Speeches 1980 - Accra (Ghana)
Saturday, 10 May 1980
Dear Friends in Ghana,
1. The journeys of the Pope to the different continents and countries of the world all have one characteristic in common: the visits are always too short! Perhaps too short for you, but certainly too short for me! I would have loved to spend more time with you, to travel through your country from North to South, from East to West, to be with you in your homes, to visit your children in their schools, to accompany you to your fields or to the river, and to listen to your songs. But so many more of your African brothers and sisters are waiting for me.
The two days that I have spent with you have been days of great joy and spiritual consolation for me. I shall for ever cherish in my memory and in my heart the impressions of this happy occasion. I shall remember your friendly people and courteous authorities, the smiling faces of your children and the wisdom of your elders.
I shall above all carry with me the image of a people that wants to be faithful to its own cultural heritage, and at the same time move forward in peace, and in truth - which is the power of peace - towards a more just situation through constant material, social and moral progress.
2. My gratitude for the hospitality shown by this land and its people to the Head of the Catholic Church, who is the servant of humanity, will be expressed in fervent prayer for each one of you and for your entire nation. I shall ask God, who is all-powerful and good, who created all things and without whom no life can exist, to guide and strengthen this nation in the pursuit of true happiness for all its citizens. Because we are all children of one and the same heavenly Father, created to his image and likeness[1], every human being, every Ghanaian has a fundamental right to the conditions that are in keeping with his or her dignity.
I shall raise my prayer to God that Ghana may achieve true progress through the development of all the natural and human resources with which it has been blessed, and that it will benefit from the will of the international community to create throughout the world and the African continent just and equitable relations in all fields of human endeavour. I shall pray especially that the continuing development of Ghana will be achieved while safeguarding the authentic human values which have been, up to the present, the glory of your people: hospitality, magnanimity, respect for the elders, a sense of community, and reference to God in all your relations.
3. My deep gratitude goes to His Excellency the President of Ghana for his courteous and warm welcome, which I would be most happy to reciprocate in the Vatican. I thank the authorities and all who have given so much of their time and effort to prepare this visit and to make it such a rewarding experience for me. I express my cordial appreciation also to the journalists and to all the people of the media, through whom t was able to reach out to a vast audience, telling all Ghanaians that the Pope holds them in his heart; at the same time the world was able to come into close contact with the warm and noble people of this land.
I cannot take leave of this hospitable country without addressing a special word of tanks to you the Bishops and the whole Catholic community for everything you have done to give me this unforgettable welcome, but also, and even more, for what you are: true Ghanaians and true Christians. Be "firm in your faith"[2]. Always remember that you have been baptized in Christ Jesus, and that therefore, beyond any differences of ethnic origin, education or position, "you are all one in Christ Jesus"[3].
Goodbye now! Thank you, and may God bless this beloved land of Ghana!
[1] Cfr. Gen. 1, 26.
[2] 1 Petr. 5, 9.
[3] Gal. 3, 28.
Monday, 12 May 1980
Je tiens à exprimer un très grand merci aux journalistes, et à tous les agents des communications sociales, de la presse, de la radio, de la télévision.
D’abord à ceux qui m’ont accompagné tout au long de ce voyage, avec une patience digne de l’Afrique, sous le soleil, au prix de beaucoup de fatigues. Cela fait partie de votre métier, mais j’ai conscience de vos mérites. Je remercie aussi ceux qui sur place, en Afrique, on fait leur travail de reportage, d’enregistrement, de diffusion, d’autant plus que le programme était très chargé, pour eux comme pour moi!
Je remercie enfin les artisans des mass-médias qui, dans les autres pays, ont su rendre compte de ce voyage, et lui donner auprès de leurs lecteurs et auditeurs, le relief qui convenait.
Je sais que beaucoup d’autres événements importants se déroulaient dans le monde, et ils n’ont pas été absents de ma pensée et de ma prière. Mais l’Afrique méritait aussi, et depuis longtemps, cette place d’honneur. Elle est parfois à l’écart des grands débats et affrontements de la politique mondiale; pourtant elle a aussi de grands problèmes humains à résoudre, et ses efforts méritent d’être encouragés. L’Église a aussi une grande vitalité à déployer.
Mais je n’insiste pas sur le sens de mon voyage. Il vous appartient de le dégager, de beaucoup de discours et de gestes, en disant simplement la vérité, ce que vous avez vu et entendu. Il est difficile parfois, pour des non-africains, d’éviter de projeter sur ce continent et ses habitants des jugements et des interprétations qui sont loin des réalités africaines, de l’âme africaine, de ses aspirations et de ses réactions.
J’ai souvent employé le mot "témoins" pour les chrétiens. Soyez de bons témoins. Et encore merci de votre concours.
* * *
Dear Friends in the communications media,
When the history of the last quarter of this Millennium is written, I am convinced that the great contribution made by the media to the cause of humanity will be recorded for future generations. I, for one, shall always be indebted to you for carrying my message to the world, for helping me to reach out to millions of people - my brothers and sisters, and yours - as a herald of peace, a messenger of hope, a simple friend.
Yes, with all my heart I thank you for your respect for truth itself, for the objectivity of your reporting, for your concern for the people who, through you, listen to my voice. Through you I am able likewise to proclaim a religious message - which for me is based on the word of a God who has revealed himself - a message which I offer freely and with out constraint to anyone who may wish to listen. You are indeed vehicles of truth, for through you truth reaches people and people embrace truth.
You have heard before my insistence on the dignity of your task and on the importance of your role of service to the community - the world community which wants to be sustained by that truth which builds the unity of the human family. Although you have heard all this before, perhaps these considerations may still be useful as you reflect on the responsibility that you hold in your hands.
I thank you sincerely for the interest you show in my mission, for your enthusiasm in reporting it, and for all your collaboration. And by the same token I wish to assure you of my interest in your mission, my enthusiasm for its success, and my collaboration with you and the media people throughout the world. There is something special about you because of the truth you serve. And there is something special about truth, because, in the words of Jesus Christ, it is truth that makes us free[1].
I am happy that the end of this African journey means that you are going back to your families - to the unity and freedom that you experience in your homes and to the love that you and your families share together. Please tell the children that I was thinking of them and please give my greetings to all. For me our meeting is not over yet; I shall recall it in prayer, asking the blessing of Almighty God to be with you for ever.
Thank you again.
[1] Cfr. Io. 8, 32.
Your Holiness,
Dear Brothers in Christ,
With joy in the Lord I greet you and bid you welcome. It is a pleasure to receive the chief pastor and the distinguished representatives of a Church which sees its roots in the Apostolic community of Antioch, where the followers of the Risen Lord Jesus first received the glorious name of Christian[1] .
Our love of that same Risen Lord, our devotion to that apostolic faith and the Christian witness received from our Fathers is what makes our meeting today so full of meaning. Together we repeat the inspired words of Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”[2]. Together we confess the mystery of the Word of God, made man for our salvation, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature[3], in whom it has pleased the Father to re-establish all things[4].
This is the Lord we proclaim; this is the Lord we seek to serve, in fidelity and truth; this is the Lord whose Spirit impels us to search with ever greater zeal for the fullness of communion with each other.
By baptism we are one in the Lord Jesus Christ. The priesthood and the Eucharist which we share because of the apostolic succession bind us even closer together. The world in which we live and for which Christ gave himself as a ransom for many has need of a united Christian witness in order to be able to hear his word better and respond to his message of love and reconciliation.
Yes, his is a message, or rather an urgent appeal for reconciliation among those who bear his name.
For centuries we have been estranged from each other; misunderstanding and mistrust have often marked our relationships. By God’s grace we are seeking to overcome that past.
Nine years ago, Your Holiness and my revered predecessor Paul VI met in this very place to give clear testimony to a mutual dedication to this task of Christian reconciliation. At that time you recognized that, even if over the centuries difficulties have arisen because of the different theological expressions which have been used to express our faith in the Word of God made flesh and become really man, the faith we intend to proclaim is the same. In words that were both encouraging and prophetic you said together: “The period of mutual recrimination and condemnation has given place to a willingness to meet together in sincere efforts to lighten and eventually remove the burden of history which still weighs heavily upon Christians”[5].
These words have not remained simple expressions of good intentions. In the framework of the "Pro Oriente" meetings between representatives of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, theologians from both our Churches have searched into and sought to resolve questions which still cause some difference among us and prevent full canonical and Eucharistic communion. Some of the distinguished bishops present today have taken an active part in these conversation. We are grateful to God and to all these devoted men for the real progress which has been made.
On the level of pastoral care for Christian emigrants there has been fruitful cooperation for disinterested service towards those who, in search of an improvement of the material conditions of their lives, feel the deep need of spiritual support in their new surroundings. I would also like to express my personal appreciation for the delegation Your Holiness sent on the occasion of my election as Bishop of Rome.
As we humbly acknowledge God’s blessings on our endeavours, especially during the past nine years, we are confident that, if we remain open to the inspirations of the Spirit, God will continue to favour us with his blessing.
Your Holiness, we meet together just after my return from an intensive journey in Africa, a journey filled with many precious experiences. This is not the moment for making extended comments on these experiences. One thing is clear, though. I am more than ever convinced that the world in which we live hungers and thirsts for God, a longing that can be fulfilled only in Christ. As pastors of Churches sharing in apostolic traditions, we are called upon in a special way to carry on the apostolic mission of bringing Christ and his gifts of salvation and love to our generation. Our disunity is an obstacle to fulfilling this mission. Our disunity obscures the voice of the Spirit who is striving to speak to mankind through our voices. But our meeting today is a sign of our renewed desire to be more attuned to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. Encouraged by what the Lord has already accomplished in us and through us, we look forward in hope to the future, not minimizing the difficulties but putting our firm trust in him who said “Behold I am making all things new”.
[1] Cf. Acts 11:26.
[2] Mt 16:16.
[3] Cf. Col 1:15.
[4] Cf. Eph 1:10.
[5] Cf. Common Declaration of 27 October 1971.
[6] Rev 21:15.
Dear friends assembled in Nashville
for the Religious Communications Congress.
I recall with joy the warm welcome that I received from the citizens of the United States during my visit last October. I feel the need to express again my gratitude to all the people of the mass media, for everything they did on that occasion. They gave so generously of themselves, and rendered such great service to the world community.
Personally I have long been convinced of the special power of the media to gather people around one event or one idea. Through the use of new technology - like the satellite - communication between people who are separated by oceans or continents can be instantaneous and fully personal. This is indeed a powerful tool to be placed at the service of humanity. Its power must be used, not to limit, but rather to expand the horizons of individuals and peoples who are seeking to fulfil their human destinies.
With power comes responsibility. To North America, with its extraordinary advances in communications, falls a large share of this responsibility. So I am heartened that, at the beginning of this new decade, journalists and producers like yourselves - Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox and Jews - are confronting the crucial questions of "Ethics in Communication". By bringing religious principles to bear on these questions, you can greatly influence for good the minds and hearts of the next generation. For the pursuit of truth - the full truth of the human person created in the image and likeness of God, and called to a transcendent destiny - hastens the triumph of love and peace. The proclamation of this truth defends human dignity against the forces that would reduce human beings to mere consumers of material goods, or to pawns of national interests or of divisive ideologies.
I am also heartened by the desire on your part to hear the voices of those beyond your own boundaries. And not just my voice, but the voices of many nations, particularly those of the third world.
Such listening will not only enrich North America, but it will enable other nations to take their rightful place in the world forum of ideas and to have a fair share of the use of the airwaves Communications technology makes the world ever smaller. When properly used, it can make the world much better - a place where everyone can live peacefully together as brothers and sisters under the Fatherhood of God.
As you continue your deliberations, may I say to you what I said to the journalists at the United Nations: "Be faithful to the truth and to its transmission, for truth endures; truth will not go away.
Truth will not pass or change".
And I say to you... that the service of truth, the service of humanity through the medium of truth - is something worthy of your best years, your finest talents, your most dedicated efforts. As transmitters of truth you are instruments of understanding among people and of peace among nations.
May God bless your labours for truth with the fruit of peace.
Dear Brothers in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your presence here today near the tomb of the Apostle Peter evokes many thoughts in our hearts.
1. This is a special moment of ecclesial unity, as we celebrate our oneness in Jesus Christ and in his Church. You come as pastors of the Church in Japan, bringing with you the hopes and joys, the challenges and problems of your Catholic people. At the same time this a moment when the Church in Rome respectfully greets in your persons the entire Japanese people, of whom you are illustrious and noble sons.
All of you remember with what faithful attention, with what great love Paul VI welcomed Japanese visitors and pilgrims during all the years of his pontificate. Individuals and groups, Christians and non-Christians, religious leaders and representatives of various walks of life came to see him week after week, month after month. For all of them he had a gesture of cordial greeting or a word of esteem and friendship. I too have had the honour of receiving many visits from your fellow-countrymen, and I wish to attest publicly how much their presence is appreciated at the Vatican.
2. This ad limina visit, venerable Brothers, is also a celebration of faith: the faith of the whole Church in Japan - the faith of which you, in union with the Successor of Peter, are guardians and authentic teachers.
On my part today I wish to render homage to this faith, which through missionary effort was implanted by God as his gift in the hearts of the faithful. This gift of faith was generously accepted and genuinely lived. It became the object of the witnessing of Paul Miki and his martyr companions, who went to their death proclaiming the names of Jesus and Mary, and who by their martyrdom confirmed the faith as an everlasting heritage in Japan. By the grace of God and the help of his Blessed Mother, this Catholic faith was, moreover, preserved throughout generations by the Japanese laity who maintained by the instinct of faith their unbreakable attachment to the See of Peter.
And today this faith is still expressed in action, nurtured by prayer and offered freely to all who may wish to embrace the Gospel. Through their faith, manifested by fraternal love and by the consistency of their lives, the Christian people of Japan are called give witness to Jesus Christ in their families, in their neighbourhoods, and in all the milieux in which they live; they are called to communicate Jesus Christ to anyone who may wish to know him or embrace his message of salvation and life.
3. Our own Episcopal ministry of faith: a ministry that presupposes faith and is at the service of faith - a faith to be lived and communicated. Everything we do is aimed at proclaiming the mystery of faith, and helping our people to live deeply their vocation of faith.
4. Precisely by reason of the central dimension of faith we see the great value that prayer has in the Church: faith is kept alive and is fortified by prayer. By prayer, hearts are opened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to the message and action of Christ’s Church. Hence, we know that fidelity to prayer is an essential element of the Church’s life.
In this regard Japan has been blessed with contemplative vocations, with religious who carry on Christ’s loving praise of his Father. And in this contemplative aspect of the Church’s life in Japan is there not an excellent element of dialogue with your non-Christian brethren, who in their own ancient traditions have given a place of prominence to contemplation? Is not the desire to be united with God in purity of heart one of those elements in which the teaching of our Saviour Jesus Christ is so naturally inculturated into the lives of so many of your people?
5. It is a great credit to Japan how generations of Christians, steeped in their own culture, have been able to contribute by their activities to the uplifting of society. The relatively small Christian community in your land has served well in the fields of social assistance, science and education.
Through schools and universities the Christian message has come into contact with the venerable traditions of your people. Zealous Christians who have realized the need to bring the Gospel values into their native culture have begun by giving the upright witness of their own lives. In the midst of their community, when Christians show their capacity for understanding and acceptance, when they share the life and destiny of their brothers and sisters and show solidarity with all the is good and noble, and at the same time give expression to their faith in higher values and to their hope in a life yet to be unfolded in God - then they are fulfilling a task of initial evangelisation with regard to culture, a task consistent with their vocation and the obligations that flow therefrom[1].
What a lofty role it is for the Bishops of the Church to sustain all the members of the community in their common efforts on behalf of the Gospel, encouraging them to be able to explain the hope that is theirs[2]. In God’s providence the primary witness of life must be coupled with an explicit proclamation of the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Christ[3]. The encounter between the Gospel and culture can take place only on the condition that the Church faithfully proclaims and lives the Gospel. Here too the Bishops are called to exercise a special responsibility.
6. On this occasion, dear Brothers in Christ, it is my hope to encourage you to stand fast in your ministry of faith. The universal Church has been deeply enriched by the contribution of the Church in Japan. The pusillus grex has been a credit to the grace of Christ the Saviour, and it continues to give praise to his Father. The future is in the hands of Jesus. It is he, Jesus, who is the Lord of history; it is he who definitively decides the destiny of his Church in each generation. In the preparation of the Easter candle on Holy Saturday we proclaim: "All time belongs to him and all ages; to him be glory and power through every age". Our response to the will of the Lord Jesus for his Church is one of absolute trust coupled with diligent labour, knowing that he will ask us for an accounting.
7. Our ministry of faith has its origin in Jesus Christ and leads to him and through him to the Father. Despite all obstacles and difficulties we must constantly call our people to the holiness of life that is found in Christ alone: Tu solus sanctus. In a particular way the Christian family of Japan should be the object of our pastoral care.In this "domestic Church" the catechesis of children must be effectively begun, and the evangelisation of society must take place at its root.
The great love of God for his people and Christ’s faithful covenant with his Church must be evident in the family as a community of love and life. I exhort you, Brethren, to make every effort to create in families those healthy conditions of Christian living that favour vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Keep constantly before the young the full challenge of Christ’s love and truth, including his invitation to take up the cross and follow him.
[1] Cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 21.
[2] Cf. 1 Pt 3:15.
[3] Cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 22.
Mr Minister,
It is with much pleasure that I receive Your Excellency as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Her Britannic Majesty Queen Elizabeth. I am grateful for the courteous greeting that you bring me in Her Majesty’s name and I ask you to convey to her the renewed assurances of my high regard and cordial good wishes.
The permanent contacts established through such channels as the diplomatic mission of which you are now the head will doubtless strengthen still further the mutual understanding and friendship between the Holy See and the United Kingdom and will foster close and effective collaboration for good.
In international life, the United Kingdom has an important part to play, both in itself and as a member of the European Community and of the worldwide Commonwealth, in favour of freedom, peace and cooperation between peoples and in support of international organizations. The role to which it is called is in keeping with the values of democracy and respect for human dignity that are part of your people’s magnificent historical and cultural tradition. The good auspices under which Zimbabwe has joined the independent nations of the world can be attributed to an initiative of the British Government that happily combined courage with patience. I pray God to grant that such positive results will continue to come from the same source.
I also pray that the difficulties affecting the troubled area of Northern Ireland will be eased by peaceful political means and that it will be shown that peace achieves the works of justice, while violence does not, so that reconciliation and love will be victorious over hatred and strife.
I am aware of the increased understanding between the Catholic Church of England and the other Christian communities in your country. Such understanding and respect, far from being opposed to fidelity to the truth, is a logical consequence of that fidelity. I am happy to know of these developments and I hope that they will continue undiminished.
With much pleasure I am looking forward to the visit that Her Majesty intends to make to the Vatican in October. In the meantime I invoke upon her and all her subjects the blessings of Almighty God. I likewise pray for the happiness and success of your own mission.
Friday, 23 May 1980
My dear Brother Bishops,
1. With deep fraternal affection in Christ Jesus, I welcome you today to the Vatican. Your presence here as pastors of the Church spread throughout Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei gives us the opportunity to express our unity in Christ and in the hierarchy of his Church. This is likewise a joyful occasion for reflecting briefly on the mystery of the Church as it is lived in your lands and by your people.
In this reflection, which we make through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we find encouragement in our pastoral ministry and strength for our lives. Our apostolic mission of evangelization is linked with complicated problems affecting people’s daily lives, their human dignity and their eternal salvation. Although there are no facile solutions to the issues that confront us, meditating on the mystery of the Church lightens our burdens and gives us a heightened sense of our ecclesial mission. In turn, we are able more effectively to sustain our brethren in their Christian vocation, thereby fulfilling our pastoral mandate: Pascite qui est in vobis gregem Dei [1].
2. Of paramount importance in the mystery of the Church in the fact that Christ is alive in his people. His life goes on in the communities of the faithful throughout the world, in all those who by faith and Baptism have received justification in his name. The life of Christ continues in the Church today, in all those brothers and sisters of the Lord whom you have been sent to serve. Even what is so basic to the person of Christ - his divine filiation - is lived in the Church through the grace of divine adoption[2].
And because the faithful are configured to Christ the Son of God, they are able, through the Holy Spirit, to express Christ’s sentiments to the Father. Hence, Christ’s prayer goes on in each generation; his continuing praise of his Father is a reality in his Church.
Yes, Christ is living in his members, and he therefore wills to suffer in them, permitting them to fill up what is lacking in his sufferings for the sake of his Body, the Church[3]. This mystery has entered into the consciousness of Christians, who realize that they should rejoice to share Christ’s sufferings[4], and that, when they are tried for his sake, it is better to suffer for doing what is right, rather than for what is wrong[5].
And in his Church - once again in accordance with the plan of the Father - Christ grows in wisdom, age and grace[6] as his members, through his word and the action of his sacraments, come to full maturity in him.[7]
In Christ’s Body,his zeal is perpetuated; and his Church is aflame with the desire of his heart: "I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom"[8] . The sick are visited, healing is offered to the brokenhearted, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. The catechesis of the Kingdom goes on in the young and old.
And because Christ is living, his love above all is kept alive in the Church. Jesus continues to love his Father, and the Father continues to love his Son in all those whom the Son has taken to himself as brothers and sisters. And the mystery of a love received from the Father and given back to the Father is the legacy of all Christ’s disciples: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have for one another"[9].
3. This mystery of Christ living in the Church is enacted in every community. It is a mystery that goes on from generation to generation, and it became part of your people’s lives through missionary activity that God’s grace made fruitful. This universal design of Christ enacted in every community throughout the world creates a bond of unity between all communities, giving them an essential unity - a unity in living the life of Christ.
Each individual Church, provided it remains anchored in this unity, is able to translate the treasure of faith into the concrete life of every day, where it has its own aspirations, riches, limitations, and ways of praying, loving and looking at life and the world[10]. As the local Church endeavours to assimilate the truth ever more, it is constantly challenged to preserve unaltered the content of the apostolic faith which the Lord entrusted to the Apostles. This task is, above all, the responsibility of the Bishops to be exercised in union with the Successor of Peter and all the Bishops of the Catholic Church.
4. At every juncture of the Church’s life, the Holy Spirit is present because he has been sent by Christ to dwell in the Church, and to keep it alive. In a word, the Holy Spirit perpetuates the life of Christ in the Church. The dignity of Christian life and the value of Christian conduct are linked to the reality of Christ living for ever in his Church. And it is in the context of this reality that we are sent to minister as Bishops.
The means at our disposal - the only means that could possibly be commensurate with the supernatural goals which are the aims of the Church’s activities - are the instruments of faith. In the words of Saint Paul, they are "the armour of God" and "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”[11]. As Bishops we are called to give our people the word of God, to expound to them the whole mystery of Christ[12] after the example of the Apostle who did not hesitate to announce "God’s design in its entirety”[13].
5. Dear Brethren, the realization that our ministry is totally dedicated to the life of Christ in his members - which is perpetuated through the proclamation of the word, especially in the sacramental renewal of the death of Christ - gives us deep joy and trust. Christ is with us today and always, and he tells us and all our people: "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore”[14].
6. Yes, beloved Brothers, Christ is alive in Malaysia, in Singapore and in Brunei - in all Asia. He is alive for evermore in your parishes, in all your communities, in your dioceses. And may you find strength and hope in realizing that everything you do as Bishops is directed to perpetuating the life of Jesus Christ in his Church.
7. And now I would ask you to take my special greetings to your priests and religious, and to speak with them of their important role in the living Body of Christ. I would ask you to encourage the seminarians in their vocation, and to do everything possible to promote vocations to the priesthood. Please tell the catechists how much the Church depends on their generous cooperation and on their holiness of life. And may all the Christian families be repeatedly reminded just how intimately they are linked with the mystery of Christ’s life in the Church.
And may the Mother of the living Christ, the Star of evangelization, be always near you to light your path and to bring all your beloved people to the fullness of life in Jesus Christ our saving God.
[1] 1 Pt 5:2.
[2] Cf. Gal 4:5, Eph 1:5.
[3] Cf. Col 1:24.
[4] Cf. 1 Pt 4:13.
[5] Cf. 1 Pt 3:17.
[6] Cf. Lk 2:52.
[7] Cf. Eph 4:13.
[8] Lk 4:43.
[9] Jn 13:35.
[10] Cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 63.
[11] Eph 6:13, 17.
[12] Cf. Christus Dominus, 12.
[13] Acts 20:27.
[14] Rev 1:17-18.
Speeches 1980 - Accra (Ghana)