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Making his way down the main aisle of the Cathedral Basilica, the pope offers
blessings to worshippers
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ST. LOUIS (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II addressed America's "heightened responsibility" Wednesday night during the final sermon of his 30-hour visit to St. Louis, admonishing his host country on how to use its power in the next millennium.
"Radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be for the world an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society," the pope said in a homily during vespers, or evening prayers, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.
"From salvation history we learn that power is responsibility; it is service, not privilege," warned John Paul. "It's exercise is morally justifiable when it is used for the good of all, when it is sensitive to the needs of the poor and defenseless."
Some 2,000 people, including Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Missouri, attended the religious service that Roman Catholics believe is held at the same hour that Jesus Christ sat down with his Apostles at the Last Supper.
Rabbi Robert Jacobs, executive vice president of St. Louis Rabbinical Association gave a reading from the scripture, reading the first sentence in Hebrew.
The 78-year-old pontiff noted that people of several faiths were joining Catholics at the prayer service.
"Our prayer this evening reminds us that the true mother tongue is the praise of God, the language of heaven -- our true home," said John Paul. "May these prayers signify our shared commitment to greater understanding and cooperation."
"If you want peace, work for justice"
The pope noted that America first declared its freedom on the basis of self-evident moral truths. The pontiff stated that the Ten Commandments are the charter of true freedom, for individuals and society.
The spiritual leader of the world's Catholics also touched on his familiar message during this visit -- that all life is precious.
"America: If you want peace, work for justice. If you want justice, defend life. If you want life, embrace the truth - the truth revealed by God," he said.
Those attending the service applauded the pontiff's homily. Ovations and cheers have been standard reactions from crowds at every stop during the pontiff's visit.
After the service, the pontiff walked down the aisle, offering blessings to various people. He watched as the rear door of the cathedral was sealed in preparation for the Jubilee year of the Second Millennium.
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| After calling racism a "plague," the pontiff meets with civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks | |
The pope also met briefly Wednesday evening with civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.
In 1955, Parks, a black seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest touched off a successful black boycott of Montgomery buses and lifted civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to national prominence.
Parks, now 85, lives in Detroit.
Earlier in the day, the pope said in his sermon that the United States faces a challenge "to put an end to every form of racism, a plague which your bishops have called one of the most persistent and destructive evils of the nation."
Mass celebrated in football stadium
The pope made that declaration during a Mass he celebrated before about 100,000 people at an indoor football stadium. The pontiff denounced abortion and the death penalty and called on American Catholics to adopt a "pro-life," new evangelism if they truly wish to serve God.
"As believers, how can we fail to see that abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide are a terrible rejection of God's gift of life and love?" the yellow-robed pope asked in his homily at the Trans World Dome.
"The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life ... The dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil."
"Modern society has the means of protecting itself without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform," the Polish-born pontiff said in English, his words sometimes slurred as he sat reading from a prepared text.
"I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary," John Paul said.
Wednesday's messages reinforced the pope's fight against what he has called a "culture of death" as the church heads into the new millennium.
Some people in the huge crowd had been waiting for John Paul almost five hours since filing through metal detectors and taking their seats. But they jumped to their feet and rushed to the barricades to get a closer look as the popemobile -- an enclosed gold and white double-length golf cart -- made its way around the complex.
Many were reduced to tears. Some waved handkerchiefs and flashed pictures of the pontiff as he rode by before Mass.
The pontiff was scheduled to return to the Vatican Wednesday night after a private meeting with Gore and a departure ceremony at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.