OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY BASILICA IN LOURDES CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 5, 2001 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter from Pope John Paul to Cardinal Louis-Marie Bille, archbishop of Lyon and president of the French Episcopal Conference, on the occasion of the centennial celebrations of Our Lady of the Rosary Basilica in Lourdes in October. The Letter was dated October 7.

The Pope recalls that "On October 6, 1901, my predecessor, Pope Leo XIII invited all the bishops of the world to share in his joy at the consecration of this church dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, congratulating them on the occasion offered to Christians to examine more closely the significance of the ancient and venerable practice of this prayer to the Mother of God."

"A living parable of stone and light," he adds, "this basilica unfolds before the eyes of pilgrims the fifteen mysteries of the life of Christ, also revealing the profound sense of the rosary."

The Holy Father concludes: "As St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort used to say, it is impossible 'for a person to acquire intimate union with Our Lord and a perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit without great union with the Most Holy Virgin'. Thus, I greatly encourage the faithful to grow in the knowledge of the mysteries of Christ by meditating on the rosary, allowing it to purify and enlighten their souls in order to become, in Mary's footsteps, true disciples of the Lord and to conform their lives to the Passion and Resurrection of the Savior."

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AUDIENCE FOR PILGRIMS WHO ATTENDED BEATIFICATIONS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 5, 2001 (VIS) - John Paul II received this morning in St. Peter's Square the pilgrims who participated yesterday in the beatification of Servants of God Pavol Peter Gojdic, Metod Dominik Trcka, Giovanni Antonio Farina, Bartolomeu Fernandes dos Martires, Luigi Tezza, Paolo Manna, Gaetana Sterni, and Maria Pilar Izquierdo Albero.

The Holy Father said that the teachings and testimonies of charity of the eight new Blesseds - two Slovakians, four Italians, one Portuguese, and one Spanish - "should urge us to find the faith and courage to follow the difficult and exalting journey towards sanctity, 'high standard of ordinary Christian living'."

"We address our prayer to the Lord," John Paul II concluded, "to implore for us as well the same faith, the same courage and the same dedication which made these eight new Blesseds great."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 5, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father received today in audience Rudolf Schuster, president of the Slovak Republic, accompanied by his wife and an entourage.

On Saturday, November 3, he received in separate audiences:

- Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, apostolic nuncio in Spain and the Principality of Andorra.
- Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the occasion of his "ad limina" visit; with Auxiliary Bishop Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam.
- Archbishop Nicholas Chia of Singapore, on the occasion of his "ad limina" visit.
- Bishop James Chan Soon Cheong of Melaka-Johor, Malaysia, on the occasion of his "ad limina" visit.
- Participants in the European pilgrimage promoted by the "Schutzen" Association.
- Cardinals Opilio Rossi, Giuseppe Caprio, Antonio Innocenti, Paul Augustin Mayer, Alfons Maria Stickler, Angelo Felici, Giovanni Canestri, Antonio Maria Javierre Ortas, Jose T. Sanchez, Fiorenzo Angelini and Luigi Poggi.

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TELEGRAM FOR DEATH OF DEAN EMERITUS OF THE ROMAN ROTA

VATICAN CITY, OCT 31, 2001 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano sent a telegram in the Pope's name to the dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, Msgr. Raffaello Funghini, after learning the news of the death of the dean emeritus, Archbishop Ernesto Maria Fiore, at the age of 83.

Cardinal Sodano recalled "his zealous priestly life and long generous activity in the service of the Apostolic See as a man of the Church and an expert in law, who sought in the love of Christ the fulfillment of every law."

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GENERAL AUDIENCE: GREATNESS OF GOD IN CREATION AND HISTORY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 31, 2001 (VIS) - In today's general audience, celebrated in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II spoke on the Canticle of Isaiah (Is 45:15-26) in which the greatness of God in creation and history is shown.

The Pope noted that "The historical background from which this meditation springs is that of the surprising liberation which God obtains for His people, at the time of the Babylonian exile. ... The certainty of the providential action of God is the source of hope for the believer, who knows he can count upon the constant presence of He 'who formed the earth and made it, He (who) established it'."

"God," he affirmed, "is by definition the Only One. Nothing can compare to Him. Everything is subordinate to Him." In this regard the Pope recalled that the prophet Isaiah reproaches "all forms of idolatry, often concealed in the attitudes with which men and things are considered as absolute values and substitutes for God Himself, more than in the improper use of images."

The hymn, he continued, refers to history, "in which Israel was able to experience many times the beneficent and merciful power of God, His faithfulness and His providence."

"God proclaims: 'Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God and there is no other'. In this way it becomes clear that the predilection with which God has chosen Israel as His people is not an act of exclusion, but instead an act of love in which all of humanity is destined to benefit. Already in the Old Testament, that 'sacramental' conception of the history of salvation stands out, which sees in the special election of the sons of Abraham, and then of the disciples of Christ in the Church, not a privilege which 'closes' or 'excludes', but the sign and the instrument of a universal love."

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