ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II
TO THE GRAND DUKE AND DUCHESS OF LUXEMBOURG*

Thursday, 27 March 2003

Your Royal Highnesses,

I thank you for your visit and for the sentiments you have expressed to me on behalf of all the people of Luxembourg. Please be kind enough to convey to their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke Jean and the Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte my cordial remembrance, assuring the Grand Duchess of my prayers for her, so sorely tried by poor health.

I know of the attention you give to the education of young people, to pass on to future generations the patrimony of the values which forged our societies and must continue to give them a soul. As I have often had the opportunity to say, the building of the European Union cannot be limited merely to sectors of the economy and the organization of the market. Rather, it should aim to promote a model of society that honours the fundamental dignity of every human being and his or her rights, and gives priority among individuals and peoples to relations based on justice, mutual respect and peace. This is the spirit in which the Holy See is working tirelessly, to remind people that "man is more valuable for what he is than for what he has", as the Second Vatican Council said. The religious dimension of the person and of peoples, whose importance cannot be ignored, rightly entitles each one to express his profound being, to recognize God as his origin and to understand the significance of his action in terms of mission and responsibility.

It is our duty to make known to all who dwell on our continent, who enjoy the wealth and benefits of peace, the inalienable value of our common humanity and the responsibility for every person that it confers on them, especially for those who suffer from poverty, lack of respect for their dignity or who are tried by war. I am glad that many young Europeans today thirst for the spirit of the Beatitudes and are increasingly ready to welcome it in their lives.

As I thank you for your visit, through you I greet the beloved people of Luxembourg and I impart to you, Your Highnesses, as well as to your children, an affectionate Apostolic Blessing.

*L'Osservatore Romano. Weekly Edition in English n.15 p.3.

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