To the Authorities and Citizens of the State of Piaui (8 July 1980)

On 8 July 1980, in the Teresina airport, the Holy Father addressed the authorities and citizens of the State of Piauí and neighboring states, speaking of “the inclemencies of the climate and social conditions," urging them ”not to give up your abilities, but do everything to overcome harmful poverty and its procession of hardships, [and] not to aspire to the riches of iniquity but to the dignity of children of God."

Venerable brothers in the episcopate, most excellent authorities,
beloved sons and daughters of Piauí and neighboring states.

1. Circumstances require that this meeting of ours be brief, but you make it particularly intense. Intense in the feelings of filial affection, joy and enthusiasm that you are showing me. Intense in emotion, contentment and gratitude growing within me. For my part, I have no reason to hide these feelings and I tell you right away that I consider you very dear children and that I am delighted to be among you, even if only for a few moments.

2. I know the sincerity and seriousness of your Catholic faith. I therefore welcome the homage you pay me as directed to the apostle whose humble successor I am and who heard from the lips of our Lord the tremendous and significant words: "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church" (Mt 16 ,18); as directed to Jesus Christ himself, whose unworthy vicar I am at the head of his church.

3. My mission as pastor of the universal Church, as you well know, is to proclaim to the people of our time the good news of salvation, of which the Church herself is the custodian. It is a message of peace and hope, justice and fraternity, solidarity and love. But this message would soon prove to be empty and inconsistent if in the end it did not proclaim that definitive salvation is accomplished only in the Lord Jesus, since, outside of him, peace and hope, justice and fraternity, solidarity and love are in danger of losing their content and turning against man himself. What an important document of the Second Vatican Council affirms is all too true: that man remains an insoluble problem to himself, that only God gives an answer to man's questions (Gaudium et Spes , 21) and that "only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man find true light" ( ibid ., 22).

For man's fundamental problems, his uncertainties and anxieties, his questions and his searches, the Church has a way. No one is obliged to take or follow this path, but it is my duty to point it out and propose it. I thank you because you see in me mainly this: the messenger of salvation in Jesus Christ.

4. I know that due to its special geographical situation and climatic conditions, this state of yours suffers chronically from the scourge of drought. This is, among other various and complex ones, one of the reasons why it is among the least favored and most underprivileged in Brazil. You know the drama of migrations in search of better conditions with the indescribable sacrifices, the painful human, personal and family situations, the imbalances, the uprooting that this phenomenon usually produces. (It may even be that many of those who are here now have already found themselves in the condition of those who had to emigrate). You are experiencing in many of your homes the hardships of undernourishment, of sickness, of premature deaths.

5. In my brief passage among you, I would like to be a pale but authentic reflection of the Lord Jesus himself who also passed among men and women, attentive to all, without discrimination or exclusivism because he brought a message of salvation for all, but especially solicitous of the poor and of the little ones and the suffering.

At this moment I cannot keep silent, to those of you who have been able to acquire the spiritual goods of knowledge, who have material resources, comfort and well-being and who in one or another sector occupy a decision-making position, an invitation which I comes from the heart: that of taking up fully, without reservations and without repentance, the cause of one's brothers who struggle in poverty. This is sometimes so depressing and paralyzing that it is impossible to get up and escape by one's own strength alone. May there be no one in the midst of the mass of the poor of this region who can say, thinking of the brothers who are better off, the sharp phrase of the paralytic in the Gospel: "I have no one" (Jn 5:7), no one to lift me up and let me walk. Heaven grant that the public authorities of this State,

To the others, the oppressed by poverty, I would like to say first of all a word of comfort: that they feel loved, esteemed by the Church, and in the Church, in a very special way by the Pope, just as Jesus himself, the Son of Jesus, esteems and loves them. God, who, in establishing the foundations of his kingdom in this world, did not hesitate to proclaim "blessed" those who have the heart of the poor (cf. Mt 5:3).

But I also want to add a word of hope: do not let yourselves be discouraged or destroyed by current conditions, but always keep alive the hope of a better tomorrow. And above all a word of encouragement: while certain of the help of many brothers, do not give up your abilities, do everything to overcome harmful poverty and its procession of hardships, not to aspire to the riches of iniquity but to the dignity of children of God.

6. And now my best wishes to you, to dear Piauì and to the people of Piaui: that the dawn of integral development may soon dawn for you which, in a certain way, is already being announced. May progress come, not the one that threatens to suffocate man, but the one that elevates him in his dignity. Not that which runs the risk of increasing injustices, but which establishes and consolidates justice. That, having overcome all forms of isolation, your land becomes part of the benefits of a politically, socially and economically well-qualified community. That, finally, once the imbalances have been eliminated, you can then enjoy the fruits of equity.

7. With your temper and your tried character I know that you are not deluded into thinking that the fight against the inclemencies of the climate and social conditions is easy: it is arduous and sometimes thankless. The less aggressive lose heart. I wish and hope that the convergent effort of many will help you overcome the obstacles. It is addressed especially to you, in a form I would say pathetic and at the same time stimulating. and with an almost defiant tone the word of the Lord: "Subdue the earth" (Gen 1:28).

8. May your faith and piety give new impetus to your efforts towards full development. This faith tells us that it is not God's will for his children to live a subhuman life.

God's will is that every man should reach his full human stature as best as possible.

Turn to him, a good and provident father (cf. Mt 6:25 and 7:11), to find in him not an alibi for inertia and passivity, but the courage to continue your efforts. He who in his providence makes the grass of the field grow and feeds the birds of the air (cf. Mt 6:25) does not dispense man from providing with his work, rather he constantly associates him with the mystery of creation.

It is man's duty to resort to concrete and effective measures for the promotion and development of all in solidarity. The solidarity that must every day replace the ideologies of selfishness, arrogance and self-interest will lead all those who have a particle of political-social responsibility to go towards those who need help. This solidarity, already precious and valid on a human level, grows on a Christian level when one considers that all men are equal in the eyes of God: all children of this God (Jn 3:2) whom they call Father (Gal 4:6) and therefore brothers to one another (Mt 23:8). God loves them so much that he did not refuse to deliver his only Son so that they would not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16).

9. Dear children, you are these children of God loved by him with a boundless love. Encouraged by this love, put all your energies into action for your progress without hatred, without useless and sterile resentments, without the violence that does not build, but with boldness and generosity. I am sure that in this sense you can rely on the loyal collaboration of this Church of which you yourselves are an active part.

Piaui!

Men of the State of Piaui, in whose service there are structures at different levels, in which you are inserted: keep a "heart of the poor", to welcome that help which, I am sure, all of Brazil, all the States of Brazil, all the men of Brazil, united to you in one nation, will certainly give you; the Lord Jesus, the same one who proclaimed "blessed are the poor in spirit" (Mt 5:3), always said: "You are all brothers" (Mt 23:8).

10. Now I must continue my pilgrimage to meet with your other brothers. I am happy and will always be happy with the Piaui. I carry with me the nostalgia of this meeting and the memory of all of you. And, urging you to live as men and as Christians in the practice of good (cf. 1Pt 2:15) under the gaze of God and the protection of Mary most holy, our mother, I leave you my blessing. Returning to your homes here in Teresina, in the interior of Piaui, in Maranhao and, who knows, in other states, bring this blessing from the Pope to all your families; especially to the aged, the children, the sick, and those in affliction.

“Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father... comfort your hearts and confirm them in every good work and word” (cf. 2Thess 2,16ff).

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