LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II
TO THE BISHOP OF ASCOLI PICENO
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 17th CENTENARY
OF THE DEATH OF ST EMIDIUS

To my Venerable Brother
Bishop Silvano Montevecchi of Ascoli Piceno

1. This year, the Ecclesial Community in Ascoli is commemorating the 17th centenary of the martyrdom of St Emidius, its first bishop. I am delighted to join you in spirit, venerable Brother, and the clergy, the men and women religious and all the faithful of Ascoli, on this important anniversary that will be commemorated with various liturgical, pastoral and cultural events, culminating in the solemn celebration this 5 August, the patronal feast day of the Diocese.

LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II
TO CARDINAL ROGER ETCHEGARAY
ON THE OCCASION OF THE PRESENTATION
OF THE  VOLUME "L'INQUISIZIONE"

To my Venerable Brother Cardinal Roger Etchegaray,
former President of the Committee for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000

1. I receive with deep appreciation the volume containing the Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Inquisition, organized at the Vatican from 29-31 October 1998 by the Historical-Theological Commission for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.

LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II
TO BISHOP HEINZ JOSEF ALGERMISSEN OF FULDA
FOR THE 1,250th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARTYRDOM
OF ST BONIFACE, THE "APOSTLE OF GERMANY"

To Bishop Heinz Josef Algermissen of Fulda, Germany,
and all the Bishops and Archbishops and faithful of Germany
on the occasion of the 1,250th anniversary of the martyrdom of St Boniface

My Venerable Brother,

1. On 5 June the Church, particularly the Church in Germany, commemorates the martyrdom of St Boniface 1,250 years ago. I gladly join in prayer all of you who have gathered on this important occasion at the tomb of the "Apostle of Germany", as this great missionary is described, to thank God for his work and for the heritage he has bequeathed and, once again, to entrust the Church and the faithful in Germany to his intercession. Furthermore, this historic date invites us to remember the work of this saint which has lived on down the centuries, and to understand the message that his life and death have left to the Christians of today.

LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II
ON THE OCCASION OF THE FOURTH CENTENARY
OF THE DEATH OF ST SERAPHINO OF MONTEGRANARO,
PATRON OF ASCOLI PICENO

To my Venerable Brother
Bishop Silvano Montevecchi of Ascoli Piceno

1. I am particularly pleased to offer my cordial greeting to you and to the Diocesan Community. Together with the Friars Minor Capuchin of the Religious Province of the Marches your Diocese is preparing to commemorate the fourth centenary of the death of St Seraphino of Montegranaro, who died in the Capuchin Friary at Ascoli Piceno on 12 October 1604. I will be present in spirit at the Jubilee celebrations. I am certain that they will help make better known not only the example of Gospel life set by this humble son of St Francis, but also the timeliness of the message that his human and spiritual life convey. This will not fail to give a fresh impetus to the commitment to the new evangelization in Ascoli and Loreto, as well as in the different Ecclesial Communities in which he lived.

SCHREIBEN VON JOHANNES PAUL II.
AN KARDINALSTAATSSEKRETÄR ANGELO SODANO, PÄPSTLICHER LEGAT BEI DER FEIERLICHEN SCHLUSSVERANSTALTUNG
DES MITTELEUROPÄISCHEN KATHOLIKENTAGES 2003-2004
(WALLFAHRTSORT MARIAZELL - ÖSTERREICH, 22. MAI 2004)

Unserem Ehrwürdigen Bruder
ANGELO Kardinal SODANO
Staatssekretär

Gruß und Apostolischen Segen! In unserer Zeit zeigt sich wieder, daß das hervorragende Werk der Evangelisierung, das einst die hll. Cyrill und Methodius, der hl. Adalbert und andere christliche Männer und Frauen durch die Jahrhunderte hindurch im apostolischen Geist in den Völkern Mitteleuropas vollbracht haben, auf einzigartige Weise an Lebenskraft gewinnt. Vor allem seit 1989 hat der katholische Glaube einen neuen Auftrieb erfahren bei vielen Menschen und Völkern Europas, denen das Gute, die Eintracht und die Einheit Europas am Herzen liegen (vgl. Slavorum Apostoli, 1–2).

LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II
ON THE OCCASION OF THE ECUMENICAL MEETING
"TOGETHER FOR EUROPE"
HELD IN STUTTGART (GERMANY)

To the participants in the Ecumenical Meeting "Together for Europe"

On 8 May, in Stuttgart, the Catholic, Evangelical and Orthodox movements are coming together at the Together for Europe Meeting to celebrate a European Day of Encounter and Dialogue. It gives me great joy to learn that, precisely when new States are being welcomed into the European Union, Christians in Europe are gathering to reflect on the Christian roots and the future of their Continent in the light of the Gospel. In fact, the light of the Gospel has shone in Europe's history, giving life to an association of different cultures and destinies. Reference to the living Word of the Gospel often led entire peoples to share a common culture and purpose, just like the community that has taken the name of Europe.

LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II
TO MSGR. LUIGI GIUSSANI
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY
OF THE MOVEMENT "COMMUNION AND LIBERATION"

To Rev. Mons. Luigi Giussani,
Founder of the Movement "Communion and Liberation"

1. It will be 50 years in October since you stopped lecturing at the theological faculty of the Seminary at Venegono and began to teach religion in Milan at Berchet Secondary School. This was how you came to set out on the way to an ecclesial association that was subsequently to become the Movement, and later, also the Fraternity of "Communion and Liberation". I gladly join you in the surge of gratitude to God, the Giver of every good thing, that wells up in your priestly heart and in the hearts of the Movement's members on this anniversary. In this half century, divine Providence has brought to life an institution which, spreading rapidly in Italy and throughout the world, has yielded an abundant harvest of good for the Church and for society.

LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II
TO ARCHBISHOP DOMENICO UMBERTO D'AMBROSIO
NEW DELEGATE OF THE HOLY SEE FOR THE SHRINE
AND WORKS OF SAINT PIO OF PIETRELCINA

To my venerable Brother
Archbishop Domenico Umberto D'Ambrosio of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo
Delegate for the Shrine and Institutions of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

1. The spiritual movement inspired by the charism of St Pio of Pietrelcina did not end with his earthly death; on the contrary, it has continued to grow, becoming significantly important to the life of the entire Church. The secret of these far-reaching echoes is certainly to be found in the humble Capuchin's total immersion in the mystery of the Cross. Throughout his life, Padre Pio sought to conform ever more closely to the Crucified Christ, with a clear awareness that he was called to collaborate in a very special way in the work of Redemption.

LETTER OF JOHN PAUL II
TO THE MONTFORT RELIGIOUS FAMILY

To the Men and Women Religious
of the Montfort Families

A classical text of Marian spirituality

1. A work destined to become a classic of Marian spirituality was published 160 years ago. St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote the Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin at the beginning of the 1700s, but the manuscript remained practically unknown for more than a century. When, almost by chance, it was at last discovered in 1842 and published in 1843, the work was an instant success, proving extraordinarily effective in spreading the "true devotion" to the Most Holy Virgin. I myself, in the years of my youth, found reading this book a great help. "There I found the answers to my questions", for at one point I had feared that if my devotion to Mary "became too great, it might end up compromising the supremacy of the worship owed to Christ" (Dono e Mistero, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1996; English edition: Gift and Mystery, Paulines Publications Africa, p. 42). Under the wise guidance of St Louis Marie, I realized that if one lives the mystery of Mary in Christ this risk does not exist. In fact, this Saint's Mariological thought "is rooted in the mystery of the Trinity and in the truth of the Incarnation of the Word of God" (ibid.).