40,000 FAITHFUL GATHER IN ST PETER'S FOR REGINA COELI

VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2000 (VIS) - Before reciting the Regina Coeli with the 40,000 faithful gathered in St. Peter's, Pope John Paul reminded them that "this evening, at the Colosseum, there will be an important Jubilee event: the ecumenical commemoration of the Witnesses to the Faith of the 20th century."

"The century just-concluded," he said, "was marked by many dark shadows; but in their midst there were also splendid lights. So many men and women, Christians of every confession, race and age, witnessed to the faith during persecutions, while in prison, in the midst of deprivations of every type, and many of them even shed their blood to remain faithful to Christ, to the Church, to the Gospel."

The Holy Father went on to say that "it is the very light of Easter which shines in them: it is from Christ's resurrection, in fact, that His disciples receive the strength to follow the Teacher in the hour of trial. For this reason this commemoration was placed with the Easter liturgical season."

"To recall the heroic witnesses of the faith of the 20th century means preparing for the future, assuring a solid foundation for hope. The new generations must know how much the faith cost those who received it as their legacy, in order to receive with gratitude the torch of the Gospel and to illuminate the new century and new millennium with it."

In concluding remarks, John Paul II stated that "it is important to underline that this evening's celebration will have an ecumenical mark: the witness of several Christians of various denominations and ecclesial communities will be proclaimed. Their courage in taking upon themselves the Cross of Christ speaks with a voice that is stronger than that of the factors which divide."

Several thousand members belonging to an estimated 74 Italian bands were among the faithful present in St. Peter's Square today. They arrived in early morning, participated in a Mass in the basilica and then entertained the pilgrims in the square.

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