At 8:30am this morning (2:30am EDT), in the Atrium of the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a group of visitors participating in a pilgrimage sponsored by the Archdiocese of Krakow (Poland.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Welcome! and thank you for your warm affection! I thank Archbishop Marek for his courteous words, and I fraternally greet Cardinal Stanislaus and the Bishops who are present.
You have come as representatives of the holy Church of God that is present in Krakow, who welcomed me with open arms in the Summer of 2016. You have come, together with your Pastors and consecrated persons to thank God for the life and the pontificate of Saint John Paul II, in anticipation of the 40th anniversary of his election to the See of Peter. I cordially greet all of you, especially the poor, the sick and the many young people who are taking part in your pilgrimage.
Saint John Paul II enriched the universal Church with a great abundance of gifts which, for the most part, he had inherited from the treasure of faith and holiness of our land and your local Church. He carried in his heart and - so to speak - in his flesh, the witness of the saints of Krakow: that of Saint Stanslaus and Saint Helwig, of Saint Albert and Saint Faustina. He learned from them a boundless dedication to God and a great sensitivity for every person; dedication and sensitivity which he demonstrated in his priestly ministry, as a bishop and as Pope. He received from God the great gift of knowing how to read the signs of the times by the light of the gospel, and he used this gift to enhance the journey of his people, your people, who through various painful events never lost their trust in God and their faith in their own culture rooted in the Christian spirit.
Faithful to these roots, he tried to make the Church stand as a guardian of the inalienable rights of man, of the family and of peoples, to be a sign of peace, justice and integral development for the entire human family. At the same time, he always emphasized the priority of grace and obedience to the will of God, before any human calculation.
This rich heritage, which Saint John Paul II has left us, is for us - and in a special way for your compatriots - a challenge to be faithful to Christ and to respond with joyful dedication to the call to holiness, which the Lord addresses to each and every one of us in our specific personal, family and social situations.
Dear brothers and sisters, Saint John Paul II does not stop watching over the Church in Krakow, which he loved so much! From heaven, he accompanies your journey: families, young people and grandparents, priests, religious and all consecrated persons; the disadvantaged, the suffering. I too entrust you to his intercession. I thank you for your visit and I bless all of you and the entire diocesan community of Krakow. Please do not forget to pray for me.
And, before I give you my blessing, I invite you all to pray a Hail Mary to Our Lady.
(Blessing)
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
offered to the pilgrims from the
Archdiocese of Krakow (Poland)
Dear brothers and sisters,
Welcome! and thank you for your warm affection! I thank Archbishop Marek for his courteous words, and I fraternally greet Cardinal Stanislaus and the Bishops who are present.
You have come as representatives of the holy Church of God that is present in Krakow, who welcomed me with open arms in the Summer of 2016. You have come, together with your Pastors and consecrated persons to thank God for the life and the pontificate of Saint John Paul II, in anticipation of the 40th anniversary of his election to the See of Peter. I cordially greet all of you, especially the poor, the sick and the many young people who are taking part in your pilgrimage.
Saint John Paul II enriched the universal Church with a great abundance of gifts which, for the most part, he had inherited from the treasure of faith and holiness of our land and your local Church. He carried in his heart and - so to speak - in his flesh, the witness of the saints of Krakow: that of Saint Stanslaus and Saint Helwig, of Saint Albert and Saint Faustina. He learned from them a boundless dedication to God and a great sensitivity for every person; dedication and sensitivity which he demonstrated in his priestly ministry, as a bishop and as Pope. He received from God the great gift of knowing how to read the signs of the times by the light of the gospel, and he used this gift to enhance the journey of his people, your people, who through various painful events never lost their trust in God and their faith in their own culture rooted in the Christian spirit.
Faithful to these roots, he tried to make the Church stand as a guardian of the inalienable rights of man, of the family and of peoples, to be a sign of peace, justice and integral development for the entire human family. At the same time, he always emphasized the priority of grace and obedience to the will of God, before any human calculation.
This rich heritage, which Saint John Paul II has left us, is for us - and in a special way for your compatriots - a challenge to be faithful to Christ and to respond with joyful dedication to the call to holiness, which the Lord addresses to each and every one of us in our specific personal, family and social situations.
Dear brothers and sisters, Saint John Paul II does not stop watching over the Church in Krakow, which he loved so much! From heaven, he accompanies your journey: families, young people and grandparents, priests, religious and all consecrated persons; the disadvantaged, the suffering. I too entrust you to his intercession. I thank you for your visit and I bless all of you and the entire diocesan community of Krakow. Please do not forget to pray for me.
And, before I give you my blessing, I invite you all to pray a Hail Mary to Our Lady.
(Blessing)
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