POPE WELCOMES SISTERS OF ST. PAUL OF CHARTRES

VATICAN CITY, SEP 15, 2001 (VIS) - Seventy Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, founded in 1696 by Fr. Louis Chauvet, were welcomed by Pope John Paul this morning at Castelgandolfo as they were in Rome to celebrate their 45th General Chapter and elect a new council general.

In his talk to them, he recalled that their charism is "being consecrated in a special way to the service of youth and the poorest. ... Still today, on five continents, your presence in the worlds of education and health and with the marginalized remains an eminent sign of the 'madness' of Christ's love for all men and a courageous appeal to work for the coming of the Kingdom of God."

The Holy Father noted that "youth today on all continents live in difficult situations, linked to materialism, to cultural changes, to family divisions, to violence in all its forms, to a lack of moral and spiritual guideposts. In your educating mission, with the laity who work at your sides, it is important that you offer a quality scientific, human, moral and religious formation, giving young people the chance to build and structure their personalities and to surmount the difficulties they meet, allowing them to envisage a more serene future.

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