They might have a hard time avoiding the biblical fate of the last Tower of Babel.

Skeptics note recent history underscores that religion has often been the problem, rather than the solution.

``The sad truth is that religion, as we begin this new millennium, still starts more conflicts than it resolves,'' complains Elliot Abrams, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and a former top U.S. State Department official.

Abrams, writing on a Web page connected with the summit, notes that the meeting was marred even before it started by the exclusion of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, because of Chinese objections.

U.N. officials say the summit organizers' decision to link the summit with the world body made it impossible to avoid dealing with the political ``sensitivities'' of China - which refuses to recognize Tibet independence.

Those delegates who do show up will have to deflect accusations of hypocrisy.

``Will (Hindu Indian) leaders speak out about the persecution, even murder, of Christians by Hindu extremists in India?'' asked Abrams. ``Will the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League speak out about the deaths of nearly 2 million Christians in Sudan at the hands of the Muslim government there?''

Organizers believe the best response to such criticism is to turn the other cheek.

``No single conference is going to change everything,'' says Canada's Maurice Strong, who heads the advisory council for the event.

``But at least it can set an example of religious leaders resolving differences peacefully.''

This week's meeting is scheduled to end with a declaration condemning religious violence and an appeal for world peace and ``mutual forgiveness'' signed by every leader.

The religious authorities are also expected to agree to serve as U.N. partners in establishing an ``early-warning'' system for averting religious and ethnic conflict, and to serve as mediators and healers when hostilities break out.

It amounts to, well, a leap of faith.

But there may be solace available in the rhetoric of the religious faiths who are attending the summit. ``In the company of saints,'' reads a Sikh religious verse, ``man learns how to turn enemies into friends.''

Much of the conference funding comes from private philanthropy. U.S. tycoon Ted Turner, one of the original backers, contributed over $750,000 (Cdn).

``He telephoned me with the idea one day about two years ago from his car wondering how he could help support the U.N.'s activities,'' recalled Strong, who is a special adviser to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Turner's interest eventually led to his decision to donate $1.5 billion to U.N. development work.

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ITALIANS DEBATE CHURCH-STATE RELATIONS
Fitting in Without Being Compromised Seen as Big Challenge

ROME, NOV. 17, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- The biggest challenge facing the Catholic
Church in its relations with the state is how to fit in with the modern
world without being compromised by it or rejecting it outright, a cardinal
says.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president of the Italian bishops' conference and
the Pope's vicar in Rome, made his comment during a debate Wednesday on the
occasion of Mondadori's publication of the book, "After 2000 Years of
Christianity."

The book was written in cooperation with the Italian bishops' Service for
the Cultural Plan of the Church, a program in which Italian Catholics hope
to renew and update their commitment to public life. The book includes
articles by Cardinal Ruini as well as Italian intellectuals, both believers
and nonbelievers.

Three authors participated in the book's presentation to the press:
Cardinal Ruini; Sergio Romano, former Italian ambassador and liberal
intellectual; and Giorgio Rumi, Catholic historian. The moderator was Dino
Boffo, director of the Italian newspaper Avvenire.

In addressing the question of relations between Christianity and modern
society, Cardinal Ruini highlighted the "Italian case," in which phenomena
of de-Christianization are evident, as they are throughout the West, but in
which "the pace of believers is anything but exhausted."

He said the principal challenge facing the Church is "the desire of being
integrated to modernity without being dissolved in it or rejecting it
outright."

Sergio Romano, political commentator for several publications and Italian
television networks, said that an anomaly exists in Italy of a political
class that lives with "a kind of neurosis in its relation with the Church,
constantly seeking consensus."

"This leads to unconditional approval of what the Pope says if the issues
are compatible with its own program," he noted, "but to very severe
condemnation if this is not the case."

Hence, there is a "liberal posture, although it is democratic." According
to Romano, this is the result of a negative "Concordat" mentality. Romano
believes it would be better to return to the formula of the fathers of
Italian unification, who spoke about a "free Church in a free state."

Giorgio Rumi observed, "It is a very strange liberty that imposes the
confiscation of goods, as happened to the Church during the period of the
Italian Risorgimento [revival]."

According to Rumi, the real problem is to be clear about the limits of
state action, which cannot make Christians renounce their double
citizenship, in the earthly city and the city of God.
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A HISTORIC FIRST IN WEST AFRICA
French- and English-Speaking Bishops Meet

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, NOV. 17, 2000 (ZENIT.org/Fides).­ French- and
English-speaking bishops' conferences of West Africa are meeting for the
first time in assembly.

In a telegram on the Pope's behalf, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal
Angelo Sodano said, "This historic meeting of the Western African episcopal
conferences is most significant as a step in promoting and reinforcing that
affective and effective collegiality which is so necessary for maintaining
the communion of the Church as a whole."

The four-day assembly here runs through Sunday. Bishops of the Association
of Episcopal Conferences of Anglophone West Africa (AECAWA) and the
Episcopal Conferences of French-speaking West Africa (CERAO) are meeting to
reflect on the subject: "Building the Church-Family-of-God in West Africa:
Challenges and Resources on the Threshold of the Third Millennium."

The 114 bishops from 16 countries are representing 119 dioceses and 19
million Catholics in West Africa.

Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of
Peoples, wrote in a message to the bishops. He stressed the need for
commitment to religious formation, greater solidarity between churches, and
more flexible missionary strategies.

He also mentioned other challenges facing the region: the need for adequate
church structures and assistance centers; the invasion of media that
undermine morals; and groups which promote abortion and artificial birth
control.
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CUBA PREPARES FOR EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS

HAVANA, NOV. 17, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- A theological symposium will be held
here Dec. 5-7 in preparation for a eucharistic congress in Cuba. The
symposium's topic is "Jesus, Bread of Life for a New World."

The principal teaching will be imparted by Cardinal Bernard Law, archbishop
of Boston. Over the three days, there will be numerous conferences on the
Eucharist.

On Dec. 6, there will be special meetings organized between the
participants and different Havana groups. The symposium will close with a
Mass on Dec. 7.
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THERE'S NO TURNING BACK IN ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE, POPE SAYS
Receives Professors and Students of Bossey Institute

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 16, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- John Paul II today reiterated the
Catholic Church's commitment to ecumenical dialogue, in order to achieve
the full unity of Christians.

He made the point as he received 60 professors and students of the Bossey
Ecumenical Institute, who came to Rome for a Jubilee pilgrimage and to
participate in a program organized by the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity.

The Bossey institute, founded in Switzerland in 1946 by Willem Visser't
Hooft, first secretary-general of the World Council of Churches, is
directed by the latter in Geneva.

It has functioned as a university department of ecumenical studies since
1952, offering a five-month program which is recognized by the University
of Geneva's theology department.

When he received the group this morning, the Pope noted that over the last
few months the institute has offered students better preparation, in order
to serve the cause of Christian unity in their respective countries.

"In this great task, you will find the Catholic Church a trustworthy
partner," the Holy Father said. "There can be no turning back from our
shared commitment to work for the full, visible union of all the followers
of Christ."
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EUCHARIST CHALLENGES CHRISTIANS TO RETURN TO LOST UNITY, JOHN PAUL II SAYS
General Audience Catechesis Highlights Ecumenism

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 15, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- The Eucharist is a challenge that
reminds the Church of Jesus' intense desire that all Christians be unified,
John Paul II said today.

Promotion of Christian unity was the focus of the Pope's address at the
midweek general audience, which attracted 30,000 pilgrims to St. Peter's
Square.

The topic follows his catecheses over the last months on the Triune God and
the Eucharist. The Pope indicated in the letter outlining the program for
the Holy Year that promotion of Christian unity would be a priority during
the Jubilee.

The Holy Father lamented the divisions between Christ's disciples, most
clearly manifested in the inability of Christians of different churches and
ecclesial communities to share in the Eucharist.

The Pope referred to passages in the Acts of the Apostles, in which the
early Christians met to break bread, explaining "that union in faith is the
prior condition for common participation in the Eucharist."

The Holy Father stressed that it makes no sense for Christians to celebrate
the Eucharist together, if they do not believe in the same way or if there
is quarrelling among them.

The sacrament must be "a bond of communion and love among those who are
seated at the one table of the Word and the Eucharist," he said.

As "a consequence, eucharistic communion is inseparably linked to full
ecclesial communion and to its visible expression," said John Paul, quoting
from the "Ecumenical Directorate" of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity.

Referring to baptism, the Pontiff said that it is "the profound root of a
fundamental unity that unites Christians, despite their divisions."

"Therefore," he continued, "if participation in the Eucharist itself
remains excluded for Christians who are still divided, it is possible to
introduce in the eucharistic celebration, in specific cases provided by the
Ecumenical Directorate, some signs of participation that express the
already existing unity and move in the direction of full communion of the
churches around the table of the Word and of the Body and Blood of the Lord."

The Pope singled out two gestures in particular. First, on exceptional
occasions, a diocesan bishop may permit "a member of another church or
ecclesial community to carry out the function of reader during the
eucharistic celebration of the Catholic Church." Second, Catholics may
participate in the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and the anointing
of the sick in Eastern Churches, when it is materially impossible to
receive these sacraments within their own community.

However, according to the Holy Father, the drama of not being able to
receive the Eucharist together must not discourage Catholics or
non-Catholics. This is a situation that "must be transformed into an appeal
for purification and dialogue, in the ecumenical way of the churches," he said.

"Thus," the Holy Father concluded, "the Eucharist is a challenge and
provocation placed at the very heart of the Church to remind us of the
intense, extreme desire of Christ: 'that they may be one.'"
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Muslims and Catholics in the United States looking for unity

Muslims and Catholics in the United States are making an attempt to understand each other better. About 10,000 Muslims, Catholics, and members of other religions met last weekend at a convention in Washington, D.C. Among the speakers were Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare ecumenical movement (see link #1 below), Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore, and Imam W.D. Muhammad, religious leader of moderate black Muslims, according to Zenit, a Catholic news service.
...Keeler read a message to the convention delegates from Pope John Paul II. "At a time of tension in the world, the great religious traditions have a vital contribution to make to the search for peace, on the basis of the transcendent values found in them," the pope wrote. "Only true dialogue can open the way to a future worthy of the human family and only a falsification of religion can collude with violence."
...Muhammad spoke about the suffering caused by racism, but said that God's love allows men to feel like one universal family, created by a common Father. "In these times we can no longer live in isolation," the Muslim leader said. "Christians and Muslims need to meet and get to know each other. This is what we can show to the world: people of different religions who see themselves as all belonging to one humanity; people who have found a new life because the way to prejudice has been lifted from their hearts." -C U R R E N T N E W S S U M M A R Y by the Editors of ReligionToday November 16, 2000

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10/02/2000
U.N. Faithful Eye Global Religion

www.insightmag.com

By James Harder
harder@insightmag.com

In the name of world peace, the United Nations appears to have embraced a sort of religious universalism that views all religions as equals and is seeking to ban proselytizing.

Bawa Jain, secretary-general of the Millennium Peace Summit, says he thinks all religions and spiritualists, as well as assorted witch doctors, sha-mans and medicine men, draw their wisdom from the same source. But he applauds efforts to outlaw proselytizing since it matters little whether one worships a downed World War II airplane with a cargo cult, is a snake-handling Baptist or a Roman Catholic. That view has been met with strict opposition from the Vatican and mainline Protestants, who oppose the notion that all religions are equal.
       As host of the U.N.’s Millennium Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, Jain told an international meeting of 1,000 delegates that religions need to accept the validity of all beliefs to attain world peace. The summit, the first of its kind to be sponsored by the United Nations, was held in New York City Aug. 28-31 just before political leaders gathered for the U.N. Millennium Assembly. The timing was perfect, says Jain, as it allowed religious leaders to update their political counterparts on how to usher in the peace of the new world order through religious universalism.
       According to Francis Cardinal Arinze, president for interreligious dialogue at the Vatican and a speaker at the summit, the Catholic Church also would favor one religion in the world — if it were Roman Catholicism. Assorted grand muftis and other true believers hold the same view, again so long as it is their faith that is universally recognized. That each is out to convert the world is to be expected, so the proposed ban on proselytizing is surprising.
       Less than a week after the summit the Vatican released a 36-page declaration rejecting what it said are growing attempts to depict all religions as equally true. A spokesman for the National Association of Evangelicals says they were astonished that a U.N.-endorsed summit would take a stand against proselytizing when the U.N. charter proposes to guarantee the human right to choose one’s own religion.
       The goal of world peace has been sought by religious leaders, philanthropists and philosophers alike throughout the centuries. However, for a decade there has been a resurgence among postmodern scholars and liberal theologians to try to achieve that goal through religious partnerships, even unification. The peace summit is their latest attempt to gain legitimacy at an international level with hopes of securing U.N. funding and endorsement.
       With the financial backing of such heavyweights as media mogul Ted Turner and Canadian billionaire Maurice Strong, this interfaith movement has had no shortage of cash. Turner, the honorary chairman of the peace summit, addressed the 1,000 delegates on the second morning of the convention after being praised by Strong as the man who has done more for peace, the environment and the United Nations than any other.
       According to Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, or C-FAM, and one of those in attendance at the summit, Turner took the opportunity to denounce his own childhood faith. The vice chairman of Time Warner said he turned away from Christianity when he discovered “it was intolerant because it taught we were the only ones going to heaven.” The crowd responded with laughter and approving whoops, says Ruse.
       The question of tolerance is a central issue for those aligned with the peace summit and its objectives. Summit organizers say religious and spiritual groups need to realize what they believe is part of a greater wisdom and not unique to them.
       “What we need to engage in is an education factor of the different religious traditions and the different theologies and philosophies and practices. That would give us a better understanding, and then I think [we have to deal with] the claims of absolute truth — we will recognize there is not just one claim of absolute truth, but there is truth in every tradition. That is happening more and more when you have gatherings such as these,” Jain tells Insight.
       Summit organizers hoped to have religious leaders sign a Declaration for World Peace, a goal that was realized, says Jain. But their second objective was not. The original intention was to create “an International Advisory Council of Religious and Spiritual Leaders that is designed to serve as an ongoing interfaith ally to the U.N. in its quest for peace, global understanding and international cooperation,” according to summit documents. The summit failed to appoint such a council when delegates were unable to agree on who should represent their individual faiths.
       Instead, Jain tells Insight, he has been mandated to structure a steering committee for the new group with the help of what he calls “strategic partners.” He says these will be “some members of our international advisory board and some of the key people who have been helping me in the process.” During the next 90 days Jain also will start tapping religious leaders the world over, putting together his cadre.
       A soft-spoken Indian, Jain worked for two years with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his office to arrange the peace summit. He is one of the founders of the World Movement for Nonviolence, vice chairman of the Council for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, vice president of the Interfaith Center of New York and a leader of the United Religions Initiative, or URI.
       Upon whom is Jain likely to call to give direction to the United Nations and help steer the course to unified religion in the interest of world peace? A front-runner is said to be Episcopal Bishop William Swing, a prominent figure in the interfaith movement, coming off a summer in which he realized a seven-year dream: This summer Swing gathered 300 people representing 39 religions for a charter signing in Pittsburgh, officially launching the URI. This group is an anticipated melting pot of religious belief, for which a 1998 draft charter declared that all religions draw their wisdom from one ultimate source. In 1995 Swing said the world is moving toward “unity in terms of global economy, global media and global ecological system. What is missing is a global soul.”
       So who will fund this quest for a global soul? Men such as Turner and Strong seem willing to lay a few extra dollars down for such movements and lend their support at the podium of conferences and conventions. Neither is a stranger to the interfaith scene —particularly Strong, who has plenty of influence with the leading global organizations. Chairman of the Earth Council and senior adviser to both the secretary-general of the United Nations and to the president of the World Bank, Strong is an international figure of such prominence that New Yorker magazine recently sighed that, “The survival of civilization in something like its present form might depend significantly on the efforts of a single man,” referring to Strong. He always is on the short list of candidates for U.N. secretary-general.
       Turner’s wealth is better known than Strong’s, and the billionaire media mogul has gone even further to promote the United Nations. In 1997 he donated $1 billion in support for U.N. causes, the most recent being the Millennium Peace Summit at which he expressed his disdain for Christianity. He remains chairman of the United Nations Foundation and the Better World Fund, the organizations that manage his grant.
       So what is the objective here? Is it religious tolerance, unification or subversion of religious faith? Jain tells Insight that he looks forward to a day when religious people no longer insist on a single truth. And the URI, in which Jain is active and which was one of the partners for the summit, takes it even further. URI president Swing says, “There will have to be a godly cease-fire, a temporary truce where the absolute exclusive claims of each [religion] will be honored but an agreed-upon neutrality will be exercised in terms of proselytizing, condemning, murdering or dominating. These will not be tolerated in the United Religions zone.”
       While Swing does not elaborate on what territory that zone might encompass, sources say he is prepared to follow the U.N. lead. And certainly the guest list at the peace summit was impressive, including Cardinal Arinze, Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Kirill, Israel’s Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Sheik Ahmad Kuftaro of the Muslim World League, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Billy Graham.
       The guests represented a broad spectrum of faith traditions, including Ba’hai, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism.
       While Jain and others are calling the summit a success, other delegates still are uncomfortable about it. Ruse complains that it was manipulated by the left-leaning agenda of Turner and Strong. Richard Cizik, director of the National Association of Evangelicals office in Washington, says, “There was a whole premise which I don’t accept, which came from the keynote address by Ted Turner and was manifested throughout the programming — namely, the premise that all religions are equal.” Equal at the summit perhaps, but assuredly not the same.

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CATHOLICS AND ARMENIANS MAKE ANOTHER STEP TOWARD UNITY
Joint Declaration Signed by John Paul II and Karekin II

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 10, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Following a 1,500-year-old
ecclesial separation, John Paul II and Karekin II, patriarch of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, signed a joint declaration, confessing the
common faith that unites these Churches. In addition, they reaffirmed their
commitment to make progress toward full unity.

The patriarch of the West, as the Pope is known in the East, and the
patriarch of Etchmiadzin jointly confessed their faith "in the Triune God
and in the one Lord Jesus Christ, Only-begotten Son of God." Both leaders
declared their faith publicly "in the Church, one, catholic, apostolic and
holy."

The declaration goes further, acknowledging "that the Catholic Church and
the Armenian Church have true sacraments, above all -- through the
apostolic succession of the bishops -- the priesthood and Eucharist. We
continue to pray for full visible communion between us."

"The Catholic Church and the Armenian Church share a long history of
reciprocal respect, and they consider their different theological,
liturgical, and canonical traditions as complementary rather than opposed,"
the document states. "Today we also have much to receive from one another."

Concerned about the future, the two religious leaders prayed that God "will
guide our communities so that we will be able to give witness to the Lord
and proclaim the truth of salvation with one voice."

John Paul II and Karekin II prayed for peace in the world, especially in
the Middle East.

The historic document concludes: "May all Abraham's children grow in
reciprocal respect and find suitable ways to live together peacefully in
this sacred part of the world!"

Armenian Catholicos Karekin II had arrived at the Vatican on Thursday. The
Pope also received the entire Armenian delegation in the Clementine Hall.
Karekin II was accompanied by the Armenian minister of religious affairs,
17 bishops from all over the world, and numerous representatives of the
diaspora in America, Europe, the Mideast, Africa and Australia.

The Armenian Orthodox Church has 7 million faithful, of whom only 2 million
live in Armenia. Many had been forced into exile as a result of the
genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire.

In 1996 Catholics and Armenian Apostolics put an end to their differences
on the nature of Christ, the theological question that caused the original
split more than 1,500 years ago ( see
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/ARMENDEC.HTM ).

"It is our conviction," Karekin II said, "that the dogmatic differences
within the Church of Christ are an inescapable facet of our common history;
they are the result of the attempt to express a single truth in distinct
languages and modes of thought, in the aspiration to penetrate the depth of
divine revelation.

"Nevertheless, these same differences should not be understood as obstacles
to brotherly fellowship, unity, and love in Christ. It is in this sense
that we profess the real and mystical unity of the Church."

For his part, John Paul II hoped "that the year of grace 2000 will be for
all the disciples of Christ a time to give new impulse to our ecumenical
commitment, accepting it as an imperative for Christian consciences. Upon
this depends in large part the future of evangelization, the proclamation
of the Gospel to the men and women of our time."
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EUCHARIST IS DENIED WHEN ONE LIVES WITHOUT LOVE, POPE SAYS
Pontiff Reflects on "Horizontal" Dimension of Sacrament

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 8, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- The celebration of the Mass, which
gathers Christians around the altar, has no meaning if it is not lived with
love, John Paul II said today during the general audience.

Quoting the Apostle Paul's words to the Christians at Corinth, the Bishop
of Rome told the 35,000 faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square that
whoever participates in the Eucharist unworthily, without making it bloom
in fraternal charity, 'eats and drinks judgment upon himself.'"

The Holy Father thus continued with the series of catecheses he is
addressing in the second half of the Jubilee Year on the Eucharist.

In previous addresses, Peter's successor explained that thanks to communion
with the body and blood of Christ, the Christian can reach the maximum
degree of union with God, to the point of becoming "blood related." Today
he explained that this union with God cannot be real if it is not
accompanied by authentic bonds of love with brothers.

The Holy Father said that for the apostles and early Christians, this
communion with the Eucharist had two dimensions: one vertical, "because it
unites us to the divine mystery," and the other horizontal, namely,
"ecclesial, fraternal, capable of uniting all the participants at the same
table in a bond of love."

"It is a communion that is fulfilled in the concreteness of history," the
Pope emphasized, recalling the description of the early Christians in the
Acts of the Apostles: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles'
teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

"Therefore, the profound meaning of the Eucharist is denied when it is
celebrated without taking into account the need for charity and communion,"
John Paul II stressed.
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EUCHARIST, "SACRAMENT OF UNITY"
Pope's Address During General Audience

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 8, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Here is a translation of the
Pope's address at today's general audience in St. Peter's Square.

Following is the Pope's integral address.
1.  "Sacrament of piety, sign of unity, bond of charity!" St. Augustine's
exclamation in his commentary on John's Gospel (In Johannis Evangelium
26:13) gathers and summarizes ideally the words we just heard, which Paul
addressed to the Corinthians: "Because there is one bread, we who are many
are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17).
The Eucharist is the sacrament and source of ecclesial unity. Based on the
signs of bread and wine, this was confirmed since the origins of the
Christian tradition. Thus, the Didache, a writing composed at the beginning
of Christianity, affirmed: "As this broken bread was first spread over the
hills and, gathered, became only one reality, so will your Church be
gathered from the ends of the earth in your Kingdom" (9:1).

2.  Echoing these words in the third century, St. Cyprian, bishop of
Carthage, said: "The same sacrifices of the Lord shed light on the
unanimity of Christians cemented with solid and indivisible charity.
Because, when the Lord calls his body the bread made up of the union of
many grains, he indicates our assembled people, whom he sustains; and when
he calls his blood the wine pressed from many bunches of grapes and fused
together, he similarly indicates our flock composed of a multitude united
together" (Ep. ad Magnum 6). This eucharistic symbolism relating to the
unity of the Church returns often in the Fathers and Scholastic
theologians. The Council of Trent summarized the doctrinal teaching that
our Savior has left the Eucharist to his Church "as a symbol of its unity
and charity with which he wishes to be intimately united with all
Christians"; hence, the latter is "symbol of the only body, of which he is
the head" (Paul VI, "Mysterium Fidei"; see Council of Trent, Decree of the
Eucharist, preface and c. 2). The Catechism of the Catholic Church
synthesizes it effectively: "Those who receive the Eucharist are united
more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the faithful
in one body -- the Church" (CCC 1396).

3.  This traditional doctrine is firmly rooted in Scripture. In the passage
of the First Letter to the Corinthians already quoted, Paul develops it
starting from a fundamental topic, that of "koinonía," namely, of the
communion that is established between the faithful and Christ in the
Eucharist. "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation
(koinonía) in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a
participation (koinonía) in the body of Christ?" (10:16). This communion is
more precisely described in the Gospel of John as an extraordinary relation
of "reciprocal intimacy": "him in me, and I in him." In fact, in the
synagogue of Capernaum Jesus declares: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my
blood abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:56).

It is a topic that will also be underlined in the discourse of the Last
Supper through the symbol of life: The vine shoot is verdant and fruitful
only if it is grafted onto the stock of life from which it receives sap and
sustenance (John 15:1-7). Otherwise it is only a dry branch destined for
the fire: "aut vitis aut ignis," life or fire, St. Augustine comments in a
succinct way (In Johannis Evangelium 81:3). A unity and communion are
delineated here, which is established between the faithful and Christ
present in the Eucharist, on the basis of that principle, which Paul
formulates thus: "are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the
altar?" (1 Corinthians 10:18).

4.  This communion-koinonía of the "vertical" type, because it unites us to
the divine mystery, generates at the same time a communion-koinonía that we
can call "horizontal," that is, ecclesial, fraternal, capable of uniting
all the participants at the same table in a bond of love. "We who are many
are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17).
The discourse on the Eucharist anticipates the great ecclesial reflection
that the Apostle develops in Chapter 12 of the same Letter, when he will
speak of the body of Christ in its unity and multiplicity. The famous
description of the Church of Jerusalem given by Luke in the Acts of the
Apostles also delineates this fraternal unity or koinonía joining it to the
breaking of the bread, namely, the eucharistic celebration (Acts 2:42). It
is a communion that is fulfilled in the concreteness of history: "And they
devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and the prayers. (...) All those who became believers
were together and held everything in common" (Acts 2:42-44).

5.  Therefore, the profound meaning of the Eucharist is denied, when it is
celebrated without taking into account the need for charity and communion.
Paul is severe with the Corinthians because "when you meet together, it is
not the Lord's supper that you eat (1 Corinthians 11:20) because of the
divisions, injustices and egotisms. In this case the Eucharist is no longer
"agape," namely, expression and source of love. And whoever participates
unworthily, without making it bloom in fraternal charity, "eats and drinks
judgment upon himself" (1 Corinthians 11:29). "If Christian life is
expressed in the fulfillment of the greatest commandment, and that is in
the love of God and of neighbor, this love finds its source precisely in
the Most Holy Sacrament, which is commonly called: sacrament of love"
(Dominicae coenae, No. 5). The Eucharist recalls, renders present and
generates this charity.

Let us take up, then, the appeal of the bishop and martyr Ignatius, who
exhorted the faithful of Philadelphia in Asia Minor to unity: The flesh of
our Lord Jesus Christ is only one, only one is the chalice in the unity of
his blood, only one altar, as the Bishop is one" (Ep. ad Philadelphenses
4). And with the liturgy we pray to God the Father: "Grant that we, who are
nourished by his body and blood, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and
become one body, one spirit in Christ" (Eucharistic Prayer III).
N.B. Translation by ZENIT
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IRANIANS HAIL POPE'S ROLE IN INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
Officials Meet in Their Embassy at Vatican

ROME, NOV. 7, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- While religious discrimination continues
in their country, Iranian officials meeting in Rome underlined the positive
role that John Paul II is playing in promoting dialogue among all faiths.

Iranian deputies came to Rome for last weekend's Jubilee of governors and
legislators. On Friday they met in their nation's embassy at the Vatican
along with representatives of religious minorities who participate in the
Islamic Consultative Assembly.

Ahmad Bourghani, president of the Parliamentary Friendship Group between
Italy and Iran, was among the Iranian delegates. He emphasized that the
politicians' Jubilee was a privileged occasion to promote mutual
understanding between Christians and Muslims.

Non-Muslims comprise only 210,000 of Iran's 60 million people. According to
the Iranian Constitution, five of the 290 parliamentary seats belong to
religious minorities.

Christians, who number slightly more than 100,000, have the right to three
seats (one for Syrian and Chaldean rite Christians, and two for Armenian
Christians). Jews, the second minority, have one deputy, while
Zoroastrians, who number about 10,000, have one seat.

However, the "Report 2000 on Religious Liberty," published by Aid to the
Church in Need, states that apostasy from Islam is punishable by death in
the country, both for the one who causes it as well as the one who abandons
this religion.

The same report reveals that Christians are leaving the country "because
they can no longer open restaurants, small kiosks, be hairdressers or
dentists. In case of an accident, the life of a non-Muslim is worth far
less than that of a Muslim; the monetary sanction for running someone over
is more than 100 times less."

Since 1991 no Jewish periodical has been allowed to publish. The situation
of Jewish believers worsens because of their solidarity ties with their
co-religionists in Israel, which the regime's propaganda presents as
"little Satan," the report explains.

According to Human Rights Frontiers, followers of the Bahai religion were
arrested last January and February and condemned to death.
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LUTHERAN-CATHOLIC DECLARATION, ONE YEAR LATER
Positive Effects Seen, But Work Remains

ROME, NOV. 2, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- The historic Joint Declaration on the
doctrine of justification, signed a year ago by Lutherans and Catholics, is
having positive repercussions.

The declaration signed Oct. 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, touched on a
key misunderstanding over the mystery of salvation -- and a principal
reason for division between Catholics and Lutherans.

With the signing, reciprocal condemnations of the past were forgotten.
Since then, prayer meetings between Catholics and Lutherans have
multiplied, in Germany and elsewhere.

The consequences have surprised church figures.

Lutheran Bishop Christien Krause, president of the World Lutheran
Federation, said over Vatican Radio: "I didn't expect it. There has been
great appreciation for this consensus reached by the two churches, which
has demolished secular prejudices; this fact has important repercussions in
the process of European integration."

For his part, Father Aldo Giordano of Vatican Radio, secretary-general of
the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), explained that
Christians now have a new responsibility toward Europe, as was clearly seen
during the first meeting of bishops of the Old Continent with members of
Parliament and the European Commission [ see "'A Spititual Dimension is
Necessary' for Europe: Interview With Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop of
Prague" in Oct. 24 archives at http://www.zenit.org/english/ ].

"Now we feel that together we must contribute to give an ethical soul and
respond to the search for the meaning of existence, which is evident in
Europe," Father Giordano said. "During the meeting with directors of
European institutions, they told us that this is our task, the task of
Christian confessions. Of course, the churches can only give this meaning
together."

Archbishop Walter Kasper, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity, who worked for years in the International
Catholic-Lutheran Theological Commission, said: "The joint signing was a
very important event because we found a point of agreement on the core of
the Gospel. What does Jesus Christ mean to me personally? That was Luther's
question and it is also the question today."

The new step that Catholics and Lutherans must now take at the theological
level is an in-depth study of the different views of the Church, Archbishop
Kasper said.

"We have much in common," he added, "but the Catholic Church is a
sacramental and hierarchical Church, while the Protestant Churches and
communities are centered on the Word of God. However, we can learn from
them, because, since the [Second Vatican] Council, we have also understood
the importance of the Bible, of the Word of God.

"Moreover, Protestants now also understand the importance of the liturgy,
of symbols, of sacraments, etc. There is a mutual exchange between
Protestants and Catholics, but there still are problems as, for example,
the ministry of bishops and the ministry of the Pope."

This different view of the Church was highlighted in "Dominus Iesus," the
recent Vatican document which reiterated magisterial teaching that the
Church of Christ "subsists in" the Catholic Church.

Father Giordano said that the "ecumenical reality is going through a
delicate time. The European bishops are aware of this. This does not mean
that the need for an evolutionary leap in ecumenism is not perceived."

"Today," he continued, "the need to redefine the identity of Christian
communities is particularly felt. Perhaps, this might create a pause in the
dialogue, but it could also truly force us to take a new step forward in a
dialogue that becomes more mature, as it is able to look at the different
identities face to face, and therefore, also at the diversities."

Archbishop Kasper concluded: "I am not pessimistic about the future. I have
hope, and my hope is based on the conviction that the ecumenical way is the
work of the Holy Spirit and, who can stop the Holy Spirit?"
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POPE DONATES MONEY FOR ORTHODOX CHURCH, REPORT SAYS

BUCHAREST, Romania, NOV. 2, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Romanian Orthodox clergy
said today that John Paul II has donated $100,000 toward the construction
of an Orthodox cathedral here that will accommodate up to 2,000 people,
Agence France-Presse reported.

The Pope made the donation shortly after his historic visit to Romania in
May 1999, the agency, quoted by Radio Free Europe, said.

Construction of the cathedral is expected to begin later this year or early
next year in downtown Bucharest. Construction costs are estimated at $100
million.
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"LUTHERANS READY TO ACCEPT POPE"

Wednesday, 18 October 2000 13:53 (ET)


Lutherans ready to accept Pope as "spokesman"


 NEW YORK, OCT. 18 (UPI) -- Lutherans might be willing to accept the Pope
as "spokesman for all Christianity worldwide," their leading prelate in
Germany said Wednesday.

 The statement by Bishop Hans Christian Knuth came almost one year after
representatives of the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
signed their historic accord on "justification" in Augsburg, Germany.

 This issue had divided Roman Catholics and Protestants for almost five
centuries. Now, Catholics and the LWF's member churches agree that only "by
grace through faith," but not good deeds, are Christians justified before
God.

 Knuth is the presiding bishop of the Union of Evangelical Lutheran
Churches in Germany.

 In an address to his denomination's general synod in the eastern German
resort town of Schneeberg, the bishop made it clear that the Pope would have
to meet certain conditions to be accepted by non-Catholics as their
spokesman.

 Knuth added: "As far as we are concerned, he could perform this function
only in his capacity as bishop of Rome."

 Furthermore, when speaking for non-Catholic Christians, the Pope would
have to give up his claim of being the ultimate arbiter in matters of church
law, Knuth said. "He could not present himself as Christ's deputy nor
pretend to be infallible in doctrinal matters," Knuth added, according to
"Idea," a Protestant news agency based in Germany.

 He compared what he saw as a possible future status for the Pope with the
current role of Konrad Raiser, secretary-general of the World Council of
Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Raiser often acts as the joint
mouthpiece for the WCC's 337 Anglican, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox
member churches.

 "One could also imagine that church leaders will take turns in speaking
for all of Christianity world-wide, said Knuth. "If so, the president of the
Lutheran World Federation might conceivably succeed or precede the Pope in
that function, Knuth mused.

 The LWF's current president is Christian Krause, bishop of Brunswick
(Braunschweig) in Germany.- by United Press International.

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Pope, Queen Speak of Christian Unity
October 17, 2000 8:18 am EST

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul, leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth, head of the Church of England, met Tuesday and spoke of their hopes for Christian unity around the world.

The queen, on the second day of a state visit to Italy, held private talks with the Polish pontiff, who Monday marked the 22nd anniversary of his pontificate.

The 80-year-old Pope and the queen, exchanged large white envelopes containing their declarations during the public, ceremonial part of the visit which followed 20 minutes of private talks in the Pope's study.

In a reference to Christianity in Britain, the Pope said: "Through that long history, relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See have not always been untroubled. Long years of common inheritance were followed by the sad years of division."

Queen Elizabeth's 16th century forebear King Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church and declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England after a dispute over his desire to end his first marriage and remarry. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Church of England's spiritual leader.

"But in recent years there has emerged between us a cordiality more in keeping with the harmony of earlier times and more genuinely expressive of our common spiritual roots," the Pope said. "There can be no turning back from the ecumenical goal we have set ourselves in obedience to the Lord's command."

The Pope told the queen that history as well as the future "prompts us to pursue the path of ever greater understanding and, from the religious perspective, of ever more perfect communion."

The queen, accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, first met the Pope in 1980, on her last official visit to Italy. The Pope paid his only visit to Britain in 1982.

"In a Christian context, I am pleased to note the important progress that has been made in overcoming historic differences between Anglicans and Roman Catholics...I trust that we shall continue to advance along the path which leads to Christian unity," the queen said in her declaration.

PROGRESS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

The British monarch referred to progress made toward peace in Northern Ireland, where republican Catholics and Protestants loyal to Britain had fought each other for years.

"We are most grateful for your help and support in this process. Many share a sense of real hope now, although there is so much still to do," she added.

The queen was wearing a black suit, black hat and veil. As protocol dictates, only Catholic queens can wear white in the Pope's presence in certain circumstances although nearly all monarchs, Catholic and non-Catholics alike, usually wear black.

The Pope also conveyed his thanks to the queen for Britain's efforts to reduce or eradicate debt among the world's poorest countries -- one of the goals the Pope has pressed for during the Holy Year 2000.

"For my government, helping the world's poor is a major priority, and we are actively supporting faster debt relief for the most heavily indebted countries, many of them in Africa," the queen said. "I pray for continued strength and determination by everyone to achieve this important goal.

The queen later picks up her engagements on her official trip to Italy, meeting British schoolchildren and visiting the Anglican Center in Rome and the Museum of Modern Art. She travels to Milan Wednesday.

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Pope calls for bolder dialogue between religions

Religion News Service

Pope John Paul II, acting to dispel controversy and confusion over a Vati-can declaration of Roman Catholic primacy, has called for bold new efforts to advance ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue. "At the start of the new millennium we must not slow our steps," John Paul said in a message Tuesday to an inter-faith meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. "Rather, it is necessary to impress a major acceleration on this promising road." The pope's message and a dramatic appeal by the Catholic patriarch of Lisbon for forgiveness for the 15th-century persecution of the Jews in Por-tugal ended the three-day gathering of 250 representatives of 10 faiths from 52 countries. John Paul's message appeared to be aimed at ensuring that the "Declaration Dominus Iesus" did not close the door to dialogue with other Christians and members of other faiths.

The declaration, issued Sept. 5 by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to counter religious relativism, angered and confused many non-Catholics. It stated that non-Christian religions were gravely defective. It said that Protestant churches were not churches in the true sense of the word. "You well know that dialogue does not ignore real differences, but neither does it cancel the common condition of pilgrims toward new lands and new skies," the pope said. Cardinal Edward Cassidy, who leads the Vatican's dialogue with other faiths, read the pope's message at the 13th International Encounter on Men and Religions organized by the Italian Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio.

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``Seventeen Million Syrians Could be Considered Christians,'' Says the Son of Syria's Grand Mufti On This Sunday's Hour of Power Broadcast

Rev. Schuller Apologizes for the Crusades

GARDEN GROVE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept.14, 2000-- In his continuing effort to help repair the divisive breach that stresses the differences rather than the common beliefs shared by the world's great religions, Rev. Robert Schuller has as his guest on this Sunday's Hour of Power broadcast (9/17) Sheikh Salah Kuftaro, son of the Grand Mufti of Syria, and a recent participant at the UN's World Millennium Peace Conference.

The Sheikh is Chief Advisor and Counsel to his father, who Rev. Schuller calls ``one of the most preeminent Islamic scholars in the world of Islam with millions of followers throughout the world.'' It was the Grand Mufti who invited Dr. Schuller to become the first Christian leader to address an Islamic audience of 17,000 people at the Abou Nour Mosque in Damascus last December, prompting Rev. Schuller's invitation for the Grand Mufti to appear on the Hour of Power. When illness forced him to cancel his trip, his son came to represent him.

Carried by some 200 stations in the United States, the program is seen by more than 10 million people in 160 nations each week and has a large Muslim audience in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Indonesia, India, Pakistan and the Phillippines.

Emphasizing that cooperation among religions is only possible by recognizing their common foundation and goals, Sheikh Kuftaro said that the entire population of Syria - seventeen million people - ``could be considered Christians because unless we Muslims believe in the sacredness of the message of Jesus Christ in it's genuine core in the way that it was revealed from God, we would not be considered as Muslims.''

``The true Muslim,'' he explained, ``is he who believes in the message of Jesus Christ and the true Christian is he or she who believes in the message of Mohammed because they come from life and from one lantern.

``We as Muslims and Christians are in one camp,'' the Sheikh emphasized. ``We do not discriminate between a Muslim and a Christian. Prophet Mohammed says about the people of the Holy Book that our rights are their rights and our duties and their duties are the same. He didn't say Muslims only, or the Christians, or the Jews. All creatures are God's dependents. None of you is a believer unless he loves for his brother fellow human that which he loves for himself. This is our doctrine.''

The Abrahamic religions are not to blame for dissension, unrest or conflicts, the Sheikh believes. ``It is us who sometimes have misconceptions, misinterpretations and misunderstandings.'' In presenting a copy of the Koran to Rev. Schuller, he said that ``this is the book that has ordered us to love you and to be always in joint work with you. This is the way we can reach and achieve a just and comprehensive peace.''

Asked about prospects for peace between Syria and Israel, the Sheikh replied: ``We and the children of Moses are cousins. Whenever a lamp was lighted at the time of Mohammed for his family and before he ate anything, he always asked if you have given a part of it to our neighbor, the Jew. We do pray for just and comprehensive peace to take effect in our area - to become brothers and sisters loving each other so that Moses, Jesus and Mohammed will be pleased with us.''

Commenting on the positive thinking Muslim leaders he has met desirous of promoting mutual understanding between Christians and Muslims, Rev. Schuller acknowledged that the violence characterizing past relations was due in part to a Christian invasion of Arab lands ten centuries ago.

To Sheikh Kuftaro, Rev, Schuller said: ``I apologize to Islam for the Crusades that the Christians started in 1065.''

Noting that the forty-one-year-old Sheikh will someday inherit the mantel of his father and that his son, Robert A. Schuller, will inherit the mantel of his ministry, Rev. Schuller called for the start of ``a new crusade of comradeship, of friendship. We're in the same camp.''

The program was taped on September 10 in the Crystal Cathedral before an audience which included prominent Catholic, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders in California. The ministry will hold the third annual meeting of CAMP - Christians and Muslims for Peace - on the Crystal Cathedral campus on Oct. 6 and 7.

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Jewish scholars and rabbis are extending a hand to Christians.

Nearly 170 leaders from all branches of Judaism signed a statement calling on fellow Jews not to fear and mistrust Christianity, and to acknowledge the church's efforts in the decades since the Holocaust to amend Christian teaching about Judaism, according to The New York Times (see link #1 below).
..."Nazism was not a Christian phenomenon," according to the statement Dabru Emet, which means "speak truth." Nazism could not have taken place "without the long history of Christian anti-Judaism," but Nazism itself "was not an inevitable outcome of Christianity," it says. If the Nazis had succeeded in exterminating all the Jews, the Christians would have been the next targets, the statement says. It notes that the faiths have much in common, saying Jews and Christians worship the same God, seek authority from the Old Testament, and accept the moral principles of the Torah.
...The statement is a result of a scholarly dialogue among Christians and Jews that began five years ago, according to The Times. About 30 people refused to sign. The document "lets Christian teaching off too easy," said Rabbi James Rudin of the American Jewish Committee, the newspaper reported. The document is being released by the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies, an interfaith organization in Baltimore.
-by the Editors of ReligionToday September 11, 2000 

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Catholics and Protestants Appeal for Peace in Indonesia


MEDAN, Indonesia, DEC. 18, 2000 (ZENIT.org).-
Catholic and Protestant churches in the Archdiocese of Medan are redoubling their calls for peace this Christmas in this troubled area on the island of Sumatra.

Last month was marked by attacks on buildings and religious gatherings. In mid-November there was a protest march, in which Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and local Buddhist representatives participated.

Father Heribertus Kartono of the Holy Cross Congregation, president of the archdiocesan deanery, said the attacks seemed to be geared to setting the different religious confessions against one another. However, "it is very difficult to pit believers against one another, because the population is closely tied to the clan, which goes beyond membership in different religions," the priest said.

In early December, the Indonesia government accepted the introduction of Islamic law in Aceh province, on the northern tip of Sumatra, about 1,000 miles northwest of Jakarta, in an effort to placate Muslim fundamentalists.

The Archdiocese of Medan has 13 million inhabitants, 495,000 (3%) of whom are Catholics, distributed in 42 parishes. Muslims constitute 63% of the population; the rest are divided among Protestants, Buddhists and Hindus.

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Cardinal Arinze's Message to Muslims at End of Ramadan

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 17, 2000 (ZENIT.org).-
This is the text of a message from the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, to Muslims on the occasion of the end of Ramadan, their month of fasting.
---

Education for Dialogue: A Duty for Christians and Muslims

Dear Muslim Friends,
1. First of all I wish to send you my best wishes for ’Id al-Fitr with which the month of Ramadan closes.

Together with the other religious practices which accompany it, such as prayer and alms-giving, Ramadan is a time for assessing relationships with God and with one’s fellow human beings, a time for turning back to God and towards one’s brothers and sisters. Fasting is one of the ways in which we give worship to God, come to the help of the poor and strengthen family ties and the bonds of friendship. Fasting is a form of education, for it reveals to us our own weakness and opens us up to God, so that we may be open to others.

Though the fast you observe has its own characteristics and discipline, fasting is a practice which is also common to Christianity and to other religions. This month provides a propitious moment therefore for us to remind ourselves of "the spiritual bonds which unite us," to use the words of Pope John Paul II.

2. The Year 2001 has been proclaimed by the United Nations as "The International Year of Dialogue between Civilizations." This gives an opportunity to reflect on the bases of dialogue, on its consequences and on the fruit which humanity may harvest from it. The dialogue of civilizations, the dialogue of cultures, the dialogue between religions, are nothing less than human encounters whose purpose is to build up a civilization of love and peace. We are all called to promote such dialogue according to its distinctive forms, as a way of bringing about appreciation of other cultures and religions.

3. All who are concerned with the education of youth are certainly conscious of the need of educating for dialogue. In accompanying young people along the highways of life, attention has to be given to the preparation required for living in a society marked by ethnic, cultural and religious plurality.

Such education implies, first of all, that we broaden our vision to an ever wider horizon, become capable of looking beyond our own country, our own ethnic group, our own cultural tradition, so that we can see humanity as a single family in both its diversity and its common aspirations. This is education in the fundamental values of human dignity, peace, freedom and solidarity. It evokes the desire to know other people, to be able to share their sorrows and to understand their deepest feelings. Education for dialogue means nurturing the hope that conflict situations can be resolved through personal and collective commitment.

Education for dialogue is not just for children and young people, it is also important for adults. For true dialogue is an ongoing process.

4. In October 1999 an Interreligious Assembly, "On the Eve of the Third Millennium: Collaboration Among the Different Religions," brought together in the Vatican some 200 persons belonging to about 20 different religious traditions. Thirty-six Muslims, from 21 different countries, were present and took an active part in the deliberations and in the writing of the Final Message. This Message confirms the importance of education for promoting understanding, cooperation and mutual respect. It lists some of the ways and means of carrying out this education: support for the family, assistance to young people in the formation of conscience, the provision of objective information about different religions especially in textbooks, respect of the mass media for the various religions, so that each one can recognize itself in the image projected.

5. The Final Report of the Assembly also referred to education as the key to promoting interreligious harmony through respect for different religious traditions. Is it necessary to repeat what the participants said about education? That it is a process which enables one, above and beyond the knowledge of other religions, to come to an appreciation of others through real attentiveness and true respect. Is it not the noblest of arts to learn to respect and love truth, justice, peace and reconciliation?

6. Prayer and fasting dispose each one of us to fulfil our duties better, including that of educating the younger generations about the dialogue of civilizations and religions. May God assist us in achieving this aim in the best way possible. On the occasion of Id al-Fitr may He grant you the grace of serenity and prosperity, and bestow on you His abundant blessings. We are sure that God listens to the prayer which rises to Him from a sincere heart: for you, as for us, He is a Generous God.

Cardinal Francis Arinze
President
[official text]

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Cuba's Eucharistic Congress a First Under Castro

HAVANA, DEC. 14, 2000 (ZENIT.org).-
The first Eucharistic Congress held in Cuba since the Castro revolution in 1959 was hailed as a "historic milestone" by the nation’s bishops’ conference.

"We are very happy with the gifts God has showered on us during these days," Orlando Marquez, spokesman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, told Vatican Radio.

The Eucharistic Congress, held last weekend, was preceded by a theological symposium, began last Friday with eucharistic adoration. It was followed the next day by a historic public Mass, during which 2,000 children received their first Communion.

According to Marquez, the highlight of the congress took place Sunday, with a historic procession through the streets of Havana, which ended in the cathedral, where Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of Havana, presided over the Mass.

During the homily, the cardinal appealed to "the authorities and Cuban society not to be afraid to open the doors of the Church, so that she may fulfill the mission entrusted to her by the Lord."

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Cardinal Etchegaray Meets Patriarch Alexis II
Conference on John XXIII Held in Moscow

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 13, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Cardinal Roger Etchegaray returned
from a trip to Moscow, where he participated in a conference on Blessed John
XXIII and met with Patriarch Alexis II.

At a press conference Tuesday, the cardinal said his meeting with the
patriarch, whom he has known for 30 years, was "very cordial."

"I was in Moscow to attend a meeting organized by the Russian Academy of
Sciences on Pope John XXIII," the cardinal said. "I don't know if we do such
original things as this meeting of historians, sociologists and specialists
in Church history -- Orthodox and Catholic -- to talk about Pope John XXIII,
in Moscow!"

Cardinal Etchegaray referred to the testimony of Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev's elderly daughter, who attended the meeting. She was received in
the Vatican by Pope John XXIII, as she was accompanying her husband, who was
director of the Izvestia newspaper. "She was very happy to be able to recall
her meeting with Pope Roncalli, and the religious memory the Pope left her,"
the cardinal said.

Khrushchev sent a telegram to John XXIII on his 80th birthday in 1961, and
for Christmas in 1962. In 1963 his son-in-law, journalist Alexei Adjubei,
went to the Vatican for an unexpected visit. The Pope who wrote "Pacem in
Terris" was not adverse to establishing contacts, and welcomed Soviet
overtures with prudence.

"Let us continue to work with discretion and confidence for the
reconciliation of all," the Pope said, who hoped for a rapprochement with
the Russian Church, something he mentioned during an interview with Adjubei.
He also alluded to the question of the recognition of the Ukrainian Catholic
Church.

Following the Izvestia interview, and the Pope's death in June 1963, some
striking visits were exchanged, beginning with Cardinal Agostino Casaroli's
to Budapest and Prague in 1964, and Soviet President Nicolai Podgorny's to
the Vatican in 1967.
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New Yugoslavian President Meets With Pope
Expresses Desire to Cooperate for Peace in Balkans

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 13, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Vojislav Kostunica, the new
president of Yugoslavia, expressed his willingness to "cooperate in favor of
peace" in Yugoslavia and the Balkans, when he was received in audience by
John Paul II this week.

"During the discussion," said a statement issued by Vatican spokesman
Joaquin Navarro-Valls, "reference was made to the Vatican's commitment to
peace during these years of difficult and tragic events, with the hope that
the situation will soon arrive at harmony of souls and social peace."

Following the papal audience Monday, Kostunica and his entourage met with
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state.

Kostunica has replaced Slobodan Milosevic, who was widely considered
responsible for exasperating Serbian nationalist feeling that led to the
armed conflict with the Yugoslavian republics (Croatia, Slovenia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia), and the region of Kosovo, all of which
were opposed to his policy of political and cultural assimilation.

Following presidential elections Sept. 24, Kostunica, a Serb democratic
nationalist, succeeded in wresting power from Milosevic. Since then, the new
president has shown openness to the international community and a
willingness to re-establish true democracy in the country.
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Kazakhstan Invites Pope to Visit in June
In Wake of Ordination of First Bishop of Almaty

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, DEC. 13, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Church and state authorities
of Kazakhstan have invited John Paul II to visit this former Asian Soviet
Republic, at the end of his June 21-24 trip to Ukraine next year.

The international agency Fides reported that the invitation was extended by
President Nursultan Nazarbayev during an audience he had with the Pope in
the Vatican on Sept. 24. The invitation has been renewed by the bishop of
Karaganda and the apostolic administrators of Almaty, Astana and Atyrau.

The invitation follows in the wake of the Nov. 26 ordination of Franciscan
Father Henry Theophilus Howaniec as the first bishop of Almaty. Almaty is
one of the most important urban centers of this country, which borders
northwest China.

The rite took place in Almaty's Most Holy Trinity Church, which was crowded
with faithful of different nationalities. The ceremony was presided over by
Archbishop Mariano Oles, the apostolic nuncio. Orthodox Archbishop Alexiy
was unable to attend for health reasons, Fides reported. The Muslims were
represented by Ali Khadgi, master of Medina.

The Orthodox Church's television crew filmed the whole celebration. It was
transmitted by HTK local broadcasting station and Novosibirsk TV channel.
The ceremony ended with an Act of Consecration of the Kazakhstan's Apostolic
Administration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In this country of 16.5 million inhabitants, the Catholic Church, which
practically lived in the catacombs in these lands during the Soviet regime,
has reconstituted its pastoral structures and activities, thanks in part to
the arrival of foreign missionaries.

Catholic presence was virtually eradicated in Central Asia in the 13th
century, when the Mongol insurrection occurred. In the 20th century,
Catholic communities began to emerge among exiles from Communism; they were
primarily from Polish, German and Byelorussian communities.
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SLOVAKIA-VATICAN PACT EXPECTED THIS WEEK

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, DEC. 12, 2000 (Zenit.org).-
A treaty between Slovakia and the Holy See is expected to be signed by President Rudolf Schuster this week, prior to Schuster’s visit to the Vatican, according to Transitions Online.

The treaty guarantees the ability of the Catholic Church to choose its clergy and hierarchy without state involvement, the news service said Monday. Members of the Church are also granted the right to a Catholic education. Furthermore, the Church will agree to help the Slovak state in matters pertaining to social services, humanity and morality in society, the service said.

Jan Fige, Slovakia’s chief negotiator for European Union accession, described the treaty as "an important step in establishing the modern international relations of the Slovak Republic. >From the political, diplomatic, cultural and spiritual points, the Holy See is an internationally acknowledged partner of importance."

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CARDINAL CASSIDY IN U.S. FOR ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, DEC. 6, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Cardinal Edward Cassidy,
president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, is
expected to attend talks and an ecumenical service here this week.

He, along with Monsignor John Radano of the pontifical council's Western
Section, had been invited by the Presbyterian Church in the United States to
visit its Louisville headquarters for talks.

Cardinal Cassidy will present a paper on "The Catholic Church and Ecumenism
at the Beginning of the 21st Century" on Thursday and on Friday will deliver
a homily at the ecumenical service.
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POPE GIVES A ROMAN CHURCH TO CONSTANTINOPLE
Ecumenical Gesture on Feast of St. Andrew

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 30, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- John Paul II told the patriarch
of Constantinople in a letter how determined he is to continued ecumenical
dialogue. And to add weight to his words, the Pope is giving the Orthodox a
Roman church.

In a message to Bartholomew I on the feast of St. Andrew, the Holy Father
said that he has given the old church of St. Theodore on Rome's Palatine
Hill to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

John Paul said he intends that the church "be dedicated to the worship and
pastoral activities of the Greek Orthodox community of the city, which will
then enjoy the necessary spiritual assistance for its growth and for the
dialogue with Christians living in Rome."

On the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, which was also celebrated in the
Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Patriarch of the West (as the Pope is
sometimes referred to in the East) sent a delegation to Istanbul, Turkey,
led by Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council
for Promoting Christian Unity. This is a tradition that has been observed
for several years. Bartholomew I, in turn, sends a delegation to Rome on
June 29, the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, patrons of the Eternal City.

The Apostle Andrew, to whom the see of Constantinople is dedicated, was a
brother of Peter, the first Bishop of Rome.

In his message, John Paul II says that the common origin of the Catholic
and Orthodox Churches makes imperative the re-establishment of "full unity
of faith and life," as soon as possible, since the division among
Christians goes against the spirit of the Gospel and its witness in the world.

Catholics and Orthodox split in 1054 over differences in doctrine and
worship, although many historians say the main reason was the dispute over
the primacy of the Bishop of Rome.

In his message, the Holy Father said that with "a pure and clean heart,
therefore, and in obedience to the will of the one Lord, we must continue
our sincere, fraternal and loving search for full communion."
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POPE CONTINUES TO PUSH INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
Manifested in Mutual Effort for Justice and Peace, He Says

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 29, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Interreligious dialogue is
manifested in the common effort of all believers for justice, solidarity
and peace, John Paul II said during his general audience today.

This dialogue "is expressed in cultural relations, which sow the seeds of
ideals and transcendence in the often-arid earth of politics, economics and
social life," the Pope told a gathering of 30,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's
Square.

The Holy Father emphasized that one of the dimensions he has highlighted
during this Holy Year has been the dialogue between religions. He has said
that it reached a high point last March, with his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Interreligious dialogue also must be an opportunity for Catholics to give
"the complete witness of faith in Christ, only Savior of the world," the
Holy Father said.

This dialogue, the Bishop of Rome said, "calls for humility in listening,
in order to grasp and cherish every ray of light, which is always the fruit
of the Spirit of Christ, no matter where it comes from."

In September, the Vatican published the declaration "Dominus Iesus," with
the Pope's approval, clarifying that authentic dialogue with other
religions must not lead Catholics to renounce their belief in the unique
and universal salvation brought by Jesus Christ and his Church.

Today, John Paul II referred to passages in the Old Testament, in which the
prophets express man's thirst for God. "Have we not all the one Father? Has
not the one God created us?" the Pontiff said, quoting the prophet Malachi.

The Pope continued: "A certain kind of faith opens in the invocation to
God, even when his face is 'unknown.'" This faith "blossoms into hope," he
said. However, this hope "is not yet illuminated by the fullness of
revelation, which places it in relation with the divine promises and makes
it a theological virtue," the Pope explained.

"The sacred books of religions are open to hope in the measure in which
they open a horizon of divine communion, delineating in history a goal of
purification and salvation; they promote the search for truth and defend
the values of life, of sanctity and justice, of peace and liberty," John
Paul II said.

"With this profound tension, which endures even in the midst of human
contradictions, the religious experience opens men to the divine gift of
charity and to its demands," the Pope continued.
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