During the Welcome Ceremony at the Arch of Augustus

On Sunday, 29 August 1982, the Holy Father spoke during the Welcoming Ceremony at the Arch of Augustus in Rimini, saying that his visit was intended to honor the human and Christian values, for which their community is noted, but also “to arouse and confirm the vigor of a daily adherence to the evangelical values.”

1. I am truly grateful to you, Mr. Minister, for the words with which you wished to convey to me the greetings of the President of the Italian Republic, the Italian Government and its personnel. I am also grateful to you, Mr. Mayor, for the warm welcome with which you welcomed me on behalf of the entire citizenry, of whom, in the address just delivered, you were able to well interpret your feelings and expectations.

I address a sincere thank you and a cordial greeting to all of you, citizens of the beautiful and dear Rimini, as well as to you, guests from various parts of Italy and the world, who have come to seek rest on the pleasant beaches of this land.

My joy is great for this visit which, despite its brevity, allows me to bring you in person the attestation of my affection and to collect, at the same time, from you the direct expression of your desires, your hopes and your anxieties. The universal mission of Pastor, which was entrusted to me by Christ, pushes me to do this: for this I feel indebted to everyone (cf. Rm 1, 14), since I know that Christ wants to reach everyone with a special word of friendship and with a specific proposal of salvation.

Moved by these feelings, I come to you with a confident soul, knowing well the noble traditions and singular events that characterize both your civil and religious history.

2. Arrival point of the Via Flaminia and departure station of the Via Emilia, Rimini was, already in Roman times, an important political and military centre, as evidenced, in addition to the rich epigraphic documentation and the numerous archaeological finds, the solemn Arch and the majestic bridge named after the emperors Augustus and Tiberius.

Nor did it experience less prestige in the following centuries, reaching great prosperity in the period of the free Municipalities and, later, of the Malatesta Lordship.

A history rich in facts and important figures is also that of the Church of Rimini, whose ancient origins are illustrated by eminent personalities and which, in the following centuries, saw the emergence of a flourishing of Blesseds and Saints, of Pastors illustrious for their zeal and doctrine , who honored the chair of Saint Gaudenzo in a distinguished way: of faithful exemplarily committed, with strong and insightful action, in the social and political field. An eloquent sign, among others, of the religious liveliness of your ancestors, or those of Rimini, is constituted by the numerous sacred buildings - among them the Malatesta Temple stands out, a pearl of Renaissance art - which in different periods of history have arisen both in the city than in the surrounding countryside, and which remain as a testimony to the living sense of God, by which the life of the great majority of your people has never ceased to be animated.

3. My visit to your city is intended to be a recognition of these human and Christian values, for which your community has always stood out. At the same time, I desire and pray that the meeting with you will serve - as an instrument of Providence - to arouse and confirm the vigor of a daily adherence to the evangelical values, on which not only the personal relationship with God is based, but from which it derives increase and solidity the very fabric of civil and social relationships, which the intimate truth about man pushes towards ever wider horizons of loyal collaboration and industrious harmony, in respect of the transcendent ideals of family, work and religious faith.

My visit also has the purpose of meeting, unfortunately fleeting, with the numerous guests who flock to your city in the summer period, and also to convey my cordial greetings to the participants in an initiative that has arisen here and which this year arrives in its third edition: the meeting for friendship between peoples .

Entering your city, while I express my appreciation for the commitment so that Rimini - as the Mayor pointed out - increasingly establishes itself as a city of peace and friendship, I invite you to optimism and hope: in the light of your past glorious, citizens of Rimini, know how to look with confidence and courage to your future, committing yourselves responsibly in the fulfillment of your religious and civil duties, certain that such an attitude of active dedication cannot lack the comfort of divine assistance, which I invoke my heart upon you, upon your families and, in particular, upon your children, in whose innocent eyes the future of your Community is reflected, with compelling promises.

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