Greetings upon his arrival

Having arrived at the International Airport of Rio de Janeiro, the Holy Father was greeted by the President of the Republic of Brazil, Her Excellency Dilma Rousseff and then travelled by car, by Popemobile, and by helecopter to the Guanabara Palace, the Governor's Palace, where the offical ceremony of welcome took place.  Following the singing of the National Anthems of the Vatican and of Brazil, and once the offical welcoming speeches had been exchanged, the Papal party retired to the Sumaré, a religious residence where they will be lodged for the duration of their stay in Brazil.

Apostolic Journey to Rio de Janeiro

For the celebration of the

XXVIII World Youth Day

Welcoming Ceremony

Discourse of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

Garden of the Guanabara Palace, Rio de Janeiro

Monday, July 22, 2013

Madam President,

Distinguished guests,

Brothers, sisters and friends!

In his loving providence, God has willed that the first international journey of my Pontificate should offer me the possibility to return to my beloved Latin America, more precisely to Brazil, a country that boasts of its close ties with the Apostolic See and of profound sentiments of faith and friendship which have always held her together, unified in a special way with the Successor of Peter.  I give thanks for this divine benevolence.

I have learned that in order to gain access to the Brazilian people, one must enter by means of the portal of her immense heart; I therefore take advantage of this moment to gently rap at this door.  I ask permission to enter and to spend this week with you.  I bring with me neither gold nor silver, but I bear with me something more precious than either of them which has been given to me: Jesus Christ!  I come in His name to feed and fan the flame of fraternal love which burns in every heart; and I wish to extend my greeting to each and every one of you: May the peace of Christ be with you!

I respectfully greet Madam President and the distinguished members of her Government.  I thank her for her generous greeting and for the words with which she has demonstrated the joy of all Brazilians for my presence in their country.  I also greet His Excellency, the Governor of this State, who has kindly welcomed us at the Governor’s Palace, and the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, as well as the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Brazilian Government, the other Authorities present here and all those who have contributed to making my visit possible.

I wish to offer a word of affection to my brother Bishops, to whom is confided the task of guiding the flock of the Lord in this immense country, and to their beloved particular Churches.  With this visit, I wish to continue the pastoral mission which belongs to the Bishop of Rome: the task of confirming his brothers in the faith of Christ, of encouraging them to bear witness to the reasons for hope which are focused on Him and of assisting them in the task of offering to all people the inexhaustible riches of His love.

As you know, the primary reason for my presence in Brazil transcends her borders.  Actually, I have come for the World Youth Day.  I have come to meet the young people who have arrived her from every corner of the world, summoned by the open arms of Christ, the Redeemer.  They come to find refuge in His embrace, to be held close to his heart, to listen once again for his clear and powerful call: Go, make disciples of all the nations.

Coming from various continents, speaking different languages, these young people are bearers of varied cultures, and they find in Christ the response to their greatest shared aspirations and thus they can satisfy their hunger for clearly reasoned truth and for genuine love; Christ’s response unites them beyond and despite all their diversities.

Christ offers them some space, knowing that there can be nothing more powerful than the energy that emanates from the heart of the young when they are conquered by the experience of friendship with Him.  Christ has confidence in the young and entrusts to them the future of his own mission: Go, make disciples!  Go beyond the boundaries of what is humanly possible and create a world of brothers and sisters.  But the youth also have trust in Christ: they are not afraid even to risk with Him the only life they have, because they know that they will not be disappointed.

As I begin my visit in Brazil, I am well aware that, focusing on the youth, I speak also to their families, to their ecclesial communities and their countries of origin, to the societies where they live, to the men and women on whom in many ways these new generations depend.

It is not uncommon to hear parents say, Our children are the apple of our eyes.  How beautiful this expression of Brazilian wisdom which applies to the youth, the image of the apple of our eyes, the window through which light enters into us, providing us with the miracle of vision!  What would become of us if we did not take care of our eyes?  How could we ever advance?  My wish is that during this week, all of us might allow ourselves to be challenged by this provocative question.

And we should be careful!  Youth is the window through which the future enters into the world.  Youth is the window through which great challenges are imposed upon us.  Our generation will prove to be capable of the promise of youth when we learn to offer our youth the space they need.  This means that we must provide and protect the material and spiritual conditions necessary for them to grow and develop, that we must give them a solid foundation on which they can build their lives, that we must guarantee them safety and education so that they might become all that they can be, that we must pass on to them enduring values which make life worth living, that we must assure a transcendent horizon capable of responding to their thirst for authentic happiness and the creation of goodness, that we must provide them with the legacy of a world which corresponds to the measure of human life, that we must awaken in them the best potential for being the protagonists of their own future, jointly responsible for the destiny of all people.  With these aspirations, we all look to the future which enters through the window of the youth.

In conclusion, I ask you all for the kindness of paying attention to, and if possible, the empathy needed to establish a dialogue between friends.  At this time, the arms of the Pope are held open wide to embrace the entire Brazilian nation, in all the wealth of its human, cultural and religious complexity.  From Amazonia to the pampas, from the dry regions to the Pantanal, from the small villages to the metropolitan cities, no one is excluded from the Pope’s affection.  The day after tomorrow, God willing, I want to commend you all to Our Lady of Aparecida, invoking her maternal protection on your homes and your families.   For now, I bless you all.  Thank you for your welcome!