LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF MONTEVIDEO

 To our revered Brother in the Episcopate,
Archbishop of Montevideo

The cultural and religious celebrations planned in all the ecclesiastical territorial divisions of Uruguay to commemorate the institution of the local Hierarchy, are about to conclude. We were very happy to know that this joyful commemoration will culminate on 8 December with a Mass concelebrated in the Holy Cathedral Church of Montevideo.

LETTRE DU PAPE JEAN-PAUL II
À L'OCCASION DE LA 166^e ASSEMBLÉE PLÉNIÈRE
DE L’ÉPISCOPAT POLONAIS

 Monsieur le Cardinal Primat,

C’est à vous que j’envoie cette lettre, par laquelle je désire m’adresser d’une manière toute particulière à l’Épiscopat tout entier de Pologne, à tous mes frères bien-aimés, archevêques et évêques qui se réuniront dans les derniers jours de novembre. Je le fais dans le sentiment d’unité qui nous a liés pendant tant d’années, lorsque j’ai participé aux Assemblées plénières de l’Épiscopat de Pologne, aux sessions du Conseil central, ainsi qu’aux réunions des Commissions particulières.

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
FOR THE 5OTH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC FILM ORGANIZATION

Tuesday, 31 October 1978

 To Fr Lucien Labelle President of the International Catholic Film Organization

At the beginning of our Pontificate, we are happy to join in the golden jubilee of the International Catholic Film Organization, celebrated at the Hague. The ecclesial presence that this institution tries to ensure at the heart of the vast production of films, deserves, in fact, to be encouraged, in order to help our contemporaries and the whole of society to benefit really, on the human and spiritual planes, from the development of this important sector and to overcome the risks it involves. You can also help the Church to understand and use better the resources of this "seventh art" for her mission of salvation.

MESSAGE OF JOHN PAUL II
FOR THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF UNDA   

To the Reverend Agnellus Andrew, OFM
President of UNDA

DURING THESE early days of our ministry as Successor of Peter we are happy to address a message of congratulation and blessing to the International Catholic Association for Radio and Television as its representatives gather in Cologne to celebrate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Association’s foundation.

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO CARDINAL GIOVANNI VILLOT
FOR THE NOMINATION OF SECRETARY OF STATE

To Our Revered Brother
Cardinal Giovanni Villot
Titular Bishop of the Suburbicarian See of Frascati

From the moment when the trust of the Cardinals of Holy Roman Church elected us as the successor of Peter in the See of Rome, it has been our deep concern to provide for the choice of our most direct collaborator in the daily cares of our ministry, that is, the Secretary of State. With a gesture of profound delicacy you, Lord Cardinal, expressed to us at once the opinion that for this high office it would seem opportune, in view of the present circumstances, to take into consideration a Cardinal of Italian origin.

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 5OTH ANNIVERSARY OF
PRIESTLY ORDINATION OF CARDINAL JOSEPH SCHRÖFFER

To Our Venerable Brother Joseph Cardinal Schröffer

Amid so much that is expected of us by the whole Church and so sudden a change of events, we ourself nevertheless are thinking very much and kindly of you, our venerable brother, and especially of the beautiful event in your life which is already being commemorated by you no doubt with deep emotion, with gratitude to God, and with loving praise for the Eternal Priest.

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO THE PEOPLE OF POLAND

My beloved Fellow-countrymen,

I am writing these words to you on the day on which it fell upon one of the sons of our country to assume the ministry of bishop on St Peter's chair. I cannot fail to address you all, brothers and sisters, children of beloved Poland, precisely on this day on which, owing to the inscrutable plans of Providence, I, hitherto metropolitan archbishop of Krakow, find myself obliged to leave the ancient chair of St Stanislaus to assume the Roman one of St Peter, and with it concern for the whole universal Church. It is difficult to think and speak of that without a very deep emotion. It seems that the human heart—and in particular the Polish heart—is not sufficient to contain such an emotion. Words are lacking, too, to express all the thoughts which crowd into the mind on this occasion. Do not such thoughts and sentiments pervade our whole history? Do they not embrace the thousand years of its course during which we, sons of Poland, have preserved fidelity to Christ and to his Church, to the Apostolic See, to the heritage of St Peter and St Paul?