THE CHURCH NEEDS MANY QUALIFIED EVANGELIZERS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 27, 2003 (VIS) - Today at noon John Paul II received participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America during which, he noted, they had examined the situation of the Church in that part of the world and offered some guidelines to confront current challenges.

The Pope said that in order "to announce Christ better to the men and women of today, thus illuminating with the wisdom of the Gospel the challenges and problems that the Church and society experience in Latin America at the beginning of the millennium, the Church needs many qualified evangelizers who speak 'more and more of Jesus Christ' with new ardor, renewed enthusiasm, refined ecclesial spirit and filled with faith and hope."

"The originality and fecundity of the Gospel, a continuous font of creativity, always inspire new expressions and initiatives in ecclesiastical life and help to identity new ways to evangelize that, in complete fidelity to the Magisterium and tradition of the Church, are necessary to announce the Gospel in faraway places to all men and women, to every ethnicity and every social class, including the most difficult sectors or those who are opposed."

The Holy Father made reference to the phenomena of sects, which they discussed during the plenary, and indicated that confronting "in a decisive way this grave and insidious problem" requires "in-depth evangelization, the continuous and active presence of pastors, bishops and priests among their parishioners, and a personal relationship of the faithful with Christ."

Other areas such as "young people and families and especially priestly vocations need special attention from pastors, with ample synergy, that is, with a group effort, stressing unity and communion: it is ever-more necessary 'to make the Church a home and a school of communion: this is the great challenge that awaits us in the new millennium'." The Pope concluded by recalling the "great importance of the evangelizing activity of religious, as well as that of ecclesiastical movements" for this challenge.

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DUKE AND DUCHESS OF LUXEMBOURG: TRANSMIT RICHNESS OF VALUES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 27, 2003 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received in audience their Royal Highnesses, the Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. The Pope asked them to convey his greetings to Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte, assuring the duchess of his prayers for her health.

John Paul II focused his speech on the transmission to future generations of "the patrimony of values that have shaped our societies and that must continue to give them a soul."

"The building of the European Union," he went on, "cannot be limited to the fields of the economy and the organization of the market. It must promote a model for society that honors the fundamental dignity of the whole person and ... that favors relations based on justice, mutual respect and peace among human beings and peoples."

Later he emphasized that the "religious dimension, ... whose importance cannot be ignored, allows people to express their profound being, to recognize their origin in God and to understand the meaning of their actions in terms of mission and responsibility."

"We have the duty," said the Pope at the end of his speech, "to make everyone who lives on our continent and enjoys economic wealth and the benefits of peace, recognize the inalienable value of our common humanity and the responsibility we have for the plight of every human being, especially those who suffer from poverty, disrespect of dignity or those who know the trial of war. I am happy that today many European youths thirst for the spirit of the Beatitudes and are ready to accept them more and more in their life."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 27, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Vac, Hungary, presented by Bishop Ferenc Keszthelyi, O.Cist. upon having reached the age limit.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 27, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience two prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Indonesia on their "ad limina" visit:

- Bishop Cosmas Michael Angkur, O.F.M., of Bogor.

- Bishop Agustinus Agus of Sintang.

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POPE ANNOUNCES PILGRIMAGE TO MARIAN SHRINE OF POMPEII

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2003 (VIS) - Following today's general audience catechesis, Pope John Paul addressed the pilgrims present in St. Peter's Square in various languages, asking first and foremost for prayers for peace in the world, most especially in Iraq. He also announced that on October 7 he will go to the Marian shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, near Naples, Italy.

"Dear friends," the Pope addressed Italian pilgrims, "yesterday we celebrated the solemnity of the Annunciation, the first of the Joyful Mysteries that recalls the Incarnation of the Son of God, Prince of Peace. Reciting the holy Rosary we meditated on this mystery with our heart oppressed by the news coming from Iraq which is in war, without forgetting the other conflicts that rage on earth."

"How important it is," he continued, "that during this Year of the Rosary we persevere in praying the rosary to implore peace! I ask that you continue to do so, especially in Marian shrines. To Mary, Queen of the Rosary, I now entrust my intention to go to her shrine in Pompeii next October 7 on the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. May Mary's maternal intercession obtain justice and peace for the entire world."
Speaking Dutch, the Holy Father told pilgrims from the Netherlands and Belgium: "Let us raise our prayers to God that love may conquer hatred, that peace, justice and solidarity may grow in every corner of the earth, in the spirit of the Gospel."

John Paul II then addressed his fellow Poles, including the cardinal primate of Poland, the minister for Fine Arts, and the ambassadors of Poland and France to the Holy See. "At the end of this audience," he told them, "I will bless a copy of the famous fresco of 'Mater admirabilis' from the church of the Most Holy Trinity (on Rome's Trinita dei Monti). Tradition links this in a singular way with Cyprian Norwid. He prayed before this image for the gift for himself of conversion and faith. I express my joy that this fact is being commemorated through this copy of the fresco to be placed in the church of St. Catherine in Warsaw."

Born near Warsaw, Poland in 1821, Cyprian Norwid was a poet, painter, playwright and philosopher, whose works have been cited on many occasions by Pope John Paul in his speeches. Norwid's travels to Europe brought him frequently to Rome and to the church of Trinita dei Monti.

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