.- In the continuing historic process of laying to rest and electing a new pope, the Church celebrated yesterday the third Mass of the "novendiali" (nine days of mourning) for John Paul II, who died on April 2nd. Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, presided at the Mass which was concelebrated by cardinals, bishops and priests from around the world.
Cardinal Ruini specifically addressed faithful of the Church of Rome who filled the basilica, asking how John Paul II had managed to be "so close to us and enter so deeply into the hearts of Romans, as well as of Italians and of so many citizens of the world.”
“The true reply”, he said, “is simple and full of meaning: he was and still is a brother and father to everyone, because he was a man of God, because he lived constantly in God's presence, intimately united to Him and trusting utterly in His infinite mercy."
The cardinal continued, saying, "this extraordinary closeness to God in no way distanced him from us. ... On the contrary, John Paul II was a true man, one who fully savored and appreciated the flavor of life: from the beauty of art, of poetry and of nature, to the vigor of sport, and to the courage of the most difficult decisions."
He recalled John Paul’s visits to 301 of Rome's 333 parishes, the annual Mass for university students the pope celebrated each year, and the meeting with young people prior to Palm Sunday.
Cardinal Ruini also noted the Holy Father’s pastoral initiatives such as the diocesan synod (1986) and the Citizens' Mission (1995), which was part of the preparations for the Jubilee Year 2000.
“This is the Church that he wanted, and today continues to ask us to be and to live: not a Church closed in on itself, not timid, not disheartened; a Church that burns with the love of Christ, for the salvation of all men and women."
The cardinal told the crowd that the only way truly to remain with the Pope, "not just in an emotive or superficial way, is to remain - each of us individually, and the whole of the Church of Rome together - in the love of the Lord, the love that nourishes itself with faith and with daily obedience to His will, especially to His commandment: love one another as I have loved you."
He emphasized that "John Paul II, in his suffering and his death, just as in his life, was a witness and an extraordinarily effective proclaimer of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead, like the Apostles Peter and Paul whose great Christian and human legacy he assumed"
"As we renew our gratitude to God for this Pope who for 26 years broke the Eucharistic bread with us and for us,” the cardinal concluded, “we also thank, from the bottom of our hearts, the sister Church of Krakow and the entire beloved Polish nation in which Karol Woytjla received life, faith and his admirable Christian and human richness, which he then donated to Rome and the entire world."
