VATICAN CITY, OCT 21, 2004 (VIS) - Speaking via a satellite link up from the Hall of the Consistory in the Vatican, the Pope addressed more than a thousand priests from eighty countries who are participating in the international congress organized by the Congregation for the Clergy in La Valletta, Malta. The theme of the meeting which started on October 18 and ends October 23, is "Priests, forgers of saints for the new millennium: Following the footsteps of the Apostle Paul."
Highlighting that they were meeting in Malta, "an island that preserves the vivid memory of the passage of St. Paul," the Holy Father told the priests that the Lord was inviting them "to be His apostles, especially with holiness of life. You must make the power of the word of truth of the Gospel resound, the word which can only profoundly change man's heart and give him peace. … In this way, you will be credible teachers of the life of the Gospel and prophets of hope."
"In a troubled and divided world, marked by violence and conflicts, there are those who ask themselves if it is still possible to talk of hope. But precisely in this moment it is necessary to courageously present the true and complete hope of man which is Christ Our Lord."
John Paul II said that the model which should inspire priests is Our Lady who "showed her complete availability to do God's will" in responding with her "fiat" to the message of the Archangel Gabriel. In concluding, the Pope recalled that just before dying on the Cross, Jesus entrusted His mother to John: "From that day Mary became the mother of all creatures, especially your mother, to accompany you on your daily path. Go to her constantly in your ministry."
AC/CONGRESS PRIESTS/MALTA VIS 20041021 (310)
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