HOLY THURSDAY: CHRISM MASS AND THE LORD'S SUPPER MASS

VATICAN CITY, APR 17, 2003 (VIS) - Today, Holy Thursday, at 9:30 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, John Paul II concelebrated Chrism Mass with the cardinals, bishops and priests who are in Rome for Easter. After the renewal of priestly vows, the oils used for catechumens, the sick and confirmation were blessed.

In the homily, the Pope affirmed that every time that the Eucharist is celebrated "the mystery of Christ, the one and only high priest of the new and eternal Covenant, becomes present and effective."

The Holy Father urged priests "not to lose the spiritual enthusiasm of priestly ordination. And you, dear faithful, pray for priests that they may be careful dispensers of the gifts of divine grace, especially of God's mercy in the sacrament of Confession and of the Bread of Life in the Eucharist, living memorial of the death and resurrection of Christ."

"In order to emphasize the reality of the great memorial of the redemption," he concluded, "during the Mass of the Lord's Supper, I will sign the encyclical 'Ecclesia de Eucharistia' which I wanted to direct in a special way to you, dear priests, in place of the usual letter on Holy Thursday. Accept it as a special gift on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of my petrine ministry and make it known to the souls entrusted to your pastoral care."

At 5:30 p.m., John Paul II presided in St. Peter's Basilica at the Eucharistic concelebration of the Lord's Supper during which he signed the encyclical "Ecclesia de Eucharistia." Cardinals Joseph Ratzinger and Angelo Sodano washed the feet of 12 priests as is customary on Holy Thursday. During the presentation of the gifts, the Holy Father received an offering that will be sent to the people affected by the war in Iraq.

The Pope emphasized that "the washing of the feet and the sacrament of the Eucharist are two manifestations of the same mystery of love entrusted to the disciples 'because - Jesus says - you should also do as I have done to you'."

"The Eucharist," he exclaimed, "is a truly great mystery! It is a mystery that is 'incomprehensible' to human reason, but so bright to the eyes of faith! The Lord's Supper in the simplicity of the Eucharistic symbols - the shared bread and wine - is revealed as a supper of concrete fraternity. The message that comes from this supper is too clear to be ignored: those who participate in the Eucharistic celebration cannot remain insensitive to the poor and needy."

"In this context," continued the Holy Father, "I would like the money collected in this celebration to go to alleviate the urgent needs of those who suffer in Iraq due to the war. A heart that has experienced the Lord's love opens up spontaneously to charity toward our brothers and sisters."

John Paul II concluded by affirming that the Eucharist "is a great gift for the Church and for the world. Precisely so that greater attention may be reserved for the sacrament of the Eucharist, I wanted to offer to the entire community of believers an encyclical whose main theme is the Eucharistic mystery."

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GOOD FRIDAY: CONFESSIONS, LORD'S PASSION AND WAY OF THE CROSS

VATICAN CITY, APR 18, 2003 (VIS) - As is customary on Good Friday, John Paul II heard confessions and presided at the celebration of the Lord's Passion in St. Peter's Basilica, and in the evening lead the Way of the Cross in the Colosseum.

Towards noon, the Pope went to St. Peter's Basilica where he heard the confessions of 10 people of different nationalities and afterward greeted the numerous faithful present in the basilica at that hour.

At 5 p.m., he presided at the celebration of the Lord's Passion, during which Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M.Cap., preacher of the Papal Household, gave the homily. The liturgy continued with prayers of the faithful, veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion.

Shortly after 9:15 p.m., the Way of the Cross began in the Colosseum. Seated on the Palatine Hill which overlooks this monument, the Pope presided at the celebration in which 30,000 people participated. This year the Pope wrote the meditations on the Way of the Cross on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his pontificate.

During the first 13 stations, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar of Rome, and faithful from Colombia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Egypt, the Holy Land, Italy and Iraq carried the cross. John Paul II carried the cross during the 14th and final station.

At the end, instead of reading a prepared text, the Holy Father spoke to the crowd spontaneously. "'Ecce lignum crucis in quo salus mundi pependit...Venite adoremus'. We heard this word," he said, "in today's liturgy: here is the wood of the cross. This is the key word on Good Friday. ... The day after tomorrow we will sing: 'Surrexit de sepulchro...qui pro nobis pependit in ligno'."
"I hope that everyone lives this Triduum as deeply as possible. We are here, as we are every year, in the Colosseum. It is a symbol. ... It is difficult to find another place where the mystery of the Cross speaks more eloquently than here, in front of the Colosseum."

In the text that he had prepared, the Pope wrote: "How many of our brothers and sisters are re-living the drama of Calvary in the flesh! So many are the forgotten 'ways of the cross'! I think about the tragic images of violence, wars and conflicts, that reach us daily from so many places; the pain and suffering of individuals and peoples of every continent; death due to hunger and the poverty of thousands of innocent adults and children; the offenses against human dignity, unfortunately perpetrated at times in the name of God. Can we remain indifferent to this excruciating cry of distress that is raised from so many parts of the planet?"

"When human beings keep silent, powerless before these distressing questions, faith offers the answer. It is an answer that is found in the same event we commemorate today: the death of Christ. ... The definitive victory does not belong to death. The last word belongs to God, Who will rise on the third day, the only-begotten Son, sacrificed for us."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 17, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Jerzy Mazur, S.V.D., of St. Joseph in Irkutsk, Russian Federation, as bishop of Elk (area 11,000, population 470,000, Catholics 440,000, priests 297, religious 176), Poland.

- Bishop Cyryl Klimowicz, auxiliary of Minsk-Mohilev, Belarus, as bishop of St. Joseph in Irkutsk (area 9,960,000, population 15,500,000, Catholics 49,000, priests 42, religious 80), Russian Federation.

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HOLY SATURDAY: BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION OF 7 CATECHUMENS

VATICAN CITY, APR 19, 2003 (VIS) - At 8 this evening in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope presided at the solemn Easter vigil during which he administered Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist to seven catechumens from the United States, Italy, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Burundi and Japan.

The vigil began in the atrium of the basilica where the Holy Father blessed the new fire and the Easter candle. After the entrance procession to the altar with the candle and the singing of the "Exultet", the liturgy of the Word, the Baptismal liturgy and the Eucharistic liturgy took place.

During the homily, the Pope spoke of the women who go to the tomb where Jesus' body was laid but do not find Him because He has risen. "This upsetting news," he said, "destined to change the course of history from that moment on, continues to resound from generation to generation: an ancient proclamation, yet always new. It resonates once again during this Easter Vigil, mother of all vigils, and it is spreading at this very moment throughout all the earth."

"Oh sublime mystery of this Holy Night! The night in which we relive the extraordinary event of the Resurrection! If Christ were to have remained a prisoner of the tomb, humanity and all of creation, in a certain way, would have lost their meaning. But you, Christ, are truly risen," he exclaimed.

After recalling that through the sacrament of Baptism "one becomes a member of the people of the redeemed," the Holy Father addressed the seven catechumens who were about to receive the Sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. "Entering in this way into the house of the Lord, you will be consecrated with the oil of happiness and can feed yourselves with the Bread of Heaven. Sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit, you will persevere in your faith in Christ, and courageously proclaim his Gospel."

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TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL AURELIO SABATTANI

VATICAN CITY, APR 19, 2003 (VIS) - The following telegram was sent by Pope John Paul to Teresa Sabattani, the sister of Cardinal Aurelio Sabattani who died this morning at his home in Vatican City at the age of 90. Cardinal Sabattani was prefect emeritus of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, archpriest emeritus of the Vatican Basilica and vicar general emeritus for Vatican City.

"Upon having learned the sad news of the death of your dear brother Cardinal Aurelio Sabattini, I wish to express to you and to the family members my sincere participation in the mourning that afflicts all those who knew and esteemed the late cardinal, an illustrious jurist for so many years, an industrious collaborator of the Holy See in particular in the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and as archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, always giving an appreciated testimony of enthusiastic priestly zeal and of fidelity to the Gospel. While I raise fervent prayers to the Lord Jesus to give the late cardinal the eternal prize promised to His faithful disciples under the protection of the Virgin Mary, I send a special consoling Apostolic Blessing to you and to all those who mourn his loss."

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