Speeches 1998

3. The Church is aware of the various difficulties married couples can encounter, especially in the present social context, not only in following but also in the very understanding of the moral norm that concerns them. Like a Mother, the Church draws close to couples in difficulty to help them; but she does so by reminding them that the way to finding a solution to their problems must come through full respect for the truth of their love. "It is an outstanding manifestation of charity towards souls to omit nothing from the saving doctrine of Christ", Paul VI admonished (Humanae vitae HV 29).

The Church makes available to spouses the means of grace which Christ offers in Redemption, and invites them to have recourse to them with ever renewed confidence. She exhorts them in particular to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is poured out in their hearts through the efficacy of their distinctive sacrament: this grace is the source of the interior energy they need to fulfil the many duties of their state, starting with that of being consistent with the truth of conjugal love. At the same time, the Church urgently requests the commitment of scientists, doctors, health-care personnel and pastoral workers to make available to married couples all those aids which prove an effective support for helping them fully to live their vocation (cf. Humanae vitae HV 23-27).

It is from this standpoint that we view the valuable work which is the concern of centres like the one you, Professor, have encouraged and continue to support with praiseworthy effort. As I note with appreciation the centre's activity of increasing public awareness by organizing conferences, seminars, conventions and courses at both national and international levels, I would like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of the study and research which are part of the institution's purpose, as appears from its very name. Indeed, it is necessary on the one hand to be committed in the medical field to disseminating knowledge of the scientific basis for the natural methods of fertility regulation, and on the other, to promoting study and research on the nature of the biochemical and biophysical events that accompany and indicate periods of fertility, leading to an easier and more reliable exercise of responsible parenthood.

4. I hope that the professional contributions of the scholars taking part in this national convention will prove useful for the research being done in this field. Increasingly advanced scientific knowledge, along with respect for the moral values advocated by the Church, will not fail to make an effective contribution to advancing the idea of love as an unconditional and total gift of the person, and of fertility as a treasure to be gratefully received from the hands of the Creator.

As I invoke the constant protection of Mary, Mother of Fair Love, and of St Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, on those taking part in the convention and on all who come into contact with this centre, I cordially impart the Apostolic Blessing you requested as a pledge of my ever mindful affection.

From the Vatican, 27 February 1998.

IOANNES PAULUS PP. II

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS

POPE JOHN PAUL II

TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND STUDY

ON THE NATURAL REGULATION OF FERTILITY






To Professor Anna Cappella
Director of the Centre for Research and Study
on the Natural Regulation of Fertility

1. I learned with great pleasure that this centre has organized a national convention to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Encyclical Humanae vitae of my venerable Predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI.

Dear Professor, I would first of all like to greet you, together with the directors, researchers and staff of the praiseworthy institution under your direction, and to express my esteem for and appreciation of the great contribution it has made in recent years to safeguarding and promoting human life at its earliest stage. My greeting is also extended to those attending the convention and to those giving papers during this congress: I hope that everyone will benefit from a closer study of the Church's teaching on the 'truth' of the act of love in which spouses become sharers in God's creative action.

2. The truth of this act stems from its being an expression of the spouses' reciprocal personal giving, a giving that can only be total since the person is one and indivisible. In the act that expresses their love, spouses are called to make a reciprocal gift of themselves to each other in the totality of their person: nothing that is part of their being can be excluded from this gift. This is the reason for the intrinsic unlawfulness of contraception: it introduces a substantial limitation into this reciprocal giving, breaking that "inseparable connection" between the two meanings of the conjugal act, the unitive and the procreative, which, as Pope Paul VI pointed out, are written by God himself into the nature of the human being (n. 12).

Continuing in this vein, the great Pontiff rightly emphasized the "essential difference" between contraception and the use of natural methods in exercising "responsible procreation". It is an anthropological difference because, in the final analysis, it involves two irreconcilable concepts of the person and of human sexuality (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris consortio FC 32). It is not uncommon, in current thinking, for the natural methods of fertility regulation to be separated from their proper ethical dimension and to be considered in their merely functional aspect. It is not surprising then that people no longer perceive the profound difference between these and the artificial methods. As a result they go so far as to speak of them as if they were another form of contraception. But this is certainly not the way they should be viewed or applied. On the contrary, it is only in the logic of the reciprocal gift between man and woman that the natural regulation of fertility can be correctly understood and authentically lived as the proper expression of a real and mutual communion of love and life. It is worth repeating here that "the person can never be considered as a means to an end; above all never a means of 'pleasure'. The person is and must be nothing other than the end of every act. Only then does the action correspond to the true dignity of the person" (cf. Letter to Families LF 12).

3. The Church is aware of the various difficulties married couples can encounter, especially in the present social context, not only in following but also in the very understanding of the moral norm that concerns them. Like a Mother, the Church draws close to couples in difficulty to help them; but she does so by reminding them that the way to finding a solution to their problems must come through full respect for the truth of their love. "It is an outstanding manifestation of charity towards souls to omit nothing from the saving doctrine of Christ", Paul VI admonished (Humanae vitae HV 29).

The Church makes available to spouses the means of grace which Christ offers in Redemption, and invites them to have recourse to them with ever renewed confidence. She exhorts them in particular to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is poured out in their hearts through the efficacy of their distinctive sacrament: this grace is the source of the interior energy they need to fulfil the many duties of their state, starting with that of being consistent with the truth of conjugal love. At the same time, the Church urgently requests the commitment of scientists, doctors, health-care personnel and pastoral workers to make available to married couples all those aids which prove an effective support for helping them fully to live their vocation (cf. Humanae vitae HV 23-27).

It is from this standpoint that we view the valuable work which is the concern of centres like the one you, Professor, have encouraged and continue to support with praiseworthy effort. As I note with appreciation the centre's activity of increasing public awareness by organizing conferences, seminars, conventions and courses at both national and international levels, I would like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of the study and research which are part of the institution's purpose, as appears from its very name. Indeed, it is necessary on the one hand to be committed in the medical field to disseminating knowledge of the scientific basis for the natural methods of fertility regulation, and on the other, to promoting study and research on the nature of the biochemical and biophysical events that accompany and indicate periods of fertility, leading to an easier and more reliable exercise of responsible parenthood.

4. I hope that the professional contributions of the scholars taking part in this national convention will prove useful for the research being done in this field. Increasingly advanced scientific knowledge, along with respect for the moral values advocated by the Church, will not fail to make an effective contribution to advancing the idea of love as an unconditional and total gift of the person, and of fertility as a treasure to be gratefully received from the hands of the Creator.

As I invoke the constant protection of Mary, Mother of Fair Love, and of St Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, on those taking part in the convention and on all who come into contact with this centre, I cordially impart the Apostolic Blessing you requested as a pledge of my ever mindful affection.

From the Vatican, 27 February 1998.

IOANNES PAULUS PP. II

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS

POPE JOHN PAUL II

TO THE FIRST GROUP OF BISHOPS

OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (REGION OF NEW YORK)

ON THEIR "AD LIMINA" VISIT

Friday, 27 February 1998



Your Eminence,
Dear Brother Bishops,

1. Beginning this series of ad Limina visits of the Pastors of the Church in the United States, I cordially welcome you, the first group of Bishops - from the ecclesiastical region of New York - and I send warm greetings to all the members of the Bishops' Conference. In meeting you, my first thought is to give heartfelt praise to God for the Catholic community in your country as you seek to be ever more subject to the Lord in love and fidelity (cf. Eph Ep 5,24), pressing forward amid the trials of this world and the consolations of God, announcing the saving cross and death of the Lord until he comes (cf. 1Co 11,26). In particular I express my thanks to you and your brother Bishops for the spiritual friendship and the communion in faith and love which unite us in the service of the Gospel. I thank you for all the ways in which you share my pastoral concern for the universal Church. All through the years of my Pontificate I have had countless opportunities to experience the characteristic love and solidarity of the Catholics of the United States for the Successor of Saint Peter. In this year of preparation for the Great Jubilee, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, I pray that "the Lord, the giver of life" will reward the Church in the United States with his strengthening and consoling gifts.

2. The Jubilee calls us to remember and celebrate the blessings that the Father has showered upon us in Jesus Christ, the Lord of history and the "chief shepherd" of our souls (cf. 1P 5,4). Freed from sin and washed in the blood of the Lamb, we have truly become children of God, able to turn to him in absolute confidence: for we know that he loves us and will never abandon us. Although our ministry constantly reminds us of the sufferings of so many of our fellow human beings, especially the poor and those who are persecuted for their faith in Christ, we are confident that, as the Third Millennium approaches, God is preparing a great springtime for Christianity (cf. Redemptoris Missio RMi 86).

Through the Incarnation of the Son of God, eternity has entered into time. Time itself has become the dramatic arena in which the history of salvation unfolds; thus anniversaries and jubilees become times of grace - "a day blessed by the Lord", "a year of the Lord" (cf. Tertio Millennio Adveniente TMA 32). The Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 will be a time of unique blessings for the Church and for the world, a grace already prepared by that extraordinary ecclesial event of recent times, the Second Vatican Council, the fruits of which are still maturing towards their fullness. Since the documents of the Council represent the fundamental point of reference for the Church's understanding of herself and her mission in this period of history, it is fitting that our preparation for the Jubilee should involve a serious meditation on how we as Bishops have received and implemented the rich body of teaching elaborated by the Council Fathers (cf. Tertio Millennio Adveniente TMA 36). In my meetings this year with the Bishops of the United States I propose to reflect on certain themes of the Council, in an effort to discern how best we can ensure that all that God wishes for the Church will become a reality.

3. What is the greatest challenge before us as Bishops of the Church? What is the greatest need of our contemporaries? The men and women of today, like those of every time and place, are yearning for salvation. They wish to rediscover the truth of God's dominion over creation and history, to encounter his self-revelation, and to experience his merciful love in all the dimensions of their lives. The great truth to be proclaimed to this and every age is that God has entered human history so that men and women can truly become children of God. The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, clearly reminds us that the truth we proclaim is no human wisdom, but depends completely on God's revelation of himself: "God chose to reveal himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of his will by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man has access to the Father in the Holy Spirit and comes to share in the divine nature" (op. cit., 2). This is the heart of the Christian message and the essential truth which Bishops must preach "in season and out of season" (2Tm 4,2).

In the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, I posed the question: "To what extent has the word of God become more fully the soul of theology and the inspiration of the whole of Christian living as Dei Verbum sought?" (No. 36). From everyone, but especially from the Bishops, fidelity to the revealed word requires an attitude of attentive, prayerful receptivity. It requires that we allow ourselves to be renewed and transformed by our encounter with his living word. Then we will be able to help the faithful to understand that Holy Scripture is a gift which we receive within the Church. It is not merely a "text" to be analyzed; it is above all an invitation to communion with the Lord. It must be read and received in a spirit of openness to that invitation. This does not imply an uncritical approach to Scripture, but it does warn against readings informed by a sterile rationalism or by cultural pressures that compromise biblical truth. These approaches close the ear to God's call and empty the sacred text of its power to save (cf. Rom Rm 1,16). Saint Paul gives thanks to God for those who have accepted Scripture for what it really is: the word of God at work in the community of believers (cf. 1Th 4,13).

Tribute must be paid to the many excellent Catholic exegetes and theologians in the United States who have been untiring in their efforts to help the Christian people to understand more clearly the word of God in Scripture, "so that they can better accept [it] in order to live in full communion with God" (Address on the Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, 23 April 1993, No. 9). This important work will bear the fruit the Council intended if it is sustained by a vigorous spiritual life within the believing community. Only the love that "issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith" (1Tm 3,5) enables us to understand the language of God who is Love (cf. 1Jn 4,8).

4. If the new evangelization is to be effective, our catechesis must convey the full truth of the Gospel, for that fullness of truth is the very source of our capacity to teach with authority: an authority which the faithful easily recognize when we address the essentials and deliver what we have received (cf. 1Co 15,3). Our teaching office "is not above the word of God but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly (pie audit), guarding it scrupulously (sancte custodit) and explaining it faithfully (fideliter exponit) by divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit" (Dei Verbum DV 10).

Through the ministry of preaching and teaching, the whole believing community must come to see and to love Scripture and Tradition, which together lead us to understand God's salvific presence in history and show the path to real communion of life with him. In this way the entire Church will enter more deeply into the mystery of salvation, and will come to appreciate that human history is the place of encounter between God and man, the place in which communion with God is offered, received and built up.

5. The Gospel message remains ever the same, yet we proclaim it in a culture which is undergoing constant transformation. We need to reflect on the dynamics of contemporary culture in order to discern the signs of the times which affect the proclamation of the saving message of Christ. On the one hand, everywhere we see people's desire for freedom and happiness, and this speaks to us of a deep spiritual hunger. People seek to satisfy this hunger in many ways; but the failure of many proposed solutions, be they philosophies, ideologies or fashions, has led to a great unease, if not a current of despair, in contemporary culture. Ours is often called a time of uncertainty; this uncertainty, raised to a principle by which it is denied that we can ever know the truth of things, affects the moral life, the life of prayer, and the theological correctness of people's faith (cf. Tertio Millennio Adveniente TMA 36).

On the other hand, many people are increasingly aware that, in order to build free, just, and prosperous societies and so create the conditions for satisfying the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit, the culture through which they interact and communicate must correspond to certain basic truths about the human person. My last visit to your country took place in 1995, during the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the United Nations Organization. At the General Assembly I expressed the conviction that an acceleration of the human quest for freedom is one of the great dynamics of modern history in every part of the world. That dynamic shows itself clearly in the claims of the world's peoples for a fuller share in determining the political and economic choices which affect them (cf. Address to the Fiftieth General Assembly of the United Nations Organization, October 5, 1995, No. 2). In the unfolding of history, do we not see the gradual advance of certain Gospel truths: the dignity of the human person, greater respect for human rights, an overdue recognition of the equal dignity of women, a rejection of violence as a means of resolving conflict?

6. But the affirmation of certain moral values is not yet the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and men (cf. 1Tm 2,5). Our age needs to hear the revealed truth about God, about man, and about the human condition. The moment is right for kerygma. The pastoral challenge of the Great Jubilee is to proclaim with renewed vigor "Jesus Christ, the one Savior of the world, yesterday, today and for ever" (cf. Heb He 13,8). And the Catholic community in the United States is called to do so in a cultural climate, many of whose most powerful elements doubt the existence of objective, absolute truth and reject the very idea of authoritative teaching. The challenge of radical skepticism can lead to the assumption that the Church is marginal to contemporary life. Accepting this assumption, in turn, can lead to the notion that Catholicism, and indeed Christianity as a whole, is merely one form among many of the generic human reality called "religion".

This is not the message of the Second Vatican Council, which boldly proclaimed the centrality for human history of Jesus Christ and the essential mission of the Church to preach the Gospel to all nations: for "there is no other name under heaven given to man by which he must be saved" (Ac 4,12). The Church is sent to the world with a proposal: and the evangelical proposal we make is that the world can understand its history and its aspirations most adequately, most truthfully, through the Gospel. If this is the truth we proclaim, then the Church is never marginal, even when she seems weak in the eyes of the world. Faced with a modernity which has lost the capacity to fulfill the noble aspiration it set out to realize - the complete liberation of man, of every man and every woman - the Church remains a witness to the full meaning of human freedom. A new phase in the history of freedom is opening up, and in these circumstances it is necessary that the Church, especially through her Pastors, teach and evince that "the liberating capacities of science, technology, work, economics and political activity will only produce results if they find their inspiration and measure in the truth and love which are stronger than suffering: the truth and love revealed to men by Jesus Christ" (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Christian Freedom and Liberation, March 22, 1986, No. 24).

The challenge is enormous, but the time is right. For other culture-forming forces are exhausted, implausible, or lacking in intellectual resources adequate to satisfy the human yearning for genuine liberation - even if those forces still manage to exercise a powerful attraction, especially through the media. The great achievement of the Council is to have positioned the Church to engage modernity with the truth about the human condition, given to us in Jesus Christ who is the answer to the question that is every human life. A Bishop's task is none other than this: to be a convincing witness to and a courageous teacher of the truth that makes man free (cf. Jn Jn 8,42).

7. Dear Brother Bishops: at the Last Supper, Jesus challenged and encouraged his disciples: "If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him" (Jn 14,23). We know that the Spirit dwells in the midst of the Church and leads the faithful to an ever more profound understanding of God's word, because Christ told his disciples that the Spirit "will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you" (Jn 14,26). May the Spirit always assist you in fulfilling the task which the Council committed above all to the Church's Pastors: that of communicating the truth and grace of Christ to the men and women of today's world (cf. Ad Gentes AGD 2 Redemptoris Missio RMi 1). I commend to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church and Patroness of the United States, the joys and difficulties of your ministry and the needs and hopes of your local Churches and of the whole Catholic community in your country. To each of you and to all the priests, religious and laity of your Dioceses, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.





ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS

POPE JOHN PAUL II

TO H.E. Mr MARIO ANTONIO VELÁSQUEZ FERNÁNDEZ

AMBASSADOR OF PANAMA TO THE HOLY SEE

Saturday, 28 February 1998



Mr Ambassador,

1. I am very pleased to receive you at this solemn presentation of the Letters of Credence which accredit you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Panama to the Holy See. It also gives me the opportunity to greet you and to offer you my most cordial welcome.

I am deeply grateful for the respectful message you have brought from President Ernesto Pérez Balladares. I would like to reciprocate by expressing my best wishes for the prosperity and peace of the dear Panamanian people. I therefore ask you, Mr Ambassador, kindly to convey them to the highest authority of your nation.

2. Since the time when Núñez de Balboa crossed your land and made the Pacific Ocean known to European culture, Panama, especially since the canal which bears her name was built to connect these seas, has become famous as the crossroads between the American lands and the great seas that surround them. Since your country will soon take over the management of this masterpiece of human ingenuity, preparations are also being made for a decisive step in the vocation which destiny seems to have assigned her: to be a communications bridge and meeting place.

Thus the beginning of the third millennium acquires a very special meaning for Panamanians, and offers a wellfounded hope of a substantial improvement in their living conditions, a growing affirmation of their own identity and a more prominent role in history.

Moreover, the coincidence of this event with the celebration of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 offers the Panamanian people a providential opportunity to live with special intensity this "year of the Lord's favour" which the Church proclaims for all Christians. In fact, the Jubilee's biblical tradition is rooted in God's supreme lordship over the earth and in his desire to exercise it for the benefit of humanity, especially for the most underprivileged, by revealing new opportunities particularly for them (cf. Lv Lv 25,23 Tertio millennio adveniente TMA 12-14). This profound experience of faith in the Lord's saving and provident intervention gives rise to a feeling of gratitude in man, and of respect and responsibility for the goods of creation.

3. This promising outlook for the future is also a call to all Panamanians, especially to their representatives and those who have direct responsibility for the administration of the common good, to give priority to the service of integral progress for all citizens. Indeed, a mere increase of material goods is not the most important thing in the life of individuals, businesses and nations. On the contrary, "development ... turns against those whom it is meant to benefit" (Sollicitudo rei socialis SRS 28), when it is limited to the economic aspect. "It is therefore necessary to create life-styles in which the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and communion with others for the sake of common growth are the factors which determine consumer choices, savings and investments" (Centesimus annus CA 36).

It is desirable then that the most be made of new opportunities for increased solidarity, especially towards less fortunate individuals and groups and, with greater hope of success, to enlarge projects that the Government has already undertaken to develop the most depressed areas of the country or to repair the damage caused by natural disasters, while always respecting the lead role to be played by each sector, which needs to rely on everyone's participation in formulating and implementing these projects. In fact, humanity's recent history shows how fragile and fleeting is a development which, for the sake of the maximum productivity of material goods, sacrifices the primordial role of the person in all human activity or excessively and destructively exploits a land which the Creator has entrusted to man as a responsible and respectful steward (cf. Gn Gn 1,28).

4. I am pleased to see that your country's relations with the Holy See are marked by mutual respect and a spirit of collaboration. They reflect the close relationship between the Church and the Panamanian people, whom she has served and guided since the Cross of Christ was planted in these lands, proclaiming and revealing to her children "man's lofty calling and the divine seed within him" (Gaudium et spes GS 3).

Conscious of the Gospel-inspired values that ennoble individuals and nations, Catholics consider it their inescapable duty to co-operate in the common good, putting at the nation's service, in addition to each person's technical and intellectual abilities, a special sensitivity to the ethical and spiritual aspects that dignify and enrich the human being and sustain his life in society. By proclaiming the greatness of the dignity of the person, created and loved by God as his image, redeemed by Christ and called to share with him in the glory of total victory over evil and death, the Church, with full respect for the duties incumbent on the public authorities, contributes to the common good of the citizens and defends their inalienable rights such as respect for life in all its stages, support for the family, care of the weakest and access for everyone to a complete education, which includes the spiritual and religious dimension of the human being.

Moreover, these relations highlight the common esteem for human and spiritual values which the Holy See constantly proclaims in international forums. These values must be vigorously affirmed at this particular moment when communication and economic, political and cultural interdependence among nations require a common front in facing the great decisions that will determine the future of humanity.

Indeed, it is of the utmost importance that the full range of human rights be promoted despite the snares set by certain immediate interests, as I recalled in my last Message for the World Day of Peace (cf. n. 2), that trust in dialogue as the best way to solve conflicts be maintained and, finally, that a genuine civilization of life and love be fostered.

5. At the end of this meeting, Mr Ambassador, I wish to say that, despite the many years that have passed since my Pastoral Visit in 1983, I have a very vivid memory of Panama, its ecclesial communities, its families and its people. As I did then, I wish them prosperity and peace, asking for everyone the great gift of hope, which "offers solid and profound reasons for a daily commitment to transform reality in order to make it correspond to God's plan" (Tertio millennio adveniente TMA 46).

With these sentiments, I extend my cordial welcome to you again and to your distinguished family, as I offer you my best wishes that your stay in Rome will be very pleasant and that your mission will bear the fruit we desire for the beloved Panamanian nation.



March 1998

MESSAGE OF JOHN PAUL II

TO THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CHILD BUREAU

ON THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FOUNDATION




To Mrs Mijo Beccaria
President of the International Catholic Child Bureau

1. This year, 1998, the International Catholic Child Bureau (ICCB) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its foundation. On this occasion I am pleased to give thanks to the Lord for the growth of this international Catholic organization and for what it has done for children on all the continents.

2. I willingly encourage all those, in the ICCB or in partnership with it, who take up the cause of children and carry out a wide range of projects for their protection and advancement. As your association's recent report shows, in many countries, rich or poor, children are still exploited all too often, their dignity offended and their physical, psychological, intellectual, moral and spiritual growth seriously impaired. At the end of this millennium, there are many oppressive situations affecting children; criminal recourse to abortion is an attack on the life and respect due to every human being, especially the littlest ones, with whom Christ identified himself: whoever welcomes a child is welcoming the Lord (cf. Mt Mt 18,5); handicapped children are banished from society; while very young, some children are at the mercy of unscrupulous employers and, placed too early in gainful employment, are subjected to exhausting or degrading work which prevents them from receiving the education necessary for their development. Some children are homeless and forced to live in the street, in orphanages or detention centres. Likewise, drug and pornography rings, the trafficking in human organs or situations of conflict lead to horrible forms of child exploitation. It is urgently necessary to continue actively, as you do, to denounce these situations. In this spirit, I therefore invite the civil authorities and all the institutions with a role in protecting and educating children to continue adamantly to oppose these forms of oppression (cf. Evangelium vitae EV 10).


Speeches 1998