SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI: A CALL FOR PEACE

VATICAN CITY, JUN 3, 1999 (VIS) - At 7 p.m. today, Solemnity of Corpus Christi, John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist on the square in front of St. John Lateran Basilica, and then presided at the traditional eucharistic procession to the basilica of St. Mary Major.

In the homily, the Pope indicated that both the Mass and the procession had a particular aim: "They seek to be a unanimous and heartfelt call for peace. ... We wish to pray together for peace, we wish to pray especially for peace in the Balkans."

He continued: "In order to have peace, which is the synthesis of all the good promised by God, it is first of all necessary not to forget past experience, but rather to treasure it. ... Looking at this century and at the millennium that draws to a close, how can we not recall the terrible trials that humanity has had to suffer? We cannot forget: On the contrary we must remember. Help us, God our Father, to draw the right lessons from our own circumstances and those of our forebears."
The Holy Father made clear that, "in giving Himself, Christ gave us peace. His peace is not the peace of the world, frequently composed of cunning and compromise, if not actually of oppression and violence. The peace of Christ is the fruit of His paschal mystery."

He said that, when the Eucharist is carried in procession, "we will walk questioning ourselves about our own personal testimony in favor of peace. In fact, it is not sufficient to talk of peace if afterwards we do not commit ourselves to cultivating peaceful sentiments in our hearts, and displaying them in our daily dealings with those who live around us. ... Our prayer is fortified this evening by the prospect of peace which seems finally to have been opened."

At the end of the Mass, the Holy Father presided at the procession that passed along Via Merulana to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Along the route, thousands of the faithful prayed and sang, accompanying the Blessed Sacrament. A covered vehicle transported the Sacrament in a monstrance, before which the Holy Father prayed, kneeling on a prie-dieu.

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