SERVE THOSE IN NEED TO LIVE IN SECURITY, JUSTICE, FREEDOM

VATICAN CITY, MAR 29, 2004 (VIS) - This morning John Paul II received the president and members of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and told  them that "your visit is yet another sign of the bonds of friendship between the Jewish people and the Catholic Church, bonds which we hope will grow ever stronger."

  This committee was founded in 1914 with the purpose of assisting Palestinian Jews caught in the throes of World War I. Throughout the years, the JDC has helped millions of Jews in 85 countries.  Its mission is to serve the needs of Jews throughout the world, particularly where their lives as Jews are threatened or made more difficult.

  "God has created man," continued the Pope, "in His image and has endowed human beings with the capacity to love. It is through love that we fulfill our destiny to act in the likeness of God. From this stems our duty to serve one another according to the commandment found in the Book of Leviticus: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  I am the Lord.'  We are called especially to serve those who need our help to live in security, justice and freedom."
AC/.../AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE      VIS 20040329 (210)