NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- At his regular weekly public audience today, Pope John Paul II spoke of the "docility" of the Virgin Mary in her response to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

      In his catechetical talk on the day after the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Father said that the Blessed Virgin's willingness to follow the will of the Spirit makes Mary is "a model for parents," especially as they fulfill "the difficult duty of educating their children."

      Before the audience, the Pope took time to send a telegram of condolence to Archbishop Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa of Santiago, Chile, in response to news of the death of the city's former archbishop, Cardinal Carlos Oviedo Cavada.

      Cardinal Ovieda died on December 7, at the age of 70, after a long struggle with a degenerative disease. He had resigned his post as archbishop in January, recognizing his inability to fulfill his episcopal duties. Pope John Paul II praised the deceased prelate for the "great serenity and energy" with which he faced his illness and the approach of death.

      The cardinal's death leaves 156 members of the college of cardinals, of whom 117 are under the age of 80, and therefore eligible to vote in a papal conclave.