Hence we have an awareness of living through a privileged moment - brief though it be - when a wish borne in our heart for almost twenty centuries is being accomplished. This is the kind of messenger who, at the end of a long journey, is handing over the letter that has been entrusted to him. We speak not only in our own name and in the name of the great Catholic family, but also in the name of the Christian brethren who share in the sentiments we are expressing here, and especially of those who have been kind enough to designate us explicitly as their spokesman. You know very well who we are, and whatever your opinion of the Pontiff of Rome may be, you know that our mission is to bring a message for all mankind. As you can see, it is so simple that it may seem insignificant for this assembly, which is used to dealing with extremely important and difficult affairs.Īnd yet, as we were telling you, and you can all sense it, this moment bears the imprint of a unique greatness: it is great for us it is great for you.įor us, first of all. This is the first declaration that we have to make. As a matter of fact, we have nothing to ask, no question to raise at most a desire to formulate, a permission to seek: that of being allowed to serve you in the area of our competence, with disinterestedness, humility and love.
He has no temporal power, no ambition to enter into competition with you.
POPE VISITS NY FREE
He is your brother, and even one of the least among you who represent sovereign States, since he possesses - if you choose to consider us from this point of view - only a tiny and practically symbolic temporal sovereignty: the minimum needed in order to be free to exercise his spiritual mission and to assure those who deal with him that he is independent of any sovereignty of this world. By simplicity because the one who is speaking to you is a man like yourselves. This gathering, as you are all well aware, has a twofold nature: it is marked at one and the same time by simplicity and by greatness. In their name, as in our own, we pay honor to all of you and offer you greetings! The Cardinals who have accompanied us are its eminent representatives. In addition to our own respects, we bring you those of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, now meeting in Rome. It is as a friend that we appear before you. Your friendship has brought us to this gathering and admitted us to it. We want to thank each of you here present for your kind welcome, and we offer you our cordial and respectful greetings. We also want to thank the President of the Assembly, Signor Amintore Fanfani, who has had such kind words for us from the day on which he took over the office. Thant, your Secretary General, who was kind enough to invite us to pay a visit to the United Nations on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of this world institution for peace and collaboration between the nations of the whole world. As we begin to speak to this audience that is unique in the whole world, we must first of all express our profound thanks to Mr.
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