JOHN PAUL II RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE 3,000 SLOVENIAN PILGRIMS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 26, 2000 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at midday today, the Pope received 3,000 pilgrims from Slovenia who have come to Rome for the Jubilee. He said that he saw in this meeting the response of the Slovenian people to his two "unforgettable apostolic trips" to their country, in 1996 and 1999.

The Pope urged the faithful present "to greater courage and a healthy awareness of your dignity, something you must also show in your public commitment. Half a century of totalitarianism has left many Christians with a feeling of inferiority and fear. It is time to overcome this timid attitude! ... Collaborate with all men and women of good faith in the fields of politics, economy, culture, schooling and the mass media."
"Finally, I call upon you," he concluded, "to implement, with all the drive of heart and soul, the conclusions of the synod of the Church in Slovenia, which is taking place on the theme: 'Choose life'. ... Above all, defend life! This is the crucial question for the survival of the Slovenian people. The synod should instill in souls a new trust and a new hope in life."

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