Dear Brothers and Sisters in the United States of America
(08 Apr 08 - RV) Pope Benedict XVI has released a special video message for the people
of the United States of America ahead of his upcoming trip.
The video was presented
Tuesday in the Vatican Press Office.
“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.
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.