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Thursday, July 10, 2003

MESSAGE: POLAND AND UKRAINE, NEED FOR RECONCILIATION

VATICAN CITY, JUL 10, 2003 (VIS) - Made public today was a message from the Pope to Cardinals Jozef Glemp, Marian Jaworski and Lubomyr Husar, respectively archbishop of Warsaw, Poland, archbishop of Lviv of the Latins, Ukraine and major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary on July 11 of the "tragic events of Volinia," the disputed region between Poland and Ukraine during World War II. An official ceremony of Ukrainian-Polish reconciliation is scheduled to take place tomorrow.

In the message, dated July 7 and directed also to "our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine and in Poland," the Holy Father writes: "Sixty years after these sad events, the need for a profound examination of conscience has been affirmed in the soul of the majority of Polish and Ukrainian people. The need is felt for a reconciliation that allows everyone to look toward the future with new eyes."

"As God forgave us in Christ, it is necessary that believers know how to mutually forgive offenses and to ask for forgiveness for their own failings in order to contribute to the creation of a world which has respect for life, justice, harmony and peace."

After recalling that during the Jubilee Year 2000, the Church "asked for forgiveness for the faults of its children, forgiving at the same time those who have offended them," he says: "In this way, I wanted to purify the memory of these sad events from every feeling of rancor and vengeance in order to go forward hopeful and confident in the task of building a civilization of love."

"The Church proposes this same attitude to a civil society, urging all toward sincere reconciliation. ... It is an urgent priority if the great need is considered to educate the young generations to confront the future not in conditions of a history of mistrust, prejudices and violence, but in the spirit of a reconciled memory."

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THE POPE BEGINS A VACATION PERIOD AT CASTELGANDOLFO

VATICAN CITY, JUL 10, 2003 (VIS) - This morning at 10 a.m. John Paul II went by car to his summer residence at Castelgandolfo, southeast of Rome, where he will spend some time on a working vacation.

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HOLY SEE DEFICIT FOR 2002 WAS 13,506,722 EURO

VATICAN CITY, JUL 10, 2003 (VIS) - The 37th meeting of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organizational and Economic Problems of the Holy See took place on Tuesday afternoon, July 8, under the presidency of Cardinal Angelo Sodano, according to a communique published yesterday afternoon.

Other participants included Cardinals Michael Mahony, Camillo Ruini, Jean Claude Turcotte, Ricardo Maria Carles Gordo, Ivan Dias, Edward Michael Egan, His Beatitude Michel Sabbah and Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State. Also present were officials from the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and from APSA, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani, president of the Prefecture, presented the 2002 consolidated financial statements to the Council, noting that the Holy See deficit for that year was 13,506,722 Euro ($15,290,960). Total income was 216,575,034 Euro ($245,184,596) and total expenses were 230,081,756 Euro ($260,475,556).

"A considerable part of the expenses," states the communique, "must be attributed to the costs of both the ordinary and extraordinary administration of the Roman Curia which daily undertakes its activity in service to the Holy Father. There are 2,659 people who work for the Roman Curia, including 744 ecclesiastics, 351 religious and 1,564 lay people. There are 892 retired employees who receive pensions. During 2002 there were expenses involving the building or acquiring of new offices for Pontifical Representatives. In addition, the Holy See acquired in Rome a building due to the need for further space for institutional purposes."

Also presented were the 2002 consolidated financial statements for Vatican City State, which had a deficit of 16,048,508 ($18,215,057). The communique noted that "this negative result, compared to the surplus for 2001, was caused by the reduction in income in the various sectors and by the contribution given to Vatican Radio to cover part of its deficit. Vatican City State has 1,511 employees, including four officials, 75 religious and 1,432 lay people. There are 566 pensioners."

The last item under review by the Council of Cardinals was Peter's Pence which for 2002 amounted to $52,836,693. This sum was used by the Holy Father for charitable purposes, with particular attention paid to Church communities in the Third World and "to alleviate needs brought about because of wars or natural calamities." Peter's Pence offerings by the faithful for 2002 increased by 1.8 percent over 2001.

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PAPAL TELEGRAM FOR VICTIMS OF CAPSIZED BOAT IN BANGLADESH

VATICAN CITY, JUL 10, 2003 (VIS) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, in the name of Pope John Paul, sent the following telegram of condolences to religious and civil authorities in Bangladesh for the victims of a ferry boat capsize Tuesday evening near the city of Chandpur:

"Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life resulting from the ferry boat accident near the town of Chandpur, His Holiness Pope John Paul II assures all affected of his closeness in prayer. The Holy Father commends the victims to the loving mercy of the Almighty, and upon their grieving families and all those injured he invokes divine strength and comfort."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUL 10, 2003 (VIS) - Yesterday the Holy Father received Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, president of the Italian Republic, and his wife whom he invited to lunch in his private apartment.

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HOLY SEE 2002 CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 10, 2003 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, presented the 2002 Consolidated Financial Statements for the Holy See. His report was presented to the Holy Father on July 7 and to the Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organizational and Economic Problems of the Holy See on July 8.

The cardinal noted that this is the first such consolidated statement expressed in Euro. He also said it was "the second negative result that follows upon a period of surpluses right up to 2000."

"As a consolidated financial statement," he said, "it represents as an integrated whole all the income and expenses of the various Vatican administrations that are within the area of consolidation: It thus includes the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See (APSA) - which is the most important in that it provides for all the administrative operations of almost the totality of the offices and entities of the Roman Curia - the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Apostolic Camera, Vatican Radio, L'Osservatore Romano (merged with regard to administration), the Vatican Television Center and the Vatican Publishing House."

He pointed out that the 2002 deficit for the Holy See was 13,506,722 Euro ($15,290,960). Some of the factors leading to a deficit include an economic crisis that began in the last part of 2000, the stock markets that have fallen, a fall in gross national product consumption in the Euro zone, and the gradual rise of the Euro against the dollar which, by year end, has lost 18 percent of its initial value.

Cardinal Sebastiani then took a look at the entries of the operating statement which are expressed in four categories: 1. Institutional Activity, 2. Financial Activity, 3. the Real Estate Sector, and 4. the activity of the Media Institutions. The only one that had a surplus was the Real Estate sector (part of APSA), with a gain of 19,082,000 Euro ($21,658,070). He stated that the institutional activity of the Curia involves offices - Secretariat of State, congregations, councils, tribunals, Synod of Bishops and others - "which, called as they are to render services, do not produce income."

The biggest improvement was in the activity of the Media Institutions which had a loss of 1,659,000 Euro ($1,882,965) in 2002, compared to a loss of 21,636,000 Euro ($24,556,860) in 2001. Vatican Radio traditionally has the largest expenses in this sector.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 10, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Alejandro Goic Karmelic of Osorno, Chile as coadjutor bishop of Rancagua (area 16,042, population 728,280, Catholics 597,189, priests 117, permanent deacons 12, religious 226), Chile.

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