Pope Francis: remarks to Papal Foundation delegation
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met with a delegation from the Papal Foundation on Friday.
Below, please fin the full text of the Holy Father's remarks prepared for the occasion.
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Your
Eminence, Dear Friends, I offer a warm welcome to you, the members of The Papal
Foundation, on the occasion of your annual pilgrimage to Rome. During this Easter
season, Christians throughout the world are united in celebrating the Lord’s victory
over sin and death, the dawning of the new creation and the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit. May the joy of the resurrection fill your hearts with that peace which the
world cannot give (cf. Jn 14:27) and may your prayer at the tombs of the apostles
and martyrs renew you in fidelity to the Lord and his Church. Since its establishment,
The Papal Foundation has sought to advance the Church’s mission by supporting a wide
gamut of charities close to the heart of the Successor of Peter. I am deeply appreciative
of the assistance which the Foundation has given to the Church in developing countries
through grants supporting various educational, charitable and apostolic projects,
but also for the scholarships which you make available to laity, priests and religious
for study here in Rome. In this way, you help to ensure the training of a new generation
of leaders whose minds and hearts are shaped by the truth of the Gospel, the wisdom
of Catholic social teaching and a profound sense of communion with the universal Church
in her service to the entire human family. In these momentous days marked by the
canonization of two outstanding Popes of our time, John XXIII and John Paul II, I
pray that you will be confirmed in the grace of your Baptism and in your commitment
to be missionary disciples filled with the joy born of a personal encounter with the
Risen Jesus (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 119). I commend you and your families to the
intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing
as a pledge of joy and peace in the Lord.