"YOU ARE IN THE POPE'S HEART," JOHN PAUL TELLS THE POOR

VATICAN CITY, JUN 15, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul, joined by a number of cardinals and bishops, had lunch today in the atrium of the Paul VI Hall with 200 poor and homeless people. He told them that "among the many Jubilee appointments this one today is surely the most heart-felt and meaningful. I wished to meet you and to share this meal with you to tell you that you are in the Pope's heart. With great affection I embrace each of you, friends who are very dear to me."

"Certainly the time that I will spend with you is very brief," said the Holy Father, "but I assure you that every day I follow you with affection and prayer. As I look at you, one by one, I think of how many others, in Rome as in every part of the world, are going through moments of trials and difficulties. I would like to approach each one to tell them: Don't feel alone, because God loves you. The Pope loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and with him the entire Church opens her arms to you in welcome and fraternity."

John Paul II then remarked that "our lunch, in its simplicity, represents a meaningful preparation" for the International Eucharistic Congress which opens in Rome on June 18 and which "is the heart of the Jubilee Year." He said "today we find ourselves around the material table; together, and in greater numbers, next week we will approach the spiritual table, the banquet of the Eucharist, to celebrate God's love which makes us brothers who feel solidarity for each other."

He concluded by thanking the guests for their presence, the people who organized and cooked today's meal and those who provided entertainment.

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