MAY HUMANITY EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF GOD'S LOVE AND PEACE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 31, 2002 (VIS) - At 6:00 p.m. today, the Holy Father lead the first Vespers of the Solemnity of Holy Mary, Mother of God, and the "Te Deum," giving thanks at the end of the year, in the Vatican Basilica.

The Pope gave thanks "to God, wholeheartedly, for all the benefits received during the past twelve months."

Then, he underlined how "the Church's path was characterized this year by a special commitment to priest and religious vocations." John Paul II asked that "the pastoral vocation become a priority for the parishes, called upon to being schools of holiness and prayer, training for charity and service to brothers, and especially for the families, those vital cells, which make up the parochial Community. When love reigns between spouses, the children grow up morally healthy and more easily bloom to the vocations of priesthood and consecrated life."

The Holy Father invited the families of Rome, in this "Year of the Rosary", to say the Rosary on a daily basis, so that "within you, there might be a climate favorable to listening to God and faithful to the achievement of His will."

With reference to God's mercy, in the "Te Deum", the Pope exhorted all to beg for forgiveness for personal weaknesses and to hope in Him. "May all men and women of good will meet and experience the power of your love and peace. May the city of Rome and all of humanity welcome You as their only Saviour. This is my wish for all; a wish I place in the hands of Mary, the Mother of God, 'Salus Populi Romani'."

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