DOMINICANS ARE CALLED TO BE MASTERS OF TRUTH AND SANCTITY

VATICAN CITY, FEB 15, 2002 (VIS) - This morning, John Paul II received members of the general council of the Order of Friars Preachers (Dominicans) and recalled his years of study at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

His time at the university was, he said, "a very fruitful period in my theological formation, thanks also to the expert contribution of unforgettable and prestigious Dominican teachers" such as Frs. Garrigou-Lagrange, Paul Philippe and Mario Luigi Ciappi.

The Holy Father indicated that the Dominican Order "has a specific task in the vast field of new evangelization. ... This is a united undertaking of the Church, one to which all members of the people of God, and particularly families of religious, must make their contribution."

"Only those who have experienced God," he continued, "can speak of Him convincingly to others. In the school of St. Dominic and of the many Dominican saints, you are called to be masters of truth and sanctity."

He concluded: "May this be the fundamental orientation of your general council in laying out courageous guidelines for the life and apostolate of Dominican friars in the world. I follow you with affection and wish all goodness for your communities on all continents."

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