HOLY FATHER GREETS PILGRIMS FROM NAPLES, GENOA AND TURIN

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2002 (VIS) - In the Paul VI Hall this morning the Pope welcomed 4,000 Italian pilgrims, including a group of lay ministers from the diocese of Naples, representatives of the Salesian Work of Genoa-Sampierdarena, celebrating its 130th anniversary, and "The Students of Heaven," a community of young singers from Turin.

He thanked the lay leaders from Naples for their service to the Church, remarking that in their work they are "collaborators of the priest, but above all, servants of Jesus. I invite you, therefore, to cultivate an intimate friendship with Him, recognizing in Him a true friend Who is always at your side, in good times and difficult ones."

John Paul II, in remarks to the pilgrims from Genoa, reminded them that it was precisely from Sampierdarena that "the first (Salesian) missionaries left, with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, for the Americas. ... Think of the apostolic ardor of these intrepid evangelizers and work so that the Sampierdarena Institute continues to be a window open wide to the world."

Addressing the young singers from Turin, the Pope observed that they, "for many years have been committed to witnessing to the Gospel of life with the universal language of song and music." He told them "to communicate to all whom you meet a message of hope, proposing always the authentic Gospel vision of reality."

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