POPE SPEAKS OF CHRISTIAN UNITY, UPCOMING TRIP TO THE AMERICAS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 17, 1998 (VIS) - Jewish-Christian religious dialogue, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and his imminent trip to Mexico and the United States were the subjects of Pope John Paul's reflections prior to praying the angelus today with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.

The Pope first referred to the celebration today in Italy of "The Day of deepening and development of Jewish-Christian religious dialogue." He called this an "auspicious occasion" to renew his hope that "this third year of immediate preparation for the Jubilee, dedicated to God the Father, will be a great and joyous opportunity for interreligious dialogue, especially among believers in the one, true God."

He then spoke of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which starts tomorrow and ends January 25, feast of the conversion of St. Paul, with a celebration in the basilica of St. Paul's-Outside-the-Walls. He observed that "in coming days Christians of all denominations will share reflections and experiences on a theme prepared by a mixed group of Protestants, Orthodox and Catholics: 'They shall be his people; and God Himself shall be with them'."

John Paul II said he would be absent from the closing celebrations because, "from January 22 to 28, I will go to Mexico City and to St. Louis in the United States to give the faithful of the American continent the post-synodal apostolic exhortation, which gathers indications and orientations which emerged at the recent Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for America." He recalled that Mexico was the site, 20 years ago, of the first apostolic trip of his pontificate.

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