THE CHURCH'S MISSIONARY VOCATION EMERGES DURING THE EPIPHANY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 6, 2003 (VIS) - This morning, after having ordained twelve bishops in the Vatican Basilica, the Pope appeared at the window of his study overlooking Saint Peter's Square, to recite the Angelus with the faithful present in the square.

John Paul II said that today's Solemnity, the Epiphany of the Lord, brings out the universal and missionary vocation of the Church. She is called upon to spread throughout the world the light of the Good News, the source of life and renewal for each person and for humanity. In a special way, this is the duty of the Apostles and their successors, the bishops: therefore, this morning, as in the past, I wished to ordain some new bishops."

He invited all to pray for the "beloved brothers and sisters of the Oriental Churches who, following the Julian Calendar, celebrate the Nativity during these days. May the Lord, born of the Virgin Mary for us, bring serenity and peace to all the ecclesial Communities."

After the Marian prayer, the Pope reminded that this year commemorates the 160 anniversary of the foundation of the Pontifical Missionary Society of the Holy Child, "present today in more than one hundred nations. It proposes to children to pray and to offer gestures of real solidarity, even through personal sacrifice, for their contemporaries who do not know Jesus yet and live in difficult situations. I would like to thank all these 'little missionaries' for their contribution to the spreading of the Gospel and hope they will bear witness to it every day with their lives."

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