EIGHTEEN CHILDREN BAPTIZED IN SISTINE CHAPEL

VATICAN CITY, JAN 7, 2001 (VIS) - In the Sistine Chapel today, feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Holy Father baptized 18 children from Italy, France and Portugal.

In the homily he pronounced during the ceremony, John Paul II told the parents and godparents of the infants that today "you have the joy of offering these newborns the most beautiful and precious of gifts: new life in Jesus, Savior of all mankind.

"In bringing these little ones into the world, you fathers and mothers have already collaborated with the Lord. He now requests your further collaboration: ... Sustain the action of His saving Word by committing yourselves to the education of these new Christians."

"Christian Baptism," explained the Pope, "supported by the sacrament of Confirmation, gives all believers, each in the ways consonant with his or her own specific vocation, shared responsibility in the great mission of the Church. Everyone - each in their own field with their own identity, in communion with others and with the Church - must feel united with the only Redeemer of the human race."

John Paul II concluded by referring to the Jubilee year in which "the Church's vitality was made plain to all. For Christians, the legacy of this extraordinary event is the task of confirming their faith in the context of everyday life."

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