Speeches 1977
Friday, 9 January 1976
Mr Ambassador,
With great pleasure we accept from Your Excellency the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Kuwait. We appreciate in particular the welcome greetings which you bring to us from His Highness the Amir, Shaikh Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, and we would ask you to convey our own greetings to him.
You have referred to eternal spirituals values, which it is our mission to defend and promote. These values are in a special way at the foundation of that true peace among men which we ceaselessly proclaim to all, and we rejoice to have from you this further confirmation that our words are heard. If men of all creeds and all nations will devote themselves ever more generously to the care, solace and help of one another, then shall we see the flowering of those moral, civil and economic conditions which will allow mankind to live in what we like to call the “civilization of love”.
The Church for her part will always promote these perennial values, adapting her efforts to the needs of each country. In Kuwait it is our firm intention to continue to offer our assistance in every field which lies within the sphere of the Church’s activity. In this way the Church remains faithful to her divine calling and helps the attainment of men’s legitimate aspirations. We hope and pray that the new year which has dawned upon a troubled world will indeed bring peace and tranquillity, and that your own beloved country may both contribute to this end and enjoy its fruits. As we invoke upon the authorities and entire people of Kuwait abundant divine blessings, we assure you, Mr Ambassador, of our good wishes for the fulfilment of your important mission.
*AAS 68 (1976), p.183.
Insegnamenti di Paolo VI, vol. XIV, p.20.
L’Attività della Santa Sede 1976, p.9.
L'Osservatore Romano 10.1.1976, p.1.
ORa n. 4 p.2, 12.
On the occasion of the gathering at Armagh on Saturday January tenth the Holy Father, Who continues to follow with deep anxiety and concern the serious turn of events in Northern Ireland, renews appeal to the whole population, of all religious denominations, to work for peace, in justice and brotherly love, so that they may reaffirm, in accordance with the Christian faith held in common, their respect for the sacred character of human life and may generously respond to the commandment of love received from the Divine Master.
While fervently imploring God Almighty to enlighten and strengthen all concerned in their determination to attain to that much desired peace, His Holiness gladly imparts to Your Eminence and to the whole community His Apostolic blessing.
Cardinal VILLOT
Mr Ambassador,
We are indeed happy to accept the Letters by which you are accredited as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Holy See. At the same time, we are pleased to reciprocate cordially the sincere good wishes which you have conveyed to us this morning from His Excellency the President of the Sudan.
We are grateful to you for your kind words in regard to the significant role played by the Church in history, and in regard specifically to our own Pontificate and to our endeavours to help create peace and brotherhood among men.
Your country is one which deeply engages our interest and attention. Regarding the presence of the Church there, we were privileged only last year to establish its national hierarchy. Such a step forward indicates how the Church has taken root in your native soil and grown to full stature: We are very pleased that a spirit of understanding and cooperation has made this development possible.
This consolidation of the structure in the Sudan provides an assurance that the Catholic population will ever more effectively contribute to the development of their beloved country, in sincere collaboration with all their fellow-citizens and in harmony with the concern that inspires the public authorities in this regard. They can now do this all the better by virtue of greater organization within the local Church itself. But Catholics will always be disposed by their religious faith to face the future with hope, courage and optimism and to respond constructively to the rich possibilities inherent in the present time. Inspired by a deep sense of the sacredness and dignity of human existence, they are likewise enabled to adopt the moral attitudes that contribute to the betterment of society. It is for this reason that we have no hesitation in stating that the Church’s presence will always involve a constant solicitude to promote in whatever way possible the good of the Sudan.
While we invoke upon all the people of your country the divine favours of fraternal harmony and true prosperity, we extend to you personally our good wishes for the happy fulfilment of your mission as Ambassador.
*AAS 68 (1976), p.184.
Insegnamenti di Paolo VI, vol. XIV, p.21-22.
L’Attività della Santa Sede 1976, p.10.
L'Osservatore Romano 11.1.1976 p.1;
ORa n.4 p.2.
Dear friends,
This morning we willingly greet the representatives of American Express. We know that your European visit can have an effect on travel and tourism to this continent and in particular to Italy, to Rome and to the Vatican. Moreover, your activities can have a significant effect on the lives of individual people and on their happiness and well-being. For this reason we do not hesitate to call to your attention the contribution of fraternal service that you can offer to those people who place their trust in your agency and in you personally. The professional services that you render in this spirit can indeed help to build up what we like to call “the civilization of love” -a well-ordered world in which people care about each other.
Your own experience will help you to discover many ways of furnishing this fraternal service. On our part we would like to mention one example. It is the case of ordinary people who have looked forward for years to the time when they could make a religious pilgrimage. During the visit itself, they sometimes find that they are unable to fulfill the reason why they came. Many of these people have recounted for us the disappointment they experienced in having only a fleeting moment in Saint Peter’s, or in not being able to attend a Wednesday Papal Audience. And so our own experience confirms the fact that you can perform an excellent work by giving delicate attention to the spiritual and religious requirements of the people whom you serve.
By being sensitive, therefore, to these and other needs, you can make a fitting contribution to harmony and happiness. And we are convinced that, in so doing, you will yourselves find joy. On all of you and on your families we invoke the blessings of God’s love.
Dear friends,
We are mindful of the injunction of Sacred Scripture, given in the Book of Sirach: to hold the medical profession in honor. We willingly express this honor today, proclaiming that your wisdom is from God and that your knowledge and skill entitle you to admiration (Cfr. Sir. Si 38,1-3). And so it is a great pleasure for us to extend a welcome to all of you who are participating in the Symposium jointly sponsored by the Italo-American Medical Education Foundation and the Institute of International Medical Education, on the subject of the training of doctors in Italy and in the United States.
You are involved in an exchange of ideas, information and techniques; and you are looking to the needs of tomorrow. We are vitally interested in your topic and unreservedly assert its great importance.
The training of doctors ! How could we not encourage you to pursue your dialogue in a spirit of fraternal collaboration, in the hope that you may make a worthy contribution to humanity.
On our part we express the hope that the formation of young men and women for the medical profession will indeed take into account all the medical discoveries and sound advances of our day, and that this preparation will inculcate the ideal of service.
And for all Christians, we would propose the ideal of service rendered in the name of Christ. We hope likewise that the young people of tomorrow who feel attracted to such a lofty calling will be imbued with the spirit of compassion for their brethren in need. And we pray that the figure of the doctor will be that of one who pursues a healing work in accordance with God’s laws, and who by upright personal conduct proclaims respect for life and for the God-given and inalienable right to life.
May there be true renewal and authentic progress in preparing doctors for tomorrow’s world, and may the stand ards that you proclaim and follow always render honor to your persons and your countries, for the well-being of all those who place their trust in you.
Dear friends from Japan,
We wish to welcome you to the Vatican. From the moment of our first Encyclical, “Ecclesiam Suam”, we have endeavored, in a special way, to maintain and develop dialogue with men of good will everywhere. In the intervening years, and especially during the Holy Year, we have had ample opportunities to do this. And today we have great pleasure in extending our greetings to you and to the respected Shintoist communities that you represent.
We know the fame of your temple, and the wisdom that is represented so vividly by the images contained therein. We too, as followers of Christ, pray frequently to be shielded from evil and to be delivered from the evil one (Cfr. Matth Mt 6,13). We ask ceaselessly to be purified of our sins; and through the beauty of nature we endeavour to attain and praise the Creator of all things.
As we thank you for the courtesy of your visit today, we express our own respect and our good wishes for your persons, your families and your communities.
Thursday, 8 April 1976
Your Excellency,
It is a great pleasure for us today to extend to you our cordial greetings. Your visit is all the more significant for us because it is the first time that an Egyptian President has come to this Apostolic See.
We welcome you indeed as the honoured representative of a great country endowed with the culture of various millennia, which has effectively enriched the entire World.
We are also pleased to recall the Christian contribution to the history of Egypt, as well as the Egyptian contribution to the history of the Church, especially in regions of Africa.
And today in modern Egypt, Christians-and we speak specifically for Catholics-wish to collaborate with their Moslem fellow-citizens for the progress of their country. We are happy to note and encourage Catholic activity particularly in the sphere of education and in the field of social services; we know that such activity is generously undertaken, and sustained with selfless motives, for the common good.
On this occasion we express the hope that ever greater progress will take place in your country for the benefit of the Egyptian people and their constant advancement in conditions truly befitting their human dignity and aspirations.
We also express at this time our great desire that the Moslem- Christian dialogue should continue and make progress among your people, in that fraternal spirit which ought to characterize all those who adore the one God-just and merciful.
Your Excellency knows the profound solicitude that is ours for the problem of peace in the Middle East. With deep concern for this generation and for generations yet to come, we extend our sincere encouragement to continue to seek the peaceful and just solution also to the Arab-Israeli crisis. This must include an equitable solution also to the problem of the Palestinian people, for whose dignity and rights we have repeatedly expressed humanitarian and friendly interest. And the question of Jerusalem and of the Holy Places must be resolved with due regard for the millions of followers of the three great monotheistic religions, for whom these represent such exalted values.
We would not omit this opportunity to restate our anguish and preoccupation for the destiny of Lebanon. This conflict also finds its tragic place within the framework of the problem of peace in the Middle East. In addition to the deplorable destruction of human life, this civil war does incalculable harm to fraternal coexistence, and can have very sad effects on Moslem-Christian relations in the entire region.
These, Your Excellency, are some of our hopes and concerns. They are the object of our prayers and the constant solicitude of our ministry.
We reiterate our satisfaction for your visit, expressing the trust that, under your leadership, the Egyptian people will make a unique contribution in helping to build a more equitable world, a world of brotherhood, peace and justice-or what we have so frequently called : “the civilization of love”.
For the attainment of these aims, we invoke upon Your Excellency and all the beloved people of the Arab Republic of Egypt the choicest blessings of Almighty God.
*AAS 68 (1976), p.274-275.
Insegnamenti di Paolo VI, vol. XIV, p.235-237.
L’Attività della Santa Sede 1976 p.88-89.
L'Osservatore Romano 9.4.1976, p.1.
ORa n.16 p.1.
Dear Friends,
You have asked to visit us during your stay in Rome, and we are happy to be able to accede to your request. We welcome you both as friends and as Representatives of the Congress of the United States-members of the legislative branch of your Government. We extend our welcome all the more cordially at a time when you and your fellow-citizens are celebrating the Bicentennial of your nation.
Addressing you as legislators of America we willingly speak to you a word of encouragement, exhorting you to maintain with reverence and pride the salutary tenets on which your country was established. At every turn, your Bicentennial speaks to you or moral principles, religious convictions, inalienable rights given by the Creator.
Of necessity your anniversary engages the reflection of all citizens on the equality of human dignity and destiny, and on the rich ethnic background of the United States. And you personally are summoned by your celebration to reflect anew on the role of government, as instituted precisely to secure for all the people inalienable rights -and “among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. By the sacred trust committed to you by the people, and in loyalty to your very Declaration of Independence, you have been called to the service of defending life and of promoting true liberty and happiness among your people. And we cannot but praise the significance of your gesture as once again you pledge allegiance to a Republic that is “one nation under God”.
We earnestly hope that these reflections and this commemoration of your Bicentennial will constitute a rededication to those sound moral principles formulated by your Founding Fathers and enshrined forever in your history. There is so much in your tradition to urge you to look forward to the future with trust in God. May your land be indeed a land of upricht conduct in personal and public life-a land where truth is respected, and where brotherly love is the criterion of greatness. We willingly join our voice to your own prayerful expression of challenge and resolution: “America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law”.
And may you, the lawmakers of this land, and all your illustrious colleagues in government, recall with pride your role of service, and fulfill with dignity your solemn charge before the people.
In our own role of a universal ministry and of worldwide service to humanity-as a friend of your people and every people-it is our prayer that America may go forward to a new era, humbly expressing gratitude for the immense blessings received from the Creator. With openness and concern for the needs of the world, may she guard the spiritual and moral heritage of her past, in order to ensure a future “with liberty and justice for all”.
Mr Ambassador,
As we accept these Letters of Credence and officially receive you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Liberia to the Holy See, our foremost desire is to extend a warm welcome to you as the worthy representative of a country which is especially dear tous. We thank you for the greetings you bring from your President, His Excellency Dr William R. Tolbert, Jr, and we would ask you in turn to convey to him our own good wishes.
Your Excellency has spoken kind words about our Pontificate and our person; we would like you to know that we fully appreciate the courtesy of what you have said in this regard. Your words have evoked some of the major objectives of our Pontificate, namely, to foster religious understanding, to show concern for the underprivileged, and to promote world peace. We are confident that, by reason of your own concern in these areas, your mission as Ambassador to this Apostolic See will indeed be fruitful.
We are aware of President Tolbert’s laudable efforts to improve the total welfare-spiritual, cultural and material-of the Liberian people. As you have indicated, in doing this he appeals to the responsibility and the self-reliance of the people. We need hardly say that the Church will always be your ally in this struggle for self-improvement, not only by engendering in her members the moral strength of hope, from which springs courage, but also by engaging in the nation’s task of development such resources as she can possibly make available.
With this renewed pledge of wholehearted collaboration on the part of the Church, we invoke upon the Authorities of your country and upon its beloved people the favour of Almighty God, who is the author of every good work. To you, Mr Ambassador, we gladly extend our prayerful wish for the successful and happy fulfillment of your mission.
*AAS 68 (1976), p.332.
Insegnamenti di Paolo VI, vol. XIV, p.370-371.
L’Attività della Santa Sede 1976, p.130-131.
L'Osservatore Romano 23.5.1976, p.1.
ORa n. 24 p.8.
Dear brethren,
we are happy to welcome you today.
You have come from certain Pentecostal Churches and from Pentecostal movements in other confessions to meet with our Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity and its collaborators, in order to reflect together on prayer, on spirituality and on related aspects of theology. In doing so, you have been dealing with spiritual resources of which the whole human family has urgent need. Your exchanges have been a testimony to the living power of the Spirit of God experienced in the lives of Christians and offered to all who will accept it. You have spoken together of how faithful souls participate in the reality of God. We believe this is a reality which establishes itself among the faithful as a visible communion, so that they are united not only by a spiritual relationship on the level of mystery and the invisible, but also on the visible level of human realities transformed by the Spirit. It is a communion expressed in the fellowship of the Church which seeks always, according to our Lord’s will, to become perfect in unity. How untiring all who love this Lord of ours must be in working to overcome all the causes of division and separation that still impede the fullness of this communion.
As you come to the conclusion of the present phase of your work, we shall learn with great interest the outcome of your studies and give attentive consideration to what they indicate for the future of our relationship.
Let us continue to walk together in the paths of understanding and growing Christian love, listening with docility and care to what the Spirit is saying today, and ready to move into his future with joy and trust.
It is with honour and esteem that we extend our welcome to Cardinal Lawrence Trevor Picachy. The Church in Calcutta and the people of all India are present today in our thoughts.
You have come in order to form part of the Sacred College of Cardinals: and you have come as another representative of the culture, civilization and wisdom of India. Above all, you have come as the worthy pastor of the Church of Calcutta, bringing with you “the joy and hope, the grief and anguish” (Gaudium et Spes GS 1) of your people.
And we believe that the concern and pastoral solicitude of your ministry find support and help in the unity that we are experiencing in Christ. Indeed, it is the communion of the universal Church that we pledge ourselves anew to a mission of love and of genuine service to our brethren-a service that takes account of their human dignity and of their supernatural destiny. We want you to know we are close to you as you confront, with deep insight and devotion, the problems inherent in your ministry as Archbishop of Calcutta and as President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. On our part, we are fully convinced of the transforming and uplifting power of God’s truth.
Our recognition and our gratitude go in a special way to all who have laboured so generously for the building up of the ecclesial community in Northeastern India; for all of these priests, religious and laity we express deep affection and paternal love.
We send our respectful greetings to all the authorities and people of your country-that beloved country where we ourself were once received with honour, and upon which we invoke the blessings of genuine progress and true happiness.
Address to Cardinal Thiandoum and his family:
Nous vous accueillons avec joie ce matin, vous tous qui êtes Venus accompagner notre cher Cardinal Thiandoum. Nous saluons d’abord cordialement la mission officielle, conduite par Son Excellence Monsieur Amadou Cissé Dia, Président de l’Assemblee nationale, qui a represent6 le Gouvernement de la Republique du Sénégal ainsi que son Président, Son Excellence Monsieur Leopold Sédar Senghor, a l’occasion de la promotion du premier cardinal de votre pays. Et vous tous, chers pèlerins et amis, Nous sommes heureux de vous voir si nombreux et de vous dire notre affection et notre estime. C’est un honneur, certes, pour l’Eglise du Sénégal, d’avoir à sa tête un des nouveaux cardinaux; mais c’est surtout une grande responsabilité, pour le Cardinal Thiandoum, qui le sait bien, mais aussi pour tous nos fils du Sénégal: les chrétiens ne doivent jamais oublier que le service de l’Evangile leur est confie. Nous savons que c’est ainsi que vous comprenez votre mission, celle du levain dans la pâte. C’est pourquoi Nous vous donnons de grand coeur notre bénédiction, pendant que Nous demandons au Dieu Tout-Puissant d’exaucer les voeux que Nous formons pour tout le peuple du Sénégal, que Nous avons la joie de saluer dans ses représentants.
To Cardinal Razafimahatratra:
Vénéré Frère, chers Fils de Madagascar, quelle joie de passer, ce matin, un moment avec vous! Nous voulons vous ouvrir notre coeur et vous dire l’affection que Nous éprouvons pour tous les catholiques de la Grande Ile, qui font notre fierté par leur enthousiasme, la qualité de leur foi, et leur générosité dans la contribution au développement du pays. Madagascar a perdu il y a quelques mois son cher Cardinal. Elle en reçoit un autre, sur lequel Nous savons pouvoir compter pour Nous aider à gouverner l’Eglise universelle.
En rentrant dans votre pays, vous porterez aux Autorités de l’Etat nos respectueuses salutations, et vous transmettrez aussi nos encouragements et nos voeux a tous vos frères, au clergé et aux fidèles, avec notre particulière Bénédiction Apostolique.
To Cardinal Ekandem and his family:
We are happy to greet our venerable brother, Cardinal Dominic Ekandem.
This is an historic moment for Nigeria; an historic moment for Africa. In you we honour the entire Church in your country. In you we embrace, in the unity of Christ, the beloved clergy, religious and laity of your land. We express our esteem and love for you. We want you to know of our deep joy at seeing how charity has taken root in your hearts and how-to the glory of your Father in heaven-you have brought forth the fruits of good works in your Christian lives (Cfr. Matth Mt 5,16). We render homage to your ancestors who opened their hearts to the word of God. In the name of the Lord, we thank the generations of missionaries-past and present-who, by divine grace, have been instrumental in bringing to you the inestimable treasure of faith.
Through you we send our greetings to the authorities and to all the people of Nigeria. We ask you to take our words, into your churches, into your schools and into your homes. Our affection encompasses the old and the young, the sick, the suffering, the poor.
We pray that integral development may be ever more the lot of all your people and “that the Lord’s message may spread quickly, and be received with honour . . . ” (2Th 3,1). And may the peace of Christ dwell in your hearts today and for ever.
God bless Nigeria!
To Cardinal Lorscheider and his family:
Senhor Cardeal e queridos peregrinos do Brasil,
Queremos manifestar grato apreço, por esta selecta e numerosa representação do dilecto Brasil, hoje aqui, a testemunhar a sua fé e devoção à sé Apóstolica e ao Vigário de Cristo, e fazendo coroa, corn amizade e entusiasmo, ao Senhor Dom Aloísio Lorscheider, neste evento festivo, a que também as Excelentíssimas Autoridades do País quiseram associar-se, do Consistório em que o criamos Cardeal da Santa Igreja.
A todos saudamos con grande estima. E, ao saudar em particular o Senhor Cardeal, coma membro do Sacro Colégio, queremos renovar-lhe todo o Nosso apreço e complacência, pela sua dedicata actividade de sacerdote e de Bispo, em plano diocesano, national e eclesial, nas iniciativas e organizações em favor da Igreja na America Latina e nos Organismos centrais da Santa Sé. O Nosso estimulante bem haja!
Urn Nosso benevolente saudar, depois, vai para os seus entes queridos, e neles para as famílias crists brasileiras; para a sua Ordem religiosa e, por ela, para os beneméritos religiosos em Terra de Santa Cruz; para os zelosos Irmãos Bispos, a cuja Conferência preside, para o Clero, laicado comprometido e todo o Povo de Deus no Brasil.
E um pensamento particular queremos ter para a sua dilecta Arquidiocese de Fortaleza, em festa; ela è, neste momento, símbolo e chamada, ao mesmo tempo, da Igreja no Brasil: símbolo, pela sua fé arraigada e tradicional religiosidade; e chamada, porque no Nordeste brasileiro. Ela tem a tarefa de responder ao desafio que Ihe lança um empenho e surto de progresso integral, e tão promissor, da Nação que integra. E sabemos que Fortaleza, com o seu Pastor, quer responder cristãmente a tal desafio.
Fazemos votos de que a participação de todos no procurar o crescente e comum bem-estar siga e cultive, em equilibrada, serena e concorde vivência, as coordenadas do reino de Deus: verdade, santidade e graça, justiça, amor e paz. Nisto está a base da fraternidade e das prosperidades, que do coração auspiciamos para todo o querido Brasil, ao abençoar-vos, e aos que aqui representais, com afecto em Cristo.
Dear sons in Christ,
Your presence here brings back the happy memories of our many visits to the old Beda College. And today we have the same interest in you that we had in so many of the priests that preceded you.
Soon you will leave Rome, and we are happy to be able to send you out personally to your task of Evangelization. You are going forth to preach Christ and to proclaim his saving Gospel to your people. The priorities of your lives in the priesthood, the exigencies of your ministry in the presbyteral order are the same requirements found in the Acts of the Apostles: you are to continue to devote yourselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Act. 6, 4).
You will eminently fulfil your work as evangelist in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which you are privileged to offer in the person of Christ, and which is “the source and summit of all Evangelization” (Presbyterorum Ordinis PO 5). And rightly you will be looked upon as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God (Cfr. 1Co 4,1). We exhort you, in the same of the Lord, to be faithful for ever.
In bearing witness to the Good News of God’s grace, you yourselves will be sustained by his power. May the words of Saint Paul be always in your hearts: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1Co 16,13).
With paternal affection in Christ Jesus, we impart to you our Apostolic Blessing.
Venerable Brother and dear sons and daughters,
It is a joy for us to welcome you today. We see before us a representation of the entire Church in Chicago, for which we have great paternal affection and pastoral love. We know that your presence is occasioned by the observance in Rome of the anniversary of ordination of a number of priests of the Archdiocese. We are happy to address our special words to them.
Beloved sons: for some of you it is twenty-five years, for others forty years, that you have been sharing in the ministerial priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And now you have come to Rome to celebrate at the tomb of the Apostle Peter your fraternity in Christ and in his priesthood, and to reflect with us on the mission that is yours.
As co-workers with your Bishop, your first task is to proclaim the Gospel of God (Cfr. Presbyterorum Ordinis PO 4). You have been sent to announce the death and Resurrection of the Lord. And because this proclamation is eminently and inseparably joined to the very offering whereby Christ ratified the New Testament in his blood, you fulfill your chief duty in the mystery of the Eucharistic Sacrifice (Cfr. Presbyterorum Ordinis PO 13).
It is in the Eucharist that the work of redemptive love is continually carried out. It is by means of the Eucharist-source and center of the Church’s unity-that we are able to gather God’s family together in love. It is in the Eucharist that we fulfill Christ’s command to live on in his love (Cfr. Io Jn 15,9), and from the Eucharist that we derive that pastoral love required of those who share in the work of the Good Shepherd.
Some days ago we told a group of newly-ordained American priests that the measure of their effectiveness and the measure of their joy in the priesthood would be determined by the measure of their love (Cfr. Discorso de1 9 giugno 1976). And today we repeat the same conviction to you, praying that each of you will experience a renewal in love-Eucharistic love, pastoral love, fraternal love, effective love. With Saint John we say: “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God” (1 Io. 4, 7).
And with this witness of love in deed and in truth, we ask you to go forward together, united in your priestly ministry, faithful in love, faithful forever-for the glory of the Father, through Christ and in the Holy Spirit. May the zeal and enthusiasm engendered in you by your priestly love attract young men to Christ and to his priesthood, and help them to open up their hearts to his divine call. To you and to them we attest in the name of the Lord and in his words : “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life ...” (Jn 15,13).
Invoking upon all of you the Spirit of God’s love, we impart to you and to your brother priests at home, as well as to the entire Archdiocese of Chicago, our special Apostolic Blessing.
Speeches 1977