POPE ASKS FOR RESTITUTION OF ECCLESIAL PROPERTY IN ROMANIA

VATICAN CITY, JUN 1, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning received the Letters of Credence of Mihail Dobre, Romania's new ambassador to the Holy See. The Pope recalled his May 1999 visit to that nation, as well as the late Cardinal Alexandru Todea, the Romanian cardinal who suffered persecution and imprisonment during the years of communism.

The Pope praised Romania for the progress made on the path to democracy in the years since the fall of communism, and said he hoped "that such a path might constantly continue so that Romania will be able to make its voice be heard in an ever more authoritative manner in Europe and in the world." He noted that "the reforms in democratic, economic and social fields ... are bringing positive fruits for the good of everyone."

The Holy Father pointed to the Church's "convinced contribution ... to the path of renewal, especially through her structures in the social, educational and health sectors," in addition to "the evangelization and the care of souls."

During his trip to Romania, the Pope said, he saw "the good will that animates relations between the majority Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church" and, in Patriarch Teoctist, he saw "the deep awareness of the duty to work together to announce the one Gospel in Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life."

Remarking that difficulties do still exist, John Paul II said: "It is my fervent desire, for example, that, in matters regarding ecclesial structures, the agreements reached up to now between the leaders of the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church and the Holy See, be enacted. ... Even with all the necessary prudence, the special mixed commission must take into account the real urgency, for the Catholic Church, to be able to use sacred buildings.

"Respect and collaboration would certainly be strengthened if the civil authorities would assume the duty of not only helping to find opportune solutions but also of returning, according to a criteria of justice, the confiscated ecclesiastical patrimony, which would thus allow the Catholic Church to use these goods to fulfill her mission."

In concluding, the Pope said that the Church "desires to encounter man in the various moments of his life: in the family and the worlds of work and culture, in hospitals and in every sphere in which he lives.... Also for this reason, I hope that the State will allow the Church to undertake a constant dialogue with public authorities, with the aim of reaching accords of cooperation in the diverse sectors of social life."

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