HOLY SATURDAY: BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION OF NINE CATECHUMENS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 30, 2002 (VIS) - At 8 p.m. today, the Pope presided in St. Peter's Basilica at the solemn Easter Vigil during which he administered Baptism and Confirmation to nine catechumens - seven adults and two children - from Albania, Italy, Japan, Poland, Democratic Republic of Congo and China.

The vigil began in the atrium of the basilica where the Holy Father blessed the new fire and lit the Easter candle. After the entrance procession with the candle and the singing of the 'Exsultet' - which Pope John Paul II followed on a mobile stand - the Pope presided at the Liturgy of the Word, the Baptismal Liturgy and the Eucharistic Liturgy from a lower altar placed in front of the basilica's main altar. Cardinals Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, and Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, were seated to the right and left of the Pope.

In his homily, the Pope spoke about the "first night, the night of creation," in which "the Paschal Mystery is rooted, following the tragedy of sin, (the night) which represents the restoration and the crowning of that first beginning. ... Another night constitutes the fundamental event of the history of Israel: the wondrous Exodus from Egypt ... the night of the Exodus. ... As the new Moses, Christ has made us pass from the slavery of sin to the freedom of the children of God. Having died with Jesus, with him we rise to new life, thanks to the power of his Spirit. His Baptism has become our baptism."

The Holy Father went on to address the catechumens, two of whom were mothers from Japan and China with their children: "'On this most holy night', when Christ rose from the dead, you too will experience a spiritual 'exodus': leave behind your former life and enter the 'land of the living'. This is the third night, the night of the Resurrection."

The Holy Father concluded by saying: "After the tragic night of Good Friday ... after the great silence of Holy Saturday, behold at last the night which precedes the 'third day, on which, in accordance with the Scriptures, the Messiah would rise, as He Himself had often foretold to His disciples."

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