HOLY FATHER CELEBRATES NAME DAY WITH FELLOW POLES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 4, 1999 (VIS) - Today at noon in the Paul VI Hall John Paul II welcomed 4,000 Poles from the archdiocese of Danzika and the diocese of Tarnow, whom he thanked "for not forgetting the Pope." His fellow countrymen came to greet him and celebrate with him his "onomastico" or name day. The Pope was baptized Karol in honor of St. Charles Borromeo, whose feast is today.

The Holy Father reminded them that Charles Borromeo, "this bishop, and later cardinal, is an example of a zealous pastor, dedicated totally to the cause of God, who never measured any effort or sacrifice. He died young, at the age of 46, consumed by superhuman work and steeped in penance. The Church owes him a great deal." St. Charles Borromeo, recalled the Pope, is buried in the crypt of Milan's cathedral, though his heart is in a reliquary in Rome's St. Charles Basilica on Via del Corso.

"Today's world, and even our country," John Paul II remarked, "need saintly men and women, that is to say, upright people, who faithfully fulfill the will of God, filled with the spirit of service and solicitude for mankind. We need honest men and women, who love the truth, who work for the common good, sometimes at the price of generously renouncing their own (good)."

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