JOHN PAUL II RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE 3,000 SLOVENIAN PILGRIMS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 26, 2000 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at midday today, the Pope received 3,000 pilgrims from Slovenia who have come to Rome for the Jubilee. He said that he saw in this meeting the response of the Slovenian people to his two "unforgettable apostolic trips" to their country, in 1996 and 1999.

The Pope urged the faithful present "to greater courage and a healthy awareness of your dignity, something you must also show in your public commitment. Half a century of totalitarianism has left many Christians with a feeling of inferiority and fear. It is time to overcome this timid attitude! ... Collaborate with all men and women of good faith in the fields of politics, economy, culture, schooling and the mass media."
"Finally, I call upon you," he concluded, "to implement, with all the drive of heart and soul, the conclusions of the synod of the Church in Slovenia, which is taking place on the theme: 'Choose life'. ... Above all, defend life! This is the crucial question for the survival of the Slovenian people. The synod should instill in souls a new trust and a new hope in life."

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NEW LEBANESE AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO POPE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 26, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed Lebanon's new ambassador to the Holy See, Fouad Aoun, and received his Letters of Credence.

In his address in French to the new ambassador, the Holy Father pointed to the circumstances in Lebanon and in the Middle East, stating that he was following both situations very carefully. Regarding Lebanon, the Pope said that "the temptation for a rebirth of feelings which in the past had serious consequences will be notably avoided thanks to the development of democracy and the possibility given to all citizens to participate in the life of the country, independently of their religious or community affiliation."

He stressed the need for "mutual trust ... based above all on the acceptance by everyone of universal moral values" and for "a patient and respectful dialogue. ... To succeed in this, those in charge of leading the nation must work with determination, disinterest and perseverance for the common good and favor an equal sharing of responsibilities, without seeking privileges for themselves or for their community."

"The current conjuncture in the Middle East," John Paul II stated, "is especially disquieting. ... One cannot help but note that the unleashing of violence leads always to ever great unhappiness for everyone. ... The Holy Land ... must become the place par excellence where peace and justice flourish. Jerusalem must be an especially strong symbol of unity, peace and reconciliation for the human family!"

"May the confident relations which have developed between the Holy See and the peoples of the region," the Holy Father said, "allow us to hope that the day will come when, through dialogue and negotiation, in the respect for the dignity and identity of communities, a special, internationally guaranteed statute can be established for the holiest places of the city."

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ST. THOMAS MORE, PATRON OF STATESMEN

VATICAN CITY, OCT 26, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee 2000, presided at a conference on the presentation by the Pope of St. Thomas More as patron saint of statesmen on October 31.

Cardinal Etchegaray affirmed that John Paul II is presenting "a great gift" to people in government in giving them St. Thomas More as their patron saint, "a patron of such high standing, one appropriate for all those who must manage public affairs."

St. Thomas More, born on February 7, 1478, was "a brilliant lawyer in the City of London. By the age of 27 he was a member of parliament, later becoming its speaker and then Lord Chancellor of the kingdom, the first layman to hold this high office. Thomas More was a source of fascination to his contemporaries throughout Europe. ... Author of the extraordinary 'Utopia', he cultivated the arts but also wore a cilice. He was a man submerged in public affairs but also an attentive father to his four children and a daily attendant at Mass. He fully lived the evangelical design: be in the world without being of the world. He took on the dual role of Martha and Maria."

The cardinal further recalled that "at the age of 55, at the height of his glory and power, he resigned for reasons of conscience, so as not to have to turn a blind eye to flagrant injustices. Three years later, he spent 15 months in prison during which he wrote his last book on Christ's Passion. He was beheaded for having refused, courteously but firmly, to cede to the will of his king who wanted to make the Church subject to the State. It was July 6, 1535." Fifteen days after his execution, Bishop John Fisher of Rochester met the same fate.

Cardinal Etchegaray said that "John Paul II, in proclaiming Thomas More as patron saint of government leaders and politicians, wishes to remind them of the absolute priority of God even in the heart of public affairs. At a time when consciences are eclipsed, the Pope shows us all a man who preferred death to life through loyalty to his conscience, a conscience that has not ceased to illuminate in the light of God and of wise counsel, one far from all fanaticism and bias."

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NOVEMBER 1: 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DOGMA OF THE ASSUMPTION

VATICAN CITY, OCT 26, 2000 (VIS) - A communique released today by the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff states that, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 1, Solemnity of All Saints and the 50th anniversary of the dogmatic definition of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a day of grace and joy for the entire Church, the Holy Father John Paul II will preside at a concelebrated Mass with the members of the College of Cardinals in St. Peter's Square.

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PAPAL TELEGRAM FOR AIR DISASTER IN GEORGIA

VATICAN CITY, OCT 26, 2000 (VIS) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, has sent a telegram in the Holy Father's name to the apostolic nuncio for the Russian authorities, on occasion of the crash yesterday near Batumi, Georgia, of the plane of the Ministry of Defense. He expressed the Pope's condolences for the victims of the air disaster and promised his prayers for the victims and their families.

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