JOHN PAUL II'S MESSAGE TO THE DIOCESE OF ROME

VATICAN CITY, FEB 17, 2001 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of John Paul II's Message to the faithful of the Diocese of Rome, in which the Holy Father recalls "some of the emotions created" by the Holy Year celebrations. The Pope expresses his gratitude to the Church of Rome, writing: "Thank you, therefore, Church of Rome, for being open to the grace of the Jubilee and for having responded to this grace with all the enthusiasm of your heart!"

After having recalled particular Jubilee celebrations, such as the Jubilee of the Family, the Jubilee of Youth and the celebration of the International Eucharistic Congress, the Pope writes that, after such experiences, "a new and fruitful season of evangelization of our city and the entire world awaits us."

John Paul II in particular asks the faithful of the Church of Rome to dedicate "a great deal of time to prayer and listening to the word of God" and to "utilize the Eucharist to the utmost, above all that of Sunday." He continues: "May the rediscovery of the sacrament of Reconciliation, which we have experienced during the Holy Year, be supported by appropriate catechesis and by the generous availability of priests in the confessional."

Referring to missionary formation, the Holy Father emphasizes how it is above all the parishes which undertake "the entire formative itinerary, beginning with the childhood years and following, without a break in continuity, through to youth, maturity and old age. It is a matter of forming authentic Christians and this cannot occur without a profound personal involvement, on the part of those providing formation as well as of those being formed."

The Pope asks all believers, "in particular the community of contemplative life, to intensify prayer for vocations. It is the primary commitment and the most necessary."

"I do not need to emphasize," the Pontiff continues, "how important, the pastoral ministry to the family is for a extensive missionary commitment in this historic moment in the which the family itself, in Rome as elsewhere, is undergoing a profound and widespread crisis."

At the end of the Message the Holy Father specifies that "the months which separate us from the conference in June," are an opportunity to "discover together the most efficacious ways to make permanent the commitment to the new evangelization. We well know, however, that as all else the enthusiasm, energy, and dedication of the evangelizers comes from that source which is the love of God," which "embraces, in Christ, all of our brethren in humanity, called like us to faith and salvation. It embraces, in particular, each of those who live in this great city, poor and rich, young and old, Italians and foreigners."

MESS;...;...;DIOCESE ROME;VIS;20010219;Word: 470;