At Anniversary Mass, Pope Prays For Wisdom, Holiness . . . Strength

By CNS

Published: October 23, 2003

VATICAN CITY (CNS) —As the world offered congratulations and encouragement, Pope John Paul II celebrated a 25th anniversary Mass and prayed for the “wisdom, holiness and strength” to keep leading the church.

The Oct. 16 liturgy in St. Peter’s Square brought together church leaders, civil authorities and some 50,000 faithful from many countries, all of them eager to share the moment with the aging and fragile pontiff.

The Mass was an emotional high point of the anniversary events, which included a conference of cardinals and bishops discussing the pontificate’s major themes, the release of the pope’s post-synodal document on the role of bishops and heartfelt expressions of support from average Catholics.

“I’m 26 years old, and I’ve followed him all my life. I see Christ in him,” Rome resident Cecilia DiCarlo said with tears running down her cheeks.

“He invites everyone to be Christian, even when it is difficult. He knows how difficult this is for young people, and that is so special, especially from someone his age,” she said.

The liturgy in St. Peter’s Square was joyful and poignant, a celebration of what the pope has accomplished in 25 years and a reminder of how much his physical strength has slipped.

Youthful and energetic when he greeted the world Oct. 16, 1978, the 83-year-old pontiff had to be wheeled on a chair to the altar and struggled to pronounce the Mass prayers.

In a sermon read in part by an aide, the pope alluded to his physical difficulties and asked for continued prayers and support from Catholics all over the globe. He said that, aware of his “human fragility,” he meditated daily over his ability to meet the demands of the papacy.

“I renew, through the hands of Mary, beloved mother, the gift of myself, in the present and the future: All will be accomplished according to your will,” he said in a prayer to Christ, the church’s “good shepherd.”

More than 250 cardinals and bishops from more than 120 countries concelebrated with the pope. Most of them have taken office under Pope John Paul and helped him shape the modern church.

Addressing the pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, described the pontiff as a tireless missionary who has preached Christ’s message to “young and old, rich and poor, the powerful and the humble.”

Sitting in a spotlight under a canopy, his head tilted forward under a brocaded gold miter, the pope glanced out at the crowd and smiled as visitors waved caps, flags and scarves in tribute. He told them their support helps him carry on his ministry.

“God alone knows how much sacrifice, prayer and suffering have been offered up to support me in my service to the church,” he said.

“I beg you, brothers and sisters, don’t interrupt this great work of love for the successor of Peter. I ask you once again: Help the pope ... to serve man and all humanity,” he said.

Introducing the prayer of the faithful, the pope asked that God “continue to pour upon me the Holy Spirit, the spirit of wisdom, of holiness and strength, in order to serve his holy people and proclaim to all people the Gospel of salvation and peace.”

At 25 years, this papacy has become the fourth-longest in history and has left a defining mark on the church and the world beyond its borders.

One person who was in St. Peter’s Square the night of the pope’s election in 1978 was Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, Ill., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A student in Rome at the time, Bishop Gregory said he was immediately struck by the new pope’s vigor and youthful enthusiasm.

Today, frail and weakened by illness, the pope is “witnessing to us the human dignity that is present at all moments in life and that we never lose, even though we lose our physical strength or physical beauty, and even though we become dependent on others,” Bishop Gregory said.

Tributes and accolades poured in from nearly every country to mark the pope’s anniversary, and the Vatican Web site (www.vatican.va) invited Catholics to send greetings to the pope via e-mail.

President George W. Bush said in a message that the pope has left the United States and the world a better place.

“For the past 25 years, his Holiness has led worldwide efforts to develop a new culture of life that values and protects the lives of innocent children waiting to be born. He has also brought the love of the Almighty to people of all ages, particularly those who suffer or live in poverty, or who are weak and vulnerable,” Bush said.

“Pope John Paul II has shown the world not only the splendor of truth, but also the power of truth to overcome evil and to redirect the course of history,” he said.

The pope began the week by remembering the day of his election and thanking everyone — especially young people — for their prayers and enthusiasm over the years.

Speaking in a pre-recorded TV transmission to Poland Oct. 13, the pope said that at the 25-year mark the words of St. Luke’s Gospel came to mind: “We are useless servants. We have done no more than our duty.”

He thanked God for “all the good he has caused to spring from the hearts of individuals, the church and the world” throughout his papacy.

At a general audience Oct. 15, the pope was cheered by a crowd of 20,000 and serenaded by Polish choirs. Short of breath and weak of voice, he thanked people for their spiritual support. Then he spent nearly an hour individually greeting prelates, civil dignitaries, pilgrim groups and the sick — many of whom brought a gift for the occasion.

At the Vatican conference on Pope John Paul II’s first 25 years, leading cardinals said the pope had guided the church through a time of confusion with the sure touch of an understanding father.

Beninese Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, former dean of the College of Cardinals, appeared to counter rumors of future papal retirement when he said: “Popes don’t take retirement pay, having been chosen to serve for life.”

Then the cardinal quoted St. Leo the Great, who despite physical frailty carried on in his papal ministry, inspired by the figure of St. Peter.

On Oct. 16, the pope signed an apostolic exhortation, “Pastores Gregis” (“Shepherds of the Flock”), his response to the 2001 world Synod of Bishops, which discussed the identity and role of the bishop in the church and in the world.

The document called on every bishop to be “a living sign of Jesus Christ, teacher, priest and pastor,” while acknowledging the tremendous demands of pastoral ministry in the modern age.

“Where will we find the strength to carry it out according to the will of Christ? Undoubtedly, only in him,” the pope told more than 250 cardinals and bishops at the signing ceremony.