DEFEAT RACISM, XENOPHOBIA AND EXAGGERATED NATIONALISM

VATICAN CITY, DEC 2, 2002 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, there was a press conference on the Pope's Message for the 89th World Day of the Migrants and Refugees 2003, centered on the theme: "For a Commitment to Defeat all Racism, Xenophobia and Exaggerated Nationalism."

The following participated in the conference: Archbishops Stephen Fumio Hamao and Agostino Marchetto, and Fr. Michael A. Blume, S.V.D., respectively president, secretary and under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.

Archbishop Hamao recalled that "more than 190 million people currently live far from the state where they were born. It is estimated that there are approximately 175 million international migrants who have left their native country for economic reasons. Almost 16 million refugees must be added" to that figure, and there are also 50 million refugees living in their own countries.

With respect to the past, there have been important changes with regard to migrations: "The migratory movements are characterized ever more by the presence of women; many migrants tend to maintain more contact with their country of origin due to ease of travel and the means of communication." In addition, there are climatic changes which influence migrations: "Some people think that in 25 years millions of people will be forced to migrate because of desertification or the increase in sea levels." Furthermore, there is no lack of "new political problems": after September 11, 2001 "governments and political parties are passing even stricter laws to maintain order and security; more severe controls are exercised that make the same norms for asylum more restrictive." Finally, he added, "in many regions people migrate due to the ageing of the population."

Archbishop Marchetto emphasized that "racism, xenophobia, intolerance and exacerbated nationalism continue to be present in our world." It is difficult to find "privileged countries in which there aren't brutal attacks on immigrants or refugees, expulsions based on belonging to a certain ethnic group, propaganda against foreigners or even the murder of immigrants."

"Intolerance," he continued, "also manifests itself in non-violent but painful and detestable ways such as the social exclusion of foreigners or those who are not nationals, discrimination against those in the work force, in affairs concerning housing and/or health care, and in interaction with civil society."
The secretary of the dicastery indicated that in his Message, "the Holy Father once again proposes the strong and clear affirmation that racism is a sin, a concept deliberately invented to create division in humanity. ... Since all forms of intolerance reside and originate in people's hearts, in order to eradicate them it is necessary therefore to purify and renew the heart."

Fr. Michael Blume, S.V.D., under-secretary of the pontifical council, underscored that "the term 'welcome' - in the sense of a 'spirituality' of welcome - is certainly the key to reading the Holy Father's Message for the 2003 World Day of the Migrant and Refugee."

He said that "migrations are not a marginal phenomenon that calls for an emergency response only, rather they are a structural phenomenon that involves many nations and deeply affects the social, cultural and religious life of the States the migrants leave as well as those they migrate to." He noted the work the Church has done, through individuals, congregations and institutions, especially since the 19th century, to help migrants.

Fr. Blume remarked that, notwithstanding the problems that arise for migrants, "the authentically Christian spirit of welcome will give style and courage in facing these problems." We must do what the Gospel exhorts us, he said: "'Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God'." He added: "Even though there are many problems that migrants must face in the societies where they arrive, we must not forget the difficulties that occur ... in these societies, also among Christian believers. ... Often they are deeply disturbed because of the new multicultural situations created by migrations. ... Some of them are victims of misinformation and some feel nostalgia for the past. Others feel threatened by a loss of work or other feelings of insecurity."

He closed by remarking that people and institutions must undergo "a transformation" and must once again be "rooted in Christ" as it is this which "allows single cultures to be freed from the tendency of thinking only of themselves and of discerning in the people of other cultures the hand of God."

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IF WE LOSE THE SENSE OF GOD, WE LOSE THE SENSE OF LIFE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 1, 2002 (VIS) - Following his encounter this morning with the Filipino community residing in Rome, Pope John Paul appeared at noon at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square to recite the Angelus prayer with the faithful who had come to the square on this first Sunday of Advent.

Noting that today "we start a new liturgical year," the Pope said that "the God of the Covenant revealed Himself in history, and in history the Church celebrates His mystery of salvation: the Incarnation, the Passion and the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ."

He added that "God is the future of the world. If it loses the sense of God, humanity closes itself to the future and inevitably loses the prospect of its pilgrimage in time. Why be born, why die? Why sacrifice ourselves, why suffer? Christianity offers a gratifying answer to these question. For this, Christ is the hope of mankind. It is He Who is the true sense of our present, because He is our certain future."

"Advent," affirmed the Holy Father, "reminds us that He came, but that He will come again. And the life of believers is a continual and hopeful vigil of His coming. The invitation to be vigilant and to wait is today underlined with insistence by St. Mark who, throughout the new liturgical year, will guide us in the discovery of the mystery of Christ."

The Pope and pilgrims then recited the Angelus together, after which John Paul II greeted those present in English, Spanish and Italian.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 2, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Alfred Moisiu, president of the Republic of Albania, and an entourage.

- Cardinal Geraldo Majella Agnelo, archbishop of Sao Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, accompanied by auxiliary Bishops Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo and Gilio Felicio on their "ad limina" visit.

- Robert George Halverson, ambassador of Australia on his farewell visit.

On Saturday, November 30 the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy.

On Friday, November 29 he received Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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PAPAL MESSAGE FOR WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 2, 2002 (VIS) - Made public today was Pope John Paul's Message for the 89th World Day of the Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated in 2003 in local dioceses on dates to be determined by episcopal conferences. The original language of the Message, entitled "For a Commitment to Overcome all Racism, Xenophobia and Exaggerated Nationalism," is English. It was also published in Italian, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese. Below are excerpts:

"Migration has become a widespread phenomenon in the modern-day world and involves all nations, either as countries of departure, of transit or of arrival. It affects millions of human beings, and presents a challenge that the pilgrim Church, at the service of the whole human family, cannot fail to take up and meet in the Gospel spirit of universal charity. This year's World Day of Migrants and Refugees should be a time of special prayer for the needs of all who, for whatever reason, are far from home and family; it should be a day of serious reflection on the duties of Catholics towards these brothers and sisters.

"Among those particularly affected are the most vulnerable of foreigners: undocumented migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, those displaced by continuing violent conflicts in many parts of the world, and the victims ' mostly women and children ' of the terrible crime of human trafficking. Even in the recent past we have witnessed tragic instances of forced movements of peoples for ethnic and nationalistic pretensions, which have added untold misery to the lives of targeted groups. At the root of these situations there are sinful intentions and actions that go contrary to the Gospel and constitute a call to Christians everywhere to overcome evil with good.

"Membership in the Catholic community is not determined by nationality, or by social or ethnic origin, but essentially by faith in Jesus Christ and Baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity. The 'cosmopolitan' make-up of the People of God is visible today in practically every particular Church because migration has transformed even small and formerly isolated communities into pluralist and inter-cultural realities."

"The Church understands that restricting membership of a local community on the basis of ethnic or other external characteristics would be an impoverishment for all concerned. ... Moreover, if newcomers feel unwelcome as they approach a particular parish community because they do not speak the local language or follow local customs, they easily become 'lost sheep'. The loss of such 'little ones' for reasons of even latent discrimination should be a cause of grave concern to pastors and faithful alike.

"This takes us back to a subject which I have often mentioned in my Messages for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, namely, the Christian duty to welcome whoever comes knocking out of need. Such openness builds up vibrant Christian communities, enriched by the Spirit with the gifts brought to them by new disciples from other cultures. This basic expression of evangelical love is likewise the inspiration of countless programmes of solidarity towards migrants and refugees in all parts of the world."

"Often, solidarity does not come easily. It requires training and a turning away from attitudes of closure, which in many societies today have become more subtle and penetrating. To deal with this phenomenon, the Church possesses vast educational and formative resources at all levels. I therefore appeal to parents and teachers to combat racism and xenophobia by inculcating positive attitudes based on Catholic social doctrine.

"Being ever more deeply rooted in Christ, Christians must struggle to overcome any tendency to turn in on themselves, and learn to discern in people of other cultures the handiwork of God."

"Understandably, as I urge Catholics to excel in the spirit of solidarity towards newcomers among them, I also invite the immigrants to recognize the duty to honour the countries which receive them and to respect the laws, culture and traditions of the people who have welcomed them. Only in this way will social harmony prevail.

"The path to true acceptance of immigrants in their cultural diversity is actually a difficult one, in some cases a real Way of the Cross. ... At times that path needs a prophetic word that points out what is wrong and encourages what is right. When tensions arise, the credibility of the Church in her doctrine on the fundamental respect due to each person rests on the moral courage of pastors and faithful to 'stake everything on love'.

"It hardly needs to be said that mixed cultural communities offer unique opportunities to deepen the gift of unity with other Christian Churches and ecclesial communities. Many of them in fact have worked within their own communities and with the Catholic Church to form societies in which the cultures of migrants and their special gifts are sincerely appreciated, and in which manifestations of racism, xenophobia and exaggerated nationalism are prophetically opposed."

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PONTIFICAL URBAN UNIVERSITY: SENSITIVITY TO DIFFERENT CULTURES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 29, 2002 (VIS) - Today in the Paul VI Hall the Holy Father received participants in a congress promoted by the Pontifical Urban University which is celebrating both the 40th anniversary of the institution of this university and the 375 years of history of the Urban College.

John Paul II recalled at the beginning of his speech that Pope Urban VIII founded the present university as a "'Collegium', which from the beginning had a missionary purpose." He said that Urban VIII was worried about "freeing the Church from colonial powers. It was necessary to ensure the freedom of evangelization in recently discovered lands and in those countries where Christianity was preached long ago, such as China."

Students at the Pontifical Urban University, he continued, "must be sensitive to the values of diverse cultures, placing them in the context of the Gospel message. Ninety institutions all over the world are today affiliated with your university, bearing witness in this way to the truly 'catholic' openness that characterizes it."

The Pope emphasized that "violence, terrorism, and war only construct new walls among people. Your university is a center of universality where the sense of deep communion, which characterized the primitive community, must be felt."

"The mission," he added, "is a commitment which continues today: this is the spirit that must energize your spiritual and academic life. ... For this reason, looking toward the future, it is to be hoped that the Pontifical Urban University distinguish itself among the Roman athenaeums precisely for its particular attention to the cultures of peoples and the great world religions, beginning with Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and as a result, that it consider with attention the problem of inter-religious dialogue with its theological, christological and ecclesiological implications."

The Holy Father concluded by urging students not to forget that the purpose of a university is "the integral formation of its students. The Church of the third millennium needs priests, religious, and lay people who are holy and learned."

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