OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 16, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Horacio Benites Astoul, as auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires (area 202, population 3,771,000, Catholics 3,455,000, priests 949, religious 2,815), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1933, was ordained a priest in 1962, and since 1976 has been pastor of Immaculate Conception parish.

- Bishop Walter Kasper of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Germany, as secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
NEA:NA/.../BENITES:KASPER VIS 990316 (70)

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 16, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Horacio Benites Astoul, as auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires (area 202, population 3,771,000, Catholics 3,455,000, priests 949, religious 2,815), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1933, was ordained a priest in 1962, and since 1976 has been pastor of Immaculate Conception parish.

- Bishop Walter Kasper of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Germany, as secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
NEA:NA/.../BENITES:KASPER VIS 990316 (70)

BILATERAL ACCORD SIGNED BETWEEN HOLY SEE AND ESTONIA

VATICAN CITY, MAR 13, 1999 (VIS) - Following is the text of a communique made public today which announces the signing of the first ever bilateral accord between the Holy See and Estonia:

"Upon the exchange of notes between Secretary of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia on March 12, 1999, the Accord between the Holy See and the Republic of Estonia to regularize relations between the Catholic Church and this State has been detailed and brought into being.

"The Accord, which is subdivided into ten paragraphs, defines and stipulates various aspects of the juridical statute and activity of the Catholic Church and her institutions. It particularly recognizes the freedom of the Holy See in the appointment of bishops. Finally, the pastoral work of foreign priests in Estonia, the teaching of the Catholic faith in schools, and the validity of canonical marriages in civil law were guaranteed."

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THE JUBILEE YEAR: AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO CONFESSION

VATICAN CITY, MAR 13, 1999 (VIS) - John Paul II this morning received the participants in the annual session on the internal forum, organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary.

The Pope asked that "the Jubilee year be for all the faithful, thanks to the generous service of confessors, an opportunity for a pious and spiritually serene approach to the Sacrament of Reconciliation."

He then recalled some "truly essential" points to propose to those who are spiritually thirsting.

"Sacramental confession," he said, "is necessary to obtain the forgiveness of mortal sin committed since Baptism. However, if a sinner, touched by the grace of the Holy Spirit, repents of their sin thanks to supernatural charity, ... they immediately receive forgiveness, including of mortal sin, but should always however be open to the possibility of confessing it sacramentally whenever they can."

The same can be said, he continued, of the penitent who, "responsible for serious sin, receives collective absolution, without the previous individual admission of their sin to the confessor. The desire (to confess it) is so necessary that, if it were lacking, absolution would be invalid. ... Venial sins can be also forgiven outside sacramental confession, but it is certainly very good to confess them." Moreover, the faithful have the right "to go to confession and obtain sacramental absolution for venial sins alone."

The Pope also recalled that "to receive the Eucharist justly and fruitfully, sacramental confession is necessary when one is aware of mortal sin."

"Reconciliation with God requires and involves reconciliation with one's brothers and sisters, without which God's forgiveness cannot be obtained. ... The Sacrament of Penance assumes and must nourish generous, noble and active brotherly love."

In conclusion, the Holy Father said that "in the Sacrament of Penance, once the offenses caused by sin are eliminated, the unity of the Church is consolidated. ... God's mercy and the Church's mediation offer a precious corollary to the sacramental remission of sin, with the gift of the additional remission of temporal punishment through indulgences."

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POPE WELCOMES BISHOPS OF CROATIA ON "AD LIMINA" VISIT

VATICAN CITY, MAR 13, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed the bishops of Croatia at the end of their "ad limina" visit, and in his speech to them in their language, highlighted the "Croatian people's 13 centuries of Christianity," as well as the need for a new evangelization.

He thanked the bishops "for the good you are doing in your dioceses," and urged them to continue building "the Kingdom of God in your land which, after especially difficult periods, is now seeing a new and promising religious springtime."

The Holy Father recalled that, during his 1998 pastoral visit to Croatia, he had entreated "the Croatian people to remain faithful to their Christian roots" and had also expressed the hope "'that Christians will know how to give a decisive thrust to the new evangelization'. ... Today I renew this impassioned exhortation: consider evangelization as an urgent pastoral priority!"

To evangelize effectively, the Pope said, "the Church in Croatia needs to strengthen the communion among the diverse elements which comprise it. ... Only in this way can it give everyone a great witness to unity in Christ and also be up to the task of facing both old and new challenges."

"Make it your priority," implored John Paul II, "to help every member of the faithful to answer the universal call to holiness."

He added that another urgent reason for the new evangelization "is the preparation of the approaching Great Jubilee of the year 2000. ... We must discover new paths and seek new possibilities of preaching the Gospel message and of Christian witnessing."

Telling the bishops that they "are called to be teachers in the faith, heralds of hope and witnesses in charity," the Pope highlighted their duties to foster vocations and to make "the seminary and, in general, places of formation, the 'apple of your eye'."

He underlined to need to "strengthen the religious meaning of life, helping Christian families to be milieux and schools where the perennial human and Gospel values are practiced and transmitted."

The Holy Father asked the prelates to be close to candidates to the priesthood and to "show fraternal concern for priests, ... who are not functionaries acting in the Church's name, but servants and proclaimers of the Gospel." He also spoke of the Church's "particular esteem for the vocation and work of consecrated people, ... whose charisms are given not only for personal sanctification (but) for the growth and mission of the Church."

"We have facing us at the end of this century," Pope John Paul remarked, "the material and moral damage caused by so many ideologies; in this last decade we have witnessed the fall of long and oppressive dictatorships. Even your country, having experienced a period of trial, now enjoys a time of peace and freedom. It is however necessary to remain vigilant so that the path of just freedom in the respect for all human rights is followed. ... There is need for a spirit of charity, great patience and wise farsightedness. Only in this way will the small plants of freedom and democracy become robust trees."

Constructive dialogue and charity must prevail over destructive criticism, he said in concluding remarks. "The Church and the political community, in their respective spheres, are independent, but both are at the service of mankind."

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