At the End of the Eucharistic Procession (15 August 1983)

On Monday, 15 August 1983, in his words at the end of the Eucharistic Procession, the Holy Father expressed his displeasure at having to leave this place “where the Immaculate Conception showed her figure and spoke her name.” 

I. It is not without displeasure , it is not without longing , that every pilgrim must leave this place of grace; with even greater reason the Successor of Peter, who was able, like Bernadette, to approach the place where the Immaculate Conception showed her figure and spoke her name, who was able to deposit here the anguished intentions of his universal mission and pray with an entire people of believers . I experienced indescribable joy. Yes, I will keep the memory of this feast of the Assumption as one of the most beautiful in my life.

" Quid repay Domino" :

That I will repay the Lord for having attended to me in this way! That I will repay Our Lady of Lourdes , who obtains us, who obtained so many graces from the Lord for me! In Rome, in the Vatican gardens, I am happy to pray in front of the reproduction of this Massabielle cave, and every year, on February 11th, I celebrate a mass in St. Peter's for the sick of my Diocese. This means that Lourdes remains very present in Rome, and in a special way in the heart of the Pope.

II. But my warm thanks go to all of you, pilgrims who have come to celebrate the Assumption here, as a family, in groups or as part of a national pilgrimage, from all of France and neighboring countries, and to all of you, " pilgrims of desire " who , being unable to come, you are united by heart and prayer to the ceremonies of these 14th and 15th August. You gladdened and comforted the Successor of the Apostle Peter, happy to see you celebrate Mary with Him, happy to know your adherence to the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church. Our heart was open to all who share faith in Christ and veneration for his mother, called to form the one Church of Jesus Christ.

III. And now, before leaving you, I address myself in a special way to all Catholics in France , to encourage them once again in their faith, in the moral quality of their lives, in their unity and in their testimony.

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1. Cases Brothers and Sisters, with Baptism you received the sign of Christ and the ability to believe. "This is the work of God: that you believe in Him whom He sent" ( John 6:29). Nourish your faith in its true sources, listening to the Word of God, without excluding the Bible, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church to which this deposit was entrusted. Do not let the certainties of faith disappear or be extinguished in the wind of atheistic ideologies or systematic and unreflective problems. Do not let religious indifferentism replace faith in the Son of the living God, nor let practical materialism stifle the aspiration to God by Whom you are marked. Know how to discover the insidious temptations that, as at the origin of human history, create uncertainty about God, to make you doubt his Truth, his Love, or make his demands present themselves as an obstacle to your freedom. Jesus himself had warned Peter and his brothers: "Simon, Simon, see that Satan has called upon you to winnow you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail" ( Luke 22:31- 32). Pray, you too, pray more, so that you do not fall into this temptation, and be careful, young and old, to nourish your faith. The test of faith is a moral test: it is the test of fidelity to trust in Christ, in following Him.

2. And with Jesus I add: Take the narrow and ascending path that leads to Life (cf. Mt. 7, 14). It entails some demands of a spirit of poverty, of fidelity and chastity in love, of justice, of mercy, of fraternal sharing, of forgiveness, of peace, of regular participation in the Church's sacraments and prayer, of obedience to the commandments. "If you keep My commandments, says Jesus, you will remain in My love" ( John 15, 9). Lourdes repeats to you the call to holiness and the need for conversion. The Holy Year invites you to open your doors to the Redeemer. Do not conform to the customs of the world. And above all, do not be discouraged. Life according to Christ is possible because we have been given the Holy Spirit.

3. To the Catholics of France, I also say: consolidate your unity around your Bishops, the Pastors whom the Holy Spirit chose and sanctified in a special way to ensure this unity and promote your ecclesiastical vitality. There is a legitimate diversity of sensibilities and methods; but this must occur within the scope of the same faith and the guidelines outlined by the Church; efforts must converge and charity must make you reciprocally welcoming and trusting. From the beginning of the Church, unity with the Bishop was the sign of Christ's disciples and the guarantee of spiritual progress.

4. Finally, do not be afraid to give a humble but visible and ardent testimony to the Gospel. Do not leave the new generations helpless because of religious ignorance, but may your family and your environment recognize the firmness of your convictions in coherence with your life. Become fully aware of the hope that is in you.

Catholics of France, as a universal Pastor but in solidarity with my dear Brothers in the episcopate, your Bishops, I encourage you to remain on mission . Each nation has its original human history. But people who have received a very rich spiritual heritage must preserve it as the pupil of their eyes. And concretely, these nations do not preserve such a heritage except by living it fully and transmitting it with courage, O land of France! Land of Saint Pothinus and Saint Blandina, of Saint Denis and Saint Genoveva, of Saint Bernard and Saint Louis, of Saint Yves of Tréguir and of Saint Bertrand of Comminges, of Saint Joan of Arc, of Saint Francis of Sales and Saint Joan of Chantal, Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac, Saint John Eudes and Saint Margaret Mary, Saint Margaret Bourgeoys and Blessed Mary of the Incarnation, Saint Francis Régis and Saint Louis Maria Grignion of Mont-fort, Saint Joan Delanouse and Blessed Joan Jugan, Saint John Baptist de la Salle and Saint Benedict Labre, numerous missionaries such as Saint Isaac Jogues, Blessed Theophan Vénard and Saint Peter Chanel, Saint Curé D'Ars , of Saint Therese of Lisieux, of Frederick Ozanam and Charles of Foucauld, of Saint Michael Garricoits of this region, of Saint Bernadette, canonized precisely fifty years ago, during the preceding Year of Redemption!

Catholics of France, you inherited a considerable heritage of faith and Christian tradition. This is the treasure for which the saints of your country sacrificed themselves completely, in order to "take possession of it", as the Gospel asks, and to share it with their brothers, in such a way that they were convinced that the integral man is made of openness to the Absolute and of ardent charity!

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IV. And now, I extend my cordial greeting and my best wishes to those who, although not Catholics, share the Christian faith : with them we wish to better respond to the will of Christ and actively continue the path towards unity. I am also certain that faith in the one God can be a powerful source of harmony and collaboration between Christians, Israelis and Muslims, in the fight against prejudices and suspicions that should be overcome.

In this same spirit of respect and friendship, I do not hesitate to address all the inhabitants of this country who are unbelievers , or are in doubt about the faith. With them, we often have in common loyal devotion to the same humanitarian causes, and concern for justice, fraternity, peace, respect for human dignity, and mutual help in favor of those most in need. My cordial wishes also go to them and their families.

And to these, as to believers themselves, I would like to add: When, throughout the world, the Church strives today, with well-known tenacity, to act in favor of respect for religious freedom, she is clearly aware of taking the forefront of a necessary struggle for man, for his most intimate freedom, for the defense of all other fundamental freedoms: I know that this land of France is particularly committed to this struggle for freedom, for human dignity. The Church is convinced — and the example of the saints just mentioned demonstrates this — that the spark of faith and holiness can only come from a free heart. The Church is therefore, more than others, attentive to the respect that every loyal attempt deserves.

It is, therefore, a question of freeing man from all imposition on the part of individuals, groups, social groups or any human power, so that he is never prevented from acting in accordance with his conscience (cf. Conciliar Declaration on the religious freedom , n. 2). But this does not prevent men from being stimulated by their own nature; and committed by moral obligation — that is, within themselves — to seek the truth, the whole truth, the one in which religion offers a fuller meaning and proposes to regulate their conduct, according to the demands of the truth discovery (cf. ibid .). The search for freedom and the search for truth unite in God.

The sincere hope I make to everyone is that they will find, in a climate of freedom that is theirs, through the testimony of their brothers, this "light coming from another place", mysterious without a doubt, as it requires faith, but which illuminates the human existence and makes it disappear, without constraining them, but rather making them truly free (cf. Jn 8:32). I say this, simply because in my conscience, in the conscience of the Church, I know that this is true, — and because I am convinced that the very humanism, which we all seek, will not be viable and true if it is not open to the Absolute, recognizing the One, who is the source and end of everything, God who, according to the Gospel, is also Love. We need to prepare for the future a world that is equal to man, in all his dimensions.

Here, I implored Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, for the human and spiritual destiny of all your compatriots and the French nation.

My Apostolic Blessing is a testimony to this concern of mine. To everyone, without exception, I grant it with all my heart, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

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