MASS FOR THE MILLENNIUM OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF KRAKOW

VATICAN CITY, 15 JUN, 1999 (VIS) - This morning Cardinal Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano celebrated Mass in the name of the Pope - who has a slight fever - on the esplanade of Blonie in Krakow, on the occasion of the millennium of the Krakow archdiocese. One million faithful, braving a steady rain, participated in the Mass.

The Pope's homily was read by Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, archbishop of Krakow.

"If we list today the fruit of ten centuries of the existence of the Church in Krakow," he said in the homily, "we do so to inflame our hearts with gratitude to God, who in the course of this history has poured out countless graces upon His people."

He added: "If we embrace in our thoughts and hearts today all those who labored as pastors in this Church for the kingdom of Christ, in historical perspective we see not only the priests but also countless hosts of lay people. ... All these men and women of the Church, whether known by name or anonymous, by their lives, their holiness, their everyday work and their suffering, testified in this land that God is love and that with this love God embraces everyone and leads them on the paths of this world to a new life. There is no greater reason than this for giving thanks for the thousand-year history of the Church in the land of Krakow. There is no greater gift than the gift of holiness which this land has received from the hands of the Church over the past ten centuries."

"Throughout its history, the Church of Krakow has survived many storms and many trials. To dwell only on this century, we know that in the first place it resisted the destructive force of war and occupation, and despite painful losses it upheld its dignity, thanks especially to the uncompromising attitude of the Prince, Cardinal Adam Sapieha. In the half-century after the war, the Church faced new challenges brought on by communist totalitarianism and the atheistic ideology. The Church overcame the period of persecutions without ever losing the strength of its witness."
"Now," said the Pope's homily, "as we give thanks for the past splendor of this Church, in the same spirit we must look at today and tomorrow. ... We must plan for the future so that it will be seen that the treasure of faith, hope and charity, which our fathers kept in the midst of struggles and which they handed down to us, will not be lost by this generation lulled into sleep. ... We bear a great responsibility for the development of faith, for the salvation of contemporary man, and for the fate of the Church in the new millennium."

At the end of Mass, Cardinal Sodano said: "I thank you for your great example of faith and I thank you especially for the great love which you have for the Holy Father. Even though it is a rainy day, Krakow has shown itself to be a city of joy. Continue to pray for the Pope according to that beautiful liturgical prayer 'Dominus conservet eum'. In the name of the cardinals here present and the papal entourage, I would also like to thank the community of Krakow for having given the Church of Rome and the universal Church a great pastor like our beloved Pope."

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