are we talking about? Certainly not the unauthentic one based on individual egoism. Experience shows that such a 'caricature' of the family has no future and cannot give a future to any society."

He explained that "the family is, rather, 'good news' in the measure in which it welcomes and makes its own the perennial vocation that God gave at the start of mankind. This primary life project is also shared, thank God, by many non-Christian couples. The family thus appears today as a privileged path of dialogue among diverse religions and cultures, and therefore as a path of reconciliation and peace."

The Holy Father then prayed the angelus with the faithful, after which he remarked on today's celebration of the World Day of Lepers as well as the day of peace marked by the young boys and girls of Catholic Action in Rome.

On the former, he noted that 2003 "marks the centenary of the birth of Raoul Follereau, whose name is forever linked to the fight against leprosy, poverty and marginalization. How current is his appeal which invites us all to earmark resources not for bellicose arsenals but rather for the fight against misery and illness!"

John Paul II was then joined by two young people from Catholic Action, who released doves from his window "as a message of fraternity and hope." Catholic Action dedicates the last Sunday of January to peace.

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LET THE SPIRIT GUIDE US ON THE PATH OF ECUMENISM

VATICAN CITY, JAN 25, 2003 (VIS) - At 6 p.m. today, feast of the conversion of St. Paul, the Holy Father was joined by representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities of Rome to celebrate second vespers at St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls Basilica, thus concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. He welcomed the representatives as "beloved brothers and sisters, ... united by the one Baptism in the Lord Jesus Christ."

The Pope began his homily by noting that the theme of the week of prayer, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels," was taken from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians. He remarked that "All Christians are thus called to press forward on their earthly pilgrimage without letting themselves be overwhelmed by difficulties or afflictions, in the certainty that they will overcome all obstacles thanks to the help and the power which come from on high."

"As Christians," he went on, "we know that we are called to bear witness before the world to the 'glorious Gospel' which Christ has given to us. In His name, let us unite our efforts in order to be at the service of peace and reconciliation, justice and solidarity, especially at the side of the poor and the least of the earth."

Pointing to the "many abundant fruits" that God "has lavished on the path of ecumenism," John Paul II recalled the interreligious Day of Prayer for World Peace held in Assisi one year ago, his various meetings with leaders of other Churches this past year, especially those of Orthodox Churches, and with Archbishop George Carey of Canterbury, "at the conclusion of his mandate."
"At the same time," the Pope commented, "we cannot fail to acknowledge realistically the difficulties, the problems and at times the disappointments which we still encounter. At times we sense a certain weariness, a lack of fervor, while still experiencing that pain that we are not yet able to share the Eucharistic banquet."

"In the present situation of ecumenism," the Holy Father underscored, "it is important to realize that only the Spirit of God is in a position to give us full visible unity. That is why we need to stress the importance of spiritual ecumenism, ... (though) this does not mean in any way lessening, or downplaying theological dialogue, which has borne abundant fruits in recent decades. ... Spiritual ecumenism opens our eyes and our hearts to the understanding of revealed truth, and enables us to recognize it and welcome it, thanks also to the insights of other Christians."

He then remarked on the "encouraging signs of a promising revival of spiritual life" in ecclesial communities of both East and West. "Nor should we overlook," he added, "the instances in which the clergy of other Churches attend Catholic Universities: guests at our seminaries, they take part in student life in accordance with the ecclesial discipline in force."

Pope John Paul, in concluding remarks about the path of ecumenism, said: "Let us continue then with courage and patience along this path, trusting in the power of the Spirit! It is not for us to set time frames or deadlines; the Lord's promise is enough for us."

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