STS. CYRIL AND METHODIUS, PRECURSORS OF A UNIFIED EUROPE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning received a delegation from Bulgaria, as he does each year when they come to Rome to pay tribute to the Saints and brothers, Cyril and Methodius. The delegation was led by Bulgaria's Prime Minister Ivan Kostov.

"With the presence here today of Catholic and Orthodox pastors," noted John Paul II, quoting "Slavorum Apostoli," "'we clearly see that the legacy of the brothers of Salonika is and remains ... deeper and stronger that any divisions', showing that both traditions, western and eastern, were born within the one Church of Christ. In fact, Saints Cyril and Methodius contributed to establishing and spreading the faith and Christian culture in the Slavic world."

The Pope remarked that "the brother saints, in proclaiming the Gospel, knew how to be respectful of authentic moral and human values, and of cultural diversity, allowing all peoples their unique characteristics and opening the way for unity among different cultures." He said they were thus, in a way, precursors of a unified Europe, built on peace and reconciliation, having created "the foundations for a new way of coexistence, respecting differences, which are in no way obstacles to unity."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, as his special envoy at the closing celebrations for the 450th anniversary of the first evangelization of Japan which will take place at Kagoshima on 11th October.

- Fr. Stanislaw Wielgus, former rector of the Catholic University of Lublin, as bishop of Plock (area 9,108, population 1,137,694 Catholics 1,076,094, priests 1,087, religious 1,066), Poland. The bishop-elect was born in Wieszchowiska, Poland in 1939 and was ordained a priest in 1962.

On Saturday, May 22 it was made public that he appointed:

- Bishop Edmundo M. Abaya of Laoag as metropolitan archbishop of Nueva Segovia (area 2,570, population 591,197, Catholics 502,046, priests 61, religious 128), Philippines. The archbishop-elect was born in Candon, Philippines in 1929, was ordained a priest in 1953 and a bishop in 1979.

- Msgr. Nikola Eterovic, nunciature councilor in the Section for Relations with States, as apostolic nuncio in Ukraine. The archbishop-elect was born in Pucisca, Croatia, in 1951, was ordained a priest in 1977 and made a councilor in 1993.

- Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto, apostolic nuncio in the Congo and Gabon, as apostolic nuncio in Tanzania.

- Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Committee for the Great Jubilee Year of 2000, as his special envoy to the National Eucharistic Conference of Portugal which will take place at Braga from June 3 to 6.

- Msgr. Konrad Krajewski, of the clergy of the diocese of Lodz, Poland, as assistant master of liturgical ceremonies.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Bishop Jaume Camprodon Rovira of Gerona, Spain on his "ad limina" visit.
- Five prelates from the Cameroon Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi, archbishop of Doula, accompanied by his auxiliary, Bishop Dieudonne Bogmis.
- Archbishop Lambertus Johannes van Heygen C.S.Sp., of Bertoua.
- Archbishop Paul Verdzekov of Bamenda.
- Archbishop Antoine Ntalou of Garoua.
- Arcbishop Paul Josef Cordes and Msgrs. Karel Kasteel and Francisco Azcona San Martin, respectively president, secretary and under-secretary of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum."

On Saturday May 22, he also received:

- Manzi Bakuramutsa, ambassador of Rwanda on his farewell visit.
- Ambassador Jean-Bernard Raimond.

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SPAIN'S NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS STARTS MAY 26

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was the Letter from Pope John Paul to Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid, Spain, in which he named him as his special envoy to the celebrations of the National Eucharistic Congress in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from May 26 to 29. The Letter was dated March 26 and is written in Latin.

Also published today were the names of the two priests who will accompany the cardinal: Fathers Andres Pardo Rodriguez, canon of Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, and Salvador Domato Bua, personal secretary of Cardinal Rouco.

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PONTIFICAL COUNCIL PUBLISHES DOCUMENT ON SHRINES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 1999 (VIS) - On Tuesday May 25 at 11:30 a.m. in the Holy See Press Office, there will be a conference to present the document, "The Shrine. Memorial, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God," which was prepared by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerary Peoples.

Those scheduled to participate include Archbishops Stephen Fumio Hamao and Francesco Gioia, respectively president and secretary of the pontifical council, and Crescenzio Sepe, secretary general of the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee.

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