Return to Italy (19 February 1982)

On Friday, 19 February 1982, the Holy Father returned to the Fiumicino Airport, Rome, where he spoke the following words.

1. I thank you warmly, Mr President of the Council of Ministers, for the kind greetings addressed to me, also on behalf of the President of the Republic and the Italian Government, on my return to Italy, after the pilgrimage among the dear people of Nigeria, of Benin, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and for the considerations with which he nobly wanted to comment on some of the most significant aspects.

At the same time I thank the Members of the Sacred College of Cardinals present here, as well as the Members of the Diplomatic Corps, the Mayor of Rome and all the other authorities of the Province and the Region. I also express a grateful thought to the representatives of the Press, Radio and Television for having followed me with their usual diligence in these days, as well as to the managers, pilots and all the staff of the companies Alitalia, Linea Aerea della Equatoriale Guinea, Nigeria and Air Gabon, who did their utmost to make flights safe and comfortable. I am especially grateful to those who accompanied me with their prayers to obtain a good outcome from the Lord for this second missionary journey of mine in Africa.

2. I keep in my heart a great memory of this short but exciting and intense stay in those countries rich in natural beauty, ancient cultural traditions, but above all lively impulses destined to promote ever greater spiritual, social and economic development. I am grateful to the civil authorities and to my brothers in the Episcopate for the cordial welcome and thoughtful attention dedicated to me and for the good organization they were able to ensure during the various religious events.

My grateful thoughts also go to the Muslim communities, to whom I wanted to express my feelings of friendship and the availability of the Catholic Church for respectful and loyal dialogue; to the Representatives of the separate Churches who I found generously engaged in the search for ways to lead to full unity in the one Church of Christ.

3. The over fourteen thousand kilometres, traveled in these days, have allowed me to gain direct knowledge of the human and Christian reality of the countries visited in the cities of Lagos, Enugu, Onitsha, Kaduna, Ibadan, Cotonou, Libreville, Malabo and Bata: some difficulties in which the respective countries are still struggling, but also of the strong will of those peoples to build a better tomorrow through generous effort at the national level and international cooperation. I was once again able to see with deep satisfaction how the foundation, or rather the unifying cement of the African populations, even those not yet reached by the voice of the Gospel, is a spiritual vision of life, the idea of ​​Divinity as the first cause of all things, the need to respect the dignity of man and the sense of family. But what comforted me even more was noticing how the evangelical ferment is increasingly able to enliven the values ​​of the African tradition and at the same time ensure development, renewal and improvement. Much of this is due to the work, often heroic, of the missionaries who have generously worked in spreading the seed of the Kingdom of God - and who still provide a precious service in the local Churches - but no little credit must also be recognized to the prompt correspondence of the African soul, more open than ever to its germination and fruition.

4. The apostolic journey, like those that preceded it, aimed to further spread this divine seed, in such a significant moment for the religious and civil history of those countries. I went there to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ; to joyfully celebrate communion in the Catholic Church with those faithful; to bear witness to that light that makes man discover God and himself; his eternal destiny of what makes his earthly life human and worth living: in respect of his inalienable rights, in justice, in freedom, in peace. And in love.

In fact, I am convinced that in the light of the Gospel, not only the spiritual but also the social problems that beset people can find the necessary solution.

Through the communion of the power of the Gospel of Christ the local Churches must constantly strengthen themselves and become ever more communities of faith, in which and thanks to which the poor and suffering, the oppressed and the victims of arrogance, refugees find brotherly love, solidarity and support.

5. May the Lord Jesus make these intentions and these vows fruitful and continue to assist and protect the beloved populations that I have had the joy of visiting, as well as those of the entire African continent, pressed by so many problems, but at the same time so rich in promises and hopes for the future.

For them, for you present here, as well as for all the Italian people, I invoke copious gifts of prosperity and peace, as a pledge of which, in renewing my thanks to all of you, I heartily impart my blessing.
 

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