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| Sunday, 12 October 2003 |
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Pontiff's Silver Jubilee this week By E. Weerapperuma Thursday, October 16th will be an historic day in the annals of the Catholic Church as His Holiness Pope John Paul II will celebrate the Silver Jubilee of His pontificate on this day. His papacy began on October 16,1978, when he was elected as the 264th Pope. As Vicar of Christ he is the third Pope to have served the Church for over 25 years and the second non-Italian Pope after 455 years. The first non-Italian Pope was a native of the Netherlands, Adrian VI, in 1522. According to Church chronicle, after St.Peter, the First Vicar of Christ who served the Church from 33 A.D. to 64 A.D., the times of the first Apostles, the longest served Popes were Blessed Pius IX and Leo XIII. The shortest lived Pope was Stephen II of 752 A.D. Being elected he died before consecration. This year the Catholic Church celebrates the Silver Jubilee of the present Pope, almost after one hundred years. Pope Leo XIII who was the Vicar of Christ from 1878 to 1903 served 25 years and five months. The culminating point of the Jubilee celebrations will be the Concelebrated Holy Mass offered on October 16 by the Pontiff together with Cardinals and Bishops at St. Peter's Square in Rome. During the past few weeks the World Catholic Community has been conducting special prayer services to invoke blessings on the Pope, now 83, who is said to be in poor health. The Pontiff has also named 31 Bishops and priests for the Red Hat, a set of new members to the College of Cardinals. The Pontiff will preside over the Consistory on October 21, where the new Cardinals will receive their Red Hats as princes of the Church. Among the newly named Cardinals those below the age group of 80 will be eligible to elect the next Pope at a future Conclave. The Pope's insistence on having the consistory held within a week after the Jubilee celebration was seen as "an indication of his failing health as he realises that the days are numbered", media reported, quoting high ranking prelates in the Vatican. Yesterday, there were special prayer services and a concelebrated Holy Mass was offered with the participation of the Bishops and lay faithful at the Tewatta National Basilica of Our Lady of Sri Lanka invoking blessing on The Holy Father. |
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