HOLY SATURDAY: BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION OF SIX CATECHUMENS

VATICAN CITY, APR 14, 2001 (VIS) - Today, Holy Saturday, at 8:00 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, John Paul II presided over the solemn Easter Vigil. During the liturgy, the Holy Father administered the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation to six catechumens, five women and one man, from Italy, China, Japan, the United States, Peru, and Albania.

The vigil began in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica with the blessing of the fire and the lighting of the Easter Candle. After the procession to the altar with the Easter Candle and the singing of the Exsultet, the Pope presided over the Liturgy of the Word, the Baptismal Liturgy, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist concelebrated with numerous cardinals.

In his homily, the Pope recalled that the women who, at the break of dawn, rushed to the tomb where Jesus had been buried "did not yet know that this was the dawn of the most important day of history. They could not have known that they themselves, would be the first witnesses of Jesus' Resurrection."
"On this night, it is not darkness that dominates," John Paul II emphasized, "but the blinding brightness of a sudden light that breaks through with the startling news of the Lord's Resurrection."

The Holy Father went on to address the catechumens, saying that their presence "is indicative of the variety of cultures and peoples who have opened their hearts to the Gospel. On this night death gives way to life for you too, as for all the baptized. Sin is erased and a new life begins. Persevere to the end in fidelity and love."

"Yes, dear Brothers and Sisters," the Holy Father concluded, "Jesus lives and we live in Him. For ever. This is the gift of this night, which has definitively revealed to the world the power of Christ, Son of the Virgin Mary, whom He gave to us as Mother at the foot of the Cross. This Vigil makes us part of a day that knows no end. The day of Christ's Passover, which for humanity is the beginning of a renewed springtime of hope."

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