Speeches 2001
Tuesday, 3 April 2001
Your Eminence,
Dear Sisters and Dear Brothers,
1. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2Co 13,13).
I gladly make my own the desire of the Apostle of the Gentiles, as I welcome you warmly to the Apostolic Palace. I am grateful for the cordial words with which Cardinal Karl Lehmann, your President, introduced your group to me. With him, I also greet the Evangelical Co-President, Bishop Hartmut Löwe.
I am pleased about this meeting that is taking place on the occasion of the conference which your ecumenical group has organized this year in Rome.
2. The increasing awareness of the communion in the Triune God has enabled Christians of different confessions no longer to regard one another as enemies or strangers but as brothers and sisters. The awareness that we belong to Christ, imparted to us with Baptism, has become deeper, especially in the years following the Second Vatican Council. We can be very grateful for this.
Already before this event, which was also important from an ecumenical perspective, the Lord's desire was echoing in many human hearts: Ut unum sint! (cf. Jn Jn 17,21). The echo of this exhortation also resounds in your ecumenical group, which has now existed for more than half a century.
The Second World War destroyed the world of many people. Even the religious cornerstones began to waver. Countless men and women sought safety and support. The late Cardinal Lorenz Jäger and the Lutheran Bishop Wilhelm Stählin recognized these "signs of the times". They gathered Catholic and Evangelical theologians around them, in an attempt to give a world that had fallen apart a new centre in Jesus Christ. So, precisely in 1946, the ecumenical group came into being and pursued its founders' aims even till now. I thank the Lord of history for inspiring these "pioneers of ecumenism" and am confident that your group will continue to be aware of its own origins and also to contribute, as a "laboratory of ecumenism", to achieving unity in the future.
3. The desire for unity accompanies us beyond the threshold of the third millennium. With the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification we reached a milestone in the ecumenical process. During the celebration of the Great Jubilee too, we could once again observe the incisive and prophetic sign of ecumenism.
At the same time, we have realized that the goal of full unity has not yet been reached. The commemoration of Christ's Incarnation reminded us that ecumenical dialogue must be oriented above all to Christ. This dialogue strives in the first place for a vertical dimension which will lead it to the fullness of biblical revelation and the one Redeemer of the world. Thus for all concerned it becomes a "dialogue of conversion".
In this way all realize that love of the truth must be the deepest dimension of a credible search for full Christian unity. Without love of the truth it is impossible to face the theological and psychological difficulties we encounter in examining the differences that still exist. I note gratefully that in you love of truth is accompanied by respect and esteem for your interlocutor. So you will always be able to discover that ecumenical dialogue can be an opportunity for better mutual knowledge and an exchange of spiritual gifts.
4. I am certain that the wish I expressed in my Apostolic Letter Novo millennio ineunte will come true: "Theological discussion on essential points of faith and Christian morality, cooperation in works of charity, and above all the great ecumenism of holiness will not fail, with God's help, to bring results" (n. 48).
I see a sign of hope in your choice of Rome as the place for the conference: perhaps one day, with patient dialogue, we may succeed together in finding a way in which the Petrine ministry can carry out a service to truth and love that is recognized by one and all (cf. Ut unum sint, UUS 95).
May the ecumenical group of Catholic and Evangelical theologians help us in this quest! For this I implore the fullness of the Holy Spirit and an abundance of God's blessings upon you.
1. Mr President, I am very pleased to welcome you at this meeting and to extend my most cordial greeting to you as President of the Argentine Republic, which I always keep in my heart, in my mind and in my prayers. I also greet those who accompany you: your esteemed wife, the Foreign Minister and the distinguished members of your delegation. And from here I would like to extend my loving thoughts to all the sons and daughters of your noble country, from Quiaca to Tierra del Fuego.
I am most grateful for your kind words expressing the respect and affection of all Argentinians and explaining to me the resolutions that motivate your Government's action at the dawn of the third millennium of the Christian age, when Argentina is preparing to celebrate the second centenary of its independence. In this regard, I would like to recall that the Catholic Church's presence has constantly accompanied Argentinians on their way, encouraging them by preaching God's word and by spreading the Christian values, which today constitute a part of the nation's spiritual heritage.
2. Your visit to the See of the Successor of the Apostle St Peter is taking place several months after the end of the Great Jubilee, in which we celebrated the 2,000th anniversary of the Incarnation of the Son of God, the central event of history, which the Church proclaims as the moment of the fullness of time (cf. Gal Ga 4,4). This celebration is an important moment of special intensity for the whole Church and now, gazing at Christ's face, stirred by his words, "duc in altum put out into the deep" (Lc 5,4), she is preparing to face the challenges of the present time confidently, thereby illuminating the decisions that are being taken for the suitable progress and good of humanity.
Your country actively participated in the events of the Great Jubilee in the various Dioceses and in the different meetings that took place in Rome. In this regard how can we forget the various local initiatives, especially the celebration of the Eucharistic Congress in Córdoba, at which the Bishops also wanted to make a contribution to national reconciliation, as you yourself mentioned. With regard to the celebrations in Rome, I am sure that the very numerous Argentine young people who took part in World Youth Day last August will be able to communicate and bear witness among their peers to the special religious experience lived in communion with young people from all over the world. Likewise, the remarkable number of participants from your country in the Jubilee of Government Leaders, Members of Parliament and Politicians makes us hope in their willingness to carry out their public role in accordance with Christian principles and as a true service to all the classes of Argentine society. For all of this, I would like to express my gratitude for the work carried out by the Pastors of this beloved nation, in which various authorities have collaborated including the Parliament itself.
3. Your country, Mr President, has deep Catholic roots, and has therefore always looked to the Church and this Apostolic See as a reference-point for its own identity and history. When the first voices claiming freedom and independence were raised on Argentine soil, the parliamentary leaders of the homeland did not forget the reference to God in the new Republic, and the invocation of his Holy Name as a source of all reason and justice was later written into the preamble of the Constitution. It was Belgrano who suggested the national emblem with the colours of the Immaculate Virgin, blue and white, and so today, under this emblem, all Argentines feel protected.
Consequently, Christian values are present in the culture, history and certain declarations of your country's legislation. People with very different backgrounds or beliefs adhered to these principles throughout the almost two centuries of its existence as a nation, and found in their new homeland effective respect for every ethnic or religious minority, in accordance with the constitutional declaration which opens the doors of the country "to all the people in the world who wish to live in the land of Argentina".
4. The Holy See has followed Argentina's various historical events with special attention. It is appropriate here to mention some which are very significant and remain deeply impressed upon the memory of the Argentine people. Such was the visit to the federal capital of then-Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, later Pope Pius XII, as Papal Legate to the 32nd International Eucharistic Congress in Buenos Aires, which left an indelible mark on your nation's Church, giving a strong impulse of renewal to the growing presence of lay people in the Church and in society.
I would also like to recall my two pastoral visits to your country, where I experienced the Argentinians' warm welcome and affection. It was in June 1982 when I felt very hard-pressed because of certain dramatic circumstances in your nation. With my presence I wanted to encourage, in the light of the Gospel and Catholic social teaching, understanding and harmony among peoples, advocating the irreplaceable good of peace in the face of extremely dangerous international risks.
Moreover, the cause of peace and understanding among peoples led me to agree to mediate between your country and her sister Republic of Chile, also on the brink of war as a result of the controversy that had come to a head in the Beagle Canal region. Thanks be to God reason and the spirit of harmony prevailed, so the catastrophe of a war with unforeseeable consequences was avoided by the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship on 29 November 1984. This enabled what might have been a scenario of war to be transformed into an area of collaboration, of reciprocal friendly visits and plans for development.
5. The Catholic Church, over and above the changing political situation and circumstances, would like to promote the integral good of citizens, despite the international conditions and complex domestic situations which are very strongly felt at this time. A considerable part of the population is experiencing the grave consequences that mainly affect the neediest social classes. Unemployment obliges individuals, families or social groups to consider emigration in order to seek a better setting for their life.
6. Confronted by this situation, your Government is aware that it is urgently necessary to take steps to create a climate of social equality, which will encourage better participation and greater justice in the distribution of the important resources on which your country relies. Only in this way will it be possible to achieve a situation of peace through justice that is based on a communal effort and an economy at the service of the human being. Thus the country will be able to contribute to making reality, in the Latin American and global context, the order of common values of which San Martín and Bolívar dreamed, encouraging the integral promotion and legitimate interests of the peoples in the area.
The Bishops of Argentina, aware of this problem, reaffirm the principles of Catholic social teaching over and above the political changes. I trust that their voices will be re-echoed by public leaders, making these principles a social reality in order to avoid the kinds of behaviour that breed corruption, poverty and all the other forms of social violence that derive from the lack of solidarity. The great moral reserves of the Argentine people guarantee the future with a well-founded hope.
7. This same people have given proof of their attachment to important values such as honesty, justice, respect for life from its conception to natural death. Argentina has sustained these values in various forums for discussion, including international ones. Faced with an increasingly widespread conception that frequently favours selfish attitudes, with little respect for the principles that protect the first and fundamental human right, the right to life, the clear-sighted and humanist vision of sovereign countries such as yours, which set an example of positions in harmony with the natural law, deserves recognition.
It is known that progress cannot be made by denying the fundamental human and moral values nor by favouring means that can threaten public morality, which will lead to negative consequences, not only in the ethical context but also to the detriment of society itself. It is impossible to remain indifferent to these situations which threaten the defence of the family, the basic cell of society which comes before the State, and which, as you recalled in your words, is the true school of the richest humanism, which forges men and women capable of embodying the most genuine virtues.
8. Mr President, at the end of our meeting I would like to express my best wishes to you and your family, to your collaborators in the Government and to the entire beloved Argentine people. I ask God that the noble Argentine nation may quickly overcome the difficulties of the present time and embark upon a new season of peace, prosperity and integral progress, in which each citizen can live with dignity and serenity in his own land. With special affection I entrust to God, Father of us all, those who have suffered and are suffering from the wounds of a painful past. I lovingly invoke the Lord's peace upon the deceased and the grace of national reconciliation.
May Our Lady of Luján, patroness of Argentina, protect all her children so that they may return enthusiastically to the path of progress founded on generous effort, enlivened by the hope of a promising future. I therefore cordially impart a special Apostolic Blessing to you, Mr President, and to all your compatriots.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen!
1. With deep joy, I address a cordial welcome to each one of you. I sincerely thank you for this visit, which you wished to make to me on the occasion of the signing of the Agreement of Scientific Cooperation between the "La Sapienza" University of Rome and the Polish Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kraków, which has fortunately resumed full activity, after the unfortunate interruption of 38 years, decreed by the communist regime.
I cordially greet Professor Giuseppe D'Ascenzo, the Rector Magnificent of the Roman University, and Professor Andrzej Bialas, President of the Academy of Kraków. I thank them both for the courteous words that they addressed to me on behalf of those present, underlining the importance of today's event and the joint commitment that motivates the two institutions. I hope that they can achieve significant objectives for the benefit of the cultural development of Poland and of Italy.
The Agreement just reached forms part of the new climate that has been created in Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall at the end of the 1980s. It testifies to the desire present in large sections of European culture to build a common European community, which is not only the fruit of economic interests, but which is above all a community of values, traditions and ideals. The people of our continent by such meetings and occasions as ours, can increasingly promote a future of mutual respect and peace.
2. As Bishop of Rome and Bishop of the Catholic Church, which has played and continues to play an important part in the construction of European civilization, and as a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kraków, I wish to express my most sincere and satisfied appreciation for this initiative. By linking old and prestigious European institutions, it can significantly contribute to the construction of a Europe that breathes with both lungs, drawing from its historical patrimony and the cultural, moral, civil and religious riches of its peoples of the East and of the West.
May this agreement, the eloquent expression of a praiseworthy determination to want to cooperate together with an authentic European spirit, form the beginning of a profitable and fruitful exchange between your two esteemed academic centres. Moreover may it represent a point of reference for other similar noble and promising projects.
To this end, I invoke divine assistance on all those who promoted and achieved this Agreement, as also on those who form the families of the two great institutions and I sincerely impart to you all, as a sign of esteem and affection, a special Apostolic Blessing.
Dear Young People of Rome!
"Morning watchmen at the dawn of the third millennium"!
1. On entering this square, looking at you and listening to the words of your friends and of the Cardinal Vicar, I could not but revisit in my mind and heart the unforgettable moments we spent together during the 15th World Youth Day in August last year. It is an indelible memory. How can we not thank the Lord together for World Youth Day 2000 and the Jubilee of Young People? Thank God and thank you, dear young friends! In greeting you affectionately, I would also like to mention the young members of the Canadian Delegation who next Sunday will receive from you the Cross that accompanies the World Youth Day pilgrimage.
I would like to express my gratitude not only for World Youth Day, but also for today's meeting, whose significant title is "Let us put out into the deep!", trusting in Jesus' word and life-giving presence.
Today we are concluding in a sense the second phase of the "school of faith" that began at Tor Vergata. For it was there that I presented the high ideals of the Gospel to you and asked you to persevere in saying "yes" to Christ, in order to achieve your noblest ideals.
At that time, when I "re-entrusted" the Gospel to you, and you said "I believe", the second phase of the "school of faith" began for you Roman young people. With the help of the Diocesan Youth Ministry Service, you have set out on a journey of reflection, eager, as you are, to carry out the Church's mission together in this city. You have grown in communion and in the awareness that you are a living part of the Diocesan Church of Rome. Today this journey prompts you to respond together to Jesus as he invites you: "Let us put out into the deep!".
2. Put out into the deep to go where? The answer is clear: to reach out to man, an unfathomable mystery; and to go to all people, a boundless ocean. This is possible in a missionary Church, which is able to speak to people and, especially, to touch the human heart, because the saving encounter with Christ occurs there, in that intimate and sacred place.
Dear friends, in my ministry I have never tired of meeting people; this is the goal of the pilgrimages and pastoral visits I continue to make. Even now as the years go by, I do not intend to stop, if this is God's will, because I am convinced that it is easier to proclaim Christ through personal contact with others.
However, this mission is far from easy; proclaiming and bearing witness to the Gospel involves many difficulties. Yes, it is true: we live at a time when society is strongly influenced by models of life that give priority to possessions, pleasure and appearances in a selfish sense. The missionary thrust of believers has to deal with this way of thinking and acting. But we must not be afraid, because Christ can change the human heart and is capable of working a "miraculous catch" when we least imagine.
3. Let us now look more closely at your situation, dear young people. You - especially you adolescents - are living in a difficult age, full of enthusiasm, but also exposed to dangerous confusion. Your limited experience threatens you with the risk of falling prey to those who play on your emotions, who, instead of fostering a critical conscience in you, tend to exalt uninhibitedness and to present immoral choices as values. They blur every distinction between good and evil and present truth with the changing features of expediency.
I hope that you have at your side fathers and mothers who are genuine teachers; sincere, honest and faithful friends; mature and responsible people who take care of you and help you to strive for the lofty goals that Jesus himself proposes in the Gospel.
Here I would like to make a heartfelt appeal to all educational institutions, that they unambiguously devote themselves to serving the younger generations, so that they can calmly grow in a way that conforms with their dignity. I first call on Christian families to be authentic communities, "schools" in which people are taught faith and fidelity in love; families of believers who are ready to help those in trouble, so that every child who is born may experience God's tender fatherhood.
4. This requires an authentic cultural and spiritual revolution, which will bring the Gospel to all areas of life. Dear young people, you must promote this peaceful revolution, which can show Christ's love for everyone, starting with the neediest and most afflicted. You can do much if you remain united and reject those who offer you easy goals that lower the standard and quality of your moral life. Speaking to you is a Pope who has already lived for over 80 years, but is still young at heart because he has always wanted to walk with you young people, who are the hope of the Church and of society, and he intends to continue doing so.
I now appeal to your young hearts. Before I arrived here in the square, you had been celebrating with singers, dancers and athletes. When they put their professionalism at the service of true values, they can render a valuable service to youth. I ask them and everyone who can exert a positive or, vice versa, a negative influence on the lives of children and young people, to be aware of their great responsibility.
I repeat to you, dear young people: pay attention to what is proposed to you. When words and ways of life that contradict the Gospel are presented to you, have the strength to say "no".
5. "Put out into the deep" means refusing anything negative that is offered to you and putting your imagination and enthusiasm at the service of Christ. I heard of the initiatives you are undertaking, together with the whole diocesan community, to make a journey that is demanding but will bear good fruit. I encourage you to work in constant contact with one another, and with the help of the diocesan youth ministry services. I also ask the movements and new communities to integrate their own experiences into the local Church and parishes for the success of this missionary work, which should always be promoted and carried out together.
With the help of the adults and priests of your communities, organize formation meetings on the most important issues of the moment. By sharing the life of your peers in places of study, recreation, sport and culture, seek to bring them the liberating message of the Gospel. Re-establish after-school programmes, adapting them to the needs of the times as bridges between the Church and the street, with special attention for those who are marginalized, going through hard times or are ensnared in deviancy and delinquency. In the pastoral care of your school or university, strive to form groups and cultural workshops that can be a reference-point for your friends. Do not forget to be close to those who are living in pain and illness: in these situations we can be particularly open to the God of life.
Let all this be based on a daily and sincere relationship with the divine Master. That is, let there be prayer, listening to the Word of God and meditation, the celebration of the Eucharist, Eucharistic adoration and the sacrament of Confession. In this regard, I congratulate you on the excellent programme that brings many of you together for prayer at the Church of St Agnes in Agone in Piazza Navona every Thursday evening. In this way I will also follow all of you who will be taking part in the pilgrimage to the Holy Land which you have planned for this September. Returning to the sources of faith, to prayer, does not mean taking refuge in a vague religious sentimentalism, but rather pausing to contemplate the face of Christ, an indispensable condition for being able to reflect it later in life.
6. Here, once again, I propose to you the arduous but exalting Gospel ideal. Dear young people, do not be afraid and do not feel alone! Your families, teachers and priests are close to you. The Pope is close to you. Jesus, who was the first to obey the Father's will and let himself be nailed to the Cross to redeem the world, is particularly close to you. The Way of the Cross, as I recalled in my Message for World Youth Day, which we will be celebrating this Sunday, is the way he proposes to us.
Do not be afraid, young watchmen at this dawn of the new millennium, to take up your missionary responsibilities which flow from your Baptism and Confirmation. If the Lord then calls you to serve him more closely in the priesthood or in a state of special consecration, follow him generously.
Mary, the young Virgin of Nazareth who said "yes" to God and gave Christ to humanity, stands beside each of you. May you be helped by your many peers, whose total fidelity to the Gospel has been recognized by the Church and who have been held up as examples to follow and intercessors to call upon. Among these I would like to mention Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, the centenary of whose birth will occur tomorrow. Get to know him! The life of this "normal" young man shows that we can be holy by living our friendships, studies, sports and service to the poor in a constant relationship with God. I entrust your missionary efforts to him.
As for me, I accompany you with affection and prayer, as I cordially bless you, your families and the young people of the entire city of Rome.
Your Eminence,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
1. I am pleased to extend my cordial welcome to you today and I thank you for this visit, which you wanted to make on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the foundation of the Roman College, of which the Gregorian University represents the happy and providential continuation. Today's meeting is for you - teachers, students, benefactors and friends of this Roman academic centre - an occasion for confirming your fidelity to the Vicar of Christ. It offers the Pope the opportunity to express his sincere gratitude to you and to encourage you to continue your dedicated commitment to your particular mission in the Church.
I first greet Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, your Grand Chancellor, whom I thank for expressing to me the sentiments you all share. With him I greet the Bishops who wanted to take part in this moment of joy and thanksgiving. I extend a cordial welcome to Fr Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, Superior General of the Society of Jesus and Vice-Grand Chancellor, and to the Rector Magnificent, Fr Franco Imoda. I also greet the distinguished professors, whose presence makes this meeting particularly solemn.
In a special way, finally, I wish to greet you, dear students, who addressed me through your representative, whom I also thank. With the variety of your backgrounds, you enrich the universal dimension of this "Alma Mater". In it you prepare to serve the People of God and to be attentive and courageous leaders in the life your Dioceses and of your religious families.
2. The first sentiment that stirs in my heart on such a happy occasion, is sincere and profound gratitude to the Lord for the centuries-old service that your University has rendered to the Gospel cause.
From the beginning, St Ignatius of Loyola thought of your venerable institution as a "universitas omnium gentium", at work in Rome, next to the Vicar of Christ, linked to him by close bonds of fidelity, and at the service of the Churches in every part of the world. He entrusted the then-Roman College with the task of promoting reasoned and systematic reflection on the faith in order to foster the correct preaching of the Gospel and the cause of Catholic unity in a social context marked by serious divisions and troubling seeds of disintegration.
From its earliest years, St Ignatius' insight turned out to be providential. As times and situations changed, the Gregorian's service, due to the presence of illustrious scholars and teachers, has become increasingly more incisive and important. At the moment it is attended by over 3,400 students from a good 130 countries, and is divided into faculties and specializations corresponding to new demands in Revelation and Catholic tradition, in a fruitful and attentive dialogue with the contemporary scientific world.
This important anniversary, then, is a fitting occasion for revisiting the road traveled, which is identified to a great extent with the history of evangelization and the defence of the Catholic faith in the last centuries.
3. Given the challenges of today's society, this is the moment for a courageous relaunching of your institution. It is the occasion for reconfirming a total fidelity to the Ignatian insight and for undertaking a courageous renewal, so that the memory of the past is not limited to contemplation of what was done before, but becomes a commitment in the present and a prophecy for the future.
The Lord, who has always guided your steps, repeats to you today: "Duc in altum! - Put out into the deep!". Continue - he seems to add - to be a privileged instrument for proclaiming my Gospel to the men and women of the third millennium. You can fulfil this mission, dear brothers and sisters, to the extent that you remain constantly faithful to your charism.
In fact, the specific identity of your academic centre and its structural bond with the Society of Jesus encourage you to reconfirm some basic directions, which have always guided your activity.
From its foundation, your University has made its fundamental objective a "reasoned and systematic reflection on the faith", spurred by the special bond of filial obedience that links it to the Holy See and by the desire to dialogue with the cultural institutions of our time.
4. First of all, complete fidelity to the Magisterium. This is a condition that, as can be seen from your centuries-old experience, does not stifle but fosters even more the ecclesial service of theological research and of teaching.
The changed circumstances of contemporary culture require the teachers and students of your University to be equipped with a sound inner balance, a clear firmness of mind and spirit and a deep humility of heart.
Here I would like to recall what I wrote in the Encyclical Fides et ratio, that when we open ourselves to other areas of knowledge, it is always necessary to pay "special attention to the philosophical implications of the word of God and to be sure to reflect in [our] work all the speculative and practical breadth of the science of theology" (n. 105). For theology is constructed through constant attention to the mystery of God and to the mystery of man.
Another objective, which involves you in the front line in conformity with the "charism of service to the universal Church", characteristic of the Society of Jesus, is pastoral attention to the theme of Christian unity, to interreligious dialogue and to the study of contemporary atheism.
In today's context of a globalized world, where the co-existence of people of different faiths and cultures is more marked and frequent, interreligious dialogue acquires considerable importance, because "the name of the one God", as I wrote in the Apostolic Letter Novo millennio ineunte, "must become increasingly what it is: a name of peace and a summons to peace" (n. 55).
5. How can the Gregorian University, which has always been a "universitas omnium gentium", not feel strongly called to meet the challenges of the modern world? May the criterion that directs your research and your daily work always be docility to the Spirit who, on the one hand, sends the Church into the world to reconcile it to God and, on the other, inspires so many men and women of good will, prompting in them an interest in the truth (cf. Fides et ratio, FR 44).
In this effort continue to refer to the shining example of the great missionary Fr Matteo Ricci, who infused the very heart of Chinese society with his religious witness. When speaking of the Gospel, he knew in every circumstance how to find the appropriate cultural approach for his listeners.
Yes, dear brothers and sisters, your university family can count on a long history marked by a great wealth of culture and spirituality. It can also count on teachers and students who, coming from every part of the world, bring with them a variety of experiences. When all this is put at the service of the Gospel and accompanied by constant recourse to prayer, it can only bear the desired apostolic fruits for the benefit of the entire People of God. I fervently hope that you will continue your mission with genuine love for the Church and in constant harmony with the Holy See.
I entrust each of you and your institution to the heavenly protection of Mary, Mother of Wisdom, of St Ignatius and your other patron saints, and, as I assure you of a special remembrance in my prayer, I cordially give you my Blessing.
Speeches 2001