THE CATACOMBS: CORNERSTONE OF PIETY AND UNITY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 13, 2002 (VIS) - John Paul II wrote a message to Archbishop Francesco Marchisano, president of the Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archeology, for the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first project undertaken by that organization. The commission was instituted by Pope Pius IX in order to extend the collection and study of Christian antiquities, with particular attention to the catacombs. The message is dated February 12.

"The catacombs," writes the Holy Father, "have represented, for believers in all ages, a cornerstone of piety and unity. There, eloquent testimony of the Church's sanctity, - serving to recall the communion that unites the living to the dead, ... time to eternity - is contained and venerated. In these holy places, the glorious coming of Christ is awaited by those marked with the seal of Baptism; those who, not infrequently, rendered the Gospel the ultimate witness of the effusion of their blood."

He continues: "Furthermore, I wish to recall that the commission over which you so worthily preside does not solely occupy itself with conserving the 'traces of the people of God.' It also seeks to gather and spread the religious and cultural message that such traces evoke. The contribution of those who work with you ... enables the Church to have an ever-deeper knowledge of the heritage left by the first Christian generations. The message that this heritage constantly and silently proclaims also helps Christians to remain faithful to the 'depositum fidei,' received as a precious treasure to be conserved with care."

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