JOHN PAUL II TO TRAVEL TO KAZAKHSTAN AND ARMENIA IN SEPTEMBER

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul will make a pastoral visit to the Catholic Church in Kazakhstan from September 22 to 25. From September 25 to 27 he will go to Armenia on the occasion of the celebrations of the 17th centenary of Christianity in that country. This will be his 95th foreign apostolic trip.

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POPE TO G-8 LEADERS: PROMOTE A CULTURE OF SOLIDARITY

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 2001 (VIS) - Made public this morning in Italian, French and English was the text of a brief personal message from Pope John Paul to the leaders of the eight nations attending the G-8 meeting in Genoa, Italy from July 20 to 22. The message was sent by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, to Silvio Berlusconi, president of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic with the request to make its contents known to the meeting's participants.

Following is the entire text of the Message, dated July 19:

"At this time when you, as leaders of the eight most developed nations in the world, are preparing to reflect upon the most important problems of the international community, I wish to assure you of my personal and spiritual closeness to you. I also express the hope that, in these days of intense work, no person and no nation will be excluded from your concerns. Without allowing yourselves to be overwhelmed by the weight of the various issues involved, I am confident that you will do all you can to promote a culture of solidarity, which will make possible concrete solutions to the problems which weigh most heavily in the lives of our brothers and sisters and in their relations with others - peace, poverty, health and the environment.

"Praying fervently that your meeting will bring excellent results, I invoke upon you the blessings of Almighty God."

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HOLY FATHER ENDS MOUNTAIN VACATION, GOES TO CASTELGANDOLFO

VATICAN CITY, JUL 20, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul returned to Rome this evening, landing at Ciampino Airport just after 7:30 p.m., thus ending his 12-day vacation in the Italian mountains. After being welcomed by civil and religious authorities, he proceeded by car to Castelgandolfo where he appeared on the balcony of the apostolic palace to greet those gathered below.

"I greet Castelgandolfo," he began. "Once I said that there is not only one Vatican, but three: first there is the one at St. Peter's, the second is Castelgandolfo, the third is Gemelli Hospital. This time I didn't have to go via Gemelli to get here to Castelgandolfo. I have just arrived from the mountains of Valle d'Aosta and I thank all the people of the region for the lovely welcome they gave me. This evening I meet you, the citizens and guests of Castelgandolfo, and I wish you the very best for your vacations. ... Enjoy what you are doing and I'll see you soon."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation of Bishop Raymond Dumais, from the pastoral care of Gaspe, Canada, in conformity with canon 401, para. 2, of the Code of Canon Law.
- Appointed Msgr. Salvador Pineiro Garcia-Calderon, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Lima, Peru, regional episcopal vicar and pastor of Santa Rosa di Lima in Lince, as military ordinary for Peru. The bishop-elect was born in Lima in 1949, and ordained to the priesthood in 1973.

- Appointed Bishop Joseph Maria Punt, apostolic administrator "sede vacante" of Haarlem (area 2,912 population 2,655,818, Catholics 531,322, priests 380, permanent deacons 17, religious 1,485), the Netherlands, as bishop of the same diocese.

- Appointed Bishop Johannes Gerardus Maria van Burgsteden, S.S.S., auxiliary of the apostolic administrator of Haarlem, the Netherlands, as auxiliary of the same diocese.

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HELPING THE WEAKEST IS AN INVESTMENT FOR ALL OF MANKIND

VATICAN CITY, JUL 21, 2001 (VIS) - Made public today was the speech given in Geneva, Switzerland on July 18 by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, head of the Holy See delegation to the annual session of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The meeting, which runs from July 2 to 27, is focussing on the theme "The Role of the United Nations system in supporting the efforts of African countries to reach sustainable development."

"Globalization will only truly serve the human family," he began, "if it becomes a process of inclusion, ... enhances respect for the dignity of every individual person, ... and fosters the unity of the human family. ... A globalization which is accompanied by widespread exclusion simply is not global."

Archbishop Martin noted that "globalization is driven by human persons, it is influenced by their decisions." Achieving globalization with inclusion requires many things, including "the realization that responding to the needs of the weakest is a long term investment for the good of all, including the strongest and most powerful."

He remarked on the need "to establish new models of partnerships aimed at the inclusion of Africa, and of all Africans, women and men, as protagonists of their own future and as partners in our common search for a vision of development worthy of the human person." These models must "place poverty reduction at their center."

Highlighting "the immense human and cultural richness which Africa possesses and from which we can all learn," Archbishop Martin observed that "the strikingly rapid urbanization in Africa ... also poses cultural and human challenges. Greater efforts must be made to ensure that rural communities are made more sustainable. ... This means bringing improved health, education and safe water to rural communities. It means investing in food security and in communications infrastructures."

In concluding remarks linking peace, the building of democratic structures and globalization, the archbishop affirmed that "we need a new concerted effort to bring peace to the women, children and men who have known only the horrors of war, in some cases for generations. This is the responsibility of all, both within Africa and outside."

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DECLARATION ON THE POPE'S AUDIENCE WITH PRESIDENT BUSH

VATICAN CITY, JUL 23, 2001 (VIS) - Following is the text of the declaration made early this afternoon by Holy See Press Office Director, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, on the Pope's audience with U.S. President George Bush.

"This morning the Holy Father received in his summer residence at Castelgandolfo George W. Bush, president of the United States of America. After the private meeting, which took place in a climate of great cordiality, John Paul II greeted the First Lady, Laura Bush, and the president's daughter, Barbara.

"Afterwards, the president of the United States met with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, who was accompanied by Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for Relations with States.

"During the talks, they reviewed the most important matters at the center of attention of the international community. President Bush wished to communicate to the Holy Father his impressions of the recent G-8 summit in Genoa. Special attention was given to the situation in the Middle East. Also discussed were respect for human rights, including freedom of religion, especially in Asia; solidarity towards under-developed countries; and special attention for the poorest (nations)."

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JOHN PAUL II WELCOMES U.S. PRESIDENT BUSH TO THE VATICAN

VATICAN CITY, JUL 23, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul II welcomed United States President George W. Bush, his wife and entourage to the apostolic palace at Castelgandolfo this morning. He expressed "heartfelt good wishes that your presidency will strengthen your country in its commitment to the principles which inspired American democracy from the beginning."

He recalled that America's founding fathers "were guided by a profound sense of responsibility towards the common good, to be pursued in respect for the God-given dignity and inalienable rights of all. America continues to measure herself by the nobility of her founding vision in building a society of liberty, quality and justice under the law."

The Holy Father noted that "the world continues to look to America with hope. Yet it does so with an acute awareness of the crisis of values being experienced in Western society, ever more insecure in the face of the ethical decisions indispensable for humanity's future course."

He then turned to the subject of globalization and said, "while appreciating the opportunities for economic growth and material prosperity which this process offers, the Church cannot but express profound concern that our world continues to be divided, no longer by the former political and military blocs, but by a tragic fault-line between those who can benefit from these opportunities and those who seem cut off from them."

"Respect for human dignity and belief in the equal dignity of all members of the human family," the Pope went on, "respect for nature by everyone, a policy of openness to immigrants, the cancellation of or significant reduction of the debt of poorer nations, the promotion of peace through dialogue and negotiation, the primacy of the rule of law: these are the priorities which the leaders of the developed nations cannot disregard. A global world is essentially a world of solidarity."

The Holy Father noted that "respect for human dignity finds one of its highest expressions in religious freedom. This right is the first right listed in your nation's Bill of Rights, ... and promoting religious freedom continues to be an important goal of American policy in the international community."

In concluding, Pope John Paul reaffirmed that "another area in which political and moral choices have the gravest consequences for the future of civilization concerns the most fundamental of human rights, the right to life itself. Experience is already showing how a tragic coarsening of consciences accompanies the assault on innocent human life in the womb, leading to accommodation and acquiescence in the face of other related evils such as euthanasia, infanticide and, most recently, proposals for the creation for research purposes of human embryos, destined to destruction in the process. A free and virtuous society, which America aspires to be, must reject practices that devalue and violate human life at any stage from conception until natural death. In defending the right to life, in law and through a vibrant culture of life, America can show the world the path to a truly humane future, in which man remains the master, not the product, of his technology."

Following the meeting with the Holy Father and an exchange of gifts, President Bush and several members of his entourage were received by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state and Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for Relations with States.

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POPE EXPRESSES "PAIN AND DISTRESS" FOR GENOA HOSTILITIES

VATICAN CITY, JUL 22, 2001 (VIS) - At noon today in Castelgandolfo, Pope John Paul appeared on the balcony overlooking the small central courtyard of the apostolic residence to recite the Angelus with the faithful gathered there.

In remarks made before the prayer, the Pope said, "I willingly return here among you and intend to remain in Castelgandolfo until my next apostolic trip which, please God, will be to Kazakhstan and Armenia towards the end of September."

The Holy Father then pointed out that today is the liturgical "memory of St. Mary Magdalene, disciple of the Lord and the first witness of His resurrection. Mary Magdalene's story shows how decisive it is for every human being to personally encounter Christ. It is Christ Who understands man's heart. It is He Who can realize man's hopes and desires as well as answer his concerns and the difficulties which mankind today faces on his daily path.

"And to Him we entrust today the results of the meeting of heads of state and government which is concluding in Genoa, not without, however, expressing pain and distress for the hostilities which exploded there, unfortunately with serious consequences. Violence is not the path for reaching a fair solution to the existing problems. To all those who truly have at heart human rights, I renew my encouragement to persevere in the commitment for a more just world, marked by a greater solidarity."

Following the Angelus, John Paul II greeted the faithful in French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.

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IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, JUL 23, 2001 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

- Bishop Rudolph A. Akanlu, emeritus of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, Ghana, on July 7, at the age of 78.
- Bishop Alfredo Guillermo Disandro, emeritus of Villa Maria, Argentina, on July 1, at the age of 79.
- Bishop Jorge Novak, S.V.D., of Quilmes, Argentina, on July 9, at the age of 73.
- Archbishop-Bishop Arrigo Pintonello, emeritus of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno, Italy, on July 8, at the age of 92.
- Bishop Jean-Samuel Raobelina, M.S., of Tsiroanomandidy, Madagascar, on June 30, at the age of 73.
- Archbishop Francesco Spanedda, emeritus of Oristano, Italy, on July 15, at the age of 91.

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