Monday, March 31, 2003

MEETING OF THE 10TH ORDINARY COUNCIL OF SYNOD OF BISHOPS


VATICAN CITY, MAR 29, 2003 (VIS) - The 10th Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops held its fifth meeting on March 26 and 27 at the secretariat's main office, according to a communique published today.

Led by Cardinal Jan P. Schotte, C.I.C.M., secretary general of the Synod, the participants included seven cardinals, two archbishops, and four staff members of the secretariat.

During the encounter, they discussed the activity of different councils which are in the process of applying various post-synod exhortations as they await the publication of documents that came out of two assemblies, a special assembly on Europe and an ordinary assembly on the ministry of the bishop.

The sixth and seventh meeting will take place on July 1 and 2, 2003.

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WAR MUST NOT DIVIDE RELIGIONS, RELIGIONS MUST NOT ADVOCATE TERROR


VATICAN CITY, MAR 29, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul today welcomed 36 bishops from the 35 dioceses of Indonesia who have completed their quinquennial "ad limina" visit in Rome.

In an address to the Pope, Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja, S.J., president of the Bishops' Conference, noted that the Catholic Church in Indonesia has grown since the Pope's 1989 visit to that predominantly Muslim nation. He stated that, of the 220 million people in Indonesia, ten percent are Christian, of which 3.4 percent, or six million, are Catholics. There are 2,883 priests, 1,114 of whom are diocesan, as well as 874 religious men and 7,000 religious Sisters.

In his talk in English, the Holy Father underscored the bishops' "differing ethnic and cultural backgrounds," saying this "can offer a model of hope for all of Indonesia" which today "faces the challenge of building a society based on the democratic principles of the freedom and equality of its citizens, regardless of language, race, ethnic background, cultural heritage or religion."

"Religious freedom," he noted, "is guaranteed by the nation's constitution. The Church must at all times remain vigilant to ensure that this principle is respected on both the federal and local levels" in a "climate of respect for the rule of law." Suitable human formation is the first step in achieving this, he said. "Particular attention must be given to the poor" because "promoting the fundamental rights of the weak is a proven path towards a stable and productive society."

Education is a step in helping the poor, the Pope stated, noting that Catholics might be a minority but "they have developed a large and respected school system" which is one of the Church's "greatest contributions to Indonesian society." He urged the prelates to preserve Catholic schools, even where financial problems persist, and to encourage youth "not to forego their education for the lure of shallow and fleeting materialism."

John Paul II praised the work of the bishops, priests, men and women religious and catechists in Indonesia, not only in the field of education but in health and welfare assistance and in "the profound, gradual and exacting work of inculturation. ... This is especially important in a complex society such as your own where, in some areas and among some certain groups, Catholicism is at times viewed with suspicion." He also encouraged the prelates "to continue to promote the traditional values of the family so closely tied with Asian culture," and to fight "the conspiracy against life" and against the family "which is appearing in many forms: abortion, sexual permissiveness, pornography, drug abuse and pressures to adopt morally unacceptable methods of population control."

The Pope turned to the "challenges arising from daily contact with a non-Christian society," and remarked that "there already exists a commendable level of interreligious dialogue in your country on an institutional level. ... Even in predominantly Muslim areas, the Church is actively present in orphanages, clinics and institutions dedicated to helping the downtrodden," as an expression of "Christ's boundless love for not a few but for all."

"Here, I wish to assure you of my deep concern for the beloved Indonesian people at this moment of heightened tension in the entire world community. War must never be allowed to divide world religions. I encourage you to take this unsettling moment as an occasion to work together, as brothers committed to peace, with your own people, with those of other religious beliefs and with all men and women of good will in order to ensure understanding, cooperation and solidarity. Let us not permit a human tragedy also to become a religious catastrophe."

"At the same time," Pope John Paul II affirmed, I am well aware that certain portions of the Christian community in your nation have suffered from discrimination and prejudice, while others have been victimized by acts of destruction and vandalization. In some areas Christian communities have been denied the permission to build places of worship and prayer. Indonesia, together with the international community, was recently stunned at the terrible loss of life due to the terrorist bombing in Bali. In all of this, however, one must be careful not to yield to the temptation to define groups of people by the actions of an extremist minority. Authentic religion does not advocate terrorism or violence, but seeks to promote in every way the unity and peace of the whole human family."

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POPE TO SIGN ENCYCLICAL ON EUCHARIST ON HOLY THURSDAY


VATICAN CITY, MAR 30, 2003 (VIS) - During meditations prior to reciting the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul referred once again to the war underway in Iraq and asked Mary's intercession for the victims. "Let us invoke with heartfelt and faithful insistence her intercession for peace in Iraq and in very other region of the world."

"Today, the fourth Sunday of Lent," said the Pope, "the Gospel reminds us that God 'so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life'. We hear this consoling announcement at a time when disturbing armed clashes are attacking the hopes of mankind for a better future. God 'so loved the world...', affirms Jesus. The love of the Father therefore reaches every human being who lives in the world."

"God 'so loved the world that He gave His only Son...' And this is what happened in the sacrifice of Calvary," remarked the Holy Father. "The Sacrament of the Eucharist is the perennial memorial of this supreme sacrifice."

He announced that "it is precisely on the theme of the Eucharist that I wished to dedicate the encyclical that, on the occasion of Holy Thursday, God willing, I will sign during the Mass of the Lord's Supper. I will symbolically turn this over to priests in place of the Letter that I usually write to them and, through them, to the People of God, on that occasion."

"I entrust this important document to Mary from this moment," concluded John Paul II, "a document that recalls the intrinsic value and importance for the Church of the Sacrament left to us by Jesus as a living memorial of His death and resurrection."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 29, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the eparchy of Tiruvalla of the Syro-Malankars presented by Bishop Geevarghese Mar Timotheos Chundevalel in conformity with Canon 210 of the Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAR 31, 2003 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim, foreign minister of Brazil, and an entourage.

- Cardinal Bernard Agre, archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

On Saturday, March 29, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:

- Pavol Hrusovsky, president of the parliament of the Slovak Republic, and an entourage.

- Three prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Indonesia:

- Bishop Justinus Harjosusanto, M.S.F. of Tanjang Selor.

- Bishop Aloysius M. Sutrisnaatmaka, M.S.F. of Palangkaraya.

- Bishop Aloysius Murwito, O.F.M. of Agats.

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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ARCHBISHOP TO ADDRESS SOCIAL COMMUNICATORS IN LATIN AMERICA


VATICAN CITY, MAR 31, 2003 (VIS) - Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, is in Monterrey, Mexico where, in coming days, he will address diverse groups of communications experts in the Church.

The archbishop's first speech will be to participants in the two-day continental meeting that starts today, of RIIAL, the Spanish acronym for the Information Network of the Church in Latin America. April 2 he will speak to participants in a continental congress on the Church and Information Technology, some of whom will follow the meeting from other countries via computer in a "virtual congress."

On Saturday, April 5, Archbishop Foley will address the meeting of Social Communications Commissions of the Episcopal Conferences of America and on Sunday, April 6 he will deliver the homily at the closing Mass for the participants in this meeting.

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