AACHEN CATHEDRAL COMMEMORATES 1200 YEARS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 31, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was a message from the Holy Father to Bishop Heinrich Mussinghoff of Aachen, Germany, for the occasion of the 1200th anniversary of that city's cathedral, constructed by the emperor Charlemagne in the year 800.

In the message, dated January 25, the Pope writes that in building the cathedral, Charlemagne "was already aware of the need for strong links with Peter's Successor."

John Paul II recalls that the cathedral houses four relics of cloth that Jerusalem donated to the emperor and that "palpably and with profound reverence, recall significant events in the history of salvation." The most precious relic is the "cloth that bound Jesus' side."

Another of the relics kept in the cathedral, said the Pope, "recalls the attire that clothed the Mother of God on Holy Night. Just as Mary carried the Son in her womb, so the Church, His image, carries Christ in the attire of the pilgrim over the centuries."
The Holy Father concludes by expressing his hope that the 12th centenary of Aachen cathedral "may remind all Christians that they are living stones in the house of God."

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