John Paul II is sending Archbishop Jean Louis Tauran, Vatican secretary for relations with states, as his special envoy for the celebrations, to be held from May 25-27.
On May 26, Archbishop Tauran will preside over a Mass in Moscow´s Catholic Cathedral, which is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the appointment of Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz as apostolic administrator of the Latins in Northern European Russia.
There will also be celebrations in Siberia for the inauguration or reopening of several Catholic parishes, Caritas offices, and a college of theology. Siberia made news recently when Polish-born Melkite Father Yan Leon Frackewicz, 66, was found dead in the village of Yartsevo, in Krasoyarsk, on April 15. The murderer is believed to be a thief who shot the priest who caught him stealing.
Catholics are making plans to travel to Ukraine to participate in John Paul II´s historic visit, in late June. Thousands of Russian Catholics are expected to make a pilgrimage to Kiev and Leopoli to see the Holy Father.
