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.
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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