MAY 1, THE JUBILEE OF WORKERS

VATICAN CITY, APR 14, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, there was the presentation of the Jubilee of Workers, which will be celebrated on May 1 on the theme "Work for all: the path of solidarity and justice."

Businessmen, managers, workers, members of co-operatives and financial and business agents from all over the world will be participating in the Jubilee.

The Jubilee events will begin on Sunday April 30 with a preparatory prayer vigil focussing on Christ's Resurrection. This will take place in the Basilica of St. John Lateran under the guidance of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's vicar general for the diocese of Rome.

Prior to the Eucharistic celebration on May 1 at Rome's Torvergata University, starting at 10:30 a.m. and presided over by the Holy Father, there will be a time for meditations, songs and interviews which aim to present and describe the different experiences and methods of human labor.

During the Mass, the Pope will present an offering - collected during the course of the day - towards the ecclesial campaign for debt reduction. Finally, Juan Somavia, director general of the International Labor Organization and Paola Bignardi, president of Italian Catholic Action, will greet the Pope, representing, respectively, the world of work and all working women.

The Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, will then sing the Jubilee hymn and a number of sacred arias, accompanied by the choir and the orchestra of the Academy of St. Cecilia. John Paul II will give a brief message to the world of work and receive greetings of a delegation of people representing various types of work. The gathering will close with a rendition of the song "Life is Beautiful."

In the afternoon, the traditional May 1 concert will take place, dedicated to the campaign for reducing the debt of the poorest countries.

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