Text Farewell Ceremony, Munich Airport 14 September, 2006
Mr Minister President, Distinguished Government Leaders and Public Authorities, Dear
Cardinals and Brothers in the Episcopate, Ladies and Gentlemen!
As I leave
Bavaria for Rome, I would like to say to you here present, and through you to all
the citizens of my native land, a word of cordial greeting and of heartfelt thanks.
I was deeply moved by the enthusiasm and fervent devotion of the faithful who gathered
to listen to the Word of God and to join in prayer. I was able to see how many people
in Bavaria still today are endeavouring to journey in communion with their Bishops
along the paths of God and to testify to their faith in today's secularized world.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the organizers, everything took place in an orderly
and peaceful way. And so my first word, in this farewell, must be one of thanks.
I
turn first to you, Mr Minister President, with gratitude for the kind words which
you have spoken in the name of all. I thank the other civil and ecclesiastical authorities
gathered here, especially those who contributed to the success of this visit, which
enabled me to meet so many people from this region which still has a special place
in my heart. These have been busy days, when I re-lived many past events which have
left a mark on my life. Everywhere I was received with an attention and care which
touched me deeply. I can only imagine the challenges, concerns and the work involved
in organizing this stay in Bavaria: many people had a part to play, both those from
the Church, Regional and State agencies, and the many people who volunteered their
time. To all of you I offer heartfelt thanks and the assurance of a special remembrance
in my prayers.
I came to Germany to bring once more to my fellow-citizens
the eternal truths of the Gospel and to confirm believers in their fidelity to Christ,
the Son of God, who became man for the salvation of the world. I am convinced, in
faith, that in Christ, in his word, we find the way not only to eternal happiness,
but also to the building of a humane future even now, here below. Impelled by this
conviction, the Church, led by the Spirit, has constantly looked to the Word of God
so as to be able to respond to new historical challenges. She did so in a special
way with regard to the problems arising from the so-called "worker question", beginning
particularly in the second half of the nineteenth century. I mention this here, because
today, 14 September, marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of the
Encyclical Laborem Exercens, in which the great Pope John Paul II called work "a fundamental
dimension of man's existence on earth" (No. 4), and insisted that "the primary basis
of the value of work is man himself" (No. 6). Work, he observed, is therefore "something
good for man", because with it "man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his
own needs, but also achieves fulfilment as a human being, and, in a certain sense,
becomes more human" (No. 9). On the basis of this profound intuition, the Pope offered
in his Encyclical some guidelines which are still helpful today. That text was not
lacking in prophetic value, and I would like to recommend it to the people of my native
land. I am certain that its concrete application would prove very beneficial in Germany's
present situation.
And now, as I take leave of my beloved homeland, I entrust
the present and future of Bavaria and of Germany to the intercession of all those
saints who lived in German territory, faithfully serving Christ and experiencing in
their lives the truth expressed in the words which have been like a leitmotif during
the various parts of my visit: Those who believe are never alone. This too
was surely the experience of the composer of the traditional hymn of the Bavarian
people. In his words, which are also a prayer, I would like to leave behind my own
prayer for my homeland: .God be with you, land of the Bavarian people, German soil,
my native land! Upon your vast borders may his hand rest in blessing! May he watch
over your countryside and cities, and keep for you the colours of his white and blue
sky!