AUDIENCE WITH GENERAL CONGRESS OF THE ORATORY OF PHILIP NERI

VATICAN CITY, OCT 5, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today in the Clementine Hall, John Paul II received the participants in the general congress of the Confederation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri.

The Pope expressed the desire that the revision of the sources of St. Philip Neri's spirituality and works - which will take place during the congress - "will give rise in each congregation to a renewed awareness of the validity and contemporariness of the 'missionary method' of your founder, and make a significant contribution towards the commitment to 'new evangelization'."

"The ever-valid criterion for all renewal of the Christian community," said the Holy Father, "consists in returning to Jesus Christ: to His Word, to His presence, to the salvific action He accomplishes in the Sacraments of the Church. This commitment will lead priests to give precedence, as is part of your tradition, to the ministry of Confession and to the spiritual guidance of the faithful, in order to respond fully to your charism and to the Church's expectations. In this way, they will help lay people who belong to the secular oratories to understand the essential value of being 'christifideles' in the light of St. Philip Neri's own experience which, with regard to the laity, anticipated methods and ideas that would later turn out to be fruitful in the life of the Church."

The Pope asked that each congregation dedicate particular attention to the initial and permanent formation of its members in order to attain "a growing spiritual vitality and an effective apostolic presence. In particular, I call upon you to let yourselves be guided by these values - especially in approaching the world of youth which, notwithstanding the difficulties, is full of promise - considering yourselves as special envoys to those who are 'distant', but so close to the heart of the Savior."

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