Missal for the Pastoral Visit

April 20, 2008 "Look to the Future With Hope" Homily at Yankee Stadium

April 20, 2008 "We Feel Especially Blessed By Your Coming Among Us" Cardinal Egan's Greeting at Papal Mass

April 20, 2008 "God of Peace, Bring Your Peace to Our Violent World" Prayer at Ground Zero

April 19, 2008 "Have Courage and Be Our Hope" Address to Youth and Seminarians at St. Joseph's Seminary

April 19, 2008 "Communicate the Joy Born of Faith and the Experience of God’s Love" Homily at St. Patrick's

April 18, 2008 "A Faithful Witness to the Gospel Is As Urgent As Ever" Address at Ecumenical Prayer Service

April 18, 2008 "Continue Building Bridges of Friendship" Address to Jewish Leaders

April 18, 2008 "Human Rights ... Must Be Respected As an Expression of Justice" Address to the United Nations

April 17, 2008 "The Past 40 Years Has Fundamentally Changed Our Relationship for the Better" Greeting to Jewish Community

April 17, 2008 "A United Society Can Indeed Arise From a Plurality of Peoples" Address to Interreligious Leaders

April 17, 2008 "Freedom Is Not an Opting Out, it is an Opting In" Address to Catholic Educators

Apr. 17, 2008 "Different Type of Fan Floods Nationals Stadium" Benedict XVI Celebrates Holy Spirit Mass in US Capital

April 17, 2008 "Americans Have Always Been a People of Hope" Homily at Nationals Park

April 16, 2008 "The People of This Country Are Known for Their Great Vitality and Creativity" Papal Address to US Bishops

April 16, 2008 "America Needs Message of Love and Faith" Papal and Presidential Addresses at the White House

April 16, 2008 "I Go to the United States With Joy" Press Conference Aboard Papal Flight

April 11, 2008 Bush Says He Sees God in Eyes of Pope Interview of President Bush by R. Arroyo

"I Am Coming, Sent by Jesus Christ, to Bring You His Word of Life"
Benedict XVI's Message to the United States


VATICAN CITY, APRIL 8, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the video-message that Benedict XVI sent to the people of the United States
on the occasion of his imminent visit to Washington, D.C., and New York. His visit will take place April 15-20.

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 fulfillment 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.

[The Pope continued in Spanish]

I direct a cordial greeting to Spanish-speaking Catholics and manifest my spiritual closeness, in particular to the youth, the ill, the elderly and those who are in moments of difficulty of feel themselves in need. I express my heartfelt desire to be with you soon in this beloved nation. In the meantime, I encourage you to pray intensely for the pastoral fruits of my imminent apostolic trip and to keep high the flame of hope in the resurrected Christ.

[Translation by ZENIT]

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. [May the Virgen Mary accompany and protect you. May God bless you.]

May God bless you all.

© Copyright 2008 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

 

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