FOLLOWING CHRIST REQUIRES CONSTANT INTERIOR GROWTH

VATICAN CITY, MAY 11, 2000 (VIS) - In the Clementine Hall at midday today, the Pope received 400 faithful from Venezuela who have come to Rome on a Jubilee pilgrimage. Prior to their encounter with the Pope, they participated in a Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica.

The Lord, said the Pope in his address, "asks everyone to change their mentality and lifestyle in order to closely follow (Him) and thus face daily life according to the spirit of the Gospel. To radically follow Christ requires intense and constant interior growth. To this end it is necessary to assiduously cultivate prayer, to participate with as much frequency as possible in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of penance and to practice the Evangelical virtues."

John Paul II recalled the floods that struck Venezuela last year causing numerous victims. "From the very first, I raised prayers for the dead, asking the Lord for consolation, serenity and light for those who, amidst so much pain, were faced with the arduous task of reconstruction." He encouraged them "to stay close to those who are still suffering the tragic consequences of that situation, to remain united with one another and to be concerned for other people's destiny even if it means making sacrifices.

"The other present-day challenge is to follow the path of new evangelization. ... Evangelization will also help to ensure that the values of God's Kingdom are present in society at a time in which your country is revising its institutional and legislative structures. In this matter, it is necessary that you Christians make your voice heard so that evangelical values continue to be present in your homeland and do not, under any circumstances, lose their importance."

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A CHRISTIAN'S CALL TO MISSION IS A DUTY AND A GRACE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 11, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, in his address to the General Assembly of the Superior Council of the Pontifical Missionary Works (POM), the Holy Father thanked the many men and women who, "having dedicated themselves 'ad vitam' to the 'ad gentes' mission, have made missionary work the raison d'etre of their lives."

Among those present today were Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Archbishop Charles Schleck, congregation adjunct secretary and president of POM, and national missionary directors. The four Pontifical Missionary Works are: the Pontifical Missionary Union, the Propagation of the Faith, St. Peter Apostle and the Pontifical Missionary Society of the Holy Childhood.

Remarking that today's meeting occurs within the framework of the Jubilee Year 2000, John Paul II stated that "the Great Jubilee is 'the announcement of salvation' which must be echoed in every corner of the earth, so that those who hear it become in turn witnesses and instruments for the salvation of very person."

He called missionaries "an incomparable example of dedication to the cause of spreading the Gospel," and added that "many times they proclaim the Good News and show their faith in hostile or indifferent milieux. ... God, whose generosity knows no bounds, will know how to compensate them."

The Pope's recalled the duty of those present to "sensitize Christians" to the work of mission. "The call to mission, beyond being a duty for every baptized person, is also a grace. Those who have made it the principal choice of their lives know it well.

In concluding remarks, the Holy Father highlighted the October 18-22 World Missionary Congress 2000, which occurs concomitant with World Mission Day, and which will focus on the theme "Jesus, the Source of Life for All."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 11, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Edward M. Egan of Bridgeport, U.S.A., as metropolitan archbishop of New York (area 12,212, population 5,254,300, Catholics 3,000,000, priests 2,053, permanent deacons 264, religious 5,414), U.S.A. The archbishop-elect was born in Oak Park, U.S.A., in 1932, ordained a priest in 1957 and consecrated a bishop in 1985. From 1964 to 1968 he was vice-chancellor of the archdiocese of Chicago, from 1972 to 1985 he was a judge in the Roman Rota and from May 1985 to November 1988, he was auxiliary of New York.

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