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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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VATICAN CITY, MARCH 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI thanked the president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, for inviting him to visit the nation which he called "a gateway between East and West."
The Pope expressed his gratitude, though did not confirm a visit, in a ceremony today in which he received the credentials for the new Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, Tetiana Izhevska.
In his speech in French, the Holy Father recalled that the nation has maintained diplomatic relations with the Holy See for 15 years, and mentioned the "pastoral visit by my predecessor, Pope John Paul II, in 2001."
Benedict XVI hailed "the good relations that exist between the government authorities and the Churches and ecclesial communities in Ukraine."
He pointed out that "In your nation, the faithful are blessed with religious freedom, which is an essential dimension of a human being's freedom and therefore a fundamental expression of their dignity."
Due to a "a just distinction between the responsibilities of the religious and civil spheres," the Pope said, "the state recognizes different forms of worship ... ensuring them equal rights before the law and thus allowing each ... to play its specific role for the common good of the nation."
Of the 47 million inhabitants of Ukraine, fewer than 10% are Catholic, mostly of the Eastern and Latin rites. The majority of the population is Orthodox.
Code: ZE07033003
Date: 2007-03-30
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AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, MARCH 30, 2007 (Zenit.org).- A smiling Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre told a group of journalists that she was cured of Parkinson's disease in an unexplainable way and thanks to the intercession of Pope John Paul II.
"All I can say is I was sick and now I am healed. Now it is up to the Church to pronounce itself and recognize if this is a miracle," the 46-year-old religious said today at a press conference.
Accompanied by Archbishop Claude Feidt of Aix-Arles-Embrun, she said she had no doubts about her cure: "I was healed, and this is the work of God through the intercession of John Paul II."
Sister Pierre, who belongs to the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood, said that it was very hard to describe with words her experience.
"My body wasn't the same anymore and I was not the same anymore," she said, describing Parkinson's disease, with which John Paul II also suffered.
Completely transformed
"Since the death of our Holy Father John Paul II, the symptoms of the illness became more accentuated and more serious," she explained. On June 2, 2005, the two-month anniversary of his death, she asked to stop working in the Maternité de l'Étoile.
Sister Pierre's superior asked her to write the name of John Paul II, which she found to be almost impossible because of her condition. After writing some unrecognizable letters, she went to her room to rest.
She recounted: "And there, when I went into my room, I felt like writing, even if it was difficult for me. I had the impression of a voice telling me: 'Take the pen and write.' I wrote something" and then went to sleep, waking at 4:30 the next morning.
"I jumped out of bed, though getting out of bed had been something very difficult and hard for me to do," the woman religious continued. "I felt completely transformed, internally I was no longer the same.
"[It was] something I find very difficult to explain in words … It was too intense, too great. A mystery.
"Since that day I have stopped all therapy. … It was like a second birth for me, I felt I was rediscovering my body, rediscovering my arms and legs."
Thanksgiving
Sister Pierre recalled that she began that day, June 3, 2005, with a Mass in thanksgiving. She has since resumed work in a maternity ward in Paris.
"I work as a nurse with mothers and children in Saint-Félicité. And I can do all that my job requires," she said.
Her healing will be presented by the postulator of the cause of beatification, Monsignor Slawomir Oder, to the Congregation for Saints' Causes.
On Monday, the diocesan phase of John Paul II's beatification process will conclude. Sister Pierre will participate in this celebration.
Code: ZE07033001
Date: 2007-03-30
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Vatican, Mar. 30, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) welcomed a new ambassador from Ukraine to the Holy See on March 30, acknowledging but not directly responding to an invitation to visit her country.
The Holy Father told the new envoy, Tetiana Izhevska, that he was grateful for the invitation she had conveyed from President Victor Yushchenko. He went on to say that Ukraine has historically served as a "gateway between East and West," and voiced his hope that the country would continue to fulfill that role.
Pope Benedict also expressed appreciation for the religious freedom enjoyed by the people of Ukraine. He specifically mentioned the positive relationship between the country's government and the Catholic bishops of the Latin rite.
Regarding the Byzantine Catholic Church in Ukraine-- which has sometimes clashed with Ukrainian Orthodox neighbors, particularly over the possession of parish properties-- the Pontiff said that Catholic leaders are anxious to "progress along the path of unity with their Orthodox brethren," and expressed his own full support for their ecumenical efforts.
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"Ukraine, which because of its geographical position has always had the vocation of being a gateway between East and West," said the Holy Father, "has over these years begun and developed a policy of openness and collaboration with other countries on the continent." He expressed his appreciation for this state of affairs which, he said, is contributing "to restoring Europe to its true dimension, ensuring conditions of fruitful exchange between ... the two cultural lungs that forged its history."
"I am sure that the Ukrainian nation - its life, culture and institutions profoundly impregnated with the Gospel - will concern itself with carrying the dynamism of its identity to other nations, while preserving its original characteristics. Indeed it is vital, in a world ever more strongly marked by globalization, to favor a serious and profound dialogue between cultures and religions, not in order to reduce them all to some impoverished syncretism but to help them develop mutual respect and cooperate ... for the common good. This will enable a reduction of the ever-present sources of tension and conflict between groups and nations, and guarantee everyone the conditions for lasting peace and development."
The Pope recalled "the good relations that exist between the government authorities and the Churches and ecclesial communities in Ukraine," where "believers enjoy religious liberty, an essential aspect of human freedom." In keeping with "a just distinction between the responsibilities of the religious and civil spheres, the State recognizes different forms of worship ... ensuring them equal rights before the law and thus allowing each ... to play its specific role for the common good of the nation."
The Holy Father also considered the question of the Catholic Church's involvement in the education of young Ukrainians, praising the efforts "of the Pan-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations to draw up a program concerning the teaching of Christian ethics in State schools."
Finally, the Pope mentioned the Catholics who live in Ukraine, both those of the Latin rite and those of the Byzantine rite, highlighting their "concern for the permanent dialogue between the Eastern and Western traditions." The Holy Father thanked President Iouchtchenko for the concern he has shown for the bishops of the Ukrainian Episcopal Conference of the Latin rite, and gave assurances of "the commitment of all Ukrainian Catholics to the wellbeing of the country."
"I know that their desire is to bear daily witness to the Gospel through acts of solidarity, ... through a will to build peace and a desire to consolidate the values of the family founded upon marriage," Pope Benedict concluded. "I am also aware of their wish to progress along the path of unity with their Orthodox brethren and with their brothers and sisters in other Christian communities. I encourage them, then, always to be willing to consolidate ecumenical dialogue, which is such a vital way to overcome difficulties."
CD/CREDENTIALS:UKRAINE/IZHEVSKA VIS 070330 (550)
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In his Message, the Holy Father explains how the phenomenon of globalization has brought with it "a need for mobility that obliges many young people to emigrate and live far from their countries of origin and their families. This imbues many of them with a disquieting sense of insecurity that has indubitable repercussions on their ability, not only to imagine and plan their futures, but even to make a real commitment to marriage and the formation of a family."
"All human activities," Benedict XVI writes, "should be an opportunity and an occasion for the growth of individuals and society, an opening to develop personal talents which must be valued and placed at the orderly service of the common good, in a spirit of justice and solidarity. For believers, the ultimate aim of work is the building of the Kingdom of God."
"Today more than ever it is necessary and vital to proclaim 'the Gospel of work,' to live as Christians in the world of work and to become apostles among workers. But in order to achieve this mission we must remain united to Christ in prayer and an intense sacramental life. And to this end we must value Sunday, which is a day dedicated to the Lord."
MESS/YOUNG PEOPLE:WORK/RYLKO VIS 070330 (280)
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In his English-language address, the text of which was made public today, the archbishop makes clear the Holy See's concern for "the emergence of an apparent dilemma between respect due to religions and the right to religious freedom as if they were incompatible and mutually exclusive aspects. On the contrary, they are complementary values that cannot stand one without the other."
"Any religion that preaches or condones violence, intolerance and hatred renders itself unworthy of the name. ... Respect of religion means respect of those who have chosen to follow it and practice it in a free and pacific way, in private and in public, individually or collectively."
"In conclusion, a really democratic State values religious freedom as a fundamental element of the common good, worthy of respect and protection, and creates the conditions that allow its citizens to live and act freely."
DELSS/RELIGIOUS FREEDOM/GENEVA:TOMASI VIS 070330 (200)