HOLY SATURDAY: BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION OF EIGHT CATECHUMENS

VATICAN CITY, APR 3, 1999 (VIS) - At 8 p.m., the Pope presided in St. Peter's Basilica at the solemn Easter vigil, during which he administered the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation to eight catechumens - five men and three women who came from six countries.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the Pope blessed the new fire in the atrium of the basilica and lit the pascal candle, which was carried in procession to the altar.

John Paul II addressed the catechumens at the beginning of his homily: "Through Baptism you will become members of the Body of Christ, fully sharing in the mystery of communion found there. May your lives be immersed forever in this Easter mystery, so that you will always be true witnesses of God's love."

"In this year dedicated to God the Father, how can we fail to think of this night, Easter night, as the great night of the Father's 'vigil'? This 'vigil' of God embraces the entire Easter Triduum. But in a special way the Father 'keeps watch' during Holy Saturday, whilst the Son lies dead in the tomb. The mystery of Christ's victory over the sin of the world is kept safe precisely in the Father's keeping watch."

Having quoted the words of the psalm, "the stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone", the Pope concluded: "This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church and we are proud to profess it on the threshold of the third millennium, because the Passover of Christ is the hope of the world, yesterday, today and forever."

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