PAUL VI AND JOHN PAUL I: BRAVE WITNESSES TO THE GOSPEL

VATICAN CITY, SEP 28, 2002 (VIS) - At 6 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of State, celebrated in the Pope's name Holy Mass for the repose of the souls of the deceased Supreme Pontiffs Paul VI and John Paul I, who died 24 years ago.

"Today," said Cardinal Sodano in the homily, "we are gathered in this basilica, so dear to them, to remember them and to elevate our prayer to God for the repose of their souls. Guided by the liturgy, we repeat with faith: 'Memento, Domine, famulorum tuorum Pauli Papae VI et Ioannis Pauli Papae I'."

"'Memento,' that is, 'remember'! Certainly," he continued, "the Lord has never forgotten them, but it is right that the Church has a special memorial for them, for what these Pontiffs worked for and suffered so much for, asking the celestial Father to grant them the reward reserved for faithful servants of the Gospel."

The cardinal secretary of State invited everyone to give thanks to God for the gift that He bestowed upon the Church with these two Pontiffs who were "not only luminous teachers of Catholic doctrine but also above all faithful and brave witnesses to the Gospel. Precisely for this reason, their memory does not cease to provoke the esteem, affection and veneration of the people of God."

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