MARY IS THE SAFE GUIDE OF THE CHURCH'S WAY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 29, 2002 (VIS) - Today at noon the Pope addressed participants in the seventh public session of the Pontifical Academies which is dedicated this year to reflections prepared by the International Marian and Immaculate Mary Pontifical Academies on the theme "Mary, 'bright dawn and safe guide' of the new evangelization."

In his speech, John Paul II said that "the theme of this session considers expressions with which I conclude the Apostolic Letter 'Novo Millenio Ineunte', entrusted to Mary, Mother of God and Mother of all creatures, the destiny of the new millennium and the way of the Church."

In order to learn to contemplate and love the face of Christ, underlined the Pope, "we must turn to Mary who, fully accepting God's plan, 'shaped' her Son in a singular way, guiding him step by step as he grew up. .... Mary is truly the bright dawn of the new evangelization, the sure guide of the Church's way in the third millennium."

The Pope encouraged them to continue to conduct "interdisciplinary research that develops mariological reflection, searching for new sources, as well as traditional ones, to obtain other suggestions for theological research."

After recalling that the 150th anniversary of the dogmatic proclamation of Mary's Immaculate Conception will be celebrated in 2004, John Paul II said that the two Marian Pontifical Academies "are called to offer all of their contributions so that this anniversary may be an occasion of a renewed theological, cultural and spiritual effort in order to communicate to the men and women of our time the most authentic meaning and message of this truth of faith."

As is custom during the public sessions, the Pope presented the award of the Pontifical Academies. This year he bestowed the prize on Rosa Cali for her doctoral thesis entitled "The Anti-mariological Texts in the exegesis of the Fathers of Nicea at Calcedonia." And he offered, "as a sign of appreciation and encouragement, a medal of his Pontificate to Fr. Stanislaw Bogusz Matula and Sister Philomena D'Souza, for their prestigious studies."

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