Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct 28, 2003 / 22:00 pm
In a message about the 25 years of John Paul II's Pontificate entitled, "I come from a far away country," Bishop Néstor Hugo Navarro of the Diocese of Alto Valle del Río Negro praised the testimony of the Holy Father's life and declared that the Pope's spirit "is not in a wheelchair."
The Bishop explained that "recently, with the marks of illness on his body, he has taught us about the value and meaning of suffering for the Christian faith."
"This Pope who appears on television tired, sick and in obvious physical discomfort, has the words and gestures of a prophet announcing the real possibility of a better, more humane world, shared as brothers and sisters, with greater peace and justice," said the Bishop.
He also recalled "how much the Pope has given to the Church and to humanity in these 25 years of his pontificate! And he did it without reserve, spending his life in fulfillment of the mission Jesus entrusted to him."