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Washington,
February 11, 2003 - 11th World Day of the Sick
"The Path to Solidarity" |
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"The Path to Solidarity" is
the theme for the 11th World Day of the Sick held every year on
February 11, the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes. In his message
for the occasion this year Pope John Paul II stresses that Jesus
Christ has the answer to the questions raised by humanity and Christians
have the duty to proclaim this message and bear witness to God's
love for everyone: "Urgent questions about suffering and death,
dramatically present in the heart of every person despite the continual
attempts by a secular mentality to remove them or ignore them, await
satisfactory answers. Especially in the presence of tragic human
experiences, the Christian is called to bear witness to the consoling
truth of the Risen Lord, who takes upon himself the wounds and ills
of humanity, including death itself, and transforms them into occasions
of grace and life. This proclamation and this witness are to be
delivered to everyone, in every corner of the world". The main
celebration will be held this year at the National Shrine of the
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., in the
United States. The Pope has appointed his special envoy Archbishop
Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for
Pastoral of Health-Care Workers. In previous years the Day has been
held in Lourdes, Yamoussoukro, Guadalupe, Fatima, Lebanon, Rome
during the year 2000, Sydney and last year at the shrine of Our
Lady of Vailankanni in India |
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