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Skriven 2006-03-14 06:54:52 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
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                               VIS-Press releases

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: MAY GOD ILLUMINATE YOUR JOURNEY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 11, 2006 (VIS) - This evening in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy
Father presided at an evening prayer vigil held to mark the fourth European Day
for Universities which is considering the theme: "Christian humanism, the path
of a new cooperation between Europe and Africa." The Day has been promoted by
the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) and the vicariate of Rome's
office for pastoral care in universities.

During the course of the evening, there were satellite linkups with university
students in the European cities of Bonn, Dublin, Freiburg Madrid, Munich,
Salamanca, St. Petersburg and Sofia, and the African cities of Abidjan,
Antananarivo, Owerri and Nairobi.

The Pope arrived in the Hall at 6 p.m. and led the recitation of the rosary. He
then addressed some words to the young people present and those following the
event via the satellite linkups.

"This Marian vigil so dear to Pope John Paul II," he said, "creates bridges of
fraternity between the young university students of Europe, and this evening it
extends those bridges to within the great continent of Africa, so that
communion may grow among the new generations and the civilization of love may
spread. For this reason, to our friends following us from Africa I wish to send
a particularly affectionate embrace, which I would like to extend to all the
dear African people."

After pronouncing greetings in Spanish, English, German, French, Russian and
Bulgarian, the Holy Father referred to his recent Encyclical "Deus caritas
est," copies of which he then distributed to ten student representatives. "In
this way," he said, "I intend to give it symbolically to all university
students of Europe and Africa, in the hope that the fundamental truth of
Christian faith - God is love - may illuminate the journey of each of you and,
through your witness, may come to irradiate the lives of those who study with
you."

He continued: "This truth concerning the love of God - origin, meaning and goal
of the universe and of history - was revealed by Jesus Christ with His Word and
His Life, most of all in His Paschal death and resurrection. It lies at the
base of Christian knowledge which, like leavening, has the capacity to ferment
all human cultures, bringing them to express the best of themselves and
cooperate in developing a more just and peaceful world."

The Pope invited the university students to read his Message for 21st World
Youth Day which is being celebrated this year in various dioceses on Palm
Sunday. As preparation for the Day, he encouraged them to participate in the
traditional meeting in St. Peter's Square, due to take place on April 6. "We
will welcome the pilgrim Cross which has cone from Cologne, Germany and, a year
after his death, recall with grateful hearts my great predecessor John Paul
II."

The Day concluded with the pilgrimage of the university students' cross from
the Paul VI Hall to the Church of St. Agnes in Rome's Piazza Navona.
AC/.../UNIVERSITY STUDENTS VIS 060313 (520)

SUMMARY

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