Vatican City, Apr 14, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Today the Vatican released Pope John Paul II’s message for this year’s annual World Mission Day, which he wrote before his death.
The theme of the October 23rd celebration is to be: "Mission: Bread broken for the life of the world." The Holy Father’s message was dated February 22, 2005, Feast of the Chair of St Peter.
It has been published in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.
In it, the pope wrote that, "World Mission Sunday, in this year dedicated to the Eucharist, helps us to better understand the 'eucharistic' sense of our life as we relive the emotion of the Upper Room when, on the eve of His passion, Jesus offered Himself to the world."