OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 7, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Vitaliy Skomarovskyi, vice-rector of the Major Seminary of the diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr, Ukraine, as auxiliary bishop of the same diocese (area 222,300, population 17,407,500, Catholics 300,000, priests 108, religious 245). The bishop-elect was born in Berdychiv, Ukraine in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1990.

It was made public on Saturday April 5 that the Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Raymond John Lahey of Saint George's, Canada as bishop of Antigonish (area 18,800, population 247,900, Catholic 106,818, priests 17, permanent deacons 1, religious 347), Canada.

- Hilario Da Cruz Massinga, O.F.M., guardian of the "Santa Clara" Guard of Mozambique, as bishop of Lichinga (area 129,362, population 802,212, Catholics 197,557, priests 23, religious 97), Mozambique. The bishop-elect was born in Banze, Mozambique in 1958 and was ordained a priest in 1994.

- Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte, C.I.C.M., secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, as his special envoy to the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the reestablishment of the Catholic hierarchy in the Netherlands. This celebration will take place in Utrecht on June 7, 2003.

- Professor Vittorio Possenti, ordinary of political philosophy at the University of Venice, Italy, as an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 4, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Six prelates from the Scandinavian Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:

- Bishop Czeslaw Kozon of Copenhagen, Denmark, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Hans Ludvig Martensen.

- Bishop Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, Switzerland, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop William Kenney and Bishop emeritus Hubertus Brandenburg.

- Bishop Jozef Wrobel of Helsinki, Finland.

- Fr. Caesar Molebatsi, president of the World Alliance of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and an entourage.

Later this afternoon, the Holy Father is scheduled to receive Dominique de Villepin, French foreign minister, and an entourage.

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PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN TOURISM

VATICAN CITY, APR 4, 2003 (VIS) - Msgr. Piero Monni, Holy See permanent observer to the World Tourism Organization, spoke today in Rome at the European Conference on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Tourism. This April 3-4 meeting was promoted by the WTO and by Italian tourism officials and received financial support from the European Community.

A note from Msgr. Monni's office accompanying his speech stated that "this appointment underscores the problems connected with pedophilia, the negative effects of this phenomenon and the need for specific policies of prevention in the sphere of tourism." The participants also discussed how to fight more efficaciously the war against the sexual exploitation of minors, how to apply or to improve the existing laws against such exploitation and the need for campaigns to report such sexual tourism.

In his talk, the Holy See observer called the exploitation of minors "an alarming reality." Whereas legitimate tourism brings positive social, economic and cultural benefits to societies, he said, "for some time now we have seen a destabilizing and revolting parasite: so-called sexual tourism." He defined the "sexual tourist" as the man or woman "who, with the aim of having sex with minors, organizes periods of vacations in countries that not only tolerate prostitution by minors but often use propaganda to attract the tourist and thus to earn hard cash." He quoted a Canadian minister who spoke on this subject and said: "Sex tourism is a minimal part of the business of exploiting children as sex objects, but it is surely lucrative and unmistakable."

Msgr. Monni stated that the lack of norms in this regard, or even cooperation between police authorities and those exploiting children, only leads to an increase in such tourism and further exploitation. The situation of children around the world is far from satisfying, he said, noting that "millions of children suffer from the evils of war, illness, child labor and sexual exploitation."

The Holy See delegate spoke at length of the Church's role in promoting healthy and sound tourism, and of the ceaseless efforts and determined commitment by religious institutions worldwide to combat the exploitation of children in all forms. He recounted "personally following sisters who, in late evening, went with their jeeps through the streets of Bangkok to gather the minors who were being exhibited in certain locales" and to care for them. "Their courage, which challenged dramatic situations linked to criminal groups, is a memory that follows me as I travel, for the WTO, the roads of the world."

Msgr. Monni addressed the recent efforts by Churches worldwide to fight pedophilia, noting especially efforts made in the United States and the U.S. bishops' document entitled "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People." He remarked that "not only in Europe and the United States, but on all the continents, the episcopal conferences are being activated to face with more adequate means the tentacles of this destabilizing parasite that pedophilia is."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 4, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Christopher Prowse, vicar general of the archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 27,194, population 3,365,173, Catholics 995,797, priests 611, permanent deacons 1, religious 1988). The bishop-elect was born in East Melbourne, Australia in 1953 and was ordained a priest 1980.

- Appointed Bishop Felix Genn, auxiliary of Trier, Germany as bishop of Essen (area 1,877, population 2,672,963, Catholics 1,006, 394, priests 659, permanent deacons 74, religious 637), Germany.

- Appointed Bishop Antal Spanyi, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, as bishop of the diocese of Szekesfehevar (area 5,170, population 735,000, Catholics 490,289, priests 107, permanent deacons 5, religious 57), Hungary. He accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese presented by Bishop Nandor Takacs, O.C.D. upon having reached the age limit.

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JOHN PAUL II WROTE MEDITATIONS FOR 2003 WAY OF THE CROSS

VATICAN CITY, APR 3, 2003 (VIS) - The meditations on the Way of the Cross for 2003 have been written by John Paul II, as he did for both the Jubilee in 1983-84 on the 1950th anniversary of the Redemption, and the Jubilee Year 2000 for the 2000th anniversary of Christ's birth, according to a communique from Bishop Piero Marini, master of the Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations.

In the note, Bishop Marini affirms that this year's meditations, in which the 25th anniversary of the present pontificate is commemorated, were not composed to celebrate a "third jubilee" but rather to observe the spiritual exercises preached by the Holy Father, then cardinal archbishop of Krakow, in 1976 to Pope Paul VI and the Roman Curia.

"These meditations," says the note, "were published in 1977 with the emblematic title 'Sign of contradiction', and in 2001 a second edition was released." The Pope, writes Bishop Martini, wanted to propose once again the same Way of the Cross, the text of which has not been modified, as a meditation for Good Friday. John Paul II has never missed the celebration of the Way of the Cross in the Colosseum.

After recalling that on October 16, 2002, the 24th anniversary of his election as the successor of Peter, the Pope issued the Apostolic Letter "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" and proclaimed the Year of the Rosary (October 2002 to October 2003), Bishop Marini writes that in the prayers of the Way of the Cross the presence of Mary, Queen of Peace, is noted from the beginning.

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