Arrival in Ivory Coast (10 May 1980)

On his arrival in Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), Saturday, 10 May 1980, the Holy Father greeted the President, dignitaries, and all the people, describing himself as a messenger of peace.

Mr. President,
Excellencies,
dear Brothers and Sisters of Côte d'Ivoire,

May God bless the Ivory Coast! When approaching your land, I tell you my joy, my very great joy, to visit this country. I was waiting for this moment. The opportunity is given to me. God be praised! It is through the Ivory Coast that I will complete my first trip to Africa.

I can only spend two days there, and outside the capital, my meetings will be rare and brief. But I would now like to assure all Ivorians in towns and villages of my esteem, my affection, my most cordial wishes.

And first of all, I thank the authorities of this country, the Head of State and the Catholic hierarchy, for their eager invitation and their devotion to organizing this trip as well as possible. And you all, I already thank you for the warmth of your welcome which touches me deeply.

I greet with joy this country, full of promise, in the heart of West Africa. I know that its citizens are welcoming, tolerant, respectful of human life and freedom. And when today they make extensive contact with other civilizations, which seduce them with their technical progress, they carry with them many traditional human values ​​that they have cultivated on their own soil, from their traditions and, in to a certain extent, for a century, also from the Gospel.

Indeed, I greet my Catholic brothers and sons, since I came above all as Pastor of the universal Church. They form an important community here by its number, and even more perhaps by its dynamism. I greet its nine Ivorian bishops, its priests – I will have the joy of concelebrating shortly with the youngest ordained – its nuns, all its faithful. And I will be careful not to forget the many missionaries who, especially since eighteen hundred and ninety-five, have accomplished an admirable work in this country, for love of Christ and the Ivorians, and who continue it in the service of their brothers. , in a happy and fruitful collaboration.

I greet other Christians and other believers: they know as we do that the sense of God is inseparable from the human heart.

At the civil level, I salute all those responsible for the common good and experts of all kinds, including foreigners who bring their assistance: they have undertaken to accelerate the development of the country, of all its resources, and at the same time to give his youth an adequate education. I hope that this work turns to the complete human progress, not only technical, but moral and spiritual of all the inhabitants.

I greet all the workers of this country, rural and urban, and I have a special thought for the many migrants from neighboring countries, who have come to join the Ivorian workers.

I especially greet young people and students, to whom I will devote a long meeting.

My thoughts and my prayers go out to all the families of this country, and especially where there are people who are suffering: the sick, the handicapped, the elderly, all those who are experiencing physical or moral distress. They always hold a special place in my affections. I will contact those who are particularly affected by leprosy.

I indeed come here as a messenger of peace. Christ, whom I serve as successor to his first Apostle, has blessed the peacemakers. I come to receive the testimony of all that is beautiful and fraternal in this country and in this Church. I come to encourage him, and if possible to bring the impetus that comes from our faith, so that a civilization worthy of men, who are children of God, may be built. The unity of all, this will be the theme of the mass which will bring us together this evening.

May God bless you, may he reward you for welcoming the Pope in this way! May he bless all of Côte d'Ivoire!

© Copyright 1980 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana