AUDIENCE WITH THE PONTIFICAL SPANISH COLLEGE IN ROME

VATICAN CITY, DEC 1, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today in the Vatican's Clementine Hall, the Pope received the rector, staff and associates of the Pontifical Spanish College of St. Joseph in Rome.

In his address, the Holy Father highlighted that "broader academic formation and a more universal experience of the Church" are "extremely important aspects for priests today, who are called to proclaim the Gospel in environments that are ever more multi-faceted, variable and, at the same time, interrelated."

"By your academic education and the experience of these years passed in Rome, you will be able to bring new force to the efforts of so many of your countrymen and women in order that, in Spanish society, the spirit of the world does not prevail over the Word of God."

John Paul II assured them that, in this task, they would be helped by "the ever pertinent example of St. John of Avila," patron of Spanish diocesan clergy. "He condensed his ideas into one simple counsel: 'pray, meditate, study.' Indeed, meditation and an intense spiritual life make it possible to transmit with conviction the mystery of Christ, which fills the existence of priests and which is so sorely needed by a generation that frequently suffers from a life vacuum and a lack of meaning. In turn, study favors a correct understanding of doctrine and, consequently, fosters the ability to teach that doctrine correctly in all concrete situations."

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