Arrival at the Manila International Airport, Philippines (17 February 1981)

On 17 February 1981, the Holy Father arrived at the Manila International Airport in the Philippines, where he gave an Address during the welcoming ceremony.

Mr. President, 
Your Eminences and Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate, 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Beloved People of the Philippines, 

1. Salamat sa puong maykapal! God be thanked! With deep gratitude to God for having been able to come to the Philippines, I express to you all my most cordial greetings of love and peace. It is a great joy to set foot on the soil of this beloved country, and I look forward with great desire to these days that I will spend among you. 

2. I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, whose servant I am. And I come for a religious and pastoral visit, to proclaim his Gospel, to proclaim salvation in his name. As Successor of the Apostle Peter, I wish to confirm my brothers and sisters of the Catholic Church in their faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, our justice and our peace, our greatest treasure and only source of our hope. 

3. Just during the first week of my pontificate, Cardinal Sin spoke to me about the possibility of coming to the Philippines, on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the Church in Manila. Then he asked me to beatify Lorenzo Ruiz, here, in his city, which is your capital. Since it was not possible to satisfy this request in the Jubilee Year 1979, I wish today, with the first beatification of a native son of this land, to bring this centenary celebration to a proper conclusion. 

This is the first and foremost reason for my coming. The beatification, which will also solemnly honor fifteen other Christian martyrs, is undoubtedly a historic event for this country and a great blessing for the Church in the world. The heroic life of this Filipino layman and the testimony of faith of his companions remind us that we are all called to the holiness of life and that, as Saint Paul wrote, the power of God "working in us, has the power to do much more than how much we can ask or think" ( Eph 3:20). 

4. And so I have come to share this occasion of great joy and Christian pride with the Filipino people. From the history of the Church in my homeland, I know how important the first canonization of one of her native sons, Saint Stanislaus, was for all the people of Poland at the time. It took place in Assisi in 1253. You know that in modern times every ceremony of this kind is usually celebrated in Rome, at the See of Peter, the center of the universal Church. Exceptionally, a rite of beatification will now be celebrated outside Rome for the first time. The celebration will take place differently than usual, but truly in the heart of the Church, in the local Church where Blessed Lorenzo Ruiz grew in faith. 

This extraordinary event will clearly demonstrate how the two dimensions of the one Church – the universal and the local – are complementary and mutually inclusive. It is fitting that an event of this kind take place in the Philippines, a nation known for the dynamism of its Christian faith and at the same time for its strong tradition of undisputed fidelity to the Bishop of Rome. 

5. In connection with this ceremony I am also happy to make a pastoral visit to the Philippines. His extensive program gives me the chance to meet people from different regions. How I would have liked to go everywhere, to meet all the flourishing Catholic parishes, to be with the inhabitants of the villages scattered throughout the territory! But time is limited. All the people of the Philippines will be present in my heart and in my prayers when I visit the different communities included in the program. 

In this regard, I am deeply grateful to you, Mr. President, and to the national and local authorities, for making this possible and for offering me the hospitality of the Philippines. 

6. I also wish, through this apostolic journey, to show my respect and esteem for all of Asia, for all the countries that are your neighbors in this part of the world. To the members of the other Christian Churches, whom I also have the joy of calling brothers and sisters in Christ, I extend my cordial and fraternal greeting. To all who belong to non-Christian religions I extend a sincere greeting as a friend and brother in the one family of mankind. 

7. Since God grants me this privilege of visiting your country made up of thousands of islands, I feel compelled to repeat, in praise of our Creator, the words of the Psalmist: "The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice, let all islands rejoice" ( Ps 97.1). May, therefore, the many islands of the Philippines enjoy and exult in the loving mercy of our God! 

God bless you! 

God bless the Philippines! 

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas : Long live the Philippines! 

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