Meeting with the Clergy in the Cathedral of Brasilia (30 June 1980)

On Monday, 30 June 1980, the Holy Father met with the clergy in the Cathedral of Brasilia, speaking to them as “Shepherds of a kind and simple people, who demonstrate a great hunger for God.”

1. It is precisely with you, beloved brothers in the Episcopate and dear Fathers, that I have my first private meeting in Brazilian lands; I cannot hide that this is a reason for joy and consolation for me. To you I can apply with all sincerity and without rhetoric, the words of the Apostle: "You are my joy and my crown" (cf. Phil 4, 1).

I know that many of you have come from afar and not without sacrifice; I come from Rome... But in the Church of God there are no distances and here we are gathered , in the name of the Lord. Brothers in the same ideal: Jesus of Nazareth. And driven by the same mission: to announce Jesus Christ and the Gospel of him; "power of God for the salvation of all who believe" ( Rom 1, 16), serving the cause of the Kingdom of God, for which we are ready to give everything; even life, if necessary. In this spirit of unity you have come to Brasilia to express your affection for the Pope, to testify to him your adherence to Peter's mission. Thank you very much for the delicacy of your gesture and for the support that you give to this my pastoral visit. May God reward you!

2. As a result of my arrival, I said that I came to give encouragement and encouragement to the Church. Such is the mandate I received from the Lord. In this sense, accept the fraternal and friendly word that I now want to leave you as a reminder of this quick meeting. You are the Shepherds of a kind and simple people, who demonstrate a great hunger for God. Live, then, with enthusiasm, the evangelizing mission of the Church. To achieve it, boldly assume the task of satisfying that hunger, leading the people towards the encounter with God. In this way you will also be contributing to making it more human. With the spirit of a Mother and always faithful to her Lord, while respecting the legitimate institutions that must serve the cause of man, the Church must provide the specific collaboration of her own mission, looking at the common good, in the construction of the civilization of love.

3. Certainly, difficulties will always arise. But be brave; Christ, dead and risen, always offers, by his Spirit, his light and strength to correspond to our sublime vocation (cf. Lumen gentium , 10).

Also have words of encouragement for those who make up your communities; especially the smallest and those who need more comfort, because they suffer in body or soul. Tell everyone, without exception, that as universal Pastor of the Church, following the example of the Apostle John, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth" (cf. 3 Jn 1:4 ) . And this truth is Jesus Christ, who proclaimed himself "way, truth and life" ( Jn 14, 6). Bring to all the certainty of my affection and my prayer. With my apostolic blessing.

Thank you very much, congratulations and God bless you!

Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana