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APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO THE USA
 “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.”
Pope Benedict uttered these words on a video message to the Catholics
and people of the United States of America on the occasion of His
Apostolic Journey on April 15-21, 2008.
Below is a copy of his video message from Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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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 fulfilment
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.
Dirijo un cordial saludo a los católicos de lengua española
y les manifiesto mi cercanía espiritual, en particular a
los jóvenes, a los enfermos, a los ancianos y a los que pasan
por dificultades o se sienten más necesitados. Les expreso
mi vivo deseo de poder estar pronto con Ustedes en esa querida Nación.
Mientras tanto, les aliento a orar intensamente por los frutos pastorales
de mi inminente Viaje Apostólico y a mantener en alto la
llama de la esperanza en Cristo Resucitado.
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 God bless you all.
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“Jesus’
Baptism”