OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 7, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Leeds, England, presented by Bishop David Every Konstant in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. Coadjutor Bishop Arthur Roche succeeds him.
 
 - Appointed Msgr. John Cunningham, vicar general of Paisley, Scotland, as bishop of Galloway (area 9,332, population 521,000, Catholics 47,063, priests 56, religious 49), Scotland. The bishop-elect was born in Paisley in 1938 and was ordained a priest in 1961. The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese presented by Bishop Maurice Taylor upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Cardinals Julian Herranz, Javier Lozano Barragan and Stephen Fumio Hamao as members of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 7, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in audience Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
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PRESS OFFICE STATEMENT ON BISHOP IMPRISONED IN CHINA

VATICAN CITY, APR 7, 2004 (VIS) - Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, released the following statement today concerning the arrest and imprisonment of Bishop Jia ZhiGuo in China:

  "We have learned that a Catholic Bishop, previously held in prison for 20 years, was arrested again yesterday by the authorities of the People's Republic of China.

  "Once again a member of the Catholic hierarchy has been deprived of his personal freedom without any juridical motives being provided.

  "This is inadmissible in a State of law that declares that it guarantees 'freedom of religion' and 'respects and safeguards human rights'."
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EASTER TRIDUUM: RELIVE THE GREAT MYSTERY OF OUR SALVATION

VATICAN CITY, APR 7, 2004 (VIS) - In today's general audience, celebrated in St. Peter's Square, the Pope spoke about the liturgical celebrations of the Easter Triduum, which begins tomorrow, during which we will relive "the great mystery of our salvation."

  John Paul II recalled that on Holy Thursday morning the bishop celebrates with his diocesan community the Chrism Mass during which oils are blessed. In the afternoon, at the Mass of "the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood, will be commemorated," during which there is the washing of the feet, a sign of "Jesus' new commandment of love."  After Mass, it is a customary to adore the Blessed Sacrament throughout the night. 

  "On Good Friday," he continued, "the Church commemorates the passion and death of Our Lord.  The Christian assembly is invited to meditate on the evil and sin that oppress humanity and on the salvation obtained through Christ's redemptive sacrifice." On the same day, the Cross is venerated and the Way of the Cross is usually recited.

  The Pope indicated that Holy Saturday "is characterized by great silence." On this day, there are no liturgical celebration scheduled, "as the faithful, imitating Mary, prepare for the grand event of the Resurrection." In the evening "the solemn Easter vigil, the mother of all vigils," takes place and the Church "meditates on the great promise of the definitive liberation from the slavery of sin and from death."

  "The announcement of the Resurrection," he said, "interrupts the darkness of night and all of creation is awakened from the slumber of death to know the Lordship of Christ."

  The Holy Father ended by indicating that these days "are an opportune occasion for a sincere conversion of heart to Him Who died for us out of love. Let us allow Mary, the faithful Virgin, to accompany us. With her, let us be in the Cenacle and stay alongside Jesus on Calvary, in order to meet Him, the Risen Lord, on Easter day."
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PRIESTS FAITHFUL TO THEIR VOCATION, EXAMPLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

VATICAN CITY, APR 6, 2004 (VIS) - This morning Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos and Archbishop Csaba Ternyak, prefect and secretary respectively of the Congregation for the Clergy, presented the Holy Father's Letter to Priests on the occasion of Holy Thursday, 2004.

  Cardinal Castrillon emphasized three aspects of the letter: "First of all, the intimate connection of the sacrament of the Eucharist with the ordained priesthood. ... In the second place, John Paul stresses its sacred character and therefore the irreplaceable nature of the ordained ministry." In this sense, he indicated that "the faith allows us to discover that Christ is present in priests so that the world may understand that reconciliation obtained through the Holy Cross, whose fruit is the Eucharist, is not an act confined to a specific time or place, but transcends the categories of life on earth and extends continually in time until Christ will come at the end of the world."

  The third aspect, said the cardinal, is "vocational pastoral" care.  Prayer for vocations "must be accompanied by pastoral care with the purpose of understanding life is a vocation and that God calls some of us to follow Him more closely in communion with Him and in self-giving. Therefore, Christian families have an important and invaluable mission and a responsibility for vocations, especially through the parish, to help them to correspond in a generous and conscious way."

  Archbishop Ternyak referred to the total number of clergy in the world (including bishops and deacons) which at the end of 2001 numbered 439,850, whereas in 1961 the clergy numbered 406,509. Fourteen percent of parishes today (216,736 at the end of 2001) were created in the last thirty years.

  "It is necessary," he said, "to speak to young people directly in order to show them the beauty of Catholic priesthood, lived out with a heart full of love for God and for others, and by men who happily consecrate themselves and their freedom to the service of their brothers and sisters.  One of the fundamental tools of vocational pastoral care is the priest himself, with fidelity to his vocation and enthusiasm in the exercise of the ministry. (The Church needs) men in love with the Eucharist who can help young people to discover their devotion for a vocation of ontological identification with Christ who offers Himself for the salvation of all and who becomes a gift in the Eucharist."

  At the end of the press conference, Cardinal Castrillon announced that next October there will be a world congress in Malta on the theme "Priests, forgers of saints in the third millennium."
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