COMMITMENT OF CONSTANT FIDELITY TO CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, OCT 1, 2004 (VIS) - This morning in the Paul VI Hall the Pope received 2,000 pilgrims from the archdiocese of Split-Makarska, Croatia on the occasion of the 17th centenary of the martyrdom of St. Domnio, patron of the archdiocese and city of Split-Makarska.

  After recalling his pastoral visit to the archdiocese on October 4, 1998, John Paul II said: "You come from the place where St. Domnio and other martyrs in the region gave witness to Christ, from the very first centuries to this day, and you have come to the tombs of Peter and Paul and other Roman martyrs. In this way, you wanted to express your adherence to the faith which they confessed."

  "This adherence," he continued, "requires a commitment of constant fidelity to Christ and His Church in order to bear brave and coherent witness in family life, in places of study and work and in other milieux in society. Make an effort, therefore, to promote a concrete Christian humanism in your life in both the private and public spheres.  May the heroic example of St. Domnio, and the other martyrs who, inspired by solid faith in Christ, sacrificed themselves for the good of their brothers and sisters,  guide and sustain you."
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