MULTILINGUAL GREETINGS: POPE CALLS FOR END TO USURY

VATICAN CITY, APR 14, 1999 (VIS) - In his multilingual greetings to pilgrims present today in St. Peter's Square for the weekly general audience, Pope John Paul extended "a special welcome to Cardinal William Keeler and to the American Catholic and Jewish leaders involved in the Interreligious Information Center in Baltimore."

Using their native languages, he spoke of the Easter season and the Resurrection of Christ to the faithful from the Netherlands, Belgium, Lithuania, the Czech and Slovak Republics and Croatia. "I hope," he said in Dutch, "that you can personally experience the love and grace of the Risen Christ in this Easter time, and rediscover your Christian vocation." In Lithuanian he said: "May today's encounter be for everyone a special moment of grace to discover Christ again, the light and hope of the world, and to proclaim him with generous works of fraternal charity."

In Italian, the Holy Father welcomed the members of the National Council of Anti-usury Foundations and their regional delegations "who came to call the public's attention to the worrisome and, unfortunately, widespread phenomenon of usury, which often brings with it dramatic social consequences.

"I know well, dear friends, the difficulties that you face. But I know that you are determined and united in fighting this serious social evil. Continue to combat usury, giving hope to individuals and families who are its victims. The Pope encourages you to pursue your generous work to build a more just society, one of solidarity, and more attentive to the demands of the needy."

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