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Dear Brothers and Sisters in the United
States of America,
The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ be with all of you! In just a few days
from now, I shall begin my apostolic visit to your
beloved country. Before setting off, I would like
to offer you a heartfelt greeting and an invitation
to prayer. As you know, I shall only be able to visit
two cities: Washington and New York. The intention
behind my visit, though, is to reach out spiritually
to all Catholics in the United States. At the same
time, I earnestly hope that my presence among you
will be seen as a fraternal gesture towards every
ecclesial community, and a sign of friendship for
members of other religious traditions and all men
and women of good will. The risen Lord entrusted
the Apostles and the Church with his Gospel of love
and peace, and his intention in doing so was that
the message should be passed on to all peoples.
At this point I should like to add some words of
thanks, because I am conscious that many people have
been working hard for a long time, both in Church
circles and in the public services, to prepare for
my journey. I am especially grateful to all who have
been praying for the success of the visit, since
prayer is the most important element of all. Dear
friends, I say this because I am convinced that without
the power of prayer, without that intimate union
with the Lord, our human endeavours would achieve
very little. Indeed this is what our faith teaches
us. It is God who saves us, he saves the world, and
all of history. He is the Shepherd of his people.
I am coming, sent by Jesus Christ, to bring you his
word of life.
Together with your Bishops, I have chosen as the
theme of my journey three simple but essential words: "Christ
our hope". Following in the footsteps of my venerable
predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come
to United States of America as Pope for the first
time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ
is hope for men and women of every language, race,
culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the
face of God present among us. Through him, our lives
reach fullness, and together, both as individuals
and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal
love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father.
I know how deeply rooted this Gospel message is in
your country. I am coming to share it with you, in
a series of celebrations and gatherings. I shall
also bring the message of Christian hope to the great
Assembly of the United Nations, to the representatives
of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world
has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace,
for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never
be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God,
which Christ brought to fulfilment in the commandment
to love one another. Do to others as you would have
them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not
want them to do. This "golden rule" is given in the
Bible, but it is valid for all people, including
non-believers. It is the law written on the human
heart; on this we can all agree, so that when we
come to address other matters we can do so in a positive
and constructive manner for the entire human community.
Dirijo un cordial saludo a los
católicos de
lengua española y les manifiesto mi cercanía
espiritual, en particular a los jóvenes, a
los enfermos, a los ancianos y a los que pasan por
dificultades o se sienten más necesitados.
Les expreso mi vivo deseo de poder estar pronto con
Ustedes en esa querida Nación. Mientras tanto,
les aliento a orar intensamente por los frutos pastorales
de mi inminente Viaje Apostólico y a mantener
en alto la llama de la esperanza en Cristo Resucitado.
[I cordially greet Spanish-speaking Catholics and
manifest to you my spiritual closeness, especially
to the young, to the sick, the elderly and those
experiencing difficulties or who are most in need.
I express my great wish to be present with you in
this dear nation. In the meantime, I ask you to pray
intensely for the pastoral fruits of my imminent
Apostolic Voyage and to keep high the call of hope
in the Risen Christ.]
Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends in the United
States, I am very much looking forward to being with
you. I want you to know that, even if my itinerary
is short, with just a few engagements, my heart is
close to all of you, especially to the sick, the
weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again for
your prayerful support of my mission. I reach out
to every one of you with affection, and I invoke
upon you the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
Que la Virgen María les acompañe
y proteja. Que Dios les bendiga.
May God bless you all.
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