JOHN PAUL WELCOMES 1,500 UKRAINIANS ON PILGRIMAGE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 19, 2001 (VIS) - The Pope received today a group of 1,500 Greek-Catholic bishops, priests, religious and laity from Ukraine, led by Cardinals Lubomyr Husar and Marian Jaworski, respectively major archbishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians and archbishop of Lviv of the Latins, who came to Rome to return John Paul II's pastoral visit of last June.

The Holy Father, speaking in Ukrainian, affirmed that the existence in that country of "three venerable rites - Byzantine, Latin, and Armenian - testifies to the universal dimension of the Church present in diverse cultures and visibly manifests the mystery of communion which unites all believers in Christ. May there not be therefore any rivalry among you, but rather reciprocal respect and love."

"I exhort you," he continued, "to share, in an attitude of reciprocal exchange of gifts, your spiritual treasures and to welcome that which can complete, enrich, and strengthen your experience of the Christian life and your witness."

John Paul II emphasized the "important task and great responsibility" of announcing Christ. "Do not spare efforts in ensuring for yourselves and for the young generations a deepened human, spiritual, and cultural formation, which enables you to give to everyone the reason for the hope which is in you.

"A cruel atheist regime," he added "sought with force for many decades to uproot Christ from the Ukrainian land: several generations were educated without Christ or even against Him. Today in your land one can freely speak about God."

The Pope exhorted all of the Christians of the country - Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants - "with sincere recognition of the grace proper to each Church," to give "to the Ukrainian people the possibility to know Christ! Give them the possibility to see their Saviour!"

Before concluding the audience, the Holy Father greeted all of the Polish-speaking pilgrims in their language. After recalling "the wonderful days which I was able to spend among you in Kiev and Leopoli," he thanked God in a special way "for the Spirit of fraternal love which united us in those days. May this Spirit accompany you always. Do not extinguish His inspirations."

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