[text provided by Archdiocese of Mexico]

Twenty years ago you began your pontificate as missionary of the Word and as a wandering messenger for peace in this Mexican soil.

Since then Your Holiness stamped specific characteristics to the fundamental role of the successor of St. Peter, like that of comforting all peoples throughout the Earth, and opening the hearts of the multitudes who are thirsty for a Word, to believe in peace, in liberty, in justice of respect to our basic human rights and above all, of loving charity.

The Papacy must have a universal geography, you wrote on a certain occasion. And now, after walking all latitudes of the world and after having absorbed all geographies, you return to this land with a heart full of love for all mankind. Today you see united, Holy Father, two mysterious facts: The Holy Father comes to Guadalupe and also The Americas, through its bishops, comes to kneel before Jesus, covered all by the Indian complexion of the Virgin of Tepeyac. The Americas and The Pope under the ever sweet and everlasting gaze of this Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas!

Twenty years ago, your Holiness, fell in love with her, and Mary has guided you to cover all fields of the world and to everywhere plant the face of God.

Man and his life, the family and the plight of the most needy and unprotected, youth, especially those who are at great risk, have been only some the topics and ideas of your pontificate. Your words and the echoes of them have reached all the confines of this earth. And today we are very happy and grateful for your presence among us, because from your pain, tiredness and your cross you want to give us, your brothers and children in the Episcopate, personally the Apostolic Exhortation ¨Ecclesia in America¨ which is the result of our Ecclesial communion and the Collegial affection of the Bishops of the Americas with the Successor to St. Peter. This is the fruit of the encounter of the shepperds of this Continent with the Risen Lord, Who guides to conversion, communion and solidarity in the Americas. And you give it to us in this beloved Bassilica, in this moment which is centeral to this whole continent.

Holy Father, Maria of Guadalupe and Blessed Juan Diego know what it means to be in missions, since they were the principal missionaries through whom all inhabitants of these lands received the faith in Jesus Christ.

In this absurd moment of the world, in this ¨today¨ full of injustice and lack of hope, when the Americas which is ¨The Continent of Hope¨ is being torn apart by violence and corruptioon and we feel anguish, I sense the sound in this place her voice emanating from her lips of roses: ¨Am I not here, who have the honor of being your Mother? Are you not by my shadow, under my protection? Am I not the cause of your joy? Are you not under my mantle in my loving arms?¨And all of us, Your Holiness understand that Mary is with us and we will leave this place with the freshmess of Her words in our hearts. The ¨Mother of the Most True God for whom we live¨ has guided our missionaries, the first fathers of our faith; as she guides the ship which is the Church in the midsts of storms; through Her, the Americas are today awaiting the words of Peter, the Word of He in whom Peter has always trusted: ¨Lord, to whom shall we go, You alone have the words of everlasting life¨. She will guide all pastoral agents of the Americas to proclaim in courage and imagination the Gospel of salvation which Your Holines once again brings us. The Lady of Heaven will bring a new springtime of faith and this will flourish in our Continent. A new millenium is born! We reafirm our faith in Christ, hope of the Americas!