Vatican City, Dec 15, 2004 / 22:00 pm
On receiving participants in the Seventh International Congress of the Pastoral Care for Circus and Fair Workers this morning, Pope John Paul II said that their work, "which is difficult and very special, can be a privileged occasion to proclaim the authentically human values in the world's fora.”
The Congress, which is taking place in Rome from December 12 to 16, was organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.
“In a time when it seems as if the frenzy of producing and getting rich is the only thing that matters,” said the Pope, “spreading joy and cheer is true testimony to those non-material values that are necessary to live fraternity and gratitude."
"Your world, that of the circus and amusement parks," he concluded, "can be turned into a new field of the great themes of pastoral care, ecumenism and the encounter of members of other religions, and the common commitment to building a universal brotherhood."