Welcome Ceremony in Quebec (9 September 1984)

On Sunday, 9 September 1984, the Holy Father was welcomed to Canada at the Quebec International Airport. He responded as “pastor and brother” with these words.

Madam Governor General of Canada,
Cardinals,
Monsignor President of the
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Monsignor Archbishop of Quebec,
and all of you, dear Brothers in the Episcopate,
Mr. Lieutenant Governor of Quebec,
Mr. Prime Minister of Canada,
Mr. Premier of Quebec,
Mr. President of the Urban Community of Quebec,
Mr. Mayor of Quebec City,
Mr. Mayor of Sainte-Foy,

To all of you, dignitaries and leaders of civil society and religious groups in this country,

“Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” ( 1 Cor. 1:3).

Before addressing my message to all those you represent, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Her Excellency the Right Honourable Jeanne Sauvé. Madam, I cannot repeat here the various points of your speech. We will have another meeting in Ottawa. But I would like to tell you right now that I am deeply touched by your words. The delicacy and the grandeur of your speech, the right perception that you express of the meaning of my apostolic mission in the world, the profound intuition of my pastoral project in Canada, the endearing evocation of the Canadian people, your demanding and warm words concerning the destiny of this dear country, the personal testimony that you give in the context of your very high office, constitute for me the best message of welcome and a powerful encouragement to approach with confidence the various stages of my pilgrimage in your homeland. Please be warmly thanked.

1. Greetings to you, people of Canada, in the diversity of your history, of your cultures, of your Provinces, of your Regions. 

2. In this immense country of Canada, it is first in Quebec that I begin my pilgrimage, and I am very happy about it. Greetings to you, Quebec, first Church in North America, first witness of the faith, you who planted the cross at the crossroads of your roads and who made the Gospel shine on this blessed land!

Greetings to you, people of Quebec, whose traditions, language and culture give your society such a unique face in North America.

Greetings to you, people of this country, Native Americans, people of French and English origin, emigrants from everywhere who live together, to progress with each other, through each other, on the path of history, so laborious and so exciting!

3. Greetings to you, believers in Jesus Christ and members of the Catholic Church. Let us seek together the firmness of the faith, which expresses itself in the perfection of love.

Greetings to you, believers in Jesus Christ and members of other Christian faiths. Let us seek together the same Christ and Lord.

Greetings to you, believers in God and heirs of the people of Israel. Let us seek together the Word of Life.

Greetings to you, believers and members of other spiritual families. Let us seek together the face of God.

4. Hello to you, men and women who are looking for meaning in your life and do not find a satisfactory answer for your deepest aspirations. You are trying to live your life with dignity and in a responsible manner. Let us seek together the best path of life.

To all of you I bring the greeting of the Church of Rome and of the whole Church of God that lives in communion with her, spread throughout the universe. I come to tell you of the love, the joy, the sorrows, the hope of your brothers and sisters in every part of the world. In return, I hope to be able to bring to the world something from you, an echo of your human dynamism, of your religious vitality. 

5. For a long time you have waited for me. And I, for my part, have greatly longed to be with you.

It is not as a Head of State that I come to visit you. The Vatican is indeed recognized as a "State" on the international plane in order better to ensure the freedom of the Holy See, in the service of the spiritual mission of the Successor of Peter. The Holy See is entitled to have its diplomatic Representatives, and I am pleased that Canada has appointed to it an Ambassador. In this way the Holy See is able to give its witness on the international scene and to take part in important discussions which affect the destiny of the world community. 

6. But it is above all as a Pastor and Brother that I come to you. I am the Pastor who succeeds the first Pastor, the Apostle Peter. I am the Father, whom the word Pope designates. But I am also your brother, your brother in humanity and your brother obedient to the good Shepherd of the Church, Jesus Christ.

I am among you to share bread and the word, to share hope, to transmit to you the Word of God and the Bread of the Eucharist.

7. In the next eleven days I shall cross your country from one ocean to the other, "a mari usque ad mare". I have some questions to ask you, and I would also like to hear yours. I would like to speak to you about the issues of our times, concerning culture, the community, technology, the family, sharing and justice. This is be cause nothing is irrelevant to the charity of the believer, to his or her love for humanity. I wish, above all, to speak to you about the fundamental problems: about the faith, about the experience of God, about hope. My word does not claim to provide an answer to all your questions, or to replace your searching. But it will offer you the light and the strength of faith in Jesus Christ as proclaimed by Peter himself in Galilee: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"!

8. I would like my words to be a sharing. The sharing of a brother in faith. The sharing of a pilgrim, witness to what men and women are experiencing today. The sharing of a man aware of the spiritual crisis of this time, concerned about justice; of a man equally confident in the possibilities of the human heart when the love of God transforms it. “Take courage,” Jesus says, “I have overcome the world!” ( Jn 16:33). 

9. As your Bishops have said so well: Let us celebrate our faith in Jesus Christ. My visit is intended to be essentially pastoral. I would like to recount to all believers the joy of believing in Jesus Christ. For, of all the blessings in life, faith is the most precious, the most beautiful. May my pilgrimage here be the symbol of your journey in the faith. For this very reason, I would like to come among you as a witness of hope. I would like to assure the Bishops of my fraternal interest. I would like to offer a special word of support to the priest, to the men and women religious, and to the laity in charge of many sectors of the apostolate.

Brothers and sisters, friends already, let us journey together, let us look to the One who unites us. O Lord, our God, “how mighty is your name in all the earth!” ( Ps . 8:22).

May the name of God echo in your hearts and may this visit bring to us, both to you and to me, comfort and fresh joy.

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

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