Meeting with the Authorities (12 May 1982)

Greeting of the Holy Father*

On Wednesday, 12 May 1982, the Holy Father greeted the Portuguese Authorities in Lisbon, where he spoke of the vision of man entrusted to the Church by Christ. “It is in the minds, hearts and free will of men that, first of all, a change must be made, so that the acceptance of innovations is linked to the common good, so that there can only be an improvement if it refers to everyone,” the Pope said.

Mr Prime Minister,
Mr President of the Assembly of the Republic,
Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Excellencies.

1. I feel honored and grateful for the opportunity to greet, in the persons of Your Excellencies, the holders of the executive and deliberative power of this noble Nation, which comes to welcome me, with welcome enthusiasm and nobility, on this pilgrimage of mine to Fatima and pastoral visit to some Portuguese lands.

With the interest shown in this visit of mine, with deferential presence, upon my arrival, and now in this meeting, I am convinced that, going beyond my person, we wanted to pay homage to what I am given to represent here as Pastor of the Universal Church; moved, I want to thank you for all the attention and the good welcome, in which I was able to begin to see the well-known religiosity and deep-rooted Christian faith of the dear Portuguese. Blessed be God! And, in expressing my gratitude here, I see in Your Excellencies each and every one of the people and entities to whom, for different reasons, it is due.

2. Having met with such a distinguished representative of Portugal, in this happy moment, I would like to assure you, first of all, of the greatest esteem for the high mission with which you are invested, at the service of the common good of the entire Nation. May heaven always guide you, in the fulfillment of your mandate, a conception of man, with all his values ​​and dignity, and a desire to concretely serve each and every one of the Portuguese, who have chosen you for this honorable mission, which is at the same time commitment.

In you are placed the aspirations and hopes of the dear Portuguese people, legitimately proud of a glorious history lived and suffered, in which their identity as a people is expressed, and in which promises are contained and the potential for building a future is glimpsed. each time more worthy, faithful to its soul and without interruption of historical continuity.

3. My travels, as we know, always have a prevalent pastoral character, having apostolic purposes in mind; with them, I intend to continue an initiative that comes from my predecessors, especially from Pope Paul VI, who Portugal once had the joy of receiving. Being an important part of my mission as successor of the apostle Saint Peter, my desire for a stimulating presence for the Church spread throughout the world led me today to the meeting of the Church located in Portugal, where the Catholic community represents the great majority of the population. Wandering in the name and for the love of Christ, Redeemer of man and center of the cosmos and of history, in these journeys I always feel like the bearer of a message about man, with all the truth about him.

The Church, carrying out its mission of a spiritual order and always desirous of maintaining the greatest respect for the necessary and legitimate institutions of a temporal order, never fails to appreciate and rejoice in everything that fosters the strength to live the integral truth of man; you cannot fail to congratulate the efforts being made to protect and defend the fundamental rights and freedoms of every human person; and she rejoices, and thanks the Lord of life and history, when planning and programs - of a political, economic, social and cultural nature - are inspired by respect and love for the dignity of man, in the search for the "civilization of 'Love".

4. With this position and, when appropriate, with joy for the successful communion of efforts, aimed at making imbalances that make coexistence precarious, disturbances of order that create anguish in the spirits and deficiencies of various kinds, which depress and not rarely degrade and debase those who suffer from them, the Church knows how to give value to the task of those who must inspire, promote or stimulate the processes to overcome these situations. Alongside competence and good will, the ability to bring these resolution processes to a successful conclusion, amid "opposite" pressures, is no less to be appreciated.

In her fidelity to the vision of man, which was entrusted to her by her Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, the Church does not fail to recommend what can serve the great cause of man. Abstracting from the technical aspects of reform or transformation, it experiences persuasion and insists that it is in the minds, hearts and free will of men that, first of all, a change must be made, so that the acceptance of innovations is linked to the common good, so that there can only be an improvement if it refers to everyone. For this reason, continuous training of men is essential, growth in humanity and in the sense of co-responsibility in guiding their own destinies, starting from education and information at all levels, - passing through the so-called "quality" of life, for culture and as regards the daily needs of existence, up to participation within spaces of legitimate freedom and pluralism, always enlightened by the indispensable mutual understanding, aimed at enriching the common search for the greater good for all.

5. I know that you are aware of the fact that, although everyone's co-responsibility is constantly maintained and increased in society, nevertheless the initiatives and rational human direction of vital processes depend to a large extent on those who hold government positions; aware that disinterest and discernment must go hand in hand, to remove, in the exercise of the mission of service, pernicious confusions: first of all, regarding the truth about man, with partial visions that are reductive or misled from the total reality of him; then about authentic human solidarity, with manipulations of the same, which denounce themselves for the interests they propose or harbor, to the detriment of man.

Gentlemen.

Everything that is done for the most noble cause of man will always be grateful to the hearts of all men of good will:

- to make it easier for every man to be more and more man, in the effort to overcome the division he suffers within himself, since he feels, on the one hand, unlimited in his desires and aspirations for a superior life; and on the other, forced by the multiple needs of his temporal existence;

- to help the poorest, the marginalized and those who are affected by misery and frustrations of various kinds, which are sometimes undeserved and do not allow them to be protagonists of their own personal history;

- to assist those who are forced to choose the "necessary evil" of emigration, in order to obtain a better personal, family and social life, without suffering great moral damage;

- to allow everyone to embrace their vocation and, if they opt for the family, to be able to respect the sacredness of all its values ​​and all its functions, in the procreation and education of their offspring;

- to prevent young people, especially the disinherited and less favored ones, from losing their personal dignity and sense of moral values, taking paths that marginalize them from society, where poverty and indigence combine with degradation and crime, up to the extremes of revolt and criminal violence;

- to guarantee work for all and reduce the inconveniences of urbanisation, which when for various reasons grows disproportionately is no longer on a human scale;

- finally, to make it possible for every human person to respect the rights of God, creator of all things and Lord of history, who - allow me to proclaim it at this moment - has given in Christ the "key" to the "mystery" that man represents for man.

For all this, your task is immense, but wonderful; Your mission is noble and deserves every commitment, pride and enthusiasm. It is about the common good; it is about making an ever greater nation and making the homeland a pleasant home for its people. The success of the work of the leaders and administrators of power - it is an idea that I repeat - can be seen in the well-being, happiness, peace and joy of those who are served by power.

I wish your Excellencies all the best; and repeating my thanks, I wish you to see the fruits of your mission, of your commitment to serve, in a Portugal increasingly animated by an ideal of authentically human and fraternal relationships and more prosperous, with the protection of Our Lady of Fatima and the blessings of Almighty and Merciful God.

* Teachings of John Paul II , vol.V, 2 p.1532-1535.

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