Speech During a Technical Layover in Lisbon (2 March 1983)
ShareOn Wednesday, 2 March 1983, the Holy Father made a technical stop in Lisbon, on his way to Costa Rica, the first stop on his Apostolic Journey to Central America.
Most Excellent Mr. President of the Republic,
Mr. Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon and brothers in the Episcopate,
Ministers and other authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen, and dear Portuguese.
1. It is a source of great joy for me to set foot again, even if for a few moments, in “Terra di Santa Maria”. A world of happy feelings and memories fills my heart as I greet you cordially, as I did months ago: Praised be Jesus Christ!
Grateful to God for this meeting, for me a meeting of friends, I want to thank you for this cordial and warm welcome: I thank Your Excellency, Mr President of the Republic, for your deferential personal presence, in which I now greet all the beloved Portuguese people; I thank the Cardinal Patriarch, Bishop of this dear diocese of Lisbon, and my brothers in the Episcopate, present, in whom I greet the Church of Portugal; I thank the Government Ministers and all the authorities; and to those who I cannot name, who however will not fail to feel included in the sincere esteem of my greeting and my "thanks" for everyone.
Lisbon! Portugal! “Land of Saint Mary”! These memories arouse in me a certain nostalgia, of the intense but comforting days of the pastoral visit to the ecclesial community of this country, of my encounter with Portugal and, perhaps more precisely, with the man my brother who lives here, something more of an anonymous element of the city of men.
Beyond the youthful enthusiasm, the friendliness of the adults and the general esteem and respect with which I was welcomed then, I tried to see this brotherhood in the face of every Portuguese, in the common "similarity" of the Creator of all of us and in the common call to Salvation; and I wanted to say, first of all, precisely this: we are all brothers; we must love each other fraternally, seeing our "neighbor" in every man, especially when he suffers or is threatened at the very core of his existence and of his dignity; This is driven by the love of God who, in Jesus Christ, revealed himself to us as a Father, "rich in mercy".
2. As the person primarily responsible for the message of Christ, which is above all a message of peace, I have come among you in an attitude of dialogue, with respect for all that is human. But of my unforgettable pilgrimage, essentially pastoral and religious and of a Marian nature, I keep alive the indelible memory of my stay in Fatima. In this brief stop in the "Land of Saint Mary", I want to renew my appeal so that the "Message" that comes to us from Fatima and which coincides with the call of the imminent Jubilee Year of the Redemption is heard. Echoing the "Madonna of the Message", I repeated in it that the Redemption is always more powerful than the sin of man and the "sin of the world", that the Redemption infinitely overcomes every kind of evil that is in man and in the world . “Pilgrim among pilgrims”, I then had the opportunity to say, that I came with the name of the Madonna on my lips and with the song of God's mercy in my heart.
Once again as a pilgrim, the thoughts that guide me are identical; and the mouth speaks for the abundance I carry in my heart; the love of God, rich in mercy; the power of Christ's Redemption; Our Lady, Mother of our trust; and love and peace among men.
3. It is a hope long cultivated in prayer, for a more peaceful, more human and more fraternal world, that is, more in conformity with the plans of God the Creator and Redeemer, this pastoral journey that I am undertaking and which takes me towards my brother men, in countries very dear to my heart, which is full of hope: hope that the love that is in the Father, through the work of the Son and the Holy Spirit, manifests its presence in our contemporary world, stronger than evil, stronger than sin and stronger than death.
I would like the horizon of this hope, which illuminates the prayer of the whole Church for Latin America, to be free from shadows. But if my heart suffers with all the hearts wounded by the evil of violence, in any part of the world, trust in God "rich in mercy" and love for man, redeemed by Christ, prevails in it. What I am doing, therefore, is a journey of Christian love, which has the sole objective of being a reflection and announcement of God's merciful love.
4. It is with the greatest esteem that I renew the invitation to every child of this beloved nation to cultivate fraternal love in human coexistence.
With particular affection I exhort the Church of Portugal to raise constant prayers to God, in union with the Pope, especially during this pastoral journey, for the triumph of love, harmony and peace: peace in spirits, peace among men and peace among peoples. I trust in everyone's prayers, but I address a particular affectionate thought to the elderly, those who suffer and children. I entrust the success of this pilgrimage to the Madonna and to the prayers of the innocent children.
And with cordial friendship I renew my sincere wishes for the growing prosperity of the dear Portuguese people: prosperity free from any shadow of disaffection or violence; and always enlightened by the sense of the authentic common good, of harmony, justice and peace, with respect for life, dignity and human freedom, at the service of the great cause of the greater good of the entire human family. And I pray for these wishes of mine, imploring, with the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, for every Portuguese, for every family and for the whole nation, the favors and blessings of a merciful God.
© Copyright 1983 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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