Speeches 1986 - Hobart (Australia), 27 November 1986
Dear Friends in Christ,
1. "Peace to all of you who are in Christ".
It is a joy for me to be with you, my brothers and sisters of the Catholic Church and of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities to pray together and to reflect on God’s gifts of unity and peace. I thank all of you who have come here today in order to praise God for the growth of the ecumenical movement which has taken place among Christians in Australia. This is also an occasion for praying fervently that the divisions still existing among Christians may be overcome, so that we may be more effective witnesses to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. As Christians, we are convinced of the transcendent nature of peace and reconciliation, of the fact that they are God’s design and gift. The reign of God was begun in the person of Jesus Christ, who "is our peace... and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility". Through his Death and Resurrection, he has brought about reconciliation between heaven and earth, thus overcoming the disorder of humanity caused by sin, and restoring the image of God in man. This is why Saint Paul can state with such conviction: "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. who is above all and through all and in all".
3. The Church is called to be the instrument of salvation in the world, the effective sign and means of unity and reconciliation. She bears within herself that reconciling force which is a sharing in the life of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is the source of her unity, the power which enables her to promote peace and reconciliation in the world.
The Church is that part of the human family which, in baptism, agrees to live in a new way, being rescued from division and sin. She is the multitude gathered and unified in and through the Oneness of God. Her members, while preserving their legitimate variety, are brought into one communion in the Blessed Trinity.
Thus, Saint Paul exhorts the many different peoples who are members of the Church to bear with one another in love, "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace". He links mutual forbearance with love, the hope of unity with peace. This is the pattern of the Church’s commitment for the salvation of the world, for its peace and reconciliation. The Church’s own unity is hope for the world.
4. That is why our gathering here today is a sign of renewed hope for the whole world. Our will to overcome the divisions which still keep Christians apart is demanded by the will of Christ for the peace of the human family and the salvation of all. In Jesus Christ unity, reconciliation and peace are made possible; in fact, not only are they possible, they are also our task.
It is essential that those who follow Christ should live united in faith and love, and treat one another as brothers and sisters. For this reason, the first and fundamental step along the path of ecumenism is personal conversion of mind and heart. As the Second Vatican Council said: "There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart. For it is from newness of attitudes, from self-denial and unstinted love, that yearnings for unity take their rise and grow towards maturity".
5. Dear brothers and sisters: I would like to encourage all of you to face the ecumenical task in all its fullness, to be strong in faith and hope, to pray and work untiringly for that unity which is God’s will and his gift. A federation of common effort, however laudable, still falls short of that living and organic communion of believers which is God’s design and will. Our goal is a complete unity in faith and charity. Such complete unity is necessary so that Christians may bear a full common witness to Christ through their mission and service in the world.
Living and organic communion means unity in sacramental life. The inner being of the Church is a sharing in the life of the Triune God. This sharing is expressed and increased in sacramental acts. Working through these acts and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ touches human minds and hearts and helps us truly to live in "one body and one Spirit".
It is likewise a unity in the visible structure of the Church, which is the inevitable expression of her inner communion and which includes the continuing ministry of the Apostles, under the leadership of Peter, at the service of unity.
6. The world desperately needs the full communion of one Church, herself a sign and bearer of the Triune God’s work of uniting the human family. And despite the serious issues which still divide us, our present degree of unity in Christ is already a sign that Jesus Christ is present among us, that it is he who is the source of our reconciliation.
Our common prayer expresses and manifests the peace reigning in our hearts, that gift "from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation". Hence the importance of the new attitude of dialogue in which we are able to come together. The many ecumenical initiatives going on here in Australia and in other parts of the world, such as theological discussion, common prayer, collaboration in many fields – all speak of the Christian vision of reconciliation, which we must both proclaim to the world and show by the way we live. They speak of our desire to surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit.
7. And now I would like to address a word particularly to the bishops of the Catholic Church in Australia and to the leaders of the other Churches and Christian Communities here. After the Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi on 27 October, in an exchange of views among Christian leaders, the Christian World Communions and the World Council of Churches told the Holy See how important they felt it was that something of the impetus and spirit of the Assisi gathering should be brought to Christians at the local level. They spoke of the value local level. They spoke of the value of prayer as R primary means of securing peace and of securing the renewal of individuals and society which peace demands. They affirmed the importance of Christians acting together in local and regional peace initiatives, where this is possible and appropriate. This can be a witness to the hope given by Christ, at a time like the present when people are faced with world tension.
The event in Assisi was linked to a worldwide movement of prayer for peace among Christians, prayer which is also intended to help people discern appropriate means of working for peace. I encourage you to promote this prayer for peace here in Australia. It will be a response to a great challenge of our age; it will be another step in that joint effort of Christians to be at the service of humanity, to be a sign of hope.
8. Above all I urge you to make spiritual ecumenism the centre of all your ecumenical initiatives. For, as the Second Vatican Council stated, "The more purely Christ’s faithful strive to live according to the Gospel, the more they are fostering and even practising Christian unity. For they can achieve depth and ease in strengthening mutual brotherhood to the degree that they enjoy profound communion with the Father, the Word, and the Spirit. This change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and can rightly be called spiritual ecumenism " .
I wish to thank all of you who have come here today to pray with me, to listen to God’s word and reflect on its meaning for our times. As you seek to walk together in the ways of reconciliation and unity, I pray that you may "agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you" .
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
1. I greet you most cordially in the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a joy to be with you in the Parish of Saint Leo. In greeting you I also wish to greet every parish community in Australia and to tell you how important you are for Christ and his Church.
Saint Leo the Great, as you know, was one of my predecessors as Bishop of Rome and Successor of Saint Peter. In addition to his other talents he was an eloquent preacher of God’s word. One truth that he vigorously proclaimed was the ever-present reality of Jesus Christ. Christ’s life did not end with his death on the Cross, and the Church does not live with her gaze fixed only on the past. As Saint Leo said in one of his sermons: "Not in history alone do we know these things but in virtue of present achievements".
Jesus lives today in the Church!
Jesus lives today in the Parish of Saint Leo!
Jesus lives in each one of you who has been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
2. During his earthly life, Jesus spent thirty years in the little village of Nazareth. He was known as the son of a carpenter. He was not yet known as the Son of God. In fact, when he did identify himself as the Messiah, his own people did not accept him. They did not recognize him as the Saviour of the world.
And neither did the city of Jerusalem. Saint Luke tells us that on one occasion when Jesus saw the city he wept over it, saying: "If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes!... and all because you did not recognize your opportunity when God offered it".
Nazareth and Jerusalem teach us the importance of remembering that Christ is present among us. His farewell words to this disciples were: "Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time". The Risen Christ is with us. He is present in the Christian family. He is present in the parish community. He is present wherever "two or three meet in his name".
3. Every Christian community, then, must become more vividly aware that Christ is living in its midst. This is why prayer and worship are the centre of parish life. As the Second Vatican Council stated: "The liturgy is the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flows".
The Sunday Eucharistic celebration draws together all the members of the parish. At the Table of the Lord, they share their hopes and aspirations, their fears and sorrows, their efforts to put their faith into practice, and their desire for God’s mercy. Through the One Bread and the One Cup, they are united with Christ the Saviour and renewed in his saving love. At the same time, the bonds between them are strengthened so that, despite great human diversity, they become more closely united in the communion of the Church.
4. What we celebrate in the Eucharist is the Death and Resurrection of our Lord, the Redemption which he won for us and for the whole human race. From the Liturgy, therefore, we are sent forth to serve the Risen Lord who is present in our neighbour.
The first service which the Church offers to the world is the service of truth, the service of sharing the Good News of salvation. This is done through evangelization, catechesis and education; and hence through the Catholic School and the various programmes of catechetical instruction. It is done through the creative use of the mass media. To hand on our Catholic faith to young people is to give them a firm foundation for building a happy future. The need for instruction is not limited to the young. At every stage in our life, faith seeks understanding and needs the light of Christ.
There is also the service of evangelical witness. Working men and women serve Christ in the daily life of the marketplace, the office, the factory or wherever they happen to live and work. When we work honestly and carefully and in a spirit of charity towards others, we help to sanctify the world.
The Christian family fulfils a vital role in God’s plan of eternal salvation. The fidelity of husband and wife reflects the faithful love of Christ for the Church. And the family manifests in a unique way the priceless value of every human life, from the child in the womb to the very old.
5. A parish must always try to widen its horizons and make a continual effort to be a community open to everyone. It should look beyond its own boundaries to the wider community of the diocese and of the universal Church. For we belong to the Catholic Church, a Church which is truly universal. Single people and youth can make a very important contribution in this effort to look beyond the home parish.
Single people who love Christ with a chaste and generous heart have their own gifts to bring to parish life. Since they do not have the daily obligations of a husband or wife and children, they often have more opportunities to help both the Church and society in general. Their own experience of single life can make them especially aware of those who are often forgotten and overlooked by society.
Young people naturally feel drawn to people of different backgrounds and cultures. They are eager to make new friends and discover new worlds. They are willing to take the initiative in overcoming the prejudices and divisions of the past and to help build a world of true peace.
To all of you the youth of this parish and of all Australia, I repeat what I said in my Apostolic Letter to the Youth of the World: "May you experience the truth that he, Christ, looks upon you with love!... My wish for each of you is that you may discover this look of Christ, and experience it in all its depth. I do not know at what moment in your life. I think that it will happen when you need it most: perhaps in suffering, perhaps together with the witness of a pure conscience, as in the case of that young man in the Gospel, or perhaps precisely in an opposite situation: together with the sense of guilt, with remorse of conscience. For Christ looked at Peter too in the hour of his fall: when he had three times denied his Master".
6. We all need Christ’s look of love: every individual, every family, every parish. The whole world needs the love of Christ our Redeemer. And we receive this love through the Church. Christ communicates his love through the word of God and the sacraments which are offered to you each day in Saint Leo’s Parish.
Christ has given us this firm promise: "I am with you always; yes, to the end of time".
Dear people of Saint Leo’s Parish: Christ is with you today and always.
He lives in your hearts!
Dear Friends,
1. I greet you in the love of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I am delighted to have this opportunity to come to the Mercy Maternity Hospital, to meet the sick and those engaged in health care. In you I embrace all the sick and their helpers in every part of Australia. As a priest and a bishop, and now as Pope, I have always felt a special closeness to the sick. In Rome I try to be with the sick as often as possible. On my journeys to the local Churches throughout the world I look forward to the moment of meeting the sick and those who care for them; it is a very special moment. Today in the name of Christ and the Church, I greet the patients and I thank and encourage all those who work for them. May God be with you in all you do.
2. I have learned of the work of the Sisters of Mercy, begun in Ireland in 1831 by Catherine McAuley and carried on with great success in this country. You are a group of talented women committed to following Christ in the religious life, in the care of the sick, and in all the other spheres of your service, and I pray for the continued success of your Institute.
Nor can I forget that there are many other congregations of sisters and brothers working for the sick and the needy all over Australia. Catholic hospitals are in fact an important and very obvious element of the life of the Church in this country. If I cannot mention you all by name, be assured nevertheless that I hold you all in my heart. You have my deep gratitude and my prayerful support.
You, dear religious sisters and brothers, are dedicated to bringing hope and healing, in the name of Christ, to the sick and the poor, the aged and the uneducated; in fact to any of the suffering members of society, regardless of race, creed or social position. Through you the Church carries on the healing work of Christ. I pray that many young men and women will join your ranks and maintain undiminished in generations to come the charism of service to the sick. Your special place is in the Heart of Jesus and in the heart of the Church.
3. We all recognize that the patients are the most important people in any hospital. Therefore I speak especially to them and to all the sick and infirm in Australia.
Those who are ill know from experience that illness is one of the basic problems of human existence. Sometimes it strikes us when we least expect it. and when in human terms we least deserve it. When Jesus travelled from place to place during his earthly life, the sick flocked to him. In him they recognised a friend who understood them. They sensed that their suffering spoke deeply to his compassionate and Loving heart. It was a constant appeal to his redeeming love.
Jesus certainly cured the bodies of many sick people, but more importantly he cured souls too. He purified their hearts, and turned their whole personalities from self-absorption towards God and other people.
4. Dear patients I hope that medical care will be able to restore you to physical health. But I hope and pray too that your time of sickness, in spite of its burdens, and with the help you receive, will bring you a profound peace of soul.
For the person of faith, the path of suffering leads straight to Christ’s redemptive Passion, Death and Resurrection: to the Paschal Mystery. Pain is not only an enigma and a trial. For some people it is a mysterious vocation which they live in close union with the sufferings of Jesus. The acceptance of pain in this way takes on an extraordinary spiritual fruitfulness. Saint Paul explained that he was prepared to endure much for his people, and in fact rejoiced in this, because "through my sufferings in the flesh I complete what is still lacking for his body, which is the Church".
As Pastor of the Church I am close to you in your sufferings. Especially if your illness is chronic, or even incurable, I urge you to think about the deep and hidden value of your pain and helplessness You must freely unite your sufferings to the Cross of Jesus Christ, and be one with him in his redemptive mission. Out of that union will come a new understanding, a new hope and peace. Dear sick people you are my special friends. I entrust you to Jesus and to Mary. And I ask you to pray for me, and to offer your sufferings for the salvation of souls and the peace of the world.
5. Jesus tells us that those who care for the sick are caring for him.
Dear members of the medical and administrative staff here and in similar centres: your work is a privileged from of human solidarity and Christian witness. Your service is based on reverence for life, for all human life from the moment of conception until the moment of death. Through your expert and loving care of every patient, through your use and development of the best techniques available, through your research and education programmes, you bear witness to the special dignity of the sick. Here in Mercy Maternity Hospital it is especially fitting to speak about the care of newborn life and to emphasize the special place children must have in any civilized community. Your work strengthens the family and supports mothers in a society where mothers and children are not always given the respect they deserve. May God bless you in this work.
6. Work in hospitals today is more difficult and complex than ever before. The spectacular advances in medical science and technology, a more complicated industrial and administrative situation, financial constraints, and a more demanding public – all of these call for an ever-increasing level of competence and dedication. Medical science has brought untold benefits to mankind. For this we must be supremely grateful. We see the cures you effect and the good you bring as signs of God’s love continuing among us.
But medical science is a servant science, not an end in itself. It is meant to serve the total well-being of everyone. It is the work of people in the service of other people. Its methods and aims must always be judged in terms of human values of human rights and responsibilities. Like all powerful forces it can become destructive when used for wrong purposes. To speak of the autonomy of medical science as if it were independent of moral and ethical considerations is to unleash a force that cannot but cause grievous harm to man himself.
Catholic medical spokesmen must continue to emphasize that doctors and scientists are human beings, subject to the same moral law as other people, especially when dealing with human patients, human embryos or human tissue. You bring to your work a spirit of faith. This in no way hinders your collaboration with those who – perhaps with a different religious outlook, or with no certain opinion on religious questions – recognize the dignity and excellence of the human person as the criterion of their activity. In the delicate field of medicine and biotechnology the Catholic Church is in no way opposed to progress. Rather, she rejoices at every victory over sickness and disability. Her concern is that nothing should be done which is against life in the reality of a concrete individual existence, no matter how weak or defenceless, no matter how undeveloped or how advanced. The Church therefore never ceases to proclaim the sacredness of all human life, a sacredness which no one has a right to subordinate to any other purpose, no matter how apparently lofty or beneficial.
I appeal to all of you in the world of medicine and health care to approach your science and your art with a respect and love for life as the first and sublime condition of all human rights and values.
7. May Almighty God grant his blessings of strength and courage to you all: to those of you who are sick, for the Lord sees into your hearts and knows your needs; to those of you who serve the sick, for the Lord’s words are addressed to you: "I was sick and you came to me".
The peace of Christ be with you today and always!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
1. It is a great joy for me today to be with you, the representatives of Catholic tertiary institutions in Australia, and particularly the Council, staff and students of the Institute of Catholic Education. I am grateful for the warm welcome which you have extended to me. And I very much appreciate having this opportunity to pay tribute to the educational achievements of the Church in this beautiful country, and to urge you to continue in this vital work.
The Church here is young. From her very foundation, she has been very active in developing organizations and the structures needed in order to provide a true Catholic education for her people, and at the same time to serve the needs of Australian society as a whole. When I heard the history of Catholic education in this country, I thought of the words of Saint John who wrote: "It was a great joy to me when some brothers came and told of your faithfulness to the truth, and of your life in the truth. It is always my greatest joy to hear that my children are living according to the truth".
For many years, the chief organizational and teaching burdens for Catholic education here were shouldered by men and women religious. They met the challenge splendidly, and the whole Church and all of Australian society will be for ever in their debt. Even though their numbers have decreased in recent years, it is my heartfelt prayer that the Lord will call many young people today to the religious life, so that their public witness to the Gospel will not be lacking in our schools but will in fact increase and flourish.
The very composition of this gathering is a clear sign that the Australian laity are generously responding to the need for Catholic teachers in our time. It is important to remember that all groups in the Church are responsible for Catholic education. Clergy, religious and laity all have a vital contribution to make in the one mission of Christ and the Church.
I acknowledge with gratitude and admiration the increasingly prominent role that the Church is playing in tertiary education in Australia. Surely, this is due in large part to the vigorous and dynamic unity of the Catholic laity with the clergy and religious in pursuing educational objectives. I am mindful of the special contributions of the bishops, of certain priests and religious, of the Chairman of this Institute, Sir Bernard Callinan, who is also Chairman of the National Catholic Education Commission. Yet I am also aware that no individual, no group of priests, bishops, religious or parents, however dedicated, could have achieved all this without the collective insights, generosity, and energy of all the Catholic people. I wish to pay tribute to this long tradition of unity and service I pray that both now and in the future you will do all in your power to preserve and strengthen the Australian tradition of Catholic education, which has contributed so much not only to the Church but to the whole of Australian society. I pray too that all difficulties will be resolved through perseverance and good will.
I am pleased that in our meeting today there are so many people from the Institute of Catholic Education. This Institute plays an important part in serving the needs of the Catholic community, especially in the Catholic schools of the State of Victoria, and also in providing nurses for a number of hospitals. I express my support for the splendid aims that this Institute embodies and I am grateful to all those who work together with such dedication to attain these aims.
2. I would now like to speak more particularly to those of you who will be graduating from the Institute of Catholic Education. You are entering a distinguished profession. More importantly, you are following a Christian calling. Today, not only have you welcomed me with a warmth that has moved my heart, but in another sense I welcome you. I welcome you into that chosen group called by the Church to educate young Catholics in the faith. In a very special way, you share in the Church’s mission of proclaiming the Good News of salvation. Not all of you may be teaching catechetics, but if you are on the staff of a Catholic school, it is expected, and it is of the utmost importance, that you should support the whole of the Church’s teaching and bear witness to it in your daily lives.
The life of a teacher, as I know from personal experience, is very challenging and demanding, but it is also profoundly satisfying. It is more than a job, for it is rooted in our deepest convictions and values. To be intimately concerned in the development of a young person, of hundreds of young people, is a highly responsible task. As teachers, you kindle in your students a thirst for truth and wisdom. You spark off in them a desire for beauty. You introduce them to their cultural heritage. You help them to discover the treasures of other cultures and peoples. What an awesome responsibility and privilege is yours in the teaching profession.
3. Yet teachers in a Catholic school do not merely follow a worth profession. Certainly your work demands professionalism, but it also demands something more. Your profession as teachers involves tasks that are linked to your baptism and to your own commitment in faith. I repeat that in a very special way you share in the mission of the Church. No matter what subject you teach, it is part of your responsibility to lead your pupils more fully into the mystery of Christ and the living tradition of the Church.
Baptism is a call from Christ, a call which affects our whole life, the way we act and think. It moulds our attitudes and behaviour. This is seen very clearly in the work of a Catholic teacher. The impact you have upon your students and especially upon their faith in Christ will depend on the vitality of your own Christian life, and on the motives, attitudes and principles which shape your behaviour.
Your attitude towards Christ and your personal closeness to him are fundamental. Closely linked to this are your attitude towards the Church and your sense of having a special mission within her. You are not isolated agents in an impersonal bureaucracy. You are not merely professional educators. You are called to be faith-inspired collaborators in the heart of the Christian community.
The Christian attitude becomes particularly important when you face the important questions of teachers’ rights and academic freedom. It is appropriate for Catholic teachers to be concerned about their personal rights and to join educational associations, when these are in harmony with Catholic educational principles. Your personal rights and professional interests merit respect. At the same time, respect is also due to the kind of commitment you accept when you ask to serve in Catholic education and when you freely accept the Church’s call to teach. Thus for the teacher in a Catholic school the Church is always more than a mere employer. The Church is the Body of Christ in history, carrying out the mission of her Redeemer; and her teachers are privileged to share in that mission. How important, then, that each teacher, and all the teachers together, should work in harmony with others in the Church in the great task of Catholic education. This collaboration will always require generosity and self-sacrifice.
4. Not only are the attitudes of teachers crucial for the success of Catholic education but also the attitudes of Catholic parents. Parents must set themselves very definite priorities, such as the determination to have schools in which their children’s faith will be respected, fostered and enriched; schools in which their children learn the value and beauty of the Church’s teaching. They must also see to it that their own homes are places in which these values are first fostered and lived. Parents’ own practice of the faith, their own love for Christ, is of course fundamental.
Catholic parents in Australia have held to these priorities for many years. That is why, when State funding was withdrawn in the 1880s, the Catholic schools continued to function. They even spread more widely across the country. This came about through the strong leadership of the bishops and clergy, together with the generosity of large numbers of religious, many from Ireland and other parts of Europe. But it also came about because parents wanted a solid Catholic education for their children and were willing to make great sacrifices to obtain it.
After eighty years, successive Governments recognized the principle of the right of parents to choose schools for their children and to have a share of the public purse to help fund those schools. Despite a decreasing number of religious to staff schools, the Catholic education system continues to grow. Parents still want it and need it. A solid tradition has been established. You have truly taken to heart the words of the Second Vatican Council which said: "Catholic parents are reminded of their duty to send their children to Catholic schools whenever this is possible, to give Catholic schools all the support in their power, and to cooperate with them for the well-being of their children".
5. The parish primary school, where younger children receive their early lessons in the faith, remains a cornerstone of the pastoral care of Australia’s Catholic people. Here the community of faith hands on the timeless message of Jesus Christ to its youngest members. More difficult challenges face the Catholic secondary school. Here students must be helped to achieve that integration of faith and authentic culture which is necessary for believers in today’s world. But they must also be helped to recognize and rejects false cultural values which are contrary to the Gospel.
Both primary and secondary schools must work closely with the family and the parish if they are to foster effectively the Christian formation of the pupils. This is a noble work in which parents, teachers and clergy all collaborate. Parents need to keep in close touch with their children’s education through such groups as parent friends associations and through other means. And precisely because teachers represent parents, they must be aware of the limits of their authority over the students, and must work in harmony with parents. Success in this field will mean more dedicated members of society and the Church, more young men and women who are deeply committed to Christ. The extent to which Catholic schools contribute to the continual renewal of the Church depends on how successfully they foster continual conversion of heart.
6. And now, permit me to say a few words to the secondary school students who are present.
Dear students: from what I have said and from your own experience, you know how hard the Church is trying to provide you with a Catholic education. The Church wishes to entrust to you a great treasure, which is the mystery of Christ and his Gospel. Very often I have spoken to young people in words like these: "Dear young friends: do not allow this treasure to be taken from you! ... Love ‘rejoices in the truth’. Seek out this truth where it is really to be found! If necessary, be resolved to go against the current of popular opinion and propaganda slogans! Do not be afraid of the love that places clear demands on people. These demands – as you find them in the constant teaching of the Church – are precisely capable of making your love a true love". Remember that the truth leads to Christ, for he alone is " the Way, the Truth and the Life".
To all of you, teachers, administrators and students, I say with Saint Paul: "Be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy".
May our Lord Jesus Christ give you truth and wisdom!
May he fill your hearts with his love!
Speeches 1986 - Hobart (Australia), 27 November 1986