THE "CRY OF THE POOR" REQUIRES A CONCRETE RESPONSE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 8, 1999 (VIS) - This morning, the Pope travelled 340 kilometers by helicopter from Lichen to Elk in northeastern Poland on the frontier with Lithuania where, at 11 he presided at the Mass of Queen Saint Hedwig in "Plac Sapera."

Present at the Eucharistic celebration were the president of the Republic of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, and a large group of pilgrims from that country. Addressing them in his homily, the Holy Father said: "May faith ever be your nation's strength, and may the witness to Christ's love produce spiritual fruits. It is on faith that you must build the future of your country, of your lives, of your identity as Lithuanians and Christians, for the good of the Church, of Europe and of humanity."

The Pope then commented the Gospel passage narrating the meeting of Jesus with Zacchaeus, who promises to give half his goods to the poor. "'The cry of the poor' of all the world rises endlessly from the earth and reaches God. It is the cry of children, women, the elderly, refugees, those who have been wronged, the victims of war, the unemployed."

The cry of the poor, he continued, "requires us to give a concrete and generous response. It requires us to be willing to serve our neighbor. ... Let us strive to listen to this cry. Let us strive to act and live in such a way that in our country no one will be without a roof over their head or bread on the table; that no one will feel alone, left without anyone to care for them. I make this appeal to my fellow countrymen."

"Development and economic progress must never be at the expense of men and women, hindering the meeting of their fundamental needs. The human person must be the subject of development, that is, its most important point of reference. Development and economic progress cannot be pursued at whatever cost! That would not be worthy of man."

Recalling Queen Saint Hedwig, the Pope said: "Her generosity to the poor is well known. Although she was rich, she did not forget the poor. For us she is a model of how to live and put into practice Christ's teaching about love and mercy, about how we must make ourselves like Him."
"There is a great need for people who are poor in spirit, that is, people who are open to the truth and to grace, open to the great things of God; there is a need for big-hearted people who do not let themselves be deceived by the splendor of the riches of this world, and who do not allow these riches to dominate their hearts."

Following the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope travelled to the new curial offices of Elk where he had lunch, after which he was scheduled to journey by helicopter to Wigry, a village of 200 people and site of a Camaldolese monastery surrounded by woods and lakes. The Holy Father will spend the night there and tomorrow will enjoy a day free from public engagements.

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