Speeches and Homilies

27-Aug-1978: Radiomessage "Urbi et Orbi"

30-Aug-1978: To the Cardinals

31-Aug-1978: To the Diplomats accredited to the Holy See

01-Sep-1978: To the Journalists

03-Sep-1978: Mass of Initiation as Supreme Pastor

04-Sep-1978: To the Special Missions

07-Sep-1978: To the Clergy of Rome

21-Sep-1978: To a Group of US Bishops in "ad limina" Visit

23-Sep-1978: To the Mayor of Rome

23-Sep-1978: Taking Possession of St. John of Lateran' s Basilica

28-Sep-1978: To a Group of Phillipinian Bishops in "ad limina" Visit

30-Sep-1978: To the Jesuits (Post mortem)

Text of First Message to College of Cardinals and to the World Given At Conclusion of a Mass Celebrated in the Sistine Chapel

Having been called by a mysterious yet loving Father to this awesome responsibility of the papacy, we extend to you our greetings.

At the same time we greet everyone in the world, all who hear us. Following the teachings of the Gospel, we would wish to think of you as friends, as brothers and sisters. To all of you, I wish good health, peace, mercy and love:

"May the grace of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all".

We are still overwhelmed at the thought of this tremendous ministry for which we have been chosen: As Peter, we seem to have stepped out on dangerous waters. Battered by a strong wind, we turn towards Christ crying: "Lord, save me" (Mt. 14:30). Again we hear his voice encouraging and, at the same time, lovingly reminding us: "Why do you doubt, oh you of little faith".

If human forces alone cannot be adequate to the task before us, the help of almighty God who guides his Church throughout the centuries in the midst of great conflicts and opposition will certainly not desert us, this humble and present-day servant of the "servants of God".

Placing our hand in that of Christ, leaning on him, we have now been lifted up to steer that ship which is the Church; it is safe and secure, though in the midst of storms, because the comforting, dominant presence of the Son of God is with it.

According to the words of St. Augustine, who takes up an image dear to the ancient fathers, the ship of the Church must not fear because it is guided by Christ and by his vicar: "Although the ship is tossed about, it is still a ship. It alone carries the disciples and receives Christ. Yes, it is tossed on the sea but without it, one would immediately perish" (Sermon 75, 3; P1. 38, 475). Only in the Church is salvation: "Without it one perishes".

We shall proceed then with this faith. God's assistance will not be wanting to us, just as he has promised: "I am with you always even to the end of the world" (Mt. 28:20).

The common response and willing cooperation of all of you will make the weight of our daily burden lighter. We bind you to us in this awesome task, realizing the uniqueness of the Catholic Church.

Its tremendous spiritual power is the guarantee of peace and order. As such it is present in the world, as such it is recognized in the world. The echo of its daily life gives witness that, despite all obstacles, it lives in the heart of men, even those who do not share its truth or accept its message.

As the Second Vatican Council (to whose teachings we wish to commit our total ministry, as Priest, as teacher, as pastor) has said: "Destined to extend to all regions of the earth, the Church enters into human history, though it transcends at once all time and all racial boundaries. Advancing through trials and tribulations, the Church is strengthened by God's grace, promised to her by the Lord so that she may not waver from perfect fidelity, but remain the worthy bride of the Lord and not cease to renew herself under the action of the Holy Spirit until, through the Cross, she may attain to that light which knows no setting" (Lumen Gentium, 9).

According to the plan of God, who "has called together all those who look in faith toward Jesus, Author of Salvation and principle of unity and peace," the Church has been willed by him "so that it may be for each and for all the visible sacrament of this saving unity." (Ibid.)

In that light, we place ourselves interiorly, turning all of our physical and spiritual strength toward the service of the universal mission of the Church, that is to say, at the service of the world. In other words, we will be at the service of truth, of justice, of peace, of harmony, of collaboration within nations as well as rapport among peoples.

We call especially on the children of the church to better under stand their responsibility: "You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world" (Mt. 5:13). Overcoming internal tension, which can arise here and there, overcoming the temptation of identifying ourselves with the ways of the world or the appeal of easily won applause, united in the unique bond of love which forms the inner life of the Church just as with its external order, the faithful must be ready to give witness of their own faith to the world: "Always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Pt. 3:15).

The Church, in this common effort to be responsible and so respond to the pressing problems of the day, is called to give to the world that "strengthening of the Spirit" which is so needed and which alone can assure salvation.

The world awaits this today: It knows well that the sublime perfection which it has reached by research and technology — in which it is just to recognize the fulfillment of the first command of God: "Fill the earth and make it subject to man" (Gn. 1:28) — has reached a height beyond which dizziness occurs. It is the temptation of substituting for God one's own decisions, decisions that would do without moral law. The danger for modern man is that he would reduce the earth to a desert, the person to an automaton, brotherly love to a planned collectivization, often introducing death where God wishes life.

The Church, admiring yet lovingly outstretched towards human achievements, intends rather to safeguard the world, that thirsts for a life of love, from dangers that would attack it. The Gospel calls all of its children to place their full strength, indeed their life, at the service of their brothers in the name of the charity of Christ: "Greater love than this no man has than that he would lay down his life for his friends" (in. 15:13).

In this solemn moment, we intend to consecrate all that we are and all that we can achieve for this supreme goal. We will do so until our last breath, aware of the task insistently entrusted to us by Christ: "Confirm your brothers" (Lc. 22:32).

We are helped, given strength in our arduous task, by the most sweet memory of our predecessors, whose lovable sweetness and intrepid strength will be an example for us in the papal program.

We recall in particular the great lessons of pastoral guidance left by the most recent Popes, Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII. With wisdom, dedication, goodness and love of the Church and the world, they have left an indelible mark or our time, a time that is both troubled and magnificent.

Most of all the pontifical pastoral plan of Paul VI, our immediate Predecessor, has left a strong impression on our heart and in our memory. His sudden death was crushing to the entire world. In the manner of his prophetic style, which marked his unforgettable Pontificate, his death placed in clear light the extraordinary stature of a great yet humble man. He cast an extraordinary light upon the Church even in the midst of controversy and hostility of these last 15 years, he undertook immense, untiring labours, without rest, in the realization of the Council and in seeking world peace, the tranquillity of order.

Our program will be to continue his; and his in turn was in the wake of that drawn from the great heart of John XXIII.

Brothers and dearest sons and daughters, in this awesome moment for us, yet a moment enriched by God's promise, we extend our greeting to all of our sons and daughters: We wish we could see all of them face to face, embrace them, give them courage and confidence, while asking their understanding and prayers for us.

They should know that, among all who are dear to us, they are the dearest: They are never forgotten in our prayers and thoughts, because they have a privileged place in our heart.

We are all struggling to raise the world to a condition of greater justice, more stable peace, more sincere cooperation. We invite all of you and encourage you, from the humblest who are the underpinning of nations to heads of state responsible for each nation — we encourage you to build up an efficacious and responsible structure for a new order, one more just and honest.

A dawn of hope spreads over the earth, although it is sometimes touched by sinister merchants of hatred, bloodshed and war with a darkness which sometimes threatens to obscure the dawn. This humble Vicar of Christ, who begins in fear yet trust in his mission, places himself at the disposal of the entire Church and all civil society. We make no distinction as to race or ideology but seek to secure for the world the dawn of a more serene and joyful day. Only Christ could cause this dawn of a light which will never set, because he is the "sun of justice" (cf. Mal. 3:20). He will indeed oversee the work of all. He will not fail us.

We ask all our sons and daughters for the help of their prayers, for we are counting on them; and we open ourselves with great trust to the assistance of the Lord, who, having called us to be His representative on Earth, will not leave us without his Almightly grace. Mary most holy, Queen of the Apostles, will be the shining star of our Pontificate. Peter, the founder of the Church (S. Ambrose Exp. Ev. St. Sec. Lucam. IV, 70: CSEL 32:4, p. 175) will support us through his intercession and with his example of unconquerable faith and human generosity. St. Paul will guide us in our apostolic efforts directed to all the people of the Earth. Our holy patrons will assist us.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we impart to the world our first, the most loving Apostolic Blessing.

Thank you, Most Reverend Eminence, for the so good words that you has deigned to address me, in the name, besides the Sacred School, it seemed to me to see in the name of the Church and its members: faithful, Priests, Monks.

First of all, I wanted to apologize somehow because, on the newspapers, I have seen that, almost, almost, I would have reproached the Sacred College. It is not exactly like this. When I came back from the blessing and I saw all the College ready for the picture which then it was not made, it came to me, spontaneously, from the school memories, it is due to school, the text from the Tudesk, there where it is spoken about St. Bernard, it also says the reaction he had had when he heard that Eugene III, one of his, had been made a Pope. Then, he wrote: Quid fecistis? Parcat vobis Deus. But it wasn' t me who said it. I did not reproach you absolutely! I meant, St. Bernard' s reaction. Instead, in this moment, I must thank for the absolutely unexpected confidence for me and also unmerited, that you have had in giving your vote to me. Let us hope the Lord does not make me unworthy of this confidence. Help me with your prayers, too. Here, I see Cardinal Felici, with his customary kindness, before ending the scrutiny, he came, because he was right in front of me, and he told me: 'Message for the new Pope'. 'Thanks!' - I said, but I had not been made, yet. I opened. What was it? A small Via Crucis. That is the Popes' way. But... in the Via Crucis, one of the personages is also the Cirenean. I hope that, my brothers Cardinals will help this poor Christ, Vicar of Christ, to carry the cross with their collaboration of which I feel so much necessity (...)

In a certain sense, I feel sorrow for not being able to come back to the simple apostolate life that I liked so much. I have always had small dioceses: Vittorio Veneto, small diocese; the same Venice, great of history and small, 430,000 inhabitants. For that reason, my work was: children, workers, sick, pastoral visits. I will not be able to do this work any more. But you can do it. But you do not have to think only about your diocese. Bishops must also think about the universal Church. We must work together. Have mercy of the poor new Pope that really did not hope to arrive to this place. Try to help and let us try together to make a scene of unity for the world, even sacrifying something sometimes. But we will have much to lose if the world does not see us solidly united.

With this, I give you the greatest congratulations and I finish with the apostolic blessing that the Cardinal Dean has requested... I say the truth: it seems to me a little bit strange to give you the apostolic blessing . You also are all successors of the Apostles. Anyway, it is written here: In Christ' s name, I give, with effusion of feelings, to you, to your collaborators and to all the souls trusted to your pastoral cure, the first fruits of my propitiatory apostolic blessing. A little pompous the language. Be patient!

We warmly thank your worthy spokesman for his words, which were full of deference, or rather of good will and trust. Our first reaction would be to admit to you our embarrassment at these remarks that give us honor and these sentiments that give us comfort. But we are well aware that this homage and this appeal are addressed through us to the Holy See, to its highly spiritual and human mission, and to the Catholic Church, whose children are particularly desirous to build, together with their brothers and sisters, a more just and harmonious world.

We have not previously had the honor of making your acquaintance. Until now our ministry was limited to the dioceses entrusted to us and the pastoral duties that it entailed, around Vittorio Veneto and Venice. Nonetheless, it was already a sharing in the ministry of the universal Church.

But now, in this See of the apostle Peter, our mission has indeed become universal and places us in relationship not only with our Catholic sons and daughters but with all peoples, with their qualified representatives, and more particularly with the diplomats of the countries that have established relations on this level with the Holy See. On these grounds we are very happy to receive you here and to tell you of our esteem for you, our trust in you and our understanding of your noble role. We are happy also to greet through you each one of the nations that you represent. We look on each of them with respect and affection, with an ardent desire for their progress and peace. These nations will become still more familiar to us according as we meet not only their Bishops and faithful, but also their civil leaders.

Everybody knows how much was achieved in this field of diplomatic relations by our venerated Predecessor. During his Pontificate the missions of which you are the heads grew in number. We too wish these relations to be ever more cordial and fruitful for the good of your fellow citizens, for the good of the Church in your countries, and for the good of universal concord. Moreover, the relationships that you can have with each other at the Holy See also serve understanding and peace. We offer you our sincere collaboration in accordance with the means that belong to us.

In the range of diplomatic posts your role here is unique, just as the mission and competence of the Holy See are unique. Obviously we have no temporal goods to exchange, no economic interests to discuss, such as your states have. Our possibilities for diplomatic interventions are limited and of a special character. They do not interfere with purely temporal, technical and political affairs, which are matters for your governments. In this way, our diplomatic missions to your highest civil authorities, far from being a survival from the past, are a witness to our deep-seated respect for lawful temporal power, and to our lively interest in the humane causes that the temporal power is intended to advance. Similarly, you are here your governments' spokesmen and watchful witnesses of the Holy See' s spiritual activity. On both sides there is presence, respect, exchange and collaboration, without confusing competences.

Our services, consequently, are of two orders. It can be, if we are invited, participation by the Holy See as such, at the level of your governments or the international entities, in the search for better solutions to the great problems that see at stake detente, disarmament, peace, justice, humanitarian measures and aid, development, etc. Our representatives or delegates take part in that search, as you know, speaking freely and disinterestedly. That is one appreciable form of cooperation or mutual aid that the Holy See has the possibility of contributing, thanks to the international recognition that it enjoys and the representation of the whole of the Catholic world that it ensures. We are ready to continue in this field the diplomatic and international activity already undertaken, to the extent that participation by the Holy See proves desired and fruitful, and is in correspondence with our means.

But our activity at the service of the international community is also — we would say, chiefly — situated on another level, one that could be more specifically called pastoral and which belongs properly to the Church. It is a matter of contributing, through documents and commitments of the Apostolic See and of our collaborators throughout the Church, to forming consciences — chiefly the consciences of Christians but also those of men and women of good will, and through these forming a wider public opinion — regarding the fundamental principles that guarantee authentic civilization and real brotherhood between peoples. These principles are respect for one' s neighbour, for his life and for his dignity, care for his spiritual and social progress, patience and the desire for reconciliation in the fragile building up of peace, in short all the rights and duties of life in society and international life as they have been set forth in the council' s constitution Gaudium et Spes and in so many messages by the late Pope Paul VI.

Such attitudes, which in the logic of evangelical love the Christian faithful take or should take for their salvation, contribute to the gradual transformation, closer and closer, of human relationships, the social fabric and institutions. They help peoples and the international community to ensure more effectively the conditions for the common good and to discover the final meaning of their forward march. They have a civic and political impact.

Your countries are trying to build a modern civilization, dedicating to this task efforts that are often ingenious and generous and have our full understanding and encouragement, as long as they are in conformity with the moral laws written by the creator in the human heart. But we have confidence in Gods help. The Holy See will employ all its strength in that work. It also deserves your full interest.

From today on, our most cordial wishes accompany you in the mission that will be yours with us, as it was with Pope Paul VI. And we invoke upon each of you, on your families, on the countries that you represent and on all the people of the world abundant blessings from the most high.

Note: the text in bold are the words that the Pope has addressed to the journalists putting aside the written text.

We are happy in the first week of our Pontificate to be able to welcome such a qualified and numerous representation of the "world" of social communications, in Rome for two events which, for the Catholic Church and the world at large, have had a deep significance: the death of our late Predecessor Paul VI and the recent conclave when the formidable weight of Church service as Supreme Pastor was placed on our humble and frail shoulders.

This pleasing meeting gives us a chance to thank you for the sacrifices and toil which you have faced during the month of August in serving world public opinion — yours, too, is a very important service — by offering to your readers, listeners and television viewers, with the rapid and immediate delivery required of your responsible and sensitive profession, the possibility of participating in these historical events, in their religious dimension, with their deep connection to human values and the expectations of today' s society.

I say it with all sincerity. It was Cardinal Mercier who said, as well: If St. Paul came, he would be a journalist. Pierre L' Hermitte, from 'La Croix' of Paris, answered him: 'Hey, no, Eminence! If St. Paul came, he would not only be a journalist. He would be director of the Reuter'. But, I add today: not only director of the Reuter. Perhaps today, St. Paul would go and see Paolo Grassi ( n. o. a. the person in charge of the RAI, in those times ) to ask him a little of TV space or to the NBC.

We want to tell you especially of our gratitude for the commitment made by you in these days, in letting the public know better the figure, the teachings, the work and the example of Paul VI and for the attentive sensitivity with which you have sought to capture and translate in your numberless dispatches and full analyses, as well as through the multitude of images transmitted from Rome, the expectation of this city, of the Catholic Church and of all the world over a new pastor to assure the continuity of Peter' s mission.

The sacred inheritance left us by Vatican Council II and by our Predecessors John XXIII and Paul VI, of dear and holy memory, demands from us the promise of special attention, of a frank, honest and effective collaboration with the mass media which you worthily represent. It is a promise which we make willingly, aware as we are of the more and more important function which the mass media are assuming in the life of modern man.

We do not hide the risks of massification and simplification which are inherent in such instruments, with threatening consequences for the spirituality of the individual and for his capacity for personal reflection and for objectivity of judgment.

But we are well aware also of the new and happy possibilities offered to today' s men to know each other better and to grow closer, and to see closer up the anxieties over justice, peace and brotherhood and to establish through these deeper bonds of participation, of understanding and of solidarity in view of a world that is more just and human.

We know, in a word, that the ideal goal towards which all of you direct your efforts, despite the difficulties and delusions is to arrive through communications at a more real communion.

And it is this goal toward which the heart of the Vicar of Him who taught us to call on God as the one loving Father of every human being aspires, as you can well understand.

Before giving my Blessing to each of you and to your families, a blessing which I would like to extend to all collaborators of the information instruments you represent — agencies, newspapers, radio and television — I' d like to assure you of the esteem I have for your profession and the care which I will take to facilitate your noble and difficult mission, in the spirit of the council decree Inter Mirifica and the pastoral instruction Communio et Progressio.

If I can add a prayer and a real prayer, when major events happen and when the Holy See publishes important documents, you will often have to present the Church, speak about the Church, sometimes perhaps comment on my humble ministry, I hope you will do it with love of truth and respect for human dignity because such is the goal of all social communications.

I have read a little amused during the pre-conclave, articles from some newspaper, written with right intention, but I say, a little amused because... I have only thought about asking the Lord to illuminate me to give the vote to the right person. There were no factions. There weren' t... I assure you, there was nothing of all this. Written with good intention but with another vision. It would be necessary to enter the vision of the Church when it is spoken about the Church. I have remembered an episode of the Italian media history: it was about Baldasarre Avanzini, then director of 'Fanfulla'. We were at the time of the French-Prussian War. And he gave this advise to his reporters: the public is not interested on knowing what Napoleon III told William of Prussia! It is interested on knowing if he wore red or beige trousers; if he smoked or not the cigarette.

I have had... the feeling that, sometimes, journalists are mainly interested on secondary things in things of Church. It would be necessary to aim to the centre. Those that are the true problems of the Church. Then, it would also be an educative function for your public who reads you, listens to you or watches you. Therefore, I ask you sincerely; rather, I pray you! that you try to contribute to help safeguard in today' s society a deep regard for the things of God and for the mysterious relationship between God and each of us, which constitutes the sacred dimension of human reality.

Please understand the deep reasons for which the Pope, the Church and its pastors must sometimes ask for a spirit of sacrifice, generosity and renunciation to build up a world of justice, love and peace.

With the certainty of maintaining ever in the future this spiritual bond begun in the meeting, we give to you with open heart our Apostolic Blessing.

In this sacred celebration inaugurating the ministry of the Supreme Pastor of the Church, which has been placed on our shoulders, we begin by turning our mind in adoration and prayer to the infinite and eternal God, who has raised us to the Chair of Blessed Peter by his own design, which human reasoning cannot explain, and by his benign graciousness. The words of St. Paul the Apostle come spontaneously to our lips: "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!" (Rom. 11:33).

Next we embrace in thought and greet with paternal affection the whole Church of Christ. We greet this assembly, representing as it were the whole Church, which is gathered in this place — a place filled with works of piety, religion and art, which is the attentive custodian of the tomb of the Chief of the Apostles. We then greet the Church that is watching us and listening to us at this moment through the modern media of social communication.

We greet all the members of the people of God: the Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, missionaries, seminary students, lay people engaged in the apostolate and in various professions, people involved in the fields of politics, culture, art and business, fathers and mothers of families, workers, migrants, young people, children, the sick, the suffering, the poor.

We greet also with reverence and affection all the people in the world. We regard them and love them as our brothers and sisters, since they are children of the same heavenly Father and brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus (cf. Mt. 23:Sf).

We have begun this homily in Latin, because as is well known, it is the official language of the Church and in an evident and effective way expresses its universality and unity.

The word of God that we have just been listening to has presented the Church to us as in a crescendo, first, as prefigured and glimpsed by the prophet Isaiah (cf. Is. 2:2.5) in the form of the new temple with the nations streaming towards it from all sides, anxious to know the law of God, to observe it with docility, while the terrible weapons of war are transformed into instruments of peace.

But St. Peter reminds us that this mysterious new temple, the pole of attraction for the new humanity, has a cornerstone, a living, chosen and precious cornerstone (cf. i Pt. 2:4.9), which is Jesus Christ, who founded his Church on the Apostles and built it on Blessed Peter, their leader (cf. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 19).

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church" (Mt. 16:18) are the weighty, great and solemn words that Jesus speaks to Simon, son of John, after his profession of faith. This profession of faith was not the product of the Bethsaida fisherman' s human logic or the expression of any special insight of his or the effect of some psychological impulse; it was rather the mysterious and singular result of a real revelation of the Father in Heaven.

Jesus changes Simon' s name to Peter, thus signifying the conferring of a special mission. He promises to build on him His Church, which will not be overthrown by the forces of evil or death. He grants him the keys of the Kingdom of God, thus appointing him the highest official of his Church, and gives him the power to interpret authentically the law of God. In view of these privileges, or rather these superhuman tasks entrusted to Peter, St. Augustine points out to us: "Peter was by nature simply a man, by grace a Christian, by still more abundant grace one of the Apostles and at the same time the first of the Apostles" (St. Augustine, In loannis Evang. Tract., 124, 5: P1. 35, 1,973).

With surprised and understandable trepidation, but also with immense trust in the powerful grace of God and the ardent prayers of the Church, we have agreed to become Peter' s successor in the See of Rome, taking on us the yoke that Christ has wished to place on our fragile shoulders. We seem to hear as addressed to us the words that St. Ephrem represents Christ as speaking to Peter: "Simon, my Apostle, I have made you the foundation of the Holy Church. I have already called you Peter because you will support all the edifices. You are the superintendent of those who will build the Church on earth . . . You are the source of the fountain from which My doctrine is drawn. You are the Head of My Apostles . . . I have given you the keys of My Kingdom" (St. Ephrem, Sermones in Hebdomadam Sanctam, 4,1:Lamy T.J., S. Ephrem Syri Himni et Sermones, 1, 412).

From the moment we were elected, throughout the days that followed, we were deeply struck and encouraged by the warm manifestations of affection given by our sons and daughters in Rome and also by those sending us from all over the world the expression of their irrepressible jubilation at the fact that God has again given the Church her visible head. Our mind re-echoes spontaneously the emotion-filled words that our great saintly predecessor, St. Leo the Great, addressed to the faithful of Rome: "Blessed Peter does not cease to preside over his See. He is bound to the eternal Priest in an unbroken unity . . . Recognize therefore that all the demonstrations of affection that you have given me because of fraternal amiability or filial devotion have with greater devotedness and truth been given by you and me to him whose See we rejoice to serve rather than preside over it" (St. Leo the Great, Sermon V, 4-5: P1. 54, 155-156).

Yes, our presiding in charity is service. In saying this, we think not only of our Catholic brothers and sons and daughters but also of all those who endeavour to be disciples of Jesus Christ, to honour God, and to work for the good of humanity.

In this way we greet affectionately and with gratitude the delegations from other churches and ecclesial communities present here. Brethren not yet in full communion, we turn together to Christ our Saviour, advancing all of us in the holiness in which he wishes us to be and also in the mutual love without which there is no Christianity, preparing the paths of unity in faith with respect for his truth and for the ministry that he entrusted, for his Church' s sake, to his Apostles and their successors.

Furthermore, we owe a special greeting to the heads of state and the members of the extraordinary missions. We are deeply touched by your presence, you who preside over the high destinies of your countries or represent your governments or international organizations, to which we are most grateful. In your participation we see the esteem and trust that you place in the Holy See and the Church, that humble messenger of the Gospel for all the peoples of the earth, in order to help create a climate of justice, brotherhood, solidarity and hope, without which the world would be unable to live.

Let all here, great or small, be assured of our readiness to serve them according to the spirit of the Lord.

Surrounded by your love and upheld by your prayer, we begin our apostolic service by invoking, as a resplendent star on our way, the Mother of God, Mary, Salus Populi Romani and Mater Ecclesiae, whom the liturgy venerates in a special way in this month of September. May our Lady, who guided with delicate tenderness our life as a boy, as a seminarian, as a Priest and as a Bishop, continue to enlighten and direct our steps, in order that, as Peter's voice and with our eyes and mind fixed on her Son Jesus, we may proclaim in the world with joyous firmness our profession of faith: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt. 16:16). Amen.

UNIVERSAL MISSION OF THE HOLY SEE AT THE SERVICE OF EVANGELIZATION, JUSTICE, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

Speech to the special Missions present for the Mass of the beginning of the ministry as Supreme Pastor

During the celebration of yesterday, we only could address a brief greeting to you. Today we want to show you the joy, the emotion and the honour that your participation in the inauguration of our Pontificate has provided us. We are a debtor of enormous gratitude to you, to you personally, in the first place, and to the international countries or Organizations that you represent.

This tribute of so many nations is very beautiful and encouraging. It is not that our person has deserved it: yesterday, we were only a Priest and a Bishop in a province of Italy, given with all his energies and talents to the apostolate that had trusted to him. And here, today, we have been called to Apostle Peter' s See. We are heir of his great universal mission, he received by pure grace from Our Lord Jesus Christ ' s hands, who is, according to the Christian faith, Son of God and Saviour of the world. We frequently thought about this phrase of the Apostle Paul: 'We take this treasure in mud glasses, so that the excellence of the power is God' s and it does not seem ours' (2 Cor. 4, 7). Happily, we are not alone either: we act in communion with Bishops of the Catholic Church, that is spread everywhere.

So, then, it is a joy for us the fact that your tribute goes beyond the benevolence given to our person, and it becomes, before our eyes, a sign of continuous attraction and fascination that the Gospel and the things of God exert in our universe; and it also shows the esteem and confidence of almost all the people towards the Church and the Holy See, towards its many activities, as much in the properly spiritual area as in the service to justice, to the development and peace. It is necessary to add that the action of the last Popes, mainly of our venerated Predecessor, Paul VI, has contributed enormously to this international irradiation.

Regarding us and according to our possibilities, we are willing to continue this disinterested work and to support our collaborators who work in it. Although we do not know all your countries in person, and unfortunately we cannot speak to each one in your native language, our heart is totally open to all the people and to all the races, with the desire that each one can find a position in the concert of the nations and can develop the gifts that God has given them, in peace, thanks to the understanding and the solidarity of others. Nothing of which it is really human will be outside of us. It is true we do not have miraculous solutions for the big world-wide problems. But we can contribute with something very precious: a spirit who helps to resolve these problems and locates them in an approach which is essential: that one of the universal charity and that one of the opening to important values, that means, the opening to God. We will try to fulfil this service with simple, clear and trusted language.

We also want to count on your benevolent collaboration. In first place, we wish Christian communities always enjoy, in your countries, of respect and freedom to which every religious conscience has the right, and I know a right place to their collaboration by building the common good. We also are sure you will continue welcoming favourably the initiatives of the Holy See, when this one has the purpose of serving the international community, of remembering the exigencies of a healthy life in society, of defending the rights and the dignity of all men, specially of the small ones and minorities.

Thanks again for your visit. From all our heart, we invoked God' s help on you, on your families and on all and every of your countries and on the world-wide Organizations you represent. May God keep lucid our spirits and our hearts in peace, in the fulfilment of our big responsibilities.

TO KEEP THE GREAT DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH IN THE LIFE OF PRIESTS AND FAITHFUL

Speech to the clergy of Rome

I vividly thank the Cardinal Vicar for the congratulations he has addressed me in the name of all those present. I know how he has helped, faithfully and effectively, my unforgettable Predecessor; I hope he will also continue collaborating with me. I greet warmly the Archbishop Vice-regent, the Auxiliary Bishops, all who work in several centres and offices of the Vicariate; every Priest with cure of souls in the area of the diocese and its district: the parish Priests, in the first place, their collaborators, the monks and, through them, the Christian families and the faithful.

Perhaps you have noticed that when I already spoke to the Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, I alluded to the " great discipline of the Church " that had " to be kept in the Priests and in the faithful life ". My venerated Predecessor spoke frequently on this subject and I allow myself to speak very briefly to you on the same subject in this first meeting with a brother confidence.

There is a "small" discipline, which is limited to the purely external and formal observance of legal norms. But I wanted to speak about " the great " discipline. This one only exists when the external observance is fruit of deep convictions and free and joyful projection of a life lived intimately with God. It is -- Abbot Chautard writes – about the action of a soul, that reacts continuously to dominate its bad inclinations and to be acquiring little by little the custom of judging and of behaving in all the circumstances of life, according to the principles of the Gospel and Jesus' examples. " To dominate inclinations " is discipline. The sentence " little by little " indicates discipline, that requires constant effort, long, not easy. The Angels, that Jacob saw in dreams, did not fly even, but they get on the steps one by one. Let us imagine ourselves, who are poor men without wings!

The " great " discipline requires a suitable climate. First of all, the secluded life. Once, I could see a porter at Milan railway station, who was sleeping peacefully with his head on a coal bag close to a column... trains were departing while whistling and arriving while hissing with their wheels; loudspeakers incessantly gave warnings that stunned; people went and came with noise and commotion, but the man continued sleeping and seemed to say: 'Do what you want, because I am needy of quiet'. We, Priests, should do something similar: there is an incessant movement around us and people, newspapers, radio, television do not stop talking. With moderation and sacerdotal discipline, we must say: 'Beyond certain limits, for me, that I am a Priest of the Lord, you do not exist; I must keep for me a little of silence for my soul; I move away of you to be united to my God'.

To verify that their Priest is usually united to God is today the desire of many good faithful.

These ones reason as the lawyer of Lyon, when he came back after visiting the Curate of Ars. 'What has you seen at Ars?', he was asked. Answer: 'I have seen God in a man'.

St. Gregory Magnus' reasoning is similar. This one wishes that the souls shepherd has a talk with God without forgetting men, and has a talk with men without forgetting God. And he says: 'Keep away the shepherd from temptation of wanting to be loved by the faithful instead of by God, or from being too weak by fear to lose the affection of men; so that he can' t run the risk that God can reproach him like this: 'Poor of those who put cushions in the elbows' (Ez 13.18). The shepherd -- he ends up saying -- must try to be loved, of course, but in order to be listened, not looking for this affection for his own benefit' (cf. Regula pastoralis 1, II, c. VIII).

Priests are all guides and shepherds in a certain degree; but, have all they an exact concept of what it is really supposed to be a shepherd of a particular Church, that is, a Bishop?

On the other hand, Jesus, supreme Shepherd, said about Himself: 'I was given all the power in Heaven and in Earth' (Mt. 28, 18), and on another hand, He added: 'I have come to serve' (cf. Mt. 20, 28), and He washed His Apostles' feet. Therefore, power and service were simultaneously joined in Him. Something similar is said about Apostles and Bishops: Praesumas -- Augustinus said -- if prossumus (Miscellanea Augustiniana, Romae 1930, t. I, page 565).

We, Bishops, only govern if we serve: our government is exact if it becomes a service or if it is exerted looking at the service, with spirit and style of service. However, this Episcopal service would fail if the Bishop did not want to exert the received powers. St. Augustinus keeps on saying: 'the Bishop who does not serve people (preaching, guiding) is only foeneus custos, a scarecrow, placed in the vineyards so that the birds do not prick the grapes' (id. 568). For that reason, it is written in the Lumen Gentium: 'Bishops govern... with advices, exhortations, examples, but also with authority and sacred power' (Lumen Gentium, 27).

Another element of sacerdotal discipline is the love to the own position. I know it, it is not easy to love the position and stay in it when things are not going well, when oneself has the feeling of being neither understood nor encouraged, when the inevitable confrontation with the position assigned to others would take us to feel sad and discouraged. But, aren' t we working for the Lord? Ascetic teaches us: 'Don' t look at whom you are obeying, but for Whom you are obeying'.

Thinking is also a help. I have been Bishop for twenty years: many times, I have suffered for not being able to award anyone, who really deserved it; but or there was no position-prize, or I did not know how to replace the person, or adverse circumstances happened. On the other hand, St. Francis of Sales has written: 'There is no vocation that does not have its misfortunes, its bitterness and its upsets. Besides those who are totally resigned to God' s Will, each one would wish to change the own condition for the others'. Those who are Bishops would not want to be that; those who are married would not want to be it, and those who are not married would wish to marry. Where is this generalized restlessness of spirits born from?, but from a certain allergy to what it is obligation and from a no good spirit that it makes us suppose the others are better than us' (St. Francis of Sales, Oeuvres, edit. Annecy, t. XII, 348-9).

I have spoken with frankness and I apologize you for that reason. But I can assure you since I have become your Bishop I love you very much. And with the heart plenty of love, I give you the apostolic blessing.

It is real pleasure for us to meet, for the first time, a group of American Bishops making their ad limina visit. With all our heart we welcome you; we want you to feel at home, to feel the joy of being together in the family. Our great desire at this time is to confirm you all in your faith and in your service to God's people; we want to keep alive the ministry of Peter in the Church.

Since becoming Pope, we have studied with particular attention the wise teaching that our beloved predecessor Paul VI gave earlier this year to the United States' Bishops on the subjects of the Church' s Ministry of Reconciliation, on promoting life and on fostering devotion to the Eucharist. His teaching is ours; and we renew the encouragement and guidance that he gave you in those discourses.

Although we are new in the Pontificate - just a beginner - we too want to choose topics that deeply touch the life of the Church and that will be very relevant to your Episcopal ministry. We believe that the Christian family is a good place to start. The Christian family is so important, and its role is so basic in transforming the world and in building up the Kingdom of God, that the Council called it a "domestic Church".

Let us never grow tired of proclaiming the family as a community of love: conjugal love unites the couple and is procreative of new life; it mirrors the divine love, is communicated, and in the words of "Gaudium et Spes", is actually a sharing in the covenant of love of Christ and his Church. We were all given the great grace of being born into such a community of love; it will be easy for us to uphold its value.

And then we must encourage parents in their role as educators of their children - the first catechists and the best ones. What a great task and challenge they have: to teach children the love of God, to make it something real for them. And by God's grace, how easily some families can fulfil the role of being a primum seminarium: the germ of a vocation to the priesthood is nourished through family prayer, the example of faith and the support of love.

What a wonderful thing it is when families realize the power they have for the sanctification of husband and wife and the reciprocal influence between parents and children. And then, by the loving witness of their lives, families can bring Christ' s Gospel to others. A vivid realization of the sharing of the laity - and especially the family - in the salvific mission of the Church is one of the greatest legacies of the Second Vatican Council. We can never thank God enough for this gift.

It is up to us to keep this realization strong, by supporting and defending the family - each and every family. Our own ministry is so vital: to preach the world of God and to celebrate the Sacraments. It is from them that our people draw their strength and joy. Ours too is the role of encouraging families to fidelity to the law of God and the Church. We need never fear to proclaim all the exigencies of God' s word, for Christ is with us and says today as before: "He who hears you hears me". In particular, the indissolubility of Christian marriage is important; although it is a difficult part of our message, we must proclaim it faithfully as part of God's word, part of the mystery of faith. At the same time we are close to our people in their problems and difficulties. They must always know that we love them.

Today we want to express our admiration and praise for all the efforts being made to guard and preserve the family as God made it, as God wants it. All over the world Christian families are trying to fulfil their wonderful calling and we are close to all of them. And Priests and Religious are trying to support and assist them - and all these efforts are worthy of the greatest praise. Our special support goes to those who help couples preparing for Christian marriage by offering them the full teaching of the Church and by encouraging them in the highest ideals of the Christian family. We wish to add a particular word of praise also for those, especially Priests, who work so generously and devotedly in ecclesiastical tribunals, in fidelity to the doctrine of the Church, to safeguard the marriage bond, to give witness to its indissolubility in accordance with the teaching of Jesus, and to assist families in need.

The holiness of the Christian family is indeed a most apt means for producing the serene renewal of the Church which the Council so eagerly desired. Through family prayer, the ecclesia domestica becomes an effective reality and leads to the transformation of the world. And all the efforts of parents to instil God's love into their children and to support them by the example of faith constitute a most relevant apostolate for the twentieth century. Parents with special problems are worthy of our particular pastoral care, and all our love.

Dear Brothers, we want you to know where our priorities lie. Let us do everything we can for the Christian family, so that our people may fulfil their great vocation in Christian joy and share intimately and effectively in the Church' s mission - Christ' s mission - of salvation. And be assured that you yourselves have our full support in the love of the Lord Jesus, and we give you all our Apostolic Blessing.

Most Holy Father: It is my rare privilege as the senior metropolitan of Region XII of the Church in the United States of America, and as one of forty-five American Bishops presently in Rome participating in a month-long program of theological and Scriptural renewal and enrichment, to speak for those here present, and to thank Your Holiness form the bottom of our hearts for the honour of this unique visit with you.

The Archbishops and Bishops in this audience hall represent many thousands of Priests, and many more thousands of men and women religious, as well as several millions of the Catholic faithful, from every part of the United States of America. In receiving us today Your Holiness has honoured not only us but also the members of our respective Archdioceses and Dioceses. We are most grateful to be the favoured recipients of your benevolent and gracious kindness.

The Bishops of Region XII who are here in Rome on their ad limina visit are from three ecclesiastical provinces of the North-western corner of the United States. We are here to greet you as our spiritual Father, and to assure Your Holiness that we pledge our obedience, our loyalty and our support to you as the successor of St. Peter and Vicar of Christ on earth.

Our eleven Dioceses, situated in five states, comprise an area of over one million square miles, just about one third the size of all of Europe. The geography alone suggests the futility of developing a profile that might be described as the Church of the Pacific Northwest.

Unlike the Dioceses of the eastern portion of the United States, the Dioceses of Region XII are for the most part rural in character with an industrial and agricultural economy. While the parishes in our large cities number as many as ten thousand souls, most of the parishes are large in territory but small in the number of people served.

Since our section of the country was settled only during the last century, the Church is relatively new, and does not enjoy a position of numerical or political strength. Indeed, studies of religious affiliation in our region indicate that at least half of the citizens have membership in no formal religious body, a sad situation to be sure, but one which offers great challenge to the apostolic zeal of a vigorous and dedicated Christian people. Evangelization of a largely unchurched segment of our fellow citizens must be the preoccupation and goal of the Church in Region XII.

Each of the Bishops of Region XII has submitted his Quinquennial Report to the Sacred Congregation of Bishops. Taken together the Reports Will show that there flourishes in the Northwest a Catholic people with deep faith, a people fully aware of its responsibility to act as a leaven in a society which needs the Word of God and Christian witness to enrich the private and public lives of its citizens by the insertion and promotion of Gospel values, and to find effective ways to strengthen and support a Christian family life which is being assaulted on every side by the not-too-subtle viruses of secularism and materialism.

The forty-five Bishops who are at the Casa Santa Maria following a program of studies in the Sacred Sciences under the sponsorship of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States and the North American College in Rome are serious about their role as leaders and teachers of God's people. Since August 29 they have spent many hours each day listening to and dialoguing with theologians and Scripture scholars of world renown in an earnest effort to develop a deeper and wider understanding of the Gospel message in the light of the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the official teachings of the Magisterium.

These same Bishops, all of whom are guests of Your Holiness this morning, have just returned from a week' s pilgrimage in the Holy Land, deepening their faith in the life, death and resurrection of Christ, as they retraced the footsteps of the God-Man, Jesus, from Bethlehem to Nazareth, and from the Sea of Galilee to Calvary.

Two and one half weeks ago all of us were on the steps of St. Peter's, joined in unity with Bishops throughout the world, and with numerous pilgrims and citizens of Rome, as Your Holiness celebrated Mass with the members of the College of Cardinals, and were enthroned as the Bishop of Rome and the spiritual leader of 700 million Catholics. We thanked Almighty God for giving us a new Roman Pontiff in the person of the Cardinal Archbishop and Patriarch of Venice.

Recognizing the divinely guided preparation Your Holiness has received for the high office to which you have been elected by your peers, we see in Your Holiness a Stepherd who will be "a man for all seasons", a pastoral Pontiff, who will lead the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit with the warmth and humanity of Pope John XXIII, and the wisdom and patience of Po