CLOSING MASS FOR THE SPECIAL ASSEMBLY FOR EUROPE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 1999 (VIS) - Today at 10:30 a.m. in St. Peter's Basilica, John Paul II presided at a solemn Eucharistic concelebration with the synod fathers, thus marking the close of the Second Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops whose theme has been, "Jesus Christ, Alive in His Church, the Source of Hope for Europe."

In his homily, the Pope indicated that this synod "closes with the sign of the joyous witness that comes from the experience of Christ, living in His Church. The source of hope, for Europe and for the entire world is Christ, the Word made Flesh, the only mediator between God and man."
"With firm conviction," the Holy Father went on, "the Church reiterates to the men and women of the year 2000, especially those who live submerged in relativism and materialism: welcome Christ into your existence! ... Christ is the future of man."

The Holy Father affirmed that "this announcement of hope, this Good News, is the heart of evangelization." He underlined that the synod fathers' work has adopted "the call of the Spirit to the Churches in Europe to commit themselves to face the new challenges." To the fathers he said, "you have not been afraid to look, with a clear eye, upon the reality of the continent, noting the light as well as the shadow. Furthermore, faced with the problems of the present time, you have indicated useful orientations to make the face of Christ more visible, through more incisive annunciation corroborated by coherent witness.

"In this context, light and consolation shine forth from the saints that fill the history of the European continent." He went on to recall Saints Edith Stein, Bridget of Sweden and Catherine of Siena, whom he has proclaimed co-patronesses of Europe. He also recalled those who, "in the obscurity of family, professional and social life, lived a saintliness no less generous or authentic," as well as those "confessors of the faith and the many martyrs of this last century. All of them ... have built Europe as a spiritual and moral edifice, leaving the most precious of inheritances to future generations."

John Paul II concluded the synod by asking that Europe "guarantee, adhering creatively to its humanistic and Christian traditions, the primacy of ethical and spiritual values. This is a hope that 'comes from the firm conviction that there can be no true and fertile unity for Europe if it is not built on its spiritual foundations'."

Following the Eucharistic concelebration, the Holy Father invited the participants to a fraternal meal at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.

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