INTENSIFY ATTENTION FOR THOSE IN NEED

VATICAN CITY, APR 1, 2001 (VIS) - At 9:30 a.m. this morning, John Paul II made a pastoral visit to the Parish of Our Lady of Suffrage and St. Augustine of Canterbury, where he presided over the Eucharistic celebration.

Commenting upon today's Gospel, the Pope recalled that the Lord offers his pardon to the adulteress and leads her "to full human and spiritual dignity." In the same way, "on Calvary, with the supreme sacrifice of His life, the Messiah will seal for every man and woman the infinite gift of the pardon and mercy of God."

Following this, the Holy Father made reference to the problematic situations that pastors must face in this area, "from the phenomenon of drug dependency to usury, from prostitution to juvenile difficulties, from unemployment to the sometimes difficult integration of immigrants."

"Your community," he added, "is very active and seeks to give concrete answers to those who live in serious difficulties. Intensify, dear people, in this time of Lent, attention for those who are in need. Together with fasting and prayer, charity is one of the characteristic elements of the lenten program. Spread the good always more and more, therefore, and give attention to the 'last' of the main points of your pastoral action."

The Pope concluded his homily with words of thanks to the youth for having welcomed in the milieu of the parish, about 1,500 other youth from various parts of the world on the occasion of the last World Youth Day. He then invited them to participate together with all the youth of Rome, next Thursday in St. Peter's Square, in the meeting in preparation for the celebration of World Youth Day, on April 8th, Palm Sunday.

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