VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2004 (VIS) - In his traditional Sunday address to the faithful who came to St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus with him, Pope John Paul spoke of today's feast of the Chair of Peter, the start of Lent this coming Ash Wednesday and the study of Latin.
He remarked that "the liturgical feast of the Chair of Peter underscores the singular mystery, entrusted by the Lord to the leader of the Apostles, of confirming and guiding the Church in the unity of faith. This is what the 'ministerium petrinum' is, that particular service that the Bishop of Rome is called to render to all Christians. An indispensable mission that is not based on human prerogatives but on Christ Himself as the cornerstone of the ecclesial community. Let us pray that the Church, in the variety of cultures, languages and traditions, will be unanimous in believing and professing the truth of faith and morals transmitted by the Apostles."
The Holy Father then noted that "Lent, which will start next Wednesday with the austere and significant rite of the imposition of ashes, is a privileged time to intensify this commitment of conversion to Christ. The Lenten itinerary will thus become a propitious time to examine ourselves with sincerity and truth and to return order to our own lives and to our relations with others and with God."
In greetings following the Angelus, the Pope, speaking Latin, addressed a group of professors and students from the Pontifical Superior Institute of Latin, created forty years ago today by Pope Paul VI with his Motu Proprio "Studia Latinitatis," as part of the Pontifical Salesian Athenaeum.
ANG/CHAIR PETER:LENT/. VIS 20040223 (290)
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