WITNESS OF CHARITY IS THE GREAT MODERN PROPHECY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 29, 2000 (VIS) - This morning the Pope received members of the Congregation of the Servants of Charity who are participating in their general chapter, the theme of which is: "Charismatic identity and prophetic witness of the Servants of Charity in the Church and in the world of the third Christian millennium."

"Witness of charity is the great prophecy of modern times," said John Paul II. During the Jubilee year "a refuge of charity must be set up and extended through the whole Church to welcome the multitudes of poor people present in modern society. This is the primary challenge that faces the religious family of Blessed Luigi Guanella," the founder of the congregation.

In order to respond to the requirements of the poor, there is need for "a prophetic announcement that extends its reach to the very structures of society which lie at the roots of so much injustice and oppression against the weaker classes. This represents a second and more difficult challenge for those who have chosen to follow Christ, the good Samaritan."

The Holy Father indicated that the participation of nuns and lay people in the general chapter, "is more than ever significant. It will help you to deepen unity and consolidate collaboration between Don Guanella's spiritual children, in order to strengthen their witness of charity for a juster and more fraternal world."

The Pope concluded by encouraging the followers of Don Guanella, "in the face of a world frequently marked by tensions and individualism, to be ever more a visible sign of dialogue and fraternal communion, as well as credible witnesses of reconciliation and peace."

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