On His Departure for Africa (12 Feb 1982)

On 12 February 1982, the Holy Father prepared to depart on his Apostolic Journey to Africa, by spending a few moments in prayer in the new chapel in the Fiumicino Airport.

Before embarking on this pastoral journey, which will take me to African soil, I wanted to stop for a few moments in prayer in the new chapel that the Rome Airports Management Body, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, has recently set up .

I noted with pleasure the worthy layout of the place, destined to be a place of worship and prayer or at least, for those who do not have the gift of faith, a place of reflection and meditation, as in many other airports, a crossroads of humanity on the move .

The creation of the Chapel, within this as well as any other large airport, allows for the carrying out of a pastoral ministry which is becoming increasingly relevant and vast, in response to the needs and expectations of those who frequent the airport, whether they are detached from from the ground for travel - pilots, on-board personnel and passengers - and who provide logistics services on site. In the Chapel the airport community will be able to gather to listen to the Word of God in particular liturgical moments and strengthen themselves in faith, committing themselves to bearing witness to it in their everyday actions, so as to become the leaven of human and Christian values.

Pastoral action has its fundamental figure in the Chaplain, whose first duty is to form a community integrated into the pastoral care of the local Church, connecting, through this, to the universal Church. Universality, characteristic of the Church, which aviation, due to easy and agile contacts, seems to make more tangible and immediate.

This religious vitality requires the constant availability of the Chaplain, who is a living part of the airport, included in emergency planning. In the tension of the airport environment, he will be able to offer serenity and a sense of security thanks to dedication, enriched by human sensitivity and especially by the credibility and validity of his spiritual message.

To the Madonna of Loreto, to whom your piety wanted to dedicate this Chapel, I recommend the pastoral activity which takes place at this airport. I thank the management of the airport for the thoughtful and concrete attention to the values ​​of the spirit; and I would also like to express my satisfaction and gratitude for those, Bishops and Managers of other air stations, who have felt the need to place a Chapel there.

To you, present here, to your families, to all the airport chaplains, to those who accompany me on this journey with good wishes and prayers, and, in particular, to those who ensure its happy outcome, may I go with affectionate gratitude my apostolic blessing.

          
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