(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday (September 25th) spoke to personnel at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. In his short address, the Holy Father thanked them for their efforts on behalf of peace and justice, telling them to care for one another.
This is the fifth time a Pope visits the UN Headquarters. The last papal visit was Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.
Listen to Pope Francis’ speech to UN personnel:
Please find below Pope Francis’ greetings to UN personnel:
Greetings of Pope Francis
to United Nations Organization Personnel
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Friday 25 September 2015
Dear Friends,
On the occasion of my visit to the United Nations, I am pleased to greet you, the men and women who are, in many ways, the backbone of this Organization. I thank you for your welcome, and I am grateful for all that you have done to prepare for my visit. I would ask you also to offer my greetings to the members of your families and to your colleagues who could not be with us today.
The vast majority of the work done here is not of the kind that makes the news. Behind the scenes, your daily efforts make possible many of the diplomatic, cultural, economic and political initiatives of the United Nations, which are so important for meeting the hopes and expectations of the peoples who make up our human family. You are experts and experienced fieldworkers, officials and secretaries, translators and interpreters, cleaners and cooks, maintenance and security personnel. Thank you for all that you do!
Your quiet and devoted work not only contributes to the betterment of the United Nations. It also has great significance for you personally. For how we work expresses our dignity and the kind of persons we are.
Many of you have come to this city from countries the world over. As such, you are a microcosm of the peoples which this Organization represents and seeks to serve. Like so many other people worldwide, you are concerned about your children’s welfare and education. You worry about the future of the planet, and what kind of a world we will leave for future generations. But today, and everyday, I would ask each of you, whatever your capacity, to care for one another. Be close to one another, respect one another, and so embody among yourselves this Organization’s ideal of a united human family, living in harmony, working not only for peace, but in peace; working not only for justice, but in a spirit of justice.
Dear friends, I bless each one of you from my heart. I will pray for you and your families, and I ask each of you, please, to remember to pray for me. And if any of you are not believers, I ask you to wish me well. God bless you all.
Thank you.
(from Vatican Radio)…
The Pope was met with a
standing ovation, applause and cheering when he entered the US Congress on
Thursday, 23 September. Introduced as “The Pope of the Holy See”, Francis
received a warm welcome as the first pope to visit the place. Indeed the Pope’s
address was interrupted 36 times due to applause — a sign of the audiences’ attention and
often, though not always unanimous, agreement –
beginning with when he expressed his gratitude for the invitation to
address “the land of the free and home of the brave”. As the Pope spoke,
thousands of people outside watched on megascreens near the West Wing, which,
since Ronald Regan’s presidency, has been the site of the presidential
inauguration. According to protocol, the only individual to speak was
the Pontiff, who delivered his address in English. Across from him was a
medallion of Moses, surrounded by other medallions profiling the country’s
great legislators. However the figure of Moses is the only one in the hall
which directly faces the speaker. Indeed, the Pope referred to the prophet at
the beginning of his speech, underlining that the Biblical figure represents
the job of politicians to defend man by way of the law. Gaetano Vallini…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis Thursday presided over vespers with priests and religious at New York’s St Patrick’s Cathedral, his first main event upon arriving at the “Big Apple” from Washington, DC. Vatican Radio’s Seàn-Patrick Lovett is travelling with the Pope on this 10th Apostolic Visit abroad to Cuba and to the United States. He sent us this report from New York City. Obviously I am biased because Patrick happens to be my patron saint. But after following the Pope to two churches, both named after the great evangelizer of Ireland, and both on the same day, made me feel that perhaps Patrick was trying to tell me something. Both St Patrick’s Church in Washington DC and St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City boast gorgeous marble statues of their namesake, complete with shamrocks, pastoral staffs, and the occasional serpent. No, it’s not the Devil. It’s a reminder that Patrick chased the snakes out of Ireland (I thought you knew that). Both churches are built in the Neo-Gothic style (although the former is obviously minute in comparison to the latter). But there, I’m afraid, the similarities end. In Washington, St Patrick’s is home to Catholic Charities that feeds and ministers to over 120,000 women, men and children in the city each year. Many of these are immigrants. Several are families facing grave economic difficulties. The parish runs soup kitchens, educational and housing programs, provides a shelter for the homeless – and much more besides. If you’ve ever been to New York City you’ll be familiar with one of its most recognizable landmarks: St Patrick’s Cathedral, squeezed in between steel and glass skyscrapers (and right next door to Saks Fifth Avenue – the world’s most sophisticated department store). Newly restored, its soaring vaulted ceilings and glittering stained glass windows, have welcomed Presidents, princes, and three Popes. Fondly referred to as “America’s parish church”, and rightly considered one of the greatest artistic and architectural gems in the country (St Patrick’s is modeled on the Cathedral of Cologne, in Germany) – it can’t help communicating opulence and influence as well. Looking around the packed interior before Pope Francis arrived on Thursday evening was like reading a Who’s Who of New York Catholic society. So when Pope Francis started speaking I listened especially attentively just in case St Patrick started dropping hints. And, true to form, the message came through loud and clear. A few simple words: “gratitude and hard work”. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have, never stop being thankful for both – and never tire of putting your talents at the service of others. But there was another surprise in store. And this time it wasn’t for me. Just when everyone thought his discourse was over, Pope Francis addressed the woman religious of the United States: “What would the Church be without you?”, he asked. “Women of strength, fighters…in the front lines…I love you very much”. This surprise vindication of the nuns of the United States was met with a standing ovation – and some very damp eyes. Mine included. With Pope Francis in New York City – I’m Seán-Patrick Lovett (from Vatican Radio)…