DOCUMENT: John Paul II's Address in Trnava Cathedral

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, SEPT. 12, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address prepared by John Paul II for his visit to the Cathedral of Trnava, one of the oldest Slovakian cities. It was read by Slovak Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect emeritus of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters!

1. I come with joy to visit this beautiful Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Bratislava-Trnava, dedicated to the holy Precursor of the Lord, St. John the Baptist.

I cordially greet your Archbishop Ján Sokol, the auxiliary bishops and all of you. From this mother church of all churches of the diocese, I extend my warm greetings to all the people of this territory and upon all of you I invoke the grace and the blessing of the Lord

2. St. John the Baptist is the man who lives in a solitude full of God's presence and he becomes the voice that announces the coming of the Saving Lamb (cf. Luke 3:1-18).

I encourage you dear Brothers and Sisters to nourish within yourselves the sense of God's presence by listening to his Word, by prayer, by the celebration of the sacraments, by service to your brothers and sisters. In this way you will become in your everyday life, like John the Baptist, heralds and witnesses to the loving and saving presence of God in today's world.

To all of you, with affection, I impart my blessing.

[Original text: Slovak; translation issued by Vatican press office]

ZENIT Daily dispatch - The World Seen from Rome
12. september 2003