A daily news service

October 24

Ecuador renders solemn homage to Pope John Paul II

Quito, 24 (NE) With a solemn Eucharist celebration, the Archdiocese of Quito, Ecuador, paid homage to Pope John Paul II on occasion of 22nd anniversary of pastoral ministry. The Eucharist and the Te Deum that took place in the Cathedral of Quito gathered important ecclesiastical and civil authorities of country, among them the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Alain Paul Lebeaupin.

During the homily, Auxiliary Bishop Julio Terán Dutari of Quito reflected on the Pope's 22 years of Pontificate, specially focusing on the Great Jubilee of the year 2000. He also reviewed the country's present situation and stated that "this Jubilee year has coincided with the commotion caused by the worst crisis that Ecuador has suffered in its history, and when our reality is included within a globalized world."

"At the beginning of the Jubilee, the Holy Father opened the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica with a desire for peace. Pope John Paul II also lead the World Meeting for Peace and he then stated that the best way to achieve peace is through prayer, together with deeds of justice and love," Bishop Teran said. He also mentioned the great progress that Ecuador has made after passing through a severe constitutional crisis.

In closing, Bishop Teran emphasized the recent visit that the president of Ecuador, Gustavo Noboa and some members of his family, paid to Pope John Paul II, thus giving witness of a nation that supports the Holy Father in his crusade in defense of family.

Peruvian Catholic author analyzes the challenges of technology

Arequipa, 23 (NE) With a great success was held last week in the city of Arequipa (Peru) an important seminar on the theme "The Challenge of Technology". The seminar, organized by the Center for the Person and Culture of the Saint Paul Catholic University of Arequipa, was given by German Doig Klinge, author of the book "The challenge of Technology. Beyond Icarus and Dedalus", recently published in Spanish by Vida y Espiritualidad (VE).

Doig, who is the General Coordinator of the Christian Life Movement and a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, reflected on technology and its relation with the human being. He also touched themes such as "Technology and today's world", "Technology's anthropological and cultural dimension" and "Approaching the technological challenge from faith." The seminar, held in the Saint Paul University, was attended by business men, technologists, university teachers, as well as priests, religious men and women and other people interested in the theme.

The Center for Person and Culture, which was inaugurated more than two years ago by the Saint Paul University, aims to promote a space for reflection and dialogue, necessary to integrally go deeper in the reality of human beings, analyze the challenges presented by today's culture and foster all those cultural manifestations that involve a true comprehension of the person.

As part of his activities in this southern Peruvian city, Doig also offered a conference about the challenges of the technologic age for the person and for the family. The Peruvian author highlighted the need of a correct approach to technology, in the light of the truth brought by the Lord Jesus, that must lead to place technology at the service of the human being, the family and the whole society.

October 23

Greatest service to man is to announce the Gospel, says Pope

Vatican City, 23 (NE) More than 70.000 faithful gathered yesterday in St. Peter's Square to celebrate together with Pope John Paul II the World Mission Sunday and the 22nd anniversary of the inauguration of his pontificate. During his homily, the Pope recalled the words he said back in 1978, calling faithful to "open wide the doors to Christ". As part of the celebration, the Holy Father gave a crucifix to 10 missionaries from Europe, Africa, Asia and America, who will do missionary work outside their homelands.

It is the Lord Jesus, the Pope recalled during his homily, who gives "sense and defines the style of the mission". Without fixing their eyes in the Jesus the Lord, missionaries "cannot proclaim Christ in a believable way", he stressed. Later on, the Holy Father said that the mission is a "service" to human beings that must take care of the different dimensions of man's reality.

"The first and greatest service is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, making the Savior known", the Pontiff said. He also recalled "all the missionaries that, daily and in silence, without the support of any human power, proclaim and give witness of their love for Jesus, frequently to the point of giving their own life". The Jubilee of Missions, as the event was named, was preceded by a World Missionary Congress, held in Castelgandolfo.

Luis Fernando Figari calls families to give witness of Christian life

Lima, 23 (NE) With the theme "Christian family and the Plan of God", several groups of member of Nazareth in the Archdiocese of Lima (Peru) gathered for the 2nd Congress of "Family of Nazareth". The event, attended by members of this association of the Christian Life Movement that gathers married couples, was held on October 21-22. During the congress, Luis Fernando Figari, founder of the Christian Life Movement, attended the event and gave a conference about "The Family in the horizon of God's Plan".

Addressing the couples, Figari recalled several teachings regarding family present in the II Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, reflecting afterwards on the different obstacles that Christian families must face today. He highlighted the "reduction" made today to the concept of family, affected by secularism, relativism and "functional agnosticism". Later in his conference, he reflected on the passage "Seek the Kingdom of God and all the other things will be given to you as well." Quoting several Fathers and Doctors of the Church, he highlighted the contrast between the Christian perspective and secularization in today's families, inviting those present to be careful with this influence. Figari also warned the couples attending the event not to be excessively concerned with material goods, since although they are necessary, they cannot dissolve the adhesion to the Lord and the Church and redefine the concept of family.

Afterwards, the founder of the Christian Life Movement stressed the need for a "metanoia", inviting to an inner conversion and to coherence with one's faith. "Family is called to be a sanctuary of life and sign of love in a world suffering the lack of love. Every single member of a family… is invited to holiness. The option for God's Kingdom must be daily, responding to the grace of God with coherence in Christian life", he further emphasized.

During his conference, Figari recalled five essential aspects in marriage. The first one, he said, is "personal holiness", the conviction that everyone is called to holiness. As a second element he mentioned the "work of integration as couple" of both husband and wife. A third step, he stressed, is the education of children, "the construction of a family". He mentioned work as a fourth element, saying that work it "cannot become an obstacle in family life". Figari finally mentioned as a fifth element the proclamation of the Gospel, inviting couples to "give witness, as believers and as a marriage, as a Christian family". He specially emphasized that the education of children in the faith begins with the example of both parents, and must always respect the freedom and dignity of the children.

In closing, the founder of the CLM called the members of Nazareth to always seek holiness in their daily life, "building a marriage that is centered in the Lord Jesu" and giving witness of "that faith that you live and celebrate".

Spain: Nuncio urges solution for religion class in schools

Madrid, 23 (NE) The Apostolic Nuncio in Spain, Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, urged this weekend to find a quick solution to the problem of religious teaching in public schools throughout the country. The Nuncio's request was made during a symposium held in Madrid on "Agreements between the Holy See and the Spanish state. 20 years of validity," organized by the Spanish Episcopal Conference. These agreements, the Nuncio stressed during his intervention, "are fundamentally valid and effective". Archbishop Monteiro de Castro expressed his satisfaction for the celebration of the symposium, stressing the need to continue negotiations in order to apply the agreements and "find solutions to issues not yet agreed, such as religious teachings in public centers". The Portuguese Archbishop also highlighted the importance of the Holy See's diplomatic activity, currently consisting of 173 nunciatures. The last agreement was signed with the Palestine National Authority early this year.

Hindu Catholics denounce persecution to Church

Rome, 23 (NE) Facing the many aggressions and intimidations that the Catholic Church has endured in India over the last months, Catholics in this country have prepared an open letter addressed to all the country denouncing the situation and expressing their desire to live in peace and harmony. The document, written in the frame of national celebrations for the Holy Year 2000 and the closing of the assembly of diocesan delegates, highlights that "peace is the result of a genuine harmony in diversity". Stressing their Catholic as well as their national identity, the letter recalled that Catholics in this country "practically come from all the communities and peoples in India, and belong to different cultural traditions". Denying any accusations of forced conversions, Catholics in India recalled the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and His witness of forgiveness, expressing their desire to live in peace, harmony and freedom in the country.

October 21

Pope urges to ecclesiastical universities an authentic Christian formation

Rome, 21 (NE) The "primary" task of ecclesiastical universities is to "know and make known the authentic image of God". With these words Pope John Paul II addressed yesterday afternoon members of ecclesiastical universities on occasion of the inauguration of the academic year. The Eucharistic celebration was presided by Archbishop Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, while the Holy Father gave the homily. The Mass was held in St. Peter's Basilica. "We want of offer everything to God and direct it to His glory: teaching, study, university life, the time of work and the time of distraction. And even first personal life, prayer, ascetics, friendship". "This afternoon we want to place all of our self and our activities over the Lord's altar" the Pope stressed, "to offer it as spiritual sacrifice". Beginning this new year of studies, the Holy Father finally emphasized to teachers and students of ecclesiastical universities that "it is beautiful to recognize and profess our being 'Church'. This constitutes, in fact, the vital environment for an authentic Christian formation".

Missionaries encourage evangelization in Turkmenistan

Rome, 21 (NE) After 70 years during which no baptism was celebrated in Turkmenistan, in Central Asia, Catholic missionaries have begun an intense evangelizing effort, as Fides news agency reported this week. Missionaries arrived to the former member of the soviet republic three years ago, beginning in Ashgabat, the capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. Before their arrival, there were no priests in this country, and the only Church presence was that of an old church, that communist authorities had used for other purposes and which was destroyed in 1948 by an earthquake. Parishes that existed before the communist regime had ceased to exist. In an interview made by Fides, Father Andrzej Madei, Superior of the mission, said that during the evangelizing process, "there were problems at the beginning, when we had to take the fist steps, lay the basis for the work of evangelization. But God gives us much joy in our work". "People come simply to talk about God", he said. "They come asking questions about prayer, about sin...etc and this is very encouraging." "They have heard about Christianity through television: they have seen the Pope, Mother Teresa and they hold the Church in high esteem."

Archbishop defends family as "the transmitter source of life"

Madrid, 21 (NE) On occasion of the Jubilee of the Families, the Archbishop of Mérida-Bajadoz (Spain), Antonio Montero, wrote a message to faithful stressing the importance of families in society. In his letter, the Archbishop emphasized that although today's situation of the family is not very good owing to several campaigns that intend to destroy it, Christians must continue proclaiming the blessing that it means for the whole of mankind.

He also recalled that the family is a "transmitter source of human life through the encounter in marriage of the couple, maximum expression of their love and reciprocal realization of their complementary natural inclinations. In the sacrament of marriage," he further emphasized, "love is elevated to the sphere of the sacred. It means and shares Christ's love for the Church; it is a reflection of God's Trinitarian love. In it the members of the family constitute a domestic Church, first cell of God's People and Body of Christ."

On the other hand, he pointed out that it's also a duty of Christians to denounce the errors that are spread with respect to the concept of family. He also manifested that nowadays problems such as "divorce and separations" and the fact that large numbers of "couples baptized in the Catholic Church marry only by civil law, some of them to divorced spouses, making the situation worse," are an evident sign of crisis in various levels.

In the same line, he criticized "the elevation to the range of family of the 'de facto' couples, of homosexual couples and of the adoption of children by the latter", asking Christians "who are conscious of their faith, Catholics who value their loyalty" not to let themselves be taken in by ways of thinking that justify these phenomena.

Nicaragua: prayer and fasting in view of elections

Managua, 21 (NE) "We all are responsible for the destiny of our country and for the best realization of the electoral process." This is what the Bishops of Nicaragua pointed out this week in sight of the new municipal elections to be held in this Central American country. In their message, the Bishops asked the Nicaraguans to comply with the "citizen's responsibility to vote." As well, in the context of the elections, they particularly encouraged people involved in the means of communication to be "constructors of society." However, they affirmed, "some media are not contributing to the construction of peace but rather degenerating minds through the lack of objectivity and sincerity in the news." On the other hand, in their letter, the Bishops call the authorities of their country to walk the paths of good, renouncing their personal ambitions. In addition, they called the whole country to dedicate November 3 to fasting and prayer in the presence of the Holy Sacrament, accompanied by the prayer of the Rosary and asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate voters to elect the most suitable persons.

October 20

Pope urges Order of Malta to bear witness to the "Gospel of charity"

Vatican City, 20 (NE) Pope John Paul welcomed yesterday several thousand Knights and Dames of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, present in Rome since October 16 to celebrate the Jubilee Year. Before the meeting, participants attended a Mass in the basilica at the Altar of the Chair of Peter, presided by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State. During his address, the Pope encouraged the works of charity and solidarity promoted by the military order.

In his talk to them, the Holy Father pointed to the "praiseworthy initiatives that your Order carries out in diverse contexts of moral and spiritual destitution." "These are initiatives which constitute a valid encouragement and almost a model for all who desire to contribute with their efforts to creating a new world, capable of giving back dignity and hope to those who are oppressed by modern forms of slavery and wounded in body and spirit."

"I refer in a special way," stressed the Pope, "to the prophetic service in favor of the marginalized and excluded, which you fulfill with the ardor of an authentic campaign for the integral promotion of the human being." "May the Jubilee," the Pope concluded, "stimulate you to be, in the contexts within which you work, incessant witnesses of authentic fraternal communion. May each of you have a more intense enthusiasm to bear witness to the Gospel of charity in a world dominated by egoism and sin."

Arlington Bishop urges faithful to pray for vocations to consecrated life

Arlington, 20 (NE) Continuing with the Jubilee Station Masses, Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington presided a Eucharist celebration at St. Louis Church in Alexandria, where he encouraged faithful to respond to the Lord's call. "Following Christ often puts us at odds with the society in which we live, the culture surrounding us", the Bishop said, stressing that "society and culture tell us: if you want to live happily, get more - more money, more gadgets, more power, more prestige, more pleasure. And yet, look around: so many who have all these things are not happy, not fulfilled".

"Real happiness, authentic peace, inner joy are not rooted in these: they are rooted in a relationship with Jesus, in following Him", he further said. Recalling that we "are all called to holiness", Bishop Loverde said that holiness "is lived out in the various vocations to which God calls each of us". "Today", he continued, "I invite us to reflect upon the vocation to the priesthood and the consecrated life, which includes religious life and secular institutes."

Stressing the need for people who give fully their life to God, Bishop Loverde invited faithful to pray for vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. "Your prayer and your encouragement are key elements to ensuring that we have sufficient priests and religious to work in the kingdom of God in each of the generations to come." "Above all", he said in closing, "let us pray that each one of us will say 'yes' to the Lord's call to be holy, so that we may live as His faithful disciples in this life and inherit eternal life".

Peru: Prayer for reconciliation unites faithful in celebration of Lord of Miracles

Lima, 20 (NE) With great devotion and a spirit of penitence and thanksgiving, thousands of Peruvian faithful accompanied the procession of Our Lord of Miracles, which every year goes through the streets of Lima. The Auxiliary Bishop of Lima, Alberto Brazzini Díaz-Ufano, presided over the Eucharistic celebration that marked the beginning of the procession early on Wednesday morning, and gathered together over 1 million people.

The Prelate, in the framework of the general situation that the country is going through, asked the Lord for the gift of national reconciliation. "The solutions to the problems of the country pass through Him and only through Him ; because if they don't , they aren't true solutions," the Auxiliary Bishop recalled during his homily in the Sanctuary of 'the Nazarene'. This is the sanctuary where the 17th century image that gave birth to this traditional celebration of faith in Peru, extended nowadays to numerous countries of America and Europe, is found.

"The Lord Jesus," Bishop Brazzini further emphasized, "calls us all to national reconciliation, to change our hearts and to change our country." Over 20 organized groups and 4800 members of the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles took part in the procession with the image of the Lord of Miracles

Spain: military orders to celebrate Jubilee

Madrid, 20 (NE) Next Tuesday, October 24, the Military Orders of Saint James, Calatrava, Alcántara and Montesa will celebrate their Jubilee in the Cathedral of the Almudena, in the Archdiocese of Madrid. According to the information provided, with this act, the four Orders want to " ratify their course of permanent spiritual renewal, as loyal religious institutions children of the Catholic Church." In the act novices and professed knights of the Orders and relatives and friends who want to earn the Jubilee will also take part. It is the "culmination of the preparatory reflections and spiritual retreats held over the past years, with the Jubilee aim of strengthening faith and Christian witness." The Military Orders originated in the 12th Century, as religious institutions supported by Papal Bulls. The Orders of Calatrava, Alcántara and Montesa, related to the Cistercian Order, follow Saint Benedict's Rule, while the Order of Saint James follows the Order of Saint Augustine. Their chief aims of these orders were to praise God and to serve actively in the struggle of the faith against the evils of the period.

October 19

Eucharist: intimate communion with God, recalls Pope

Vatican City, 19 (NE) Pope John Paul II spoke yesterday during the weekly general audience about "The Eucharist: banquet of communion with God". Addressing approximately 45.000 faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope recalled that in the Eucharistic celebration we are invited "to celebrate the gift of the One who is offering and offered: participating in the holy mysteries, (we) become 'kinsmen' of Christ, anticipating the experience of divinization in the now inseparable bond linking divinity and humanity in Christ."

The Holy Father also affirmed that "the Greek word for communion, 'koinonia,' appears in the reflections of the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians." "This communion with Christ brings about an intimate transformation of the believer," he stressed. "By sharing in the sacrifice of the Cross, the Christian partakes of Christ's self-giving love and is equipped and committed to live this same charity in all his thoughts and deeds." The Pope concluded by indicating that "the path of sanctity, of love, of truth is, then, the revelation to the world of our divine intimacy, which is realized in the banquet of the Eucharist."

Peru: Challenges of the technological era for person and family

Arequipa, 19 (NE) What are the challenges of the technological era for the person and for family? This was the theme of the lecture offered by German Doig Klinge, General Coordinator of the Christian Life Movement and member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, in the city of Arequipa, in southern Peru. The event was organized by the Institute for Marriage and Family of San Pablo University. More than 600 persons gathered for the lecture, filling the auditorium of this academic center.

In his interesting conference, Doig reflected on the different approaches that there are today to the theme of technology. In his words, he warned against the presence of a "technologist mentality", which "judges and values everything according to the way technology functions... With this," he stated, "the questions about truth, good and beauty become irrelevant. An absolutism of productive activity follows that leads to a loss of a sense of the ends caused by a perversion of the means."

This reality introduces a grave distortion in the way we understand the human being, who becomes "something replaceable, as every technological means is... A simple equation puts before us the fact that if man is threatened, the family is also. What image of the family can come from a technological view? It is not an image that respects what family is, because in this perspective everything is reduced to mere functional relationships between means that are replaceable and interchangeable."

The possibility therefore arises, as is already occurring, that the family is not considered as a gift that is given to us, but as an election that we make and dissolve whenever we please," he warned after, also recalling that "keeping in mind the utilitarian perspective that this technological mentality spreads it is not surprising that an anti-life mentality is growing."

Doig underlined the need for a proper approach to technology, in the light of the truth brought by the Lord Jesus, that must take us to put technology to the service of the human being and the family. He stated the importance of "recovering a correct anthropology that not only gives technology its proper place in the ambit of human creation, but that places the person as the center and subject of culture, and at the same time defends family in its authentic nature before the threats of distortion introduced by this widespread technological mentality."

Holy See delegation to visit North Korea this month

Rome, 19 (NE) A delegation of the Holy See will visit North Korea in October, according to a news report of the Catholic Asian news agency UCANews. The visit would visit North Korea to discuss and organize the Church's humanitarian work in this country, suffering long ago from continuing shortages of food, medicine and other basic necessities. According to Father John Kim Jong-su, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, it is also expected that the Vatican delegation will discuss with North Korean officials the possibility of a visit of Pope John Paul II to the communist nation. The Church official recently returned from a visit to North Korea made by a delegation of 42 South Korean social and religious leaders. A Vatican delegation went to the communist part of the country in January 1996 to deliver a nominal contribution from Pope John Paul II to North Korea's aid coordination committee to help flood victims.

Italian Cardinal calls faithful to establish "missionary presence" in society

Rome, 19 (NE) "Rise and walk!" is the title of the latest pastoral letter of the Italian Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Genoa, calling faithful in his archdiocese to conversion and evangelization. The new document, the Archbishop explained, aims to encourage the pastoral effort that has frequently remained "steady and settled".

The letter stressed that those most affected by "the rupture between faith and the dominant culture" are usually the young. In relation to this, the Italian Cardinal expressed his concern for a process, not of "de-christianization", but of "non-christianization". "Who, effectively, proclaims to them the Gospel?", asked the Archbishop, stressing that in the face of this and other realities, there is an urgency for a "pastoral conversion" that must be expressed in an intense "sense of the evangelizing mission".

In his letter, Cardinal Tettamanzi encouraged all Catholics throughout the archdiocese, of any state and condition, to establish a "missionary presence in all environments of social life". Genoa's Archbishop especially addressed faithful in charge of pastoral activities, urging them to develop a truly "apostolic passion", most of all in the promotion of vocations to priesthood and religious life.

October 18

Pope recalls witness of charity of Mother Teresa

Vatican City, 18 (NE) Pope John Paul II recalled yesterday the witness of charity and solidarity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, on occasion of the celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the foundation of the Missionaries of Charity. In a message made public yesterday, sent to Sister Nirmala Joshi, Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, the Pope encouraged the members of this congregation to give thanks to God for a spiritual family that has become "an abundant stream of grace within the Church".

"With cherished memories of the beloved Mother Teresa", the Holy Father said, "I commend all the members of the Missionaries of Charity Family to the maternal protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: may the Mother of the Redeemer enkindle in each of you a renewed desire for holiness, a keener thirst for Jesus, a deeper love for your vocation, and a more ardent desire to love and serve the Lord in the poorest of the poor. Invoking upon you the rich graces of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing to all of you and to those who assist you in 'doing something beautiful for God'".

It was on 7 October 1950 in the little chapel at 14 Creek Lane in Calcutta that Archbishop Perier established the Foundress and her first eleven companions as a Religious Congregation of Diocesan Right. Fifteen years later, on 1 February 1965, Pope Paul VI granted the Decretum Laudis which established the Missionary Sisters of Charity as a Congregation of Pontifical Right.

Newark Archbishop calls faithful to renew pro-life efforts

Newark, 18 (NE) On occasion of Respect-Life Month, Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick of Newark invited faithful in his archdiocese to renew the efforts in favor of the "crusade for life". During this month, the Archbishop recalled, "we pray for an end to the terrible massacre of little babies in their mothers' wombs and make their cries our own as we beg the Lord of all Life to give us strength and confidence to continue the struggle against the culture of death".

"This year", the Archbishop warned, "we are also conscious of another growing threat to life, at the other end of the cycle. The anti-Life forces have opened up a second front in this battle, the war against the old, the sick, the people with mental illness, under the banner of euthanasia and mercy killing."

In face of this reality, the Prelate called Catholics not to give up. "Remaining always within the restraints of the law, we can never stand by idly while an innocent person is being killed", he said. "This is not a human response and certainly not a Christian response. Don't give up your pro-life work and prayers. Don't lose heart at temporary setbacks. This is truly God's work and He is the Master of all life. The day is coming when He will overcome. As He looks at our hurting world with love and compassion, never forget that He is thinking of you."

Costa Rica: Archbishop asks legislators to consider moral values

San José, 18 (NE) The Archbishop of San José de Costa Rica, Román Arrieta, asked the legislators of this country to consider the moral values when formulating and approving new laws. In his weekly message to the faithful of this Archdiocese, Archbishop Arrieta regretted the fact that, especially in our time, "there are legalized human behaviors that, far from fostering the welfare, they damage it seriously." "These behaviors -he explained- can be legal but can also be gravely immoral and thus absolutely unacceptable to Christians."

"Not everything legal is moral," affirmed the Prelate, emphasizing that "for the well-being of our society, we Christians have the duty of rising up, in a civilized but brave way, our voice to demand from our legislators that, in the analysis of any project of law and its eventual approval, they think seriously not to contradict in any way the approved question with the moral principles to which -for the benefit of Costa Rica- the great majority of our people adhere." Although a lot of people "don't have the opportunity -as some have- to express their point of view through the means of social communication, they should always be considered," he further stressed.

Roman youth relives World Youth Day with Christian commitment

Rome, 18 (NE) Hundreds of young people who attended World Youth Day held last August gathered again last week in St. John Lateran's Basilica to attend a Mass presided by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar general for the Diocese of Rome. Organized by the Service for Youth Pastoral of the Diocese, the event took place with the theme "And now, what should we do?". "The two million young people who took part of World Youth Day -recalled Cardinal Ruini-, were the sum of single persons. Christ continues incarnating and being born in the world of the youth: this is a wonderful fact which tells that the Christian faith has a great future." At another moment, amid the enthusiasm of the youth which remembered the joy and enthusiasm witnessed on the day of the Meeting with Pope John Paul II at Tor Vergata, Cardinal Ruini highlighted that the mission "needs young people who really want to be witnesses in an explicit way." Finally, he exhorted the young people to "present before the world a convincing and clear proposal of living together a relationship with God."

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