Pope John Paul II Speaks to CLC
2000

With great pleasure I welcome to the Vatican the leaders of the World Christian Life Community. You have wished to come here today so that during this great Jubilee year 2000, you might publicly proclaim your intention that Jesus Christ son of God and son of Mary, should be the very center of the apostolic life of your entire community.

 Your's is the long and rich tradition of the (Sodality) Marion Congregations, which trace their origins back to the sixteenth century, to the initiative of St. Ignatius of Loyola and his companions. Down the centuries, popes have supported and encouraged the apostolate of the congregations, also through the publication of pontifical documents. In 1967, the Marion Congregations, united in a World Federation, asked Pope Paul VI to approve the new General Principles and statutes Federation, and in 1971 name of the Congregations was changed to "World Federation of Christian Life Communities.' More recently, in 1990, with the Apostolic See's approval of the revised General Principles and Norms, you became the "World Christian Life Community." Despite these changes in name and structure, the community remains faithful to the common spiritual roots it shares with the Society of Jesus, and faithful to the Ignatian tradition which it has inherited.

 You are now present in fifty eight countries throughout the world as a united community of  lay men and women bearing witness to Jesus Christ and working to build up his kingdom. You draw inspiration and strength for this task from the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. The emphasis which you place on a thorough and complete Christian formation is a particular benefit in helping you to fulfill your apostolate. As members of the laity, you are called to be faithful witnesses to Jesus Christ in all spheres of life: in your families, in your professional lives, in the world of politics and culture, and the local Church communities to which each of you belongs. And I am pleased to learn that, as leaders of the Christian Life Community, you have asked your individual groups to cooperate more closely during this Jubilee Year with their local pastors and to strengthen the bonds of union with the Diocesan Bishops.

 Invoking upon all the members of the World Christian Life Community the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.