VATICAN CITY, (ZENIT.org).- The celebration for John Paul II's 80th birthday was an event without precedents. The Pontiff prefers privacy on such personal occasions but this year, his birthday coincided with the Jubilee of Priests, so instead he presided at the greatest concelebrated Mass in history.

The organizers had provided seating arrangements for 10,000, but were forced to add seats at the last minute, as the line of priests continued to file into the Mass.

"I will always sing the love of the Lord: this is my confession of faith and my hymn of thanksgiving to the Father of life, who enables me to celebrate the Mass with you today, with the exultation of the perennial youth of the spirit, in the celebration of my 80th birthday," the Holy Father said to the priests who were in St. Peter's Square this morning, under an implacable sun.

"Thank You for These White Hairs"
On behalf of all those present and the whole Church, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy, thanked the Pontiff for his testimony of fidelity to Christ with these words: "Thank you! Thank you for these white hairs, for the suffering, which makes you even more lovable in our eyes. Thank you, Holiness, for your physically tired but spiritually intrepid steps; for having vigorously exhorted us for 22 years to open wide the doors to Christ, without fear, and for now having opened the Holy Door to us, showing us the immense horizons of Christ, the Lord of history, and for guiding us in the missionary enterprise of the new evangelization."

During the homily, the first Polish Pope in history thanked God for his 50 years of priesthood, and, after recalling the intense moments he lived at the end of March in the Cenacle in Jerusalem, where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood, he looked at the priests around him and said: "I embrace you with great affection, dear priests of the whole world! It is an embrace that has no bounds and that extends to the priests of each individual Church, until it reaches you in a special way, dear sick, lonely, priests tried by difficulties."

Remembers Those Who Have Left the Priesthood John Paul II also addressed all those priests who no longer exercise the sacred ministry, but who continue to carry within themselves that special configuration with Christ, proper to the indelible character of Holy Orders. "I also pray a great deal for them and I ask you all to remember them in your prayers so that, thanks to a dispensation obtained in a regular manner, they will maintain alive in themselves the commitment to Christian coherence and ecclesial communion."

The scene in St. Peter's Square was imposing, especially the sea of white albs worn by the thousands of priests who concelebrated. Moreover, the Bernini colonnade embraced thousands of faithful from all over the world, carrying banners congratulating the Pontiff on his birthday. Calabrian choirs with a total of 600 persons came to Rome to add to the beauty of the Eucharistic celebration.

John Paul II had very special guests for lunch today: a group of 12 priests who were also celebrating their 80th birthday. They were joined by the Cardinals present in Rome. African Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, Dean of the College of Cardinals, spoke on behalf of the other guests. He ended with a timeless Latin phrase: "Horas non numero nisi serenas.
[I do not count the hours except the serene ones.]"

The celebration continued in the afternoon, when the London Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by maestro Gilbert Levine, performed Joseph Haydn's "Creation" Oratorio for three soloists, choir and orchestra.

On October 16, John Paul II will celebrate the 22nd anniversary of his pontificate. At that point, he will be the Pope with the seventh longest reign in history. In September, he will surpass Sylvester I (314-335) and Alexander III (1159-1181), who each held the Chair of St. Peter for 21 years and 11 months.

NEW YORK, MAY 18 (ZENIT.org).- The United Nations also wished to celebrate the Pope's 80th birthday. A ceremony is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. local time, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, one of the most important rooms at the New York headquarters.

The main address will be given by Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re of the Vatican Secretariat of State, who has worked closely with the Pope during the 22 years of his pontificate. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Anan, and Vatican Permanent Observer, Archbishop Renato Martino, were among those attending the celebration.

The evening will include the viewing of the video, "John Paul II. Witness of the Invisible," produced by the Vatican Television Center for the Pope's 80th birthday. The half-hour film is divided into three parts: the first presents the Pope of the Jubilee, with images of the opening of the Holy Door, as well as the trips to Egypt and the Holy Land. The second is a series of images of this "itinerant" Pontiff, and the mark he has left on today's world. The last part focuses on daily aspects of the Pope's life and his personality.

Sent by: Fr. Adrian Magnait

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