AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 12, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Four prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Bosnia- Herzegovina on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Vinko Puljic, archbishop of Vrhbosna, Sarajevo, accompanied by his auxiliary, Bishop Pero Sudar.
- Bishop Franjo Komarica of Banja Luka.
- Bishop Ratno Peric of Mostar-Duvno, apostolic administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan.
- Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, apostolic nuncio in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho, and also apostolic delegate in Botswana.
- Archbishop Hans Schwemmer, apostolic nuncio in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
- Jozsef Bratinka, ambassador of Hungary, accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit.
- Daniel Micallef, ambassador of Malta, accompanied by his wife, on a farewell visit.

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MESSAGE FOR WORLD YOUTH DAY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 9, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Holy Father for the 14th World Youth Day which will be held on Palm Sunday, March 28, and whose theme is "The Father loves you."

"God loves the world!" writes the Pope. "And in spite of the refusals of which it is capable, it will continue to be loved until the end. 'The Father has loved you' from the beginning and will always love you: this is the incredible novelty."

John Paul II asks young people, in the Church and in different circumstances, to be 'credible witnesses of the Father's love. Make it visible in your decisions and behavior, in the way in which you welcome and serve people, and in the faithful respect of the will of God and his commandments."

Having recalled that before returning to the Father, Jesus entrusted the Sacrament of Reconciliation to the Church, the Pope states: "To obtain God's forgiveness, it is not enough however to repent in one's heart. ... Recognition of sin also comes through a concrete sacramental sign: repentance and confession of sin, with the intention of leading a new life, before the ministry of the Church."

"Unfortunately, the more people today lose the sense of sin, the less they have recourse to the forgiveness of God. Many problems and difficulties of our times are a result of this. This year, I invite you to rediscover the beauty and richness of the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, meditating on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, where not only sin is highlighted but also the tenderness of God and his mercy."

Having recalled that in his Apostolic Letter "Tertio Millennio Adveniente" (1994), he exhorts Christians to "lay greater emphasis on the Church's preferential option for the poor and outcast," he invites young people to carry out "concrete initiatives of solidarity and sharing alongside and with the poorest. Generously participate in one of the projects to which your contemporaries in various countries are committed." This "may be the immediately visible expression of an important decision, that of determinedly directing your lives towards God and your brothers and sisters."

In conclusion, he writes that the 14th World Youth Day, which will be celebrated in local churches, will be the last before the Jubilee. "I ask that it may be for each one of you an occasion for a renewed encounter with the Lord of life and with his Church."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 9, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Archbishop Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne of Ayacucho, as metropolitan archbishop of Lima (area 1,992, population 3,994,889, Catholics 3,163,256, priests 529, religious 3,080), Peru. He succeeds Cardinal Augusto Vargas Alzamora whose resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Lima was accepted by the Holy Father, on having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. Raffaello Martinelli, Fr. Antonio Manna, S.S.P, and Fr. Giancarlo Parenti, S.D.B., as heads of office at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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DECLARATION ON VISIT OF JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER

VATICAN CITY, JAN 9, 1999 (VIS) - Following is the declaration made by Holy See Press Office Director on the visit this morning to the Holy Father by Keizo Obuchi, prime minister of Japan, accompanied by his wife and entourage:

"Prior to this visit, the prime minister met with Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano.

"During the meetings, the problems of relations between State and Church in Japan were reviewed. Great importance was given to the forthcoming celebrations of the 450th anniversary of the arrival of St. Francis Xavier in Kagoshima in August 15, 1549.

"There was also an exchange of opinion on the situation in Asian countries at the present moment."

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POPE JOHN PAUL'S CALENDAR FROM JANUARY TO APRIL 1999

VATICAN CITY, JAN 9, 1999 (VIS) - The calendar of liturgical events at which the Holy Father will preside from January to April, was made public by the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff:

JANUARY

- Sunday, 17: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Liborio. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Friday, 22 - Thursday 28: Apostolic trip to Mexico City and St. Louis.

- Monday, 25: Feast of the Conversion of St Paul. Mass in Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls to be presided by Cardinal Edward Cassidy, on behalf of the Holy Father, at the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

FEBRUARY

- Tuesday, 2: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Day of Consecrated Life. Mass in St. Peter's Basilica with religious at 5:30 p.m. blessing of candles and procession.

- Saturday, 6: Rosary at 8:30 p.m. with the participation of families from the diocese of Rome.

- Sunday, 7: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of Our Lady of Loreto. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Thursday, 11: Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, World Day of the Sick. Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at 4:30 p.m. for l'Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi (Roman Pilgrimages Association) and for UNITALSI (an Italian association of volunteers who assist the sick during pilgrimages to Marian shrines) presided by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, on behalf of the Holy Father. At the end of Mass, the Holy Father will greet and bless the sick in the Basilica.

- Sunday, 14: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Fulgentius. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Wednesday, 17: Ash Wednesday. Mass, blessing and administering of the ashes in St. Sabina's Basilica at 4:30 p.m.

- Sunday, 21: First Sunday of Lent. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Raymond Nonnato. Mass at 9 a.m. At 6 p.m in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, beginning of retreat for the Roman Curia.

- Saturday, 27: At 9 a.m in the Clementine Hall, end of retreat.

- Sunday, 28: Second Sunday of Lent. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St Mary Stella Maris. Mass at 9 a.m.

MARCH

- Sunday, 7: Third Sunday of Lent. Beatification of Servants of God Vincenzo Soler and six companions, Manuel Martin Sierra, Nicola Barre and Anna Schaeffer, at 9:30 a.m in St. Peter's Basilica.
- Sunday, 14: Fourth Sunday of Lent. Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Matthias. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Sunday, 21: Fifth Sunday of Lent. Visit to the Roman parish of St Therese of the Child Jesus in Panfilo. Mass at 9 a.m.

- Sunday, 28: Palm Sunday. 14th World Youth Day. Blessing of the palms, procession and Mass in St. Peter's Square at 10 a.m.

APRIL

- Thursday, 1: Holy Thursday. Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at 9:30 a.m. Beginning of Easter Triduum and Mass of the Lord's Supper.

- Friday, 2: Good Friday. Celebration of the Lord's Passion in St. Peter's Basilica at 5 p.m. Way of the Cross at the Colosseum at 9:15 p.m.

- Saturday, 3: Easter vigil in St. Peter's Basilica at 8 p.m.

- Sunday, 4: Easter Sunday. Mass of the Day in St. Peter's Square at 10.30 a.m. "Urbi et Orbi" blessing.

- Sunday, 18: Third Sunday of Easter. Canonization of Blesseds Joseph-Benoit Champagnat, Giovanni Calabria and Agostina Livia Pietrantoni, in St. Peter's Square at 10 a.m.

- Sunday, 25: Fourth Sunday of Easter. Ordination of deacons from the diocese of Rome at 9 a.m in St. Peter's Basilica.

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