HOLY FATHER'S APPRECIATION FOR FINANCIAL HELP FOR HOLY SEE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 27, 2003 (VIS) - Today at midday in the Clementine Hall, the Pope received members of the "Pro Petri Sede" and "Etrennes Pontificales" Associations from Belgium who offer their financial help annually for the needs of the Holy See.

In his speech in French, the Pope said: "I am grateful to you for the generous and faithful help that your associations contribute to the Church so that she can pursue, in her communities and in the world, her spiritual and material activities in favor of everyone, and principally in favor of the poorest of our brothers and sisters, so that their dignity be ever-more respected. I ask you to transmit to all the members of your associations my great gratitude for your gifts and your commitment. May they know how to always be attentive to the needy in their everyday life in order to express to them the love of God 'who shows no partiality'!"

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