POPE MOURNS ASSASSINATED MISSIONARIES WITH SALESIAN BISHOPS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2001 (VIS) - As the cardinals who came to Rome for the extraordinary consistory were meeting in language groups this morning, Pope John Paul held the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. After the catechesis in Italian, and summaries in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German, the Pope greeted the 13,000 faithful present in these and other languages.

He welcomed a delegation from Macedonia, which traditionally comes to Rome at this time each year for the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Addressing pilgrims from the Czech Republic he noted that tomorrow is the celebration of the Lord's Ascension when "Christ returns to the glory that is His, but He returns with the human nature taken from Mary."

The Holy Father then had special words for "the Salesian archbishops and bishops, who have been called for the first time to reflect together on the charism of Don Bosco in the episcopal service." He noted that "the perennial reality of the educational program of Don Bosco, father and teacher of young people, has animated the pastoral charity of so many Salesian bishops."

The Pope also recalled "the dimension of martyrdom which has accompanied the missionary action of the sons of Don Bosco," including "your three Indian confreres sacrificed recently in Imphal, in northeast India. Once again I express my heartfelt participation in the congregation's pain for these sons who were barbarously killed, and I exhort all Salesians to persevere courageously in their witness to Christ and the Gospel."

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