HOLY FATHER EXPECTED TO BE IN VATICAN FOR HOLY WEEK

VATICAN CITY, MAR 7, 2005 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following statement today to journalists on the health of Pope John Paul II:

  "The general conditions of the Holy Father continue to improve, which allows the Pope to spend long periods of the day in an armchair.

  "No complications have arisen because of the tracheotomy surgery.

  "Continual improvement can also been seen in speaking, thanks to the daily rehabilitation sessions.

  "Furthermore, doctors have prescribed a prudent limitation in the Pope's use of his voice so as to promote a better recuperation of the function of the larynx.

  "The next communique will be given on Thursday, March 10 at 12:30 p.m."

   In answer to journalists' questions, Navarro-Valls stated that "in all probability, the Pope will spend Holy Week in the Vatican." He said "when the Pope is here he will decide on his participation in the liturgical ceremonies that are scheduled."
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AMBASSADORS FROM GREECE, AUSTRIA PRESENT CREDENTIALS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 7, 2005 (VIS) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, in the name of Pope John Paul II, this morning received in separate audiences two new ambassadors to the Holy See, Helmut Turk of Austria and Stavros Lykidis of Greece. Each ambassador presented his Letters of Credence to the secretary of State who in turn gave them a signed Message from the Holy Father. The diplomats also gave the cardinal a copy of their speeches.

  The Pope's speech to Ambassador Lykidis, noting that "St. Paul founded there the first Christian communities in Europe," underscored "the legacy of the Christian faith in Greece, which is one of the constitutive elements of the nation. ... I am sure your country can continue to play an important role in the European Union so that this religious dimension will be recognized and expressed in an opportune fashion."

  "In today's world," said the message, "made unstable by terrorism and the presence of lasting and continually threatening conflicts, the European Union seems in many ways a model of political will in favor of the union of peoples for peace." He expressed the Holy See's delight in this and invited the peoples of Europe to "work with all their strength" for "dialogue and understanding among peoples."

  John Paul II extended "warm greetings" to the "small and dispersed" communities of Catholic faithful living in Greece who "are attached to their faith and anxious to give a living witness to it in the midst of their Orthodox brothers. In this regard, It would be opportune if the Catholic Church ... could have the juridical statute due her which would be a sign of the full recognition of her rights, as is the case in the other countries of the European Union."

  In his speech to Ambassador Turk, the Pope recalled his pastoral visits to Austria and paused to reflect on his "spiritual union" with the 2004 Mitteleuropaischer Katholikentag (Central European Catholic Day), when participants met on the theme "Christ, The Hope of Europe." He underlined the "Catholic identity" of Austria and its people.

  In his message, the Holy Father said: "The pilgrimage of peoples towards Mariazell under the auspices of the Catholics of Austria brought to my mind once again that your country is called to act politically within a broader European context. The reasons for this come from Austria's history and its geo-political placement in the heart of the continent. From being a border region, ... it has become a land that is a bridge."

  "Even the Church," said the Pope, "through her various institutions, wishes to offer her contribution to the common good. ... The Holy See notes with joy that in Austria there is a lasting and fruitful collaboration between Church and State for the good and for the convenience of its citizens, independent of their religious affiliation or denomination."
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POPE FOLLOWS ANGELUS ON TV, BLESSES FAITHFUL FROM WINDOW

VATICAN CITY, MAR 6, 2005 (VIS) - Pope John Paul, as he did last Sunday, appeared briefly at his hospital window to wave to and bless the faithful gathered in the courtyard at Gemelli Hospital. Just prior to this, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, substitute of the Secretariat of State, read the Pope's reflections, led the Angelus prayer and imparted, in the Pope's name, the apostolic blessing in St. Peter's Square.

  The Holy Father followed the Angelus on television in his hospital suite, accompanied by doctors, Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano and Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, secretary for Relations with States. Pilgrims in St. Peter's Square were linked to events at Gemelli by giant television screens.

  "Today," said the Pope in his reflections, "I wish to renew expressions of my gratitude for the many signs of affection that reach me. I am thinking, in particular, of the many cardinals, bishops, priests and groups of faithful, of ambassadors and of the ecumenical delegations that have come these days to Gemelli Polyclinic.

  "I especially wish to recognize the closeness of believers of other religions, most particularly Jews and Muslims. A number of them have wished to come and pray here at the hospital. For me this is a comforting sign, for which I thank God."

  Referring to Lent, John Paul said: "We continue together our preparation for Easter, offering even our sufferings to God, for the good of mankind and for our purification. In today's Gospel message, Christ, in healing the blind man, presents Himself as 'the light of the world'. He came to open the eyes of man to the light of faith. Yes, dear ones, faith is the light that guides our path in life, it is the flame that comforts us in difficult moments."

  "For believers, born into supernatural life through Baptism," he concluded, "Lent is a favorable time to 'come to light', that is, to be reborn in the Spirit, renewing our baptismal grace and commitment."
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 5, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Marcel Honorat Leon Agboton of Porto Novo, Benin, as metropolitan archbishop of Cotonou (area 3,222, population 1,640,916, Catholics 580,442, priests 136, religious 475), Benin. He succeeds Archbishop Nestor Assogba whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
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THE POPE WISHES YOUNG PEOPLE A SAFE JOURNEY TO COLOGNE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 5, 2005 (VIS) - This evening thousands of students from Roman universities participated in a Marian prayer vigil, concluding the Third European Day for Universities on the theme "Intellectual and Scientific Research, a Way to Meet Christ." The event was presided by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome.

  During the celebration, there were satellite linkups with university students in Bari, Madrid, Zagreb, Berlin, Lisbon, Kiev, Bucharest, Tirana and London.

  From his room in Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic, John Paul II spiritually joined the participants and sent them a message that was read by Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.

  "Europe," the Pope writes, "is ideally involved in this important moment of prayer and reflection, in preparation for the forthcoming World Youth Day, which will take place right in the heart of the continent, in Cologne."

  Referring to the theme of the European Day, John Paul II writes: "There is no contradiction between faith and reason, as is also shown by the experience of the Magi who arrived in Bethlehem using both these dimensions of the human spirit: intelligence that scrutinizes the signs, faith that leads to adoration of the mystery."

  "Dear young people," the Pope continues, "always be animated by a longing to discover the truth of your existence. May faith and reason be the two wings that bear you to Christ, the truth of God and the truth of the human being. In Him you will find peace and happiness. May Christ be the center of all your lives. This is my sincere desire, which I express to you all from the heart, accompanying it with an assurance of my prayers."

  At the end of his message, the Holy Father wishes all the young people a "Happy Easter and a safe journey to Cologne."

  After the meeting, a procession of university students accompanied the Cross to the church of St Agnes in Piazza Navona.
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