Novo millennio ineunte


Novo millennio ineunte is an apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II, addressed to the Bishops Clergy and Lay Faithful, "At the Close of the Great Jubilee of 2000".
The apostolic letter outlines the priorities for the Catholic Church for the third millennium and beyond.

Put out into the deep

The opening paragraph cites Jesus inviting the Apostle Simon Peter to "put out into the deep" for a catch: "Duc in altum". This phrase was often repeated by Pope John Paul II and quoted by others. Peter and his companions trusted Christ's words, and cast the nets. "When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish".

Christ at the Center

Priorities

The highest priority is put on holiness or sanctity: "All Christian faithful...are called to the fullness of the Christian life."
The second priority is the basic means to arrive at holiness: "This training in holiness calls for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer."
Another priority is the New Evangelization: "Over the years, I have often repeated the summons to the new evangelization. I do so again now, especially in order to insist that we must rekindle in ourselves the impetus of the beginnings and allow ourselves to be filled with the ardour of the apostolic preaching which followed Pentecost. We must revive in ourselves the burning conviction of Paul, who cried out: 'Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel'."