At the Farewell of El Salvador (6 March 1983)

On Sunday, 6 March 1983, the Holy Father bade farewell to El Salvador at the San Salvador Airport.

Mr President,
Brothers in the Episcopate,
dear Salvadorans

After having lived this intense journey of prayer and encounter with the Church in El Salvador with you, I regret having to leave you so quickly.

In these hours I have contemplated the painful face of this dear faithful people; I was able to get close to so many children who, for various reasons, suffer and cry. May God grant that these longed-for beginnings of mutual forgiveness, understanding and concord capable of rekindling Christian hope in their hearts have opened in many minds.

My meeting with the priests , the visit to the Cathedral, the Eucharist celebrated under the sky of El Salvador, were intended to be a call for reconciliation and love that come from above, from God, the common Father of all. In the name of Christ, his Son and our brother, I wanted to encourage you to work together, so that His redeeming blood — it alone — may be on this earth, in this portion of its humanity, the price paid for the peace we all desire. May his divine Spirit continue to be the one who gives voice and strength to these desires for peace and Christian fraternity.

Once again I would like to renew my gratitude to those who facilitated this unforgettable visit: to the President, to the national Authorities who provided their collaboration for the happy development of it. I reserve particular thanks to the brother Bishops and to those who worked in the preparation and spiritual and material realization of this visit. May the Lord abundantly bless the effort made!

And may, through the intercession of the Queen of Peace, grant the desired peace to this beloved Nation, whose children I bless again with immense affection.

Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana