” “Yesterday morning, the sermon uttered by Benedict XVI in the parish church of Dio Padre Misericordioso, in the east district of the Diocees of Rome, ended with a special tribute to John Paul II. The parish church was built on the resolve of John Paul II to commemorate the Great Jubilee of 2000, just so that “it would effectively concentrate the meaning of that extraordinary spiritual event”. It was consecrated to God’s love, which “revealed itself in a total and final manner said the Pope yesterday in the mystery of the Cross”. This was just the subject of the text that John Paul II had prepared for the meeting with the faithful, on Sunday 3rd April, Sunday in Albis. But the Pope died on April 2nd and that’s how those words almost like a spiritual testament were published on April 4th by Osservatore Romano. Yesterday morning, Pope Benedict XVI commemorated it by reading a passage from that text: “To mankind John Paul II had written -, that sometimes seems lost and overwhelmed by the power of evil, by selfishness and fear, the Lord Resurrected offers as a gift His love that forgives, reconciles and opens the soul to hope. It is a love that converts the hearts and gives peace”. And he added: “How much the world needs understanding and welcoming God’s mercy!”.
