Audience to some spanish communities December 5, 1987

St. John Paul II

Rome, December 5, 1987

Shortly after noon today, Saturday, December 5, the Holy Father received in the Matilde Chapel members of some Neocatechumenal Communities from Madrid. This is the text of the Pope’s words:

«Dear Brothers and Sisters, it is for me a reason for great satisfaction to receive this morning the Neocatechumenal Communities of the parishes of San Roque, Santa Catalina Laboure and Our Lady of the Dove in Madrid, as well as the group of itinerant catechists.

I wish to give each and every one of you a warm welcome. I know you have come to Rome with the main purpose of redoing your profession of faith before the tomb of the Apostle.

The Neocatechumenal Way leads you to the meditation and profound experience of the truth of the Creed as the vital sap of your Christian being and as a requirement to give witness to the wonders of baptism.

Experiencing and bringing to life the truths of our faith is essential to strengthen our communion within the Church, our Mother.

So I ask God that your pilgrimage to Rome, center of catholicity, root you in the universality of your Christian commitment and encourage you in your journey as itinerants at the service of the Gospel.

When you return to your communities in Spain and the world, take to all the greetings of the Pope who thinks of all and prays for all with great affection and hope. I entrust you, in this Marian Year, to the protection of the Blessed Virgin, model of holiness and docile to the action of the Spirit. May she accompany you on your way.

I impart to you, as a sign of benevolence, the Apostolic Blessing ».