FOLLOWING CHRIST REQUIRES CONSTANT INTERIOR GROWTH

VATICAN CITY, MAY 11, 2000 (VIS) - In the Clementine Hall at midday today, the Pope received 400 faithful from Venezuela who have come to Rome on a Jubilee pilgrimage. Prior to their encounter with the Pope, they participated in a Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica.

The Lord, said the Pope in his address, "asks everyone to change their mentality and lifestyle in order to closely follow (Him) and thus face daily life according to the spirit of the Gospel. To radically follow Christ requires intense and constant interior growth. To this end it is necessary to assiduously cultivate prayer, to participate with as much frequency as possible in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of penance and to practice the Evangelical virtues."

John Paul II recalled the floods that struck Venezuela last year causing numerous victims. "From the very first, I raised prayers for the dead, asking the Lord for consolation, serenity and light for those who, amidst so much pain, were faced with the arduous task of reconstruction." He encouraged them "to stay close to those who are still suffering the tragic consequences of that situation, to remain united with one another and to be concerned for other people's destiny even if it means making sacrifices.

"The other present-day challenge is to follow the path of new evangelization. ... Evangelization will also help to ensure that the values of God's Kingdom are present in society at a time in which your country is revising its institutional and legislative structures. In this matter, it is necessary that you Christians make your voice heard so that evangelical values continue to be present in your homeland and do not, under any circumstances, lose their importance."

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