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13 Oct - Pope John Paul II - Twenty Years of Pontificate

POPE JOHN PAUL II
MESSAGE FOR THE IRISH CATHOLIC
FROM THE MOST REVEREND SEÁN BRADY
ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH

Pope John Paul II repeats often the words of Christ: "Be not afraid". He sees them as an inspirational call not to fear the truth about ourselves or about God, but to believe.

His courage in accepting and preaching the truth comes from his faith in Jesus Christ, the true light that enlightens everyone.

I have seen the Pope many times at prayer. I am convinced that his strong faith is constantly nourished by the hours he spends in conversation with God.

Pope John Paul II has suffered immensely during his life, losing his mother at the age of eight, his sister soon after birth and his brother in his 20s. He sees suffering as a test of physical and spiritual strength and as an incentive to pray with and for those who suffer.

Pope John Paul speaks directly and with passion to all people about the existence of God, about human dignity and about pain, about hope and about the civilization of love which we are called to create.

- His love of his native Poland - and of Ireland - which he visited so early in his pontificate is remarkable.
- His readiness to forgive his would-be assassin.
- His devotion to Mary, Mother of God and Mother of Mercy.
- The list of what inspires me about Pope John Paul could go on and on.

October 13, 1998.
 


Welcome to the website of the Archdiocese of Armagh.

Our diocese of sixty-one parishes, from four counties, North and South of the Border, is knitted together closely to form the historic local Church of Armagh. As a diocese we seek not only to be faithful to the message of Jesus Christ himself, but also to embrace the challenges of the present and to look forward with confidence to the opportunities of the future. We strive to do this primarily by reflecting the healing love of Christ and the Truth of his Gospel through the ministry of his Church in the various parishes and pastoral agencies you will find outlined in this website.

I pray that visitors to this site may find the information it contains, the aspirations and resources it promotes, useful in helping to understand the mission of the Archdiocese of Armagh in building up the Kingdom of God in the twenty-first century.

We place it under the protection of Mary, Mother of the Church, who advised us to do whatever her son, Jesus, tells us. We invoke the help of the Patron Saints of the diocese, Patrick  and  Brigid, Malachy and Moninne  and the martyrs, Oliver Plunkett and Patrick O'Loughran,  that this website may prove to be of great help to all who strive to follow Christ faithfully.
 
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