ALL THE FAITHFUL ARE CALLED TO SANCTITY AND MISSION

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2001 (VIS) - This morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father addressed a symposium commemorating the tenth anniversary of the publication of his Encyclical "Redemptoris missio."

John Paul II emphasized that "missionary activity towards un-evangelized peoples and groups is still necessary, particularly in certain areas of the world and in specific cultural contexts. ... In fact, the mission 'ad gentes' is necessary everywhere today.

"At the center of missionary activity is the announcement of Christ, the knowledge and experience of His love," the Holy Father continued. "This announcement does not detract from the independence of activities such as dialogue and human advancement, rather, it bases them in widespread charity and directs them toward a witness that constantly respects others in the attentive discernment of that which the Spirit arouses in them."

When "the proclamation of the Gospel and public fidelity to Christ are hindered for various reasons, a Christian always has the possibility to collaborate in the work of salvation through prayer, example, dialogue, and humanitarian service."

After stressing that "the call to mission is a continuous call to sanctity," the Holy Father affirmed: "Only in this way can the light of Christ, reflected in the face of the Church, also enlighten the men of our time.

"This, then, is the principle task of the Successor of Peter, called to ensure and promote the communion and universal mission of the Church. It is the responsibility of the Roman Curia and the bishops who share such an exalted ministry with him. It is a responsibility, also, from which believers of every age and condition cannot separate themselves."

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DECLARATION ON VISIT TO VATICAN OF INDONESIAN MINISTER

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2001 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following declaration late yesterday:

"This morning, January 19, the Holy Father received Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Alwi Shihab, who brought a message from the president of Indonesia, Dr. Abdurrahman Wahid. Following this, the minister also met with Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, and with Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for Relations with States.

"The concerns of the Indonesian Catholic community following recent tragic incidents of religious intolerance, were among topics discussed. The minister renewed the Indonesian government's concrete commitment to do its utmost to restore traditional religious harmony. In conclusion, the process of normalization currently in progress in East Timor was addressed."

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JOHN PAUL II BLESSES LAMBS ON FEAST OF ST. AGNES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul, continuing an ancient tradition, this morning blessed several baby lambs whose wool will be used to make the palliums given every year to new metropolitan archbishops as symbols of their office. The ceremony took place in a room adjacent to the Paul VI Hall.

The blessing of the lambs, who are under one year of age, takes place on or near the January 21 feast of St. Agnes for whom the traditional symbol is a lamb. This virgin-martyr died about 350 and is buried in the basilica named after her on Rome's Via Nomentana. Traditionally the lambs are raised by the Trappist fathers of the Abbey of the Three Fountains and, when shorn, their wool is made into the palliums by the sisters of St. Cecilia.
In a 1978 document, "Inter Eximina Episcopalis," Pope Paul VI restricted use of the pallium to the Pope and metropolitan archbishops, In 1984 Pope John Paul decreed that it would be conferred on the metropolitans by the Pope on the June 29 solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles.

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JOHN PAUL NAMES 37 NEW CARDINALS, WILL REVEAL "IN PECTORE" NAMES

VATICAN CITY, JAN 21, 2001 (VIS) - This morning before reciting the angelus with several thousand faithful who had gathered in St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul announced that on February 21 he will hold the eighth consistory of his pontificate in which he will create 37 new cardinals. He will also reveal the names of the two cardinals reserved "in pectore" in the consistory on February 21 1998.

"Today," said the Holy Father, "I have the joy to announce that next February 21, vigil of the feast of the Chair of Peter, I will hold a consistory in which, deviating once again from the numerical limit established by Pope Paul VI, which I confirmed in the Apostolic Constitution 'Universi dominici gregis', I will name 37 new cardinals."

He then listed the future cardinals:

1. Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
2. Archbishop Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
3. Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, president of APSA (Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See).
4. Archbishop Sergio Sebastiani, president of the Prefecture of the Economic Affairs of the Holy See.
5. Archbishop Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
6. Archbishop Jose Saraiva Martins, O.F.M., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
7. Archbishop Crescenzio Sepe, secretary general of the Committee of the Great Jubilee.
8. Archbishop Jorge Maria Mejia, archivist and librarian of Holy Roman Church. 9. His Beatitude Ignace Moussa I Daoud, prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches.
10. Archbishop Mario Francesco Pompedda, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature.
11. Bishop Walter Kasper, emeritus of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
12. Archbishop Antonio Jose Gonzalez Zumarraga of Quito, Ecuador.
13. Archbishop Ivan Dias of Bombay, India.
14. Archbishop Geraldo Majella Agnelo of Sao Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.
15. Archbishop Pedro Rubiano Saenz of Bogota, Colombia.
16. Archbishop Theodore Edgar McCarrick of Washington, U.S.A.
17. Archbishop Desmond Connell of Dublin, Ireland.
18. Archbishop Audrys Juozas Backis of Vilnius, Lithuania.
19. Archbishop Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa of Santiago de Chile, Chile.
20. Archbishop Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
21. Archbishop Bernard Agre of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
22. Archbishop Louis-Marie Bille of Lyon, France.
23. Archbishop Ignacio Antonio Velasco Garcia, S.D.B., of Caracas, Venezuela.
24. Archbishop Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne of Lima, Peru.
25. Archbishop Francisco Alvarez Martinez of Toledo, Spain.
26. Archbishop Claudio Hummes, O.F.M., of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
27. Archbishop Varkey Vithayathil, C.SS.R, archbishop major of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, India.
28. Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
29. Archbishop Jose da Cruz Policarpo, patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal.
30. Archbishop Severino Poletto of Turin, Italy.
31. Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster, Great Britain.
32. Archbishop Edward Michael Egan of New York, U.S.A.

At this point the Pope said: "I wish to raise to the dignity of a cardinal two venerable prelates and three well-deserving ecclesiastics, especially worthy for their commitment in service to the Church. They are:

1. His Beatitude Stephanos II Ghattas, C.M., patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts.
2. Archbishop Jean Honore, emeritus of Tours.
3. Fr. Roberto Tucci, president of the Administrative Committee of Vatican Radio.
4. Msgr. Leo Scheffczyk of the archdiocese of Munchen und Freising.
5. Fr. Avery Dulles, S.J., professor emeritus of Fordham University of New York, U.S.A.

"The new cardinals come from every part of the world," added John Paul II. "In them we can see the universality of the Church with the multiplicity of her ministries: along with the prelates who have given worthy service to the Holy See, there are pastors who spend their energy in direct contact with the faithful.
"I also have the intention of announcing very soon the names of the cardinals whom I have reserved 'in pectore'," he said in concluding remarks. "There are many other persons who are very dear to me and who, through their dedicated service to the people of God, would be worthy of being raised to the dignity of cardinal. I hope at a future moment to have the occasion to give witness, in this same way, to them and to those countries which have my esteem and my affection."

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NINTH WORLD DAY OF THE SICK TO BE HELD IN SYDNEY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 20, 2001 (VIS) - The Ninth World Day of the Sick will be celebrated in Sydney, Australia on Saturday and Sunday, February 10 and 11, on the theme "The New Evangelization and the Dignity of the Suffering Person."

On Saturday there will be a day-long conference in the Mary MacKillop Place on this theme. Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral of Health Care, will give the keynote address in the morning. Some of the topics which will be discussed are Catholic Aboriginal Ministry, Catholic Health Care: An Essential Church Ministry, and Evangelizing in the Health System: Ethical, Legal and Pastoral Questions. There will also be workshops on Sustaining Catholic Identity and they will focus on the Catholic doctor, Catholic nurse and Catholic chaplain.

On Sunday, February 11, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes when the World Day of the Sick is traditionally celebrated, there will be morning visits to several health care institutions and an early afternoon solemn Eucharistic Celebration at the Sydney Cathedral, St. Mary Help of Christians.

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