.- Pope John Paul II called the faithful to intensify their “commitment of conversion to Christ” as the Church prepares to begin Lent this Ash Wednesday and spoke of yesterday’s feast of the Chair of Peter.
“The Lenten itinerary will thus become a propitious time to examine ourselves with sincerity and truth and to return order to our own lives and to our relations with others and with God,” the Pope said.
He also remarked that “the liturgical feast of the Chair of Peter underscores the singular mystery, entrusted by the Lord to the leader of the Apostles, of confirming and guiding the Church in the unity of faith.”
“This is what the ‘ministerium petrinum’ is, that particular service that the Bishop of Rome is called to render to all Christians. An indispensable mission that is not based on human prerogatives but on Christ Himself as the cornerstone of the ecclesial community,” he explained.
“Let us pray that the Church, in the variety of cultures, languages and traditions, will be unanimous in believing and professing the truth of faith and morals transmitted by the Apostles,” he called.
