VATICAN CITY, JUN 5, 2004 (VIS) - Pope John Paul flew to Switzerland this morning, the third apostolic trip of his pontificate to this country, arriving at 11:30 a.m. at the military airport of Payerne, about 50 miles from the capital city of Bern, where he was welcomed by President Joseph Deiss of the Swiss Confederation. Numerous civil and religious authorities, including Archbishop Giacomo De Nicolo, apostolic nuncio and Bishop Grab of Chur, president of the Episcopal conference, were also present.
President Deiss, in his welcome speech, announced that Switzerland, which broke off diplomatic ties with the Holy See in 1873 and only set up a lower-level mission in 1991, would normalize its relations with the Holy See and send a full ambassador-level representative to Rome. Hansrudolf Hoffman, who has special emissary duties and currently resides in Prague, will be the ambassador to the Holy See. The 2004 Pontifical Yearbook lists Hoffman, appointed in December 2001, as "ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary on special mission to the Holy See." Normally, in the list of ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, the words "special mission" do not appear after their title.
The Holy See does have an apostolic nuncio in Switzerland, even though diplomatic ties have been an anomaly over the years. The first Church representative was sent to Lucerne in 1597 and was accredited for many centuries only to the Catholic cantons of Switzerland.
The Pope, in his speech at the airport, called Switzerland "a crossroads of languages and cultures," noting that the Swiss "preserve old traditions and yet are open to modern ideas." He said that "the purpose of my trip is to meet young Swiss Catholics on the occasion of their national gathering. I will be with them tonight at the Bern Expo Center and it will be an evening of celebration for them and also for me."
"It is the duty to proclaim the Gospel of Christ which leads me to travel the world, to propose it again to the men and women of the third millennium, especially the younger generations. Christ is the Redeemer of mankind! Whoever believes in Him and follows him becomes a builder of the civilization of love and peace." He asked the Swiss people to allow him to enter their hearts and homes in his thoughts, "proposing again the joyous Gospel proclamation of Christ the Savior, addressing to each of you His wish for peace!"
Following the welcome ceremony, the Pope traveled in a special van to the Viktoriaheim Residence in Bern where lunch was served. This residence is home to the Sisters of Charity of the Holy Cross and houses about 75 religious and 80 elderly people.
At 6 p.m. John Paul II, prior to leaving the residence for the meeting with young people, was greeted by the mayor of Bern and six city council members. The building at the Expo Center where the Pope and young people met is used for sports and normally houses 16,000 people but, with the papal altar, seated about 10,000 at tonight's event. For the young people this was the culmination of their day which began when they started arriving in the capital from around Switzerland at 11 in the morning.
Bishop Amedee Grab welcomed the Holy Father and his speech was followed by a dance choreographed to Psalm 8, and a witness to their faith given by three young people who spoke in German, French and Italian. Following the Pope's talk to them, the young people sang "Levons-nous" (Let us arise), the hymn of the national encounter of Swiss Youth, recited the Our Father and then the Pope imparted a blessing.
The Holy Father noted that the words "leve-toi" referred to words in the Gospel of Luke spoken by Jesus in Nain to a young man, an only child, who had died and whose bier was being accompanied by his mother. He said he was in Switzerland to say these same words to young people, to ask them to arise and follow Christ as His disciples.
He told the young people they could be part of "that sad procession in Nain" if they "give in to desperation, are seduced by the mirages of consumer societies and distracted from true joy by enjoying passing pleasures, if you become wrapped up in indifference and superficiality, if, in the face of evil and suffering you doubt God's presence and His love for every person, if you seek in a disordered affection the answer to your inner thirst for true and pure love."
"It is in such moments that Christ comes close to you ... and says 'arise'. 'Welcome my invitation to get back up!'"
"Christianity," added the Pope, "is not a simple book of culture or an ideology; nor is it a system of values or principles, even lofty ones. Christianity is a person, a presence, a face: Jesus, Who gives meaning and fullness to man's life."
"Do not be afraid of meeting Christ," he told his young listeners. "I too, like you, once was 20 years old. I loved sports, skiing, acting. I studied and I worked, I had desires and concerns. In those years, now in the distant past, in times when my native country was wounded by war and then by the totalitarian regime, I sought meaning for my life. I found it in following Christ!"
"My second invitation to you is 'Listen!' Never tire of the difficult discipline of listening. Listen to the Lord's voice as He speaks to you in the events of everyday life, the joys and sufferings that accompany you, the persons near you, the voice of your conscience thirsty for the truth, for happiness, goodness and beauty." If you listen carefully, he said, you will be able to discern your vocation, be it for family life or a call to the priesthood and religious life.
He asked the young people, with their energies enthusiasm and ideals, "to make the Gospel permeate the fabric of society and produce a civilization of authentic justice and love without discrimination."
PV-SWITZERLAND/ARRIVAL:YOUTH/BERN VIS 20040607 (1000)
