Farewell Ceremony, Nagasaki, Japan (26 February 1981)
ShareOn 26 February 1981. the Holy Father, preparing to return to Rome, bade farewell to Japan from the Catholic Center. He expressed his gratitude for the warmth with which he had been received by the Japanese people.
After experiencing the cordial hospitality of Japan for four days, the time has come for me to return to Rome.
But before I leave this country, I wish to fulfill the debt of gratitude to all who have shown me such courtesy.
I express my gratitude to the authorities of this nation, and first and foremost to His Imperial Majesty. I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to present to him personally, the expression of my respect and honor for the role he plays in the lives of the Japanese people.
I renew my appreciation to the Government of Japan for the courteous manner in which it received me, and for all that was done to facilitate my visit and my travels from one city to another. I thank all those who were involved in ensuring public order and those who, in one way or another, contributed to the success of my visit.
To the Catholic community to which I paid a pastoral visit, I express my deepest gratitude: to my brothers in the episcopate who invited me and who worked so hard to organize my visit; to the beloved clergy, religious and lay people who have received me as a father, a brother and a friend in Christ.
I leave everyone the assurance of my union in faith. I want all those I have visited, as well as those to whom it was impossible for me to go, to be certain of my solidarity in friendship and prayer. I urge everyone to remain steadfast in the great ideals that St. Francis Xavier conveyed to them when, in 1549, he proclaimed the call to service and Christian love. It is a satisfaction to see that the message, proclaimed by him and freely accepted by such a large number of people, has taken firm root in Japanese soil and brought joy and happiness to countless hearts.
To all the Japanese people I express my profound gratitude for the warmth with which they received me and for their cordial hospitality. I have the hope that it will be able to long cultivate the great values, human and religious, which have been part of its culture for generations. It is my ardent hope that, as a united people, we can put all our talents at the service of a world in need of fraternal assistance, development, hope and encouragement.
I pray that the Japanese people will always cultivate the ideal of peace and defend it through the protection of human life and dignity and the constant pursuit of justice; that Japan can reach the still unknown heights of human service in building a world in which spiritual values are the support of man, in the fullness of his humanity, and are never extinguished by an incomplete idea of progress.
It was a joy for me to travel from Tokyo to Hiroshima and finally to Nagasaki. Thanks to the experience and cooperation of the Japanese and the world-wide media, my appeal for peace and the cause of man has been carried to the ends of the earth.
And now my final prayer is that the wisdom of the Almighty descend upon all those who guide the destiny of Japan, that the wisdom of God be with all the Japanese people. And to all of you I leave the expression of my gratitude and esteem, the constant love of my heart.
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