Vatican City, Mar 23, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Holy Thursday celebrations began today at the Vatican with the Chrism Mass celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. During his homily he thanked Pope John Paul II for his “serene abandonment to God.”
The cardinal referred to the importance of Holy Thursday for priests, recalling that “today in particular is the feast of those of us who have been consecrated through the sacrament of Holy Orders: deacons, priests and bishops.” “We are invited not only to renew our commitments related to ordination, but also to revive the freshness of the feelings that inspired us to give ourselves to the Lord,” he said.