VATICAN CITY, NOV 26, 2001 (VIS) - After celebrating Mass this morning in St. Peter's Basilica, during which he canonized four Blesseds, Pope John Paul appeared at his study window to recite the noon Angelus with the pilgrims gathered in the square.
He reflected on today's Solemnity of Christ the King, saying that "The Church invites us to contemplate the kingliness of the Redeemer, which emerges with particular eloquence in the lives of saints. This morning, in the basilica, I had the joy of proclaiming four new ones. ... Their witness shows that the Crucified One truly 'lives and reigns forever and ever'. Yes, He is 'the living one', 'the Lord', and reigns in the lives of men and women of every place and time, who freely welcome Him and faithfully follow Him."
The Holy Father added that, "Measured by the criteria of the world, the kingliness of Christ seems, so to speak, paradoxical. The power that He exercises, in fact, isn't part of earthly logic. It is, on the contrary, the power of love and service, which calls for the free gift of oneself and a coherent witness to truth."
In closing reflections, John Paul II told the faithful: "We must pray tirelessly to obtain the great gift of peace, a gift that mankind needs so very much. We will invoke this gift with trust, even with the two initiatives I announced last Sunday: the day of fasting in December and the prayer encounter in Assisi in January with the representatives of the world's religions. May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede for us before her Son, immortal King and Lord of peace."
ANG;PEACE; CHRIST KING;...;...;VIS;20011126;Word: 270;
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