Farewell Ceremony (9 November 1982)
ShareOn Tuesday, 9 November 1982, at the Labacolla Airport in Santiago de Compostela, the Holy Father bade farewell to Spain, ending his Apostolic Journey. In his speech, he said, "With my journey I wanted to reawaken in you the memory of your Christian past and of the great moments of your religious history."
Your Majesty,
brothers in the Episcopate,
all Spaniards.
1. The time has come to say goodbye, at the end of my apostolic journey to your nation. I thank God for these intense days, which allowed me to achieve the expected objectives of announcing the faith and sowing hope.
In each of the places visited, I joyfully found a great vitality of Christian faith. Combined with unequivocal evidence of love for the Church and affection for the successor of Peter.
2. Many scenes and moments of this journey remain imprinted in my soul, they will remain indelible memories of my stay among you. I am sure that many times the memory of these days will come to my mind, and then prayer will collect my grateful memory.
Among the many memorable moments, how can we not mention the meeting with the Bishops of Spain who look after the flock of Christ; those of my prayer on the tombs of these universal saints, Teresa of Jesus and John of the Cross; meetings with major religious superiors, with the world of work and with young people; the priestly act with the ordination of new priests; the first beatification carried out in Spain; the Marian "act" and the rosary next to the common Mother? How many wonderful intimate moments come back to my memory when I think back to my stay in Madrid, Avila, Alba de Tormes, Salamanca, Guadalupe, Toledo, Segovia, Seville, Granada, Loyola, Javier, Zaragoza, Montserrat-Barcelona, Valencia and the last stop in this city of the apostle James! They are names that have definitively penetrated the deepest fibers of my being, which have become the image of a beloved name: Spain.
3. With my journey I wanted to reawaken in you the memory of your Christian past and of the great moments of your religious history. That story for which, despite the inevitable human shortcomings, the Church owed you a testimony of gratitude.
Without this meaning an invitation to live with nostalgia or with an eye only to the past, I wanted to vivify your Christian virtuality. So that you know how to illuminate your future with the light of faith, and build the foundations of your current coexistence on Christian humanism. Because by loving your past and purifying it, you will be faithful to yourself and capable of opening up to the future with originality.
4. Before leaving your country, I wish to renew my thanks to His Majesty the King, for his invitation to visit Spain, which joined that of the Bishops, and for coming to greet me today with the Queen. My gratitude also goes to the Government and all the authorities of the nation for the effort made to ensure the success of this visit. Likewise, my sincere gratitude goes to the many people who provided a precious and anonymous service, before and during my trip.
Dear all Spaniards: I have seen thousands of times, in all the cities I have visited, the poster of the one you were waiting for as a "witness of hope".
The Pope's open arms want to continue to be a call to hope, an invitation to look up, a plea for peace and fraternal coexistence among you.
They are the arms of those who blesses you and invokes divine protection upon you, and with a greeting full of affection tells you: ¡Hasta siempre, España! Hasta always, Tierra de María!
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