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ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO THE OFFICERS OF THE PAPAL FOUNDATION

Tuesday, 27 April 1993

 

Your Eminences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to greet the officers of "The Papal Foundation" on the occasion of your annual visit to Rome. My particular appreciation goes to your President, Cardinal Krol, whom I thank for the kind words which he addressed to me in your name, and to the Cardinal members and the Trustees of the Foundation. Once again this year I express my deep gratitude for the practical assistance which you are providing me in my ministry of service to the universal Church. The work of your Foundation continues to bear impressive witness to the generosity of the Catholics of the United States and to the close bonds of communion uniting them to the See of Rome.

Today as ever, the demands of ecclesial communion call for a great sharing of gifts within the Church. Such sharing, whether the nature of the gift is predominantly material or spiritual, is a sign of the abundant graces which enliven and unify the members of Christ’s Body, and is a source of spiritual enrichment to receiver and to donor alike. In the unity of the Church, all Christians are called, as members of one another, to serve one another according to the gifts bestowed on each. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us: "This solidarity must be constantly increased until that day when it will be brought to perfection. Then, saved by grace, men will offer flawless glory to God as a family beloved of God and of Christ their Brother (Gaudium et Spes, 32).

In this regard, I am particularly grateful for The Papal Foundation’s readiness to respond to the needs of the Church in the European countries where it has only recently been possible to return to a normal ecclesial life. Through your generosity, our brothers and sisters in those countries will be helped, among other things, to rebuild structures for the training of priests who will exercise the ministry of preaching the Gospel and celebrating the Sacraments. These projects are dear to my heart. They promise to bear abundant fruit in a renewal of Christian life and will thus contribute to the strengthening of the entire Church in faith, hope and love.

Dear friends: it is my fervent prayer that your desire to share in this practical way in my apostolic concern for all the Churches (Cf. 2Cor. 11, 28). will inspire in you a renewed commitment to pray and work for the coming of God’s Kingdom. To you and to all who contribute to the work of The Papal Foundation, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of grace and peace in Christ our Savior.

 

© Copyright 1993 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

 



Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana