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VIDEO-MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI
TO CATHOLICS AND PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ON THE OCCASION OF THE UPCOMING
APOSTOLIC JOURNEY
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 endeavors
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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