AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Fernando Henrique Cardoso, president of Brazil, accompanied by his wife and an entourage. - Three prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Ecuador on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Eugenio Arellano Fernandez, apostolic vicar of Esmeraldas.
- Bishop Rafael Cob Garcia, apostolic vicar of Puyo.
- Bishop Manuel Valarezo Luzuriaga, apostolic prefect of Galapagos.
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

On Saturday, May 18, he received in separate audiences:

- Four prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Ecuador, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop Serafin Luis Alberto Cartagena Ocana, apostolic vicar of Zamora en Ecuador.
- Bishop Jesus Esteban Sabada Perez, apostolic vicar of Aguarico.
- Bishop Pietro Gabrielli, apostolic vicar of Mendez.
- Bishop Paolo Mietto, apostolic vicar of Napo.
- Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, C.M.F, of Pamplona and Msgr. Juan Jose Asenjo Pelegrina, secretary of the episcopal conference.

AP; AL;...;...;...;VIS;20020520;Word: 170;

PAPAL MESSAGE TO NEWLY INDEPENDENT NATION OF EAST TIMOR

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2002 (VIS) - It was announced today that "the Holy See and the Democratic Republic of East Timor, desirous of establishing relations of mutual friendship, have decided of common accord to establish diplomatic relations between them, at the level of apostolic nunciature on the part of the Holy See and of embassy on the part of the Democratic Republic of East Timor."

An informative note published with this news states that, from an ecclesiastical point of view, there are two apostolic administrations on the territory of the newborn nation: Dili and Baucau. There are 750,000 Catholics in 31 parishes, administered by 43 priests. Male religious number 130, with the most numerous being the Salesians. Jesuits were the first to come to East Timor: they arrived in 1899, were expelled in 1910 and returned in 1958. There are 220 women religious. The 350 religious work in 247 educational and welfare institutes.

On the occasion of the declaration of national independence, the Holy Father sent a Message to the people of Timor, conveyed by his Extraordinary Envoy to the official ceremonies, Archbishop Renato Martino, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. The May 19-20 ceremonies were inaugurated by an outdoor Mass that was presided over by Archbishop Martino in Tacitolo, near the capital of Dili.

In the Message, dated May 6 and addressed to the apostolic administrators of Dili and Baucau, to the bishops, the authorities and the people, the Pope writes: "In this moment which is so significant to your history ... I unite myself spiritually to all of you in order to share your feeling of joy and to encourage you to construct a just, free, united and peaceful society.

"The hour of freedom has arrived! The time for reconstruction has arrived!" exclaims John Paul II. "Freedom must always be defended and preserved, whether from that which could imprison it, or from falsehoods which can pervert its genuine character, to the detriment of the person and his dignity."

The Pope asks that the land of East Timor "which God entrusts" to their "diligent hands, base itself on values without which a true democracy cannot exist: respect for life and for all people; effective solidarity among the members of the community; openness to the positive contribution of each one of its categories and of all its members, with respect to different fields; attention to the real necessities of families, and in a special way, of young people who are the promise of the new country's future."

MESS;EAST TIMOR;...;MARTINO;VIS;20020520;Word: 420;

ECUADOR: PASTORAL MINISTRIES MUST EMBRACE ALL MILIEUX

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father received this morning the prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Ecuador, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

In his speech, the Pope referred to "the Global Pastoral Plan of the Church in Ecuador from 2001-2010, which," he said, "must implement effective activities, continued and coordinated, that invigorate ordinary pastoral ministries in this first decade of the first millennium. In this sense, I remind you that any pastoral plan must have the sanctity of every Christian as its ultimate and unrelinquishable goal."

"For this reason," he continued, "no effort must be spared to promote those most fundamental resources of evangelical action, without which the success of any programing would be seriously comprised. Capillary and organized vocational pastoral care must be included among these, without a doubt, so that it takes into account the world's indigenous environments with their peculiarities, but without creating separations or, much less, discrimination."

John Paul II urged them to "take great care also in the permanent formation of priests, which should include, in addition to required theological updating, a constant stimulus to their spiritual life, which strengthens their fidelity to the duties acquired with ordination and stimulates all their pastoral work from their experience of faith in Christ."

He went on to say: "Particular attention must be applied to the formation of the laity and to their role and mission in the Church." He indicated that they must ask all baptized people to "not only manifest their Christian identity but also to be effective craftsmen, within their field, of a social order inspired ever more in justice and less conditioned by corruption, disloyal antagonism or lack of solidarity. It would be a contradiction to invoke ethical principles, denouncing some morally deplorable situations and not demanding from those who are in the field of business, politics or public administration that they put into practice the values proclaimed with such insistency by the Church and her shepherds."

Then, speaking about the fundamental right of families to educate their children according to their own faith, the Pope expressed his desire that the "right formulas are found so that the right to liberty of education may soon be a fuller and more effective reality for all."

He recalled that the Church "considers a great treasure the variety of ways in which the Gospel and ecclesiastical message can be expressed." And he stated: "An attitude that concerns itself exclusively with keeping intact all the traditional components of a human group, not only compromises the authentic announcement of the Good News of the Gospel - which is also leaven in diverse cultures and a promoter of new civilizations - but also, paradoxically, favors (the group's) insulation with respect to other communities and, above all, to the great family of the people of God all over the globe."

John Paul II concluded by inviting all the Ecuadorian pastors to create a "pastoral ministry of emigration that helps families that are separated not to lose contact with those that are far away and that establishes the necessary channels with the dioceses of destiny in order to assure them of the necessary religious assistance, in such a way that their roots and Christian traditions are not lost."

AL;...;...;ECUADOR;VIS;20020520;Word: 550;

PEACE IS THE FIRST PRIORITY OF ALL COUNTRIES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father received collectively this morning the Letters of Credence of eight new ambassadors to the Holy See. The Pope spoke in French to all the diplomats, but handed each one of them a speech, in which he addressed specific questions about their country.

The new ambassadors are: Vladimir R. Korolve of Belarus; Amadou Toure of Niger; Fredrik Vahlquist of Sweden; Jullapong Nonsrichai of Thailand; Euloge Hinvi of Benin; Abdelbasit Badawi Ali Elsanosi of Sudan; Horour H. Bjarnason of Iceland and Dina Kawar of Jordan.

"Peace," he said, "must be the first priority for all countries and on all continents, so that armed conflicts cease, as they only jeopardize the future of nations and populations, some of which are subjected to degrading and unworthy conditions of life. No one can be disinterested in the future of his brothers and sisters and act as if they did not know."

John Paul II emphasized that, "there are, without a doubt, two essential elements upon which it is important to insist together: dialogue and negotiations among the protagonists, called to live together in the same land and, on the other hand, the phenomena of globalization and of the growing contrast between rich and poor nations that creates ever-more striking inequalities. In the long term, peace means that less-advanced countries benefit from economic growth and appropriate aid. The first perspective must be to sustain local economies and to form people who will be in charge tomorrow of the future of their national community, and to thus reach the autonomy necessary for the country."

"Inequality among peoples challenges us unceasingly and must be for everyone the object of particular attention. ... In fact, peace goes along with the eradication of misery, the suppression of disparities among peoples. Likewise, it implies education for all. Young generations, especially sensitive to dramatic situations, need great signs so that their hopes are not in vain."

CD;LETTERS CREDENCE;...;...;VIS;20020517;Word: 340;

AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Four prelates from the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop German Trajano Pavon Puente of Ambato.
- Bishop Antonio Arregui Yarza of Ibarra, apostolic administrator of Tulcan.
- Bishop Climaco Jacinto Zarauz Carrillo of Azogues.
- Bishop Miguel Angel Aguilar Miranda of Guaranda.
- Community of the Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, Austria.
- Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

AL; AP;...;...;...;VIS;20020517;Word: 80;