Meeting with the People of the Sea in Santiago de Compostela (9 November 1982)

On Tuesday, 9 November 1982, the Holy Father met with the People of the Sea in Santiago de  Compostela. in his address, the Pope reflected on the first group of fishermen who became “the continuers of Jesus' work across the immense sea of ​​the world.” 

Dear brothers and sisters.

1. May my first words be an affectionate greeting in the Lord, for you and for those on the high seas who listen to me on the radio. I want to tell you right away that it is a great pleasure for me to be among you; it is a sense of intimate satisfaction, of reciprocated joy, because I know that you too ardently desired to see and listen to the Pope, and to be next to him.

May this common feeling that we are experiencing rise, today and always, as a song of perennial praise to the glory of God the Father; The place where we meet invites us to this, with its particular charm: the splendid Obradoiro square and the Basilica of Compostela.

2. “Behold how good and how sweet it is / for brothers to live together!” ( Ps 132 [133], 1). United not only as pilgrims in search of "indulgence", but also because, despite belonging to different Spanish regions - Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and others - you are aware of being part of a large family. And when I say "family", I think of a category of men, the men of the sea, all of you, strongly united by those characteristic bonds of brotherhood that distinguish those who have made the sea the usual scenario of their existence.

You have direct experience of this brotherhood in your continuous struggle in the vast sea that you sail as a common inheritance, proving your value and your professional ability. And sharing, with a spirit always willing to "lend a hand", hours of resistance to fatigue and endless moments of danger and struggle, when the winds and the waters of the ocean show themselves rebellious.

These, among many others, are the events that accentuate in you the nostalgia for your land and the distance from your family; but at the same time they are unique moments that shake the depths of the soul and make one experience the indispensable and invincible strength of faith and trust in God, who loves and protects his children.

3. These brief considerations on your condition as men of the sea lead me to spontaneously relive many scenes from the Gospel, next to the Sea of ​​Tiberias, which are familiar to us. You can well say that in those pages they are already talking about you and that Jesus' first friends, his favorites, were from your family. Among them was Saint Peter, of whom by divine design I am a humble successor; the beloved apostle of Spain, James, was part of that first group; then there were also others who, like them, were professional fishermen.

The coexistence and long friendship with the Master, which, listening to the call, they followed first in the vicinity of the lake and then through Galilee and Judea, through the hills, through the fields and villages, gradually opened up unsuspected horizons for them: in words and miracles working before them, God's will to save all men through the death and resurrection of his Son was revealed.

From that moment on, that first group of fishermen (which grew to constitute the chosen group of the Twelve) would be the continuers of Jesus' work across the immense sea of ​​the world. Driven by the wind of the Spirit, they received the mission of transmitting their experience to all people - from the days of Tiberias to the renewing event of Pentecost - with no other objective than that of filling the boat of the Church with men.

4. Thus Peter's new boat began its navigation. And as a continuation of that mission, you have among you the successor of that fisherman from Galilee. I have come to encourage your faith and trust in the Lord, who placed you to follow him from the day of your baptism.

It does not escape me that, in the midst of your tiring activities, discouragement can sometimes creep in or the fog that covers faith can thicken. It is precisely then that you must know how to resort to prayer and remember that the Lord does not abandon you, that you have been called by Jesus, to be with him in his boat, where he watches over you, although to human eyes it might give the impression of having asleep: “Men of little faith! why are you afraid?” ( Mt 8, 26). Unconditional and fearless faith in the near presence of the Lord must be the compass that orients your work and family life towards God, from whom light and happiness come.

The world in which we live needs - like you - this faith, this beacon of light. Forgetting about God, as materialistic tendencies demand, would mean sinking into the solitude of darkness, remaining without direction and without guidance. For this reason, dear brothers, I strongly encourage you to cultivate the faith you have received. You already know how to get closer to Christ, how to be with him, being disciples of his person and his message; and your families and all those who come close to you on your sea voyages must benefit from this experience of yours; even those who perhaps have not heard the gospel message.

5. My presence also wants to be a living and convincing sign of the Church's concern for the men of the sea. Everything I said in my Magisterium, especially in the encyclical Laborem Exercens , about the dignity of human work, of its primacy over the things it produces, has its application to your professional and work problems. “There is no doubt that human work has its own ethical value, which in no uncertain terms and directly remains linked to the fact that the person who carries it out is a person, a conscious and free subject, that is, a subject who decides for himself same . . . Although it is a truth that man is destined and called to work, first of all work is " for man " , and not man " for work " " (John Paul II, Laborem Exercens , 6).

I am not unaware of the difficulties you encounter in the development of your people in the human field and in bringing the Christian faith into your life: the prolonged stay at sea, the isolation, the obstacles for the defense of your rights in the professional and working fields, the dangers of the work you do, the collision with environments of other cultures.

It is necessary that these conditions of your profession are taken into consideration by you and by those who influence the living and working conditions of your sector, so that there is an ever greater valorization of the human person. This entails greater facilitation for your cultural and professional elevation; better working and living conditions on board; better safety and hygiene guarantees on boats; a more equitable distribution of earnings; adequate holidays that facilitate contact with family, society and the ecclesial community; greater possibilities for exercising your rights as workers and citizens.

6. I now want to turn my thoughts to those members of families from which part of them - the husband, the eldest children - must move away from the hearth, for sometimes long periods. If the mother is always an irreplaceable figure, here her incomparable dignity and her immense social value are manifested in a particular way. The mother's heart is always the heart of the home. In situations like the ones I am now considering it is, so to speak, almost the entire hearth. Thanks to the mother, who must be father and mother, continuity in the home is maintained, the education of the children is guaranteed, and the wait until the father's return is made more bearable for the whole family.

Women who listen to me and who find themselves in situations similar to those I describe: feel the pride of your motherhood. Be loyal to your mission. Seek in God the strength for the great donation that is required of you. And when your husband returns, or when you reunite with him again, pour out the affection of your heart. Overcome the difficulties, which are never lacking, and have service to God and others as your sole goal.

And you, children, especially the eldest children, help your mothers in this task, with filial love, with a sense of family, with a Christian spirit.

7. Sensitive to the concerns of the people of the sea, the Church has established, among its most promising activities, the Apostleship of the Sea.

The Church in Spain has been concerned about this spiritual assistance long before. This beautiful initiative continues today through the work of many Spanish priests who provide their ministry from the cold seas of the North to the waters of Southern Africa.

May the gratitude of the Church, the affection of the Pope for their priceless service and the encouragement to continue it with generosity go to all of them.

8. We have reached the end of these words of mine, of this meeting which I would like to extend. There are many things that we have not been able to talk about, but which remain in your hearts. Once again we remember the members of your families who are not with us. We remember many people who, despite not sailing, live by the sea and for the sea.

Everyone is here today and I would like to direct everyone to the Lord. I want to do it by the best way to reach God, following the push of the favorable wind that moves the boat forward. I am referring to the love of the Most Holy Mary, the Virgin Mother of God.

May the Virgin of Mount Carmel, whose images overlook the coasts that make up the beauty of this land of Galicia, always accompany you. May she be the star that guides you, may she never disappear from your horizon. The one that leads you to God, to the safe haven.

To all the beloved people of Galicia, to all of you who have the great fortune of guarding in your land the most precious treasure contained in the memory of the holy apostle James; may he always be your guide, in your solid and fervent faith in Christ, and always in your exemplary Christian life. So be it.

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Copyright © Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana