VATICAN - Cardinal Sepe presides Mass in St Peter’s Basilica with Friars Minor from the Far East: “With the same faith as St Peter go and proclaim the Lord to your brothers and sisters in Asia. Be light with your life witness, be bearers of Christ’s love and charity for all humanity”

Vatican City (Fides Service) - “The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is God’s presentation to the nations. Christ is the light of all nations, all peoples and so before ascending to heaven he sent his disciples to carry on the mission of preaching the Good News to all peoples. We are the ones who received this command from Christ: we are called to present and reveal God to all peoples and this is what the Church has done for two thousand years. This is what we do as missionaries of Christ.” This morning on the Feast of the Presentation, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, presided a concelebration of the Eucharist in St Peter’s Basilica with Friars Minor from the Far East accompanied by the Vicar General and a few Definators general. After visiting Franciscan holy places the friars had come to Rome to pray at the tombs of St Peter and St Paul.
“Dear brothers - Cardinal Sepe said in his homily - , you have come on pilgrimage to the tomb of St Peter. Today we are here at the tomb of the first of the Apostles to bear witness to love for Peter and the Successor of Peter. Francis of Assisi came to Rome to ask the Pope to give his charisma the seal of authenticity. Like Francis we have come to ‘videre Petrum’. We draw from the tomb of St Peter and the witness of charity of his successor, Pope John Paul II, the strength to proclaim the Lord and his Gospel to all nations”.
Cardinal Sepe then gave the Friars a new mission command: “You have a special mission to make Christ known on the immense and great continent of Asia. Go and bear witness to the Risen Lord to all those brothers and sisters who long to hear the news of the death and resurrection of the Lord. Francis came to see the Pope, and he also went to see the Grand Sultan to proclaim Christ to the nations. You have seen Peter and with the same faith as Peter go and proclaim the Lord to your brothers and sisters! Be light with your life style, be bearers of the love and charity of Christ for all men and women. Like the first Franciscan missionaries who even gave their lives for the Lord and like many Franciscans in the world today who bear witness to the Lord under difficult circumstances, be light for the nations. May the Lord bless your dedication to mission!” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 2/2/2005 - Righe 28; Parole 422)