POPE RECEIVES LUTHERAN EVANGELICAL DELEGATION FROM FINLAND

VATICAN CITY, JAN 19, 2001 (VIS) - An ecumenical delegation from the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Finland was welcomed to the Vatican this morning by Pope John Paul, who told them that he had "vivid memories of the great ecumenical liturgies and gatherings which we celebrated during the Holy Year." He highlighted the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which began with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, and the Commemoration of Witnesses to the Faith at the Colosseum.

The Holy Father pointed out that Christians in Finland celebrated the Jubilee on the theme "Millennium 2000 - Year of Hope." He said that "the Jubilee was also the occasion to ensure that issues of justice for the poor and marginalized become more central not only to Christians in Finland but to Finnish society as a whole, and this too was an area in which Christians in your land worked together effectively."

In concluding remarks, the Pope said that "as we enter the Third Millennium, we are conscious of the need to commit ourselves ever more deeply to the task of restoring full and visible unity among all the disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ."

AC;LUTHERANS; JUBILEE; UNITY;...;FINLAND;VIS;20010119;Word: 210;