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ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II
TO H.E. MR JORGE SAMPAIO
PRESIDENT OF PORTUGAL*

Friday, 12 November 2004  

Mr President,

It is with great pleasure that I receive and greet Your Excellency and your distinguished entourage, remembering the greetings that we exchanged during the Visit that I made to your beloved Fatherland for the beatification of the two great Portuguese children: Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

The charitable Light that shone in their lives seeks to radiate to the whole world. This Light continues to shine with hope on Portugal, particularly concerned at the grave crisis of values present in today's society, which is increasingly insecure when faced with ethical decisions that are indispensable for the future of humanity.

The formation of a critical conscience to discern the meaning of life and history is the greatest cultural challenge of the moment which the Church and Portugal wish to face through healthy collaboration, as demonstrated by the new Concordat that will soon come into force.

On you, your respective families and your People, I invoke with all my heart the Blessing of Almighty God.


*L'Osservatore Romano. Weekly Edition in English n.49 p.2.


© Copyright 2004 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana



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