AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JUN 21, 2003 - The Holy Father received in separate audiences today:

- Six prelates from the Catholics Bishops' Conference of India on their "ad limina" visit:

- Archbishop Telesphore Placidus Toppo of Ranchi.

- Bishop Benedict John Osta, S.J., of Patna.

- Bishop John Baptist Thakur, S.J., of Muzaffarpur.

- Bishop Thomas Kozhimala of Bhagalpur.

- Bishop Victor Henry Thakur of Bettiah.

- Bishop Vincent Barwa of Purnea.

- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

On Friday afternoon, June 20, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

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CARDINAL CASSIDY TO TAKE POSSESSION OF HIS TITULAR CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, JUN 21, 2003 (VIS) - Cardinal Edward I. Cassidy, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, will take possession of his titular church of Santa Maria in Via Lata, Via del Corso 36, Rome on Wednesday June 25 at 7:30 p.m.

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POPE MEETS RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL LEADERS, VISITS CATHEDRAL

VATICAN CITY, JUN 22, 2003 (VIS) - At 5:30 this afternoon, in the bishop's residence of Banja Luka, the Holy Father met privately with both President Dragan Cavic of the Serb Republic and President Niko Lozancic of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Following these talks the Pope met with the Inter-religious Council of Bosnia-Herzegovina, a council composed of the Orthodox metropolitan of Sarajevo, the Catholic archbishop of Sarajevo, the leader of the Muslim community in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the president of the Hebrew community of Bosnia-Herzegovina. On a rotating basis, one of the four members assumes the council presidency for a year. The Jewish leader is president for 2003.

At 6:30 p.m. Pope John Paul paid a private visit to Banja Luka's cathedral, located within the gardens of the bishop's residence. Named for St. Bonaventure, patron of Banja Luka, the old cathedral was totally destroyed by an earthquake in 1969 and the new church was built four years later. The Pope was greeted by about 60 people, including the College of Consultors, the Presbyteral Council, representatives of religious communities, seminarians and a number of young people.

Following this visit, the Holy Father went to the airport where he took leave of the people and the civil and religious leaders of Bosnia-Herzegovina. His return flight landed in Rome's Ciampino Airport shortly after 9 p.m.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 21, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop John Ha Tiong Hock, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Kuching, Malaysia as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese (area 19,173, population 1,000,000, Catholics 133,129, priests 18, religious 69). He accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese presented by Bishop Peter Chaung Hoan Ting upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Eduardo Horacio Garcia, spiritual director of the Major Seminary of the archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Argentina as auxiliary of the same archdiocese (area 203, population 2,729,610, Catholics 2,500,000, priests 837, permanent deacons 6, religious 2,363). The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires in 1956 and was ordained a priest in 1983.

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CORPUS CHRISTI: HOLY FATHER PRESIDES AT MASS, PROCESSION

VATICAN CITY, JUN 19, 2003 (VIS) - For the 25th time in his pontificate, Pope John Paul presided at Mass for the feast of Corpus Christi this evening in front of St. John Lateran Basilica, the cathedral church of the bishop of Rome, following which he processed to St. Mary Major Basilica with the Eucharist in an open vehicle. Cardinal Vicar Camillo Ruini celebrated Mass and the Pope delivered the homily.

The Holy Father referred several times to his encyclical on the Eucharist, dated Holy Thursday of this year, saying that the feast of Corpus Christi reminds us of the "evocative celebration" of the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. "This evening, with profound gratitude to God, we remain in silence before the mystery of the faith - 'mysterium fidei'. We contemplate it with that intimate feeling that, in the encyclical, I called 'Eucharistic awe'. ... We contemplate the face of Christ, as did the Apostles and, following them, the saints throughout the centuries."

He remarked that "the bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, his brothers in the episcopacy and priesthood, all religious, consecrated lay people and all the baptized live by the Eucharist. And in a special way Christian families are nourished by the Eucharist. ... Dear families of Rome! The living Eucharistic presence of Christ nourishes in you the grace of marriage and allows you to progress on the path of conjugal and family holiness."

"After Mass," said John Paul II, "we will proceed, praying and singing, to the basilica of St. Mary Major. With this procession, we intend to symbolically express our being as pilgrims, 'viatores', towards the heavenly kingdom. We are not alone on our pilgrimage: Christ, the bread of life, walks with us."

The Prayers of the Faithful included petitions for Pope John Paul, for the Church in Rome, for families, "especially those living moments of fatigue and difficulty," and for "the peoples of the Holy Land and for all those who, in various parts of the world, are living the drama of war, oppression, and social injustice; May the Lord uproot hatred, calm dissent, and inspire in governments farsightedness and the will to seek solutions that respect the dignity of every man."

St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon, born near Lieges, Belgium in 1193, was an Augustinian nun who during her years at the Mont Cornillon convent learned in repeated visions that the Lord wanted a feast to honor the institution of the Eucharist. She worked indefatigably to persuade Bishop Robert de Thorete of Liege to institute such a feast, which he did decree in 1246, stating that it should be celebrated locally on the Thursday after the octave of the Trinity. St. Juliana died in 1258.

Pope Urban IV (1261-1264), who had been archdeacon in Liege, knew of this feast and formally extended it to the entire Church when he published the Bull "Transiturus" on September 8, 1264. He ordered the feast to be celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday and granted many indulgences to the faithful who attended Mass and recited the Office. Urban IV had asked St. Thomas Aquinas, a friend of St. Juliana's, to compose the Office, which is still used today. The Council of Vienna confirmed Urban IV's Bull in 1312 and from that time on this feast became general.

The processions that take place today on this feast sprung up spontaneously centuries ago in various European villages and towns. The procession In Rome between the basilicas of St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major began in the late 1400's. Its current itinerary began in 1575 when the road that now directly links the two churches was built on the orders of Pope Gregory XIII. This route was followed for more than 300 years until the procession fell into disuse. It was resumed in 1979 by Pope John Paul II.

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