AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 27, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio in Israel and Cyprus and apostolic delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine.
- Archbishop Francois Bacque, apostolic nuncio in the Netherlands.
- Archbishop Alessandro D'Errico, apostolic nuncio in Pakistan.
- Archbishop Ennio Antonelli of Florence, Italy.
- Bishop Eric Aumonier of Versailles, France.
- Bishop Stanislaw Nowak of Czestochowa, Poland.
- Bishop Joseph Anthony Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, U.S.A., president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (U.S.A.), with Bishop Wilton Daniel Gregory of Belleville, U.S.A., vice-president, and Msgr. William P. Fay, secretary general.

This evening he is scheduled to receive Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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HOLY FATHER VISITS PONTIFICAL ECCLESIASTICAL ACADEMY

VATICAN CITY, APR 26, 2001 (VIS) - This morning John Paul II visited the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, on the occasion of the third centenary of its foundation. The Pontifical Academy, through a special course of study, prepares churchmen for Holy See diplomatic service to the particular churches in different countries of the world.

Currently, the Academy has 32 students from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Formerly called the "Pontifical Academy of Noble Ecclesiastics," the Academy changed seats various times, before definitively selecting, in 1706, the old Severoli Palace, in Piazza della Minerva.

In his discourse, the Pope recalled that what the students learn in the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy "is directed towards making the Word of God present to the ends of the earth. Therefore, it is a Word which must first take possession of your minds, your wills, your lives. If the Gospel has not taken root in your personal and community life, your activity could be reduced to a noble profession in which with greater or lesser success you confront questions regarding the Church or her presence in particular human milieux. ... You must be men of the spirit in search of agreement, the heralds of dialogue, the most convinced and determined builders of peace."

The Holy Father affirmed that especially urgent today is "the defense of man and of the image of God which is in him. You are called to be bearers of the human values which have their source in the Gospel, according to which every man is a brother to respect and to love."

John Paul II concluded his discourse emphasizing the need to "show" Christ "in contacts with the political and diplomatic milieux; this you achieve through your life's witness even before the force of juridical or diplomatic arguments. You will be effective in the measure in which those who approach you have the sensation of meeting in your words, your actions, your life, the freeing presence of the risen Christ."

At the end of the meeting, the Pope unveiled a memorial stone commemorating the third centenary of the Academy's foundation.

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BISHOPS OF SLOVENIA IN ROME ON "AD LIMINA VISIT"

VATICAN CITY, APR 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning received the bishops of Slovenia, who are in Rome on their quinquennial "ad limina" visit. He had met with each of them earlier in private visits to learn about and discuss the situations in their individuals dioceses.

In his speech to them in their native language, the Pope noted that the Church in Slovenia had just celebrated its First Slovenian Plenary Council, with contributions from priests, religious and the lay people. "I exhort you," he said, "to constantly refer to the indications which have come from that providential encounter."

He also encouraged them, at the dawn of a new millennium and within a changing social scene, to see to it that, "together with the proclamation of the Gospel, the common good of society is also promoted, thus favoring the material and spiritual progress of the entire people and of each single person. ... Every genuinely human dimension, from the social, cultural and political to the economic, scientific, health care and sporting dimensions are not, in fact, 'extraneous' to the Gospel."

At the start of the Third Millennium, he went on, "know how to make your rich spiritual and cultural legacy a point of departure for a prophetic relaunch of the Gospel proclamation."

John Paul II had special words of gratitude for the priests, deacons, religious and laity in Slovenia, thanking them for their work in the new evangelization at home and abroad as missionaries.

"In our days," he remarked, "people are more attracted by witnesses than by teachers, as a proverb of yours states so well: 'While words entice, examples attract'. This is why it is important that all those who wish to dedicate themselves to the apostolate be known for their holiness, doctrine and wisdom. ... Dear brothers in the episcopacy, this demands constant theological, liturgical and pastoral formation."

"Dedicate yourselves with the maximum care to the human and spiritual formation of future priests. ... At the same time, see to it that the lay faithful are committed to fulfilling their mission in the diverse spheres of the social, political, economic and cultural life of the country, as heralds of Christ and the prophetic force of His Gospel."

In closing remarks, the Holy Father highlighted the importance of "a renewed thrust in evangelization, ... a tireless promotion of new vocations to the priesthood, the consecrated life and other forms of totally giving oneself to the Lord, ... and a commitment to keep the missionary spirit alive."

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PAPAL GRATITUDE TO THOSE WHO AIDED CHERNOBYL VICTIMS

VATICAN CITY, APR 26, 2001 (VIS) - This morning at 11 in the Paul VI Hall, 1,500 members of movements, associations, families and parishes who have hosted children who were victims of the April 26, 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in Ukraine were welcomed by Pope John Paul. Many of these Ukrainian children were also present, as was Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma, who addressed a message of thanks to all those who helped the children who suffered from radiation exposure due to the explosion.

In his talk, the Holy Father said: "As my trip to Ukraine nears, the desire within me grows to embrace the Ukrainian people, very dear to me, and to kiss that soil which has been so tried by the nuclear disaster, whose terrible effects are still felt today."

He expressed "appreciation to civil administrations, religious communities, dioceses and to all who, over the years, have helped those who, without fault, paid and continue to pay the price of a calamity of such vast proportions. I speak to you especially, dear children of Chernobyl! You represent thousands of your little friends who have found hospitality in Italy in order to be taken care of and to overcome a difficult phase of their existence."

Thanking everyone for "the chain of solidarity" shown for the victims of Chernobyl, the Pope said: "We must prepare for the children a future of peace, without fear and similar threats. Here is a commitment for everyone. For this to happen, there must be a choral technical, scientific and human effort to place all energy at the service of peace, in respect for man's needs and those of nature."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received in audience yesterday evening Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture and special envoy to the closing ceremonies of the First National Eucharistic Congress of the Ivory Coast, to take place in Abidjan, on April 29.

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