Arrival in the Federal Republic of Germany (15 November 1980)

On 15 November 1980, the Holy Father arrived at the Cologne-Bonn Airport to begin his Pastoral Visit to the Federal Republic of Germany in response to the “fraternal invitation of the German Bishops' Conference and of the President.” 

1. With deep inner emotion and a sense of gratitude to divine Providence, which in its inscrutable plan called me to the See of Peter, I set foot today on German soil, whose people I was already able to know and esteem in my previous visits.

My most sincere thanks go to you, Mr President, for your noble words of greeting and I heartily reciprocate the expression of the high esteem with which you have welcomed me on behalf of the German people for my visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. At the same time, I greet together with you the personalities of politics and society present here, the diplomatic corps represented here as well as all the citizens of this country. My fraternal greeting goes in particular to the ecclesiastical representatives, above all to the most reverend Cardinal Joseph Höffner, to whom I express my intimate union, my affection and love for all the pastors and faithful of the Catholic Church in Germany.

2. I gladly responded to the fraternal invitation of the German Bishops' Conference and of the President to make this visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. As I already emphasized in my announcement of August 10 this year, during my pilgrimage to your country I would like to honor the entire great German nation, whose history is so closely linked to the history of Christianity and the Church and was so profoundly marked by Christian tradition. Over the centuries many German men and women, through the example of holiness, through their genius in the fields of art and science, in particular through philosophical reflection and in-depth theological research, have made a valuable contribution to the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Church and of all humanity.

Precisely on this day, together with the Church of the whole world, let us commemorate an extraordinary son of your country, who has even earned the glorious nickname of "Great"; that is, let us remember Saint Albert the Great, whose seventh centenary of his death occurs this year. It is known that the external occasion of my pilgrimage is the desire to demonstrate my particular veneration for his tomb and for the place of his last, indefatigable activity. In him I equally honor the genius of the German people, I honor above all the Catholic Church of this country, which as in the past and up to the present day has remained a highly esteemed and lively member of the universal church. His spiritual influence works even today with his inspiration, far beyond the borders of this country, in the life of the whole church,

The sense of responsibility of German Catholics, which goes beyond their local church, finds a concrete expression, among other things, in the well-known great aid works promoted by the bishops, in the full self-sacrificing commitment for the benefit of the missions and in the charitable actions for people in need all over the world. Therefore this visit of mine, in connection with my previous three great apostolic journeys to Third World countries (Mexico, Africa, Brazil), is also meant to be an expression of gratitude and thanksgiving that the Church and the citizens of your country in general they feel bound in a spirit of fraternal solidarity with the needy population of all those regions suffering from hunger, disease, natural catastrophes and human helplessness, and they lend their help and support with all their hearts.

3. As has already been underlined by the aforementioned external occasion of my visit, my apostolic journey to the Federal Republic of Germany also has - like all previous journeys - an exclusively pastoral and religious character. Without exception, I address all the people of this country, to whom I present myself in the name of Jesus Christ as a friend and brother; in a particular way, however, I address my brothers and sisters in the faith: the bishops, priests, men and women religious and lay people in their many spheres of life and activity, with whom I hope to be able to meet individually during the five days of the my visit to various places. It is equally important to me to greet all separated brothers in faith. I rejoice at the personal meetings that are planned with the most important exponents of their churches and ecclesial communities. May God grant that my pilgrimage beyond confessional boundaries contributes to greater mutual understanding and rapprochement among all Christians and favors the peaceful coexistence of all the people who live in this country.

I have arrived in the Federal Republic of Germany precisely in the year in which our brothers and sisters of the Evangelical confession celebrated the memory of the 450 years which have passed since the proclamation of the Confessio Augustana. Allow me to tell them that it was my particular intention to be together with them right now. Here, where the Reformation took its beginning, may the effort also be redoubled to do all that is humanly possible, in fidelity to the one Lord of the church and to his message, to fulfill his heart's desire and prayer: " May all be one” (Jn 17:21).

4. By virtue of the task that the Lord has entrusted to me, I feel especially sent to the brothers and sisters of the Catholic Church of this country, to confirm them in their faith and in their witness to the crucified and risen Christ in the midst of today's world and to encourage them, faced with the growing challenges of an environment that has become indifferent from the religious point of view, to respond even more decisively and courageously to their Christian vocation and to the responsibility of shaping the family, profession and society in an increasingly more worthy of human dignity.

Through my pilgrimage these days, I also reciprocate the visit that German Catholics have already paid me in large numbers in the first two years of my pontificate, during the weekly general audiences in the Vatican. If due to time constraints I will be able to visit only a few significant places, nevertheless I cordially invite all the faithful and all communities, especially those brothers and sisters who are prevented from participating personally due to illness or other circumstances, to unite spiritually through the prayer and sacrifice to the large praying community in the celebrations of the coming days. Through our common praise of God, in which we deeply experience being church and realizing it in a living communion, may this memorable meeting of the Successor of Peter with the People of God in the Federal Republic of Germany turn these days into moments of grace and religious renewal for all. St. Albert the Great intercede for us the support and blessing of the Lord.

To you, Mr President, and to all those who, together with you, honor me with their presence, once again go my most sincere thanks for the friendly welcome and cordial hospitality shown at the beginning of my pastoral visit to your country.

May God bless all Germans in the world! May God protect the Federal Republic of Germany!

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