CONCERT OFFERED IN HONOR OF POPE JOHN PAUL

VATICAN CITY, SEP 23, 2000 (VIS) - The Republic of Hungary this evening offered a Jubilee Year concert in the Paul VI Hall in honor of Pope John Paul. The Danubia Youth Symphonic Orchestra, together with the National Choir of Hungary, performed Franz Liszt's "Missa Solennis" for the Pope who, after the concert, addressed the assembled guests, musicians and civil and religious authorities.

"It is rather significant," said the Holy Father, "that a thousand years having gone by since my predecessor Sylvester II crowned Stephen as the first king of Hungary, the Republic of Hungary has wished to offer a special homage to the Bishop of Rome. This gesture not only has a highly commemorative value, but also expresses the awareness of the profound ties that link the Hungarian people to the Church.

"History gives witness," he concluded, "to the benefits which have come to your nation from the leaven of Christianity and are now part of its culture. May the new millennium see further development of this fertile exchange on the path of authentic human progress."

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