Pope Benedict's Message to the American People
by Fr. Roger J. Landry - April 11, 2008
In anticipation of his apostolic pilgrimage to the United States next week, Pope Benedict on Tuesday recorded a video message to the American people. It sums up what he hopes to accomplish on his trip to our shores.
He said, first, that he wishes to reach out spiritually to all American Catholics, to strengthen us in the faith and to launch us out with hope to proclaim and live the Gospel message. Among the principle purposes of his voyage is to celebrate a great milestone in the history of U.S. Catholicism, the creation, on April 8, 1808, of the first American Archdiocese in Baltimore through the birth of four daughter dioceses, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Bardstown, Kentucky. This event occurred only 21 years after Baltimore had itself been established as the first U.S. diocese and is a clear witness to the faith, hard work and courage of the first Catholic priests, religious and faithful that helped the Church to grow. This same missionary zeal continued unabated and soon many other dioceses would be born to accommodate larger numbers of Catholics. Benedict is coming to our shores to reignite that same type of ardent evangelization among American Catholics today. In looking back to the past and thanking God for the gift of faith that was passed down to us at such a cost, Benedict wants to inspire us with the hope that comes from Christ to confront our generation's challenges and help the faith to grow anew.
He is also coming to here to engage all Americans, and through his speech at the United Nations, the whole world to adopt the means that will bring our hope for peace, justice and freedom to fruition through a recommitment to the golden rule and to Christ's commandment to love one another.
The success of his pilgrimage does not depend principally, however, on the eloquence of his speeches and homilies, or the number of people attending his events or watching them on television. It will come through the power of God and through our receiving on good and fruitful soil the seeds Christ has sent him to sow. That's why Benedict four times in his brief message, and Bishop Coleman in his front page letter, asks us to pray "intensely" for the "pastoral fruits" of his "mission," so that this pilgrimage may be as much a milestone in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States as the bicentennial the Holy Father has come to celebrate.
Here is the text of Pope Benedict's message:
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 endeavors 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.
I cordially greet Spanish-speaking Catholics and manifest to you my spiritual closeness, especially to the young, to the sick, the elderly and those experiencing difficulties or who are most in need. I express my great wish to be present with you in this dear nation. In the meantime, I ask you to pray intensely for the pastoral fruits of my imminent Apostolic Voyage and to keep high the call of hope in the Risen Christ.
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.
May God bless you all.
Father Roger J. Landry is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford, MA and Executive Editor of The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River.
