NEWS for Monday, June 5, 2000
SURPRISES OF A JUBILEE SUNDAY
Pilgrims on Horseback, Actors, Athletes, Musical Bands
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 4 (ZENIT.org).
Today, St. Peter's Square was filled
with a sea of colors in a Jubilee festival organized by the Italian
Federation of Musical Bands. There were a series of parades throughout
the morning, starting in Castel Sant'Angelo, moving down the Via della
Conciliazione, and ending in St. Peter's Square. Upon seeing this
magnificent sight, John Paul II thanked everyone for their presence.
He was especially grateful to some 200 pilgrims who came to Rome on
horseback. They rode for 10 days, about 8-11 hours a day, and arrived in
the Eternal City after crossing the Italian regions of Tuscany, Umbria,
and Latium.
The riders were loudly applauded and greeted with great enthusiasm and
admiration by more than 6,000 Italian children who were part of the
"Rainbow Country" movement. They all cried with one voice when John Paul
II appeared at the window of his library to greet them. The children
were in the company of Italian and English participants in a regatta
that took place on the Tiber.
Yet more color was added to the spectacle by the arrival of members of a
theatrical company who are visiting the Eternal City and performing a
musical on St. Anthony of Padua entitled, "Between Heaven and Earth."
The Holy Father was delighted to greet all these colorful groups, as
well as organizers and participants in the "Soccer Match of the Heart,"
which was played later in Milan's Meazza Stadium to help charity
associations in that city. "May this charitable initiative help so many
of our brothers in difficulty to look to the future with confidence,
thanks to the contribution of all," John Paul II said.
Message of the Ascension
The Pope's key reflection in his "Regina Cæli" message was on the feast
of the Ascension, which many Catholic areas of the world were
celebrating today. (The rest of the world celebrated it last Thursday.)
He explained that the Church continues to live the words that Christ
expressed when he ascended into heaven, "proclaiming the Gospel to the
men and women of our time, pointing out to all that our true ands final
homeland is not down here but 'in heaven,' namely in God."
The Pontiff warned that this "should not withdraw us from engagement in
the world, as the lives of the Saints demonstrate, but must reinforce it
even more. In fact, only by fulfilling our mission on earth will we
finally be able to be in the glory of God.
Journalists' Responsibility
During his meeting with pilgrims, the Pope could not leave out a
reference to the Journalists' Jubilee, which he himself would close a
few minutes later. He explained that "one of the most vast areas of
social coexistence is that of communication; therefore, the activity of
those who work in social communications is of great importance." Given
this reality, the Pontiff asked that they carry out their work with
responsibility, "understanding that those who work with respect for
truth render a precious service to truth itself and, consequently, to
humanity."
"I gladly give my encouragement to journalists and to all workers in
information who in every part of the world are dedicated to the good of
humanity, serving justice, liberty, and peace, not rarely at the price
of personal sacrifices," the Pope concluded.
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