Brasília, October 2, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - On Tuesday (1), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked the Papal Legate in Brazil, Don Lorenzo Baldisseri, to send a message to Pope John Paul II, wishing him good health, so that can participate in the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of his Papacy, scheduled for October 16, in Rome.

The 25 years that Pope John Paul II is about to complete in the Papacy is, according to Don Lorenzo, a record that very few can attain. "With 25 years in the Papacy, Pope John Paul II will hold the record for the past century. In earlier centuries two popes held the office for 34 years," he said.

During his meeting with the President of the Republic, in the Planalto Palace, Don Lorenzo used the opportunity to invite Lula to attend a Mass which will be celebrated on October 29, at 8 P.M., in the Cathedral of Brasília, to commemoraqte the 25th anniversary of John Paul II's Papacy. Don Lorenzo informed that this was his first visit to President Lula in the Planalto Palace. (DAS)