Spain" "
A boat, a sail and a cross: they are the symbols of the visit that John Paul II will make to Madrid, in Spain, on 3 and 4 May. The boat, representing the Church, is “the invitation to proclaim the Gospel in contemporary society”; the sail, which has the shape of a map of Spain, “urges us to plough the seas of the new evangelization”; the cross is the “sign of Christ’s love for the salvation of the world” and the “strength and hope of each Christian”. Meanwhile preparations are busily going ahead to welcome the Pope, who has already been to Spain four times. During his next visit he will celebrate the canonization of five Spanish Blesseds: Pedro Poveda, priest, martyr and founder of the Theresian Institution; José Maria Rubio, Jesuit, apostle of the slums of Madrid; Genoveva Torres, founder of the order of Angelic Religious; Angela de la Cruz; founder of the Sisters of the Cross; and Maria Maravillas de Jesus, barefoot Carmelite and founder of numerous communities. On the afternoon of 3 May the Holy Father will meet hundreds of thousands of young people. On the occasion of the papal visit, a special Office of social communications has been set up. In the days ahead it will begin issuing a weekly news bulletin with the title “Be my Witnesses”, with information, documentation, articles and testimonies. And from 7 March a special web page will be available on the website www.sereismistestigos.com, which will provide live coverage of the Pope’s visit. And for relations with the press, a special e-mail address is available prensa@sereismistestigos.com. During the last meeting of the permanent Council the Spanish bishops issued a preparatory message, in which they express “great hope in the pastoral results of the Pope’s visit”, especially “to reinforce the witness of our Christian communities and every baptised”.
