BELIEVERS' HIGHEST REFERENCE IS THE WORD OF GOD

VATICAN CITY, FEB 17, 2002 (VIS) - This morning, John Paul II visited the Roman parish of St. Henry, where he celebrated Mass. It was his 301st such visit since the beginning of his pontificate.

At the start of his homily, the Pope mentioned today's Gospel text: "In the desert, Jesus undergoes the triple temptation of Satan, against which He nonetheless decisively resists. Jesus firmly insists that it is unacceptable to put God to the test; that it is not permissible to worship any other god, and that it is not possible to decide one's own destiny. The highest reference for all believers is the Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. These few verses clearly outline the programme for our Lenten journey. We too are called to cross the desert of daily life, faced by the recurrent temptation to distance ourselves from God."

Speaking of the parish which "has had a proper church only since June 1999," he recalled "the Caritas group, the welcome center for the elderly and immigrants and the 'Community of Love' which seeks to help young married and engaged couples to live the Christian sacrament of matrimony. ... I know, moreover, that you are working to support families and that you are concerned with the education of children, especially those who are preparing to receive the sacraments of Christian initiation and those who attend the Oratory."

The Holy Father concluded by highlighting the generosity with which the parishioners collaborate in diocesan initiatives, such as the ecclesial congress on the subject of vocations which will be held in June and the meeting of young people in St. Peter's Square on March 21.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, FEB 16, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Two prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Argentina, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Domingo Salvador Castagna of Corrientes.
- Bishop Emilio Bianchi di Carcano of Azul.
- Elias Najmeh, ambassador of the Arab Republic of Syria, accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit.
- Bishop Christo Proykov, apostolic exarch of Sofia for Catholics of the Byzantine-Slavic rite resident in Bulgaria and president of the Bulgarian Episcopal Conference.
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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TRANSMIT GOD'S LOVE TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF TODAY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 16, 2002 (VIS) - This morning, the Pope received participants in the 14th General Chapter of the Canossian Sisters of Charity who are reflecting upon the theme: "Transmit the love of God to the men and women of our time."

To her spiritual daughters, St. Magdalene Canossa proposed the "ideal of consecrated life based upon humility." After highlighting that missionary work is a characteristic of the order, John Paul II recalled that in East Timor Canossian sisters had "recently paid the price of blood for their faithfulness to the Lord Christ. May their heroic sacrifice stimulate and encourage you to move forwards with faith and apostolic drive."

The Holy Father affirmed that "the great challenge of inculturation demands that you announce the Good News using language and methods that can be understood by the men and women of our time, who are caught up in rapidly-changing social and cultural processes. Hence, the field of apostolic endeavor that opens before you is vast indeed!"

The Pope said: "So many in the world have yet to know Jesus and His Gospel. Various forms of injustice and of moral and material difficulties affect peoples in vast areas of the planet." He concluded by stressing that "in order to be able to respond to this situation it is necessary, in the first place, to make every effort to attain sanctity, the highest measure of sanctity, maintaining constant contact with Christ through incessant and fervent prayer."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 18, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Jozef Tomko, former prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, as his special envoy at the promulgation of the acts of the first plenary council of the Church in Slovenia, due to take place in Ljubljana on May 18, 2002.

On Saturday, February 16, it was made public that he:

- Appointed Msgr. Paolo Urso, of the clergy of Acireale, Italy, vicar general of that diocese, as bishop of Ragusa (area 1,029, population 180,000, Catholics 165,000, priests 108, permanent deacons 8, religious 272), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Acireale in 1940 and ordained a priest in 1962. He succeeds Bishop Angelo Rizzo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. Carlos Garcia Camader, rector of the major seminary of Lima, and Frs. Jose Antonio Eguren Anselmi, episcopal vicar and pastor of the parish of Our Lady of Reconciliation in Lima and Adriano Tomasi Traviglia O.F.M., president of the "Consorcio de Centros Educativos del Peru" and of the "Confederacion Interamericana de Educacion Catolica" and pastoral vicar to the Chinese community in Lima, as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Lima (area 639, population 2,457,393, Catholics 2,260,801, priests 431, permanent deacons 5, religious 2,151), Peru. Bishop-elect Garcia Camader was born in Lima in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1981. Bishop-elect Eguren Anselmi was born in Lima in 1956 and ordained a priest in 1982. Bishop-elect Tomasi Traviglia in Gardolo di Mezzo-Meano, Italy, in 1939 and ordained a priest in 1964.

- Appointed Fr. Santiago Silva Retamales, rector of the major seminary of Valparaiso (area 4,600, population 1,144,594, Catholics 817,500, priests 196, permanent deacons 35, religious 436), Chile, as auxiliary of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in La Calera, Chile, in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1980.

- Appointed Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, apostolic nuncio in Bolivia, as apostolic nuncio in Kazakhstan and Tadjikistan.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany, presented by Archbishop Ludwig Averkamp, upon having reached the age limit.

- Fr. Gianfranco Girotti O.F.M. Conv., under-secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as regent of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature

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COMBAT EVIL WITH PRAYER, SACRAMENTS AND PENITENCE

VATICAN CITY, FEB 17, 2002 (VIS) - At midday today, after returning from the Roman parish of St. Henry, the Pope appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican's apostolic palace in order to pray the angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.

John Paul II affirmed that "today, the first Sunday of Lent, the liturgy presents us once more with the poignant Gospel account of the temptation of Jesus. ... The Redeemer's mission begins with His victory over the triple snare of the prince of evil."

"'Begone Satan!' For us, the Messiah's decisive attitude constitutes an example and an invitation to follow Him with courageous determination. Even today, the devil, 'ruler of this world,' continues his underhand activities. Men and women are tempted, apart from by their own concupiscence and the bad example of others, by the devil, even more so when they are least aware of such temptation. How many times do they lightly surrender to the deceptive promises of the flesh and of the evil one, only to then experience bitter disillusion! We must remain vigilant so as to react promptly to all attacks of temptation."

The Holy Father indicated that "the Church, expert teacher of humanity and sanctity, shows us the instruments - ancient and, at the same time, ever new - for the daily struggle against the lure of evil. They are prayer, the sacraments, penitence, attention to the Word of God, vigilance and fasting."

In closing, the Pope especially confided to the Virgin Mary the spiritual exercises he will begin this evening in the Vatican together with the Roman Curia. He requested the faithful to accompany them in prayer "that they may be fruitful days, not only for those taking part, but for the entire Church."

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