MAY WE FORGIVE AND REQUEST FORGIVENESS, POPE SAYS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 12, 2000 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at 9:30 a.m. today, the Pope and cardinals celebrated Mass for the first Sunday of Lent, the Day of Pardon of the Holy Year 2000.

The celebration began with a 'statio' in front of the statue of the 'Pieta', which is located inside the basilica to the right of the entrance. Referring to the Virgin, John Paul II said that the Church, "like Holy Mary, embraces the crucified Savior" and requests forgiveness from the Father. A penitential procession then took place in which the evangeliarum was carried to the Altar of the Confession, after which the Mass began.

Following the Gospel reading, the Holy Father delivered his homily, in which he pointed out that "Christ, the Saint, although absolutely without sin, agreed to take our sins upon Himself. He agreed in order to redeem us, ... to accomplish the mission He received from the Father."

"Before Christ who, for love, accepted the burden of our iniquities, we are all called to a deep examination of conscience. One of the characteristic elements of the Great Jubilee lies in what I have defined as 'purification of memory'."

John Paul II indicated that it was appropriate in this first Sunday of Lent that the Church, "spiritually gathered around the Successor of Peter, should implore divine forgiveness for the sins of all believers. May we forgive and request forgiveness!"

"While we praise God who, in His merciful love, has generated a marvelous harvest of sanctity, of missionary passion and of total dedication to Christ and to others, we cannot but recognize the faithlessness to the Gospel into which some of our brothers have fallen, especially during the second millennium."

"With all the more reason," the Pope continued, "we confess our responsibility as Christians for the evils of today. In the face of atheism, religious indifference, secularism, ethical relativism, violations of the right to life and disinterest towards the poverty of many countries, we cannot but ask ourselves what our responsibilities are."

"At the same time," he added, "while we confess our sins, we forgive the sins committed against us by others."

The Holy Father highlighted that "the Church today and forever feels committed to purify the memory of those sad events from any feeling of bitterness or revenge. ... The commitment to forgive our brothers and sisters and to mutual reconciliation arises from the acceptance of divine forgiveness."

"However," he asked in concluding, "what does the term 'reconciliation' mean for us? To understand its exact meaning and value, one must first be aware of the possibility of division and separation." After recalling the parable of the Prodigal Son, the Pope said: "God, represented by the father of the parable, welcomes all prodigal sons who return to Him."

Following the homily, the universal prayer took place during which seven representatives of the Roman Curia made confessions of sin and requested pardon: Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, dean of the College of Cardinals, requested pardon for sins in general; Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for shortcomings in the service of truth; Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Committee for the Great Jubilee 2000, for sins that have compromised the unity of the Body of Christ; Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, for sins against the people of Israel; Archbishop Stephen Fumio Hamao, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, for sins against love, peace, the rights of peoples, the respect of cultures and religions; Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, for sins against the dignity of women and the unity of the human race; Archbishop Francois-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, for sins in the field of fundamental human rights.

Following the final blessing, the Pope requested that "this liturgy which has celebrated the Lord's mercy and has sought to purify the memory of the path followed by Christians over the centuries, may arouse, in the Church and in each one of us, a commitment to faith in the Gospel's perennial message. Never again contradictions against charity in the service of truth; never again actions against the communion of the Church; never again offenses against peoples; never again recourse to the logic of violence; never again discrimination, exclusion, oppression, contempt for the poor and downtrodden. May the Lord, in His grace, bring our project to fruition and lead us all together to eternal life."

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