GENERAL AUDIENCE: POPE REQUESTS PRAYERS FOR THE UNEMPLOYED

VATICAN CITY, MAY 1, 2002 (VIS) - "Today, May 1, is Labor Day" said the Pope in today's general audience which was held in St. Peter's Square. "For us Christians, this occasion comes under the protection of St. Joseph the Worker."

The fruit of work, said John Paul II, "is 'daily bread' which we invoke in the Our Father. It could be said that, in a certain sense, through work man becomes more human. This is why industriousness is a virtue. However, in order for industriousness to truly enable man to become more human, it must always be joined to the social order of work. Only in this way can we safeguard the inalienable dignity of the individual and the human and social value of work."

The Holy Father recalled that today marks the beginning of "the month dedicated to the Virgin Mary," and he called for it to be "a month of intense prayer with Mary. This is the heartfelt wish that I have for each of you as I once again recommend that you recite the Rosary daily."

"I invite you," he concluded, "to join me in praying for workers, especially those who are undergoing employment difficulties. Moreover, we cannot but intensify our trusting and incessant prayers for peace in the Holy Land where we hope that the Israeli and Palestinian people, both so dear to my heart, may return as soon as possible to a secure and serene coexistence. May this come about through the intercession of the Holy Virgin and her husband St. Joseph, guardian of the Redeemer."

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