Salute to the Mayor of Paris (30 May 1980)

On 30 May 1980, the Holy Father greeted the Mayor of Paris, whom he assured of his prayer for the Lord's assistance in the heavy tasks that the Mayor and elected officials must undertake for the common good.

Mr. Mayor,

I was very touched by the words of welcome that you have just addressed to me, in the name of the People of Paris, of its elected officials, and in your own name. Invited from France for a few days - and with what joy! - it is in its prestigious capital that I will spend most of my stay. On several occasions already, I had the pleasure of coming there over the past years, discovering it each time bigger, more beautiful also thanks to the efforts made to highlight it. It is truly one of the capitals of the world.

Today, the Successor of Peter finds her not without emotion. And on this square located a stone's throw from the Cité, the cradle of the city, in these places which witnessed great hours and at the same time the main vicissitudes of its history, in these places so symbolic in so many respects, he comes to greet the Parisian population with all the affection of his heart and all the respect deserved by the glorious pages which it has inscribed in the register of times.

City of Light, as it is rightly called, I wish it to remain so for its country and for the world. It undoubtedly can by the influence of its culture, and it does it. It can do so through loyalty to its historical and artistic heritage. From many quarters one looks towards her with as much admiration as envy; in my native country too, we know what we owe to Paris.

But the past is not everything. There is the present, and the present are very concrete questions. And there is also the future to prepare. There are multiple planning and organizational problems that are the lot of large cities. But none of these problems, even in the technical aspect, is devoid of a human component. Paris is first of all men, women, people driven by the rapid pace of work in offices, places of research, stores, factories; youth seeking training and employment; the poor too, who often live their distress, or even their poverty, with moving dignity, and whom we can never forget; an incessant coming and going of an often uprooted population; anonymous faces where you can read the thirst for happiness, well-being and, I also believe,

My visit to France is a pastoral visit, as you know. Bishop of Rome, I am personally confronted every day, in my own diocese, with similar situations, even if the context may differ in certain points. I try to understand the concerns of those who are in charge, in different capacities, of the problems of a city twinned with mine, and I think I will succeed, or at least I hope so.

Receive, Mr. Mayor, the fervent wishes of your host, for the heavy task that the Parisian elected officials have to assume. I ask the Lord to assist you in all the efforts that will be undertaken in the service of the common good, so that the People of Paris so dear to my heart will always find the conditions for their development, and thus always make us more proud.

© Copyright 1980 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

 Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana