ANGELUS: FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY

VATICAN CITY, DEC 30, 2001 (VIS) - At midday today, John Paul II appeared at the window of his study in order to pray the angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.

The Pope recalled that today is the feast of the Holy Family and emphasized that "the Redeemer chose the family as the place for His birth, ... thus sanctifying this fundamental institution of all societies."

In the family of Nazareth, he went on, we see "the accomplishment of the divine plan for making the family an intimate community of life and love. ... The future of humanity," said the Holy Father, recalling the 20th anniversary of the apostolic exhortation 'Familiaris consortio', "comes through the family that, in modern times, has been marked more than any other institution by the deep and rapid transformations of culture and society."

He concluded by quoting the apostolic exhortation: "The Church has never ceased 'to speak and offer her help to those who are already aware of the value of marriage and the family and seek to live it faithfully, to those who are uncertain and anxious and searching for the truth'."

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