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ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE PAPAL FOUNDATION

Wednesday, 26 April 1995

 

Dear Cardinal Krol,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At this Easter Season our thoughts turn continuously to the Risen Lord and his victory over sin and death, the basis of our Christian hope and commitment. Christ’s presence, through his Church and his grace in our hearts, is the never-ending fountain from which we draw strength and courage for the tasks which, as Christians, we are called to carry out on behalf of our sisters and brothers.

Principal among these tasks is that of bearing convincing witness to the Gospel through our striving for holiness and perfect love. May the Risen Lord’s words to his disciples: "Peace be with you" (Jn. 20:19) re–echo in your hearts and bring you the serenity and confidence which you need to persevere in all the good works in which you are involved.

In this spirit I welcome the Trustees of The Papal Foundation on your yearly visit. Your presence is always a source of joy, for the very purpose of your Foundation is to support my ministry, the ministry of the Successor of Peter. I know that you do this inspired not only by reasons of faith and of love for the Church, but also with a deep sense of gratitude to God whose blessings you experience in your own lives and efforts.

The whole Church is becoming more acutely aware of the call and challenge contained in the approaching Jubilee, which will inaugurate the Third Christian Millennium. I am deeply convinced that this event, and the years leading up to it, are a time of abundant grace and great responsibility for us all. As I wrote in the Apostolic Letter "Tertio Millennio Adveniente", "special tasks and responsibilities with regard to the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 belong to the ministry of the Bishop of Rome" (John Paul II, Tertio Millennio Adveniente, 22). If anything, my ministry must be more intense and more universal. It must address the great questions facing the Church at this crucial moment, not least of which is the duty to search unceasingly for Christian unity, and the duty to foster peace in the world on the solid foundation of acknowledged and guaranteed respect for the human dignity and rights of all.

I am, of course, deeply appreciative of the support which the Papal Foundation gives me in this evangelical undertaking. With gratitude I ask the Risen Lord to send his Spirit upon you, for he is "the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:14). As a token of my closeness in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I gladly impart to you and your families my Apostolic Blessing.

 

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