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Let us walk together, let us be united
On Monday, 25 April, in the Paul VI Audience Hall, the Holy Father
met the German pilgrims who had come to Rome for the inauguration
ceremony of the new Pope. In his Address, the Pontiff discussed his new
role as Pastor of the Universal Catholic Church and asked for his
listeners' support and trust in carrying out his new ministry. The
following is a translation of the Holy Father's Address, which was given
in German.
Dear German fellow citizens,
First of all, I apologize for being late. Germans are known for their
punctuality, and this is a sign that I have become quite Italianized.
However, we were at an ecumenical meeting with representatives of
ecumenism from across the world, of all the Churches and Ecclesial
Communities and with the representatives of other religions. It was a
most cordial meeting, and so it was rather long. But now, finally, I
cordially welcome you!
I warmly thank you for your good wishes, the words and signs of
affection and of friendship that I have received overwhelmingly from
every part of Germany. At the beginning of my journey in a ministry that
I never even imagined and for which I felt inadequate, all of this gives
me great strength and assistance. May God reward you for this!
'Follow me'
When, little by little, the trend of the voting led me to understand
that, to say it simply, the axe was going to fall on me, my head began
to spin. I was convinced that I had already carried out my life's work
and could look forward to ending my days peacefully. With profound
conviction I said to the Lord: Do not do this to me! You have younger
and better people at your disposal, who can face this great
responsibility with greater dynamism and greater strength.
I was then very touched by a brief note written to me by a brother
Cardinal. He reminded me that on the occasion of the Mass for John Paul
II, I had based my homily, starting from the Gospel, on the Lord's words
to Peter by the Lake of Gennesaret: "Follow me!". I spoke of how again
and again, Karol Wojtyła
received this call from the Lord, and how each time he had to renounce
much and to simply say: Yes, I will follow you, even if you lead me
where I never wanted to go.
This brother Cardinal wrote to me: Were the Lord to say to you now,
"Follow me", then remember what you preached. Do not refuse! Be obedient
in the same way that you described the great Pope, who has returned to
the house of the Father. This deeply moved me. The ways of the Lord are
not easy, but we were not created for an easy life, but for great
things, for goodness.
Thus, in the end I had to say "yes". I trust in the Lord and I trust
in you, dear friends. A Christian is never alone, as I said yesterday in
my Homily. In this way, I expressed the marvelous experience that we all
lived through in the past four extraordinary weeks. Following the Pope's
death and all the sorrow that it brought, the living Church emerged. It
was clear that the Church is a unifying force, a sign for humanity.
When the great radio and television broadcasting stations gave
24-hour coverage on the Pope's return to the house of the Father, of
people's grief, of the accomplishments of this great man, they were
responding to a participation that exceeded every expectation. The
Pope appeared to them as a father who offered them security and trust,
who in some way united everyone.
It became obvious that the Church is not closed in on herself and
does not exist only for herself, but is a shining point for humanity.
Indeed, it was seen that the Church is not old and immobile. No, she is
young.
Christ did not promise easy living
If we look at these young people who were gathered around the late
Pope, and as a result, around Christ, whose cause the Pope espoused,
something just as comforting could be seen: it is not true that young
people think only of consumerism and pleasure. It is not true that they
are materialistic and self-centred. Just the opposite is true: young
people want great things. They want an end to injustice. They want
inequalities to be overcome and all peoples to have their share in the
earth's goods. They want freedom for the oppressed. They want great
things, good things.
This is why young people are
—
you are —
once again fully open to Christ. Christ did not promise an easy life.
Those who desire comforts have dialed the wrong number. Rather,
he shows us the way to great things, the good, towards an authentic
human life.
When he speaks of the cross that we ourselves have to carry, it has
nothing to do with a taste for torture or of pedantic moralism. It is
the impulse of love, which has its own momentum and does not seek itself
but opens the person to the service of truth, justice and the good.
Christ shows God to us, and thus the true greatness of man.
Bavaria and Rome
I am greatly pleased to see here the delegations and pilgrims from
nay Bavarian Homeland. Already on previous occasions, I have been able
to tell you how much your faithful affection means to me, which has
lasted since I left my beloved Archdiocese of Munich and Freising to go
to the Vatican, responding to the call of my Venerable Predecessor Pope
John Paul II, who appointed me as Prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith more than 23 years ago.
Since then, I have always been aware that Bavaria and Rome are not
far apart, and not only from a geographical standpoint; rather, they
have always been two poles between which a reciprocal, fruitful
relationship has existed. From Rome, by means of tradesmen, officials
and soldiers, the Gospel reached the Danube and the Lech.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Bavaria offered one of the most
beautiful witnesses of fidelity to the Catholic Church. This can be seen
in the fruitful exchange of culture and devotion between baroque Bavaria
and the See of the Successor of Peter. In modern times, it was Bavaria
that gave the universal Church that lovable Capuchin porter, St Konrad
von Parzham.
Dear friends, let us keep up this generosity, this pilgrimage towards
Christ. I joyfully look forward to Cologne, where the youth of the world
will meet; or rather, where the youth of the world will hold their
meeting with Christ.
Let us walk together, let us be united. I trust in your help. I ask
for your understanding if I make mistakes, as happens to any man, or if
something that the Pope has to say or do according to his own conscience
or the conscience of the Church is not understood. I ask for your trust.
If we stay united, then we will discover the right path. And let us pray
to Mary, Mother of the Lord, so that she will enable us to feel her love
as a woman and a mother, in which we can understand all of the depth of
Christ's mystery.
The Lord bless you all!
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