POPE GREETS YOUNG PEOPLE FROM DIOCESE OF ROUEN

VATICAN CITY, APR 6, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed a group of young people from the diocese of Rouen in France, accompanied on their Easter pilgrimage by Archbishop Joseph Duval, priests, seminarians, religious and lay people. A number of the youth will receive the sacrament of Confirmation during their Rome sojourn.

"During your days in Rome," he observed, "you have been able to discover the life of the Christian communities of the first centuries" as well as "getting to know Sts. Peter and Paul, pillars of the Church. Following their example, when you return home, learn how to listen regularly to the Word of God that changes hearts and inspires missionary courage! Dare to take time to contemplate, in the secret of prayer, the face of the One Who gave His life for His friends and Who invites you to do likewise!"

The Holy Father said that "the light of the Risen One will help you to remove the heavy stones of egoism, violence, easy pleasure and despair that too often close the hearts of so many young people, favoring neither the stable building of an interior life nor an authentic commitment to promoting peace, justice and solidarity."

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