Pope John Paul II celebrated his 24th anniversary as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, vowing to serve "until the end the mission with which Christ entrusted me".
Presiding over it all is Tijuca, the mountainous rainforest iced with the emblematic statue of Christ the Redeemer, which majestically embraces the city below.
('Ecce Homo - behold the man' - were the words with which Pontius Pilate handed Christ over to the mob).
In a departure from protocol, he told the pontiff in a special tribute: "We are deeply grateful for your strength of spirit and the apostolic courage with which you proclaim Christ's gospel".
Thus John McCarthy's experience as a hostage in Beirut brings a particular force to the chorale that focuses on Christ's capture, and the vehemence with which the voices articulated Giles Fraser's words "Drenched in spit and mockery" adds a vivid contemporary resonance.
How does that square with "Christ crucified," which Paul calls foolishness to those in power of his own day? 2. Paul argues that the human pathos of the cross silences the erudite of his day; and its starkness is more powerful than any supernatural miracle.
His thank-you to the town with which he became so enamoured was to commission from a Florentine sculptor the statue of Christ the Redeemer, faced with Carrara marble, which stands on a hilltop far above Maratea, arms outstretched.
In 1920, he had recently met the modernist sculptor Victor Brecheret, and bought a sculpture from him entitled "Bust of Christ," which depicted Christ as a Brazilian with braided hair.
The apostle Paul taught that faith meant belief in Christ and the preaching of Christ, which is the word of God, as well as obedience to Christ.
In the four arches that carry the drum of the cupola are scenes from the life of Christ which, with eight more Christological scenes in the transepts, formed a cycle devoted to the central feasts of the church.
