TO CARDINALS: BEAR WITNESS TO CHRIST WITH ONE VOICE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 18, 2003 (VIS) - At the end of the four-day meeting celebrated in the Vatican for the 25th anniversary of his pontificate, the Pope addressed the participants, the members of the College of Cardinals, patriarchs and presidents of the episcopal conferences.

The Holy Father thanked them for their message read by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, on behalf of all those who attended the symposium.
Upon recalling the twenty-five years that have passed since the beginning of his pontificate, John Paul II specifically referred to the numerous times that the cardinals have helped him with their advice in order "to understand better the important questions regarding the Church and humanity."

"The profound changes that have come about in the last 25 years," he continued, "involve our ministry as pastors. ... The courage to proclaim the Gospel should never diminish; on the contrary, up to our last breath it must be our principal commitment, confronted with ever-renewed dedication."

The Pope emphasized that "Christ's commandment is this: to announce the one Gospel with one heart and one soul. ... For this reason, we must cultivate among ourselves deep unity which is not limited to an affective fraternity, but which is based on complete doctrinal agreement and translates into a harmonious understanding from an operative point of view."

"How can we be authentic teachers for humanity and credible apostles of the new evangelization if we allow the seed of division to enter into our hearts? ... God sent us to the world as one, undivided college that must bear witness with a unanimous voice to His person, His word, His mystery. Our credibility depends on it! How much more effective our work will be the more we know how to make the face of the Church radiate, the Church that loves the poor, that is humble and is on the side of the weakest of society. Mother Teresa who tomorrow I will have to joy to inscribe in the book of Blesseds, gave us an emblematic example of this evangelical attitude."

John Paul II concluded by assuring them of prayers "for each one of you. ... I ask you to continue to pray for me so that I may faithfully fulfill my service to the Church as long as the Lord wishes."

In their message to the Holy Father, the cardinals write: "As a pilgrim of the Gospel, you, like the apostles, have put yourself on the path and have traversed continents to proclaim Christ, the Kingdom of God, forgiveness, love and peace. You have tirelessly ... announced the Gospel and in its light you have called everyone back to the fundamental human values: respect for the dignity of man, the defense of life, the promotion of justice and peace. You have especially reached out to young people."

"You have reached out to men of other religions in order to reawaken in everyone the desire for peace and the willingness to become an instrument of peace. In this way, you have become, for all of humanity, above all barriers and divisions, a great messenger of peace."

After the encounter, the Pope invited the cardinals to have lunch at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. John Paul II thanked the entire College of Cardinals for the "generous gift" of 700,000 Euro that they gave him, saying "it will go to Christian communities in the Holy Land that are suffering so much."

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