POPE IMPROVISES SPEECH, BREAKS INTO SONG WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2002 (VIS) - In the late afternoon, following lunch with Bulgaria's bishops and the members of his entourage, Pope John Paul went to Plovdiv's cathedral, which has a capacity of 500 people, for a meeting with young people. At the end of the encounter, his last official engagement before returning to Rome, the Pope improvised a speech and broke into song in Polish, in answer to the youths who had sung a hymn to the Black Madonna of Czestochowa in the Pontiff's native language.

In off-the-cuff remarks, the Holy Father said he did not know if he would be able to come again to Bulgaria, but said "I am truly happy to have come to Bulgaria and to have met the young people at the end of my sojourn, ... I am happy because young people look forward, they look to the future." He said he hoped the future would belong to all Bulgarians, especially young people. "I embrace you all," he concluded, "and I bless you with affection."

In his prepared speech to the youth, interrupted countless times by applause, cheers and songs, John Paul II noted that youth was a time, "not just of transition," but when people "seek the answers to the fundamental questions" of life.

He said he had two messages for them: "Come and See" and "You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world."

"Come and see," he said, refers to Jesus' message to His disciples when they asked where He lived. "Draw near to Jesus," said the Pope, "and strive to 'see' what He has to offer you. ... He is a demanding friend who sets high goals, ... but I ask you: is it better to resign yourself to a life without ideals, to a society marked by inequality, oppression and selfishness, or rather to seek with a generous heart what is true, good and just?"

He urged the youth to "knock down the barriers of superficiality and fear! ... Do not yield to the deceits and easy illusions of the world, which very often turn into tragic delusions. ... With a sense of duty and sacrifice, therefore, take the path of conversion, inner growth, of professional commitment, of voluntary work, of dialogue, of respect for all, never surrendering in the face of difficulties or failures."

The Holy Father then referred to the theme of the upcoming World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada. He remarked that "Christ alone can be fully called salt of the earth and light of the world, for only He can give flavor, strength and durability to our life which, without Him, would be insipid, feeble and ephemeral. He alone can give us light warmth and joy. But it is He Who wants you to share His mission."

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TELEGRAMS FOR TRAIN AND PLANE CRASHES IN MOZAMBIQUE AND TAIWAN

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2002 (VIS) - Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, today sent two telegrams of condolences in the Pope's name for two accidents, one a train accident close to Maputo, Mozambique, the other a plane accident in the north of the Island of Penghu, Taiwan.

In the telegram addressed to Cardinal Alexandre Jose Maria dos Santos, archbishop of Maputo, John Paul II "entrusts the numerous victims to God, Father All-Merciful, asking that He welcome them into His peace." In the telegram addressed to the charge d'affaires "ad interim" in Taipei, Msgr. James Patrick Green, the Pope "commends the victims to the loving mercy of almighty God, and upon their grieving families and all those affected by this terrible disaster he invokes the divine blessings of strength and comfort."

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JOHN PAUL II BIDS FAREWELL TO BULGARIA WITH JOY AND EMOTION

VATICAN CITY, MAY 26, 2002 - After a gathering with young people, the Holy Father went to the airport in the popemobile for a farewell ceremony which was celebrated inside due to rain.

The Pope expressed his "joy and emotion" upon visiting Bulgaria, especially "during the very days on which the memory of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius is celebrated." He then thanked Bulgaria's president and government authorities, as well as Patriarch Maxim and the representatives and faithful of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria for having contributed to making his visit "pleasant and purposeful."

"Not so long ago, both Catholics and Orthodox underwent harsh persecution for their fidelity to the Gospel," he said. "May so many sacrifices make the witness of Christians in this country bear much fruit and, with the grace of God, may they hasten the day when we shall be able to rejoice in the rediscovered fullness of unity among us!"

John Paul II greeted the faithful of Islam and the Jewish community and urged that the worship of one God inspire in all "intentions of peace, understanding and mutual respect, and a commitment to build a society founded on justice and solidarity." He also greeted with "particular affection ... my Brother Bishops and the sons and daughters of the Catholic Church."

The Pope concluded by quoting Blessed John XXIII in a Christmas homily preached in 1934, just before he left the office of apostolic nuncio in Bulgaria. In that homily, he recalled the Irish tradition of placing a lit candle outside the window on Christmas Eve so that Mary and Joseph know that inside that house a family was waiting for them: "If anyone from Bulgaria should ever pass by my house, at night, amid life's difficulties, he will always find the candle burning in my window. Let him knock, let him knock! He will not be asked whether he is Catholic or Orthodox: he is a Bulgarian brother and that is enough. Let him come in: two brotherly arms and a friend's warm heart will welcome him to the feast."

The papal plane departed at 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. Rome time) and arrived at Ciampino Airport in Rome after a two-hour flight. The Pope proceeded by helicopter to the Vatican.

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RETURN TO CHRISTIAN ROOTS TO FIGHT EROSION OF FUNDAMENTAL VALUES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2002 (VIS) - At 4:30 this afternoon in the apostolic nunciature, Pope John Paul met with representatives of the estimated 5,000 Jewish people living in Bulgaria, Following this meeting he went to Sofia's Convention Center for an encounter with men and women of the worlds of culture, science and art.

"I address you with respect and admiration," said the Pope in opening remarks, "conscious of the delicate and important contribution that you make to the noble enterprise of building a society which encourages 'mutual understanding and readiness to cooperate through the generous exchange of cultural and spiritual resources."

He observed that "today Bulgaria celebrates the feast of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, intrepid heralds of the Gospel of Christ and founders of the literary language and culture of the Slav peoples." And he noted that in 1980 he proclaimed them co-patrons of Europe, with St. Benedict of Norcia. He underlined how these saintly brothers, "with their brilliant creation of a new alphabet, achieved special merit. ... They translated the Sacred Books into the local language" and can rightly be considered "the fathers of Slav culture. Culture is the expression, incarnate in history, of a people's identity; it forges the soul of a nation."

"The guiding inspiration of the massive work carried out by Cyril and Methodius," stated John Paul II, "was the Christian faith. Culture and faith are not only not incompatible, but are related to each other as fruit is to the tree. ... Historical experience shows that the proclamation of the Christian faith has not stifled, but rather integrated and exalted the authentic human and cultural values proper to the genius of the countries where it has been preached."

"Looking back," he went on, "we must recognize that, together with a Europe of culture, ... together with a Europe of labor, ... there is unfortunately a Europe of dictatorship and wars, a Europe of blood, tears and acts of horrific cruelty. Perhaps it is also because of these bitter experiences of the past that today's Europe seems prone to a growing temptation to skepticism and indifference in the face of the gradual erosion of fundamental moral reference points of personal and social life.

"We need to respond. In these troubling times there is an urgent need to reaffirm that Europe, if it is to discover its own deepest identity, must necessarily return to its Christian roots."
Pope John Paul, concluded his talk with praise for the project of Bulgaria's Catholic bishops to translate the Catechism of the Catholic Church into Bulgarian. He said he would like to "present symbolically the Catechism to those among you who, although not Catholic, share with us the one Baptism, so that they may known what the Catholic Church believes and preaches."

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MESSAGE TO PARTICIPANTS IN CONGRESS OF FOCOLARE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2002 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Pope to the participants in a congress organized by the Focolare movement, founded by Chiara Lubich, in which young people from all over the world take part, the Pontiff writes, "with a great ideal: the ideal of unity."

In the message, dated May 18, John Paul II affirms: "Christ calls you to be apostles of His peace. Construct peace in all the situations in which you find yourself daily: in the family, in school, among friends, in sports, in free time. Always be willing to listen to dialogue, to understand."

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