Vatican City, 11 July 2015 (VIS) –
After his visit to Palmasola, Pope Francis proceeded to the parish
church of La Santa Cruz, where he met with Bolivian bishops (37,
including bishops emeritus) for an informal meeting lasting around an
hour. He then transferred by car, greeted and applauded by thousands
of people, to Viru Viru airport where he left for Paraguay. He
arrived in the capital Asuncion two hours later, at 3 p.m. local
time.
In the airport he was received by the
president of Paraguay Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara, and witnessed a
brief choreographic display on the history and culture of Paraguay.
He received a floral tribute from a group of children and blessed the
plaque commemorating St. John Paul II's visit to this country from 16
to 18 May 1988.
Following the ceremony the Holy Father
travelled the fifteen kilometres between the airport and the capital
by popemobile. He stopped along the way to greet the inmates at the
“Coreccional del Buen Pastor” women's prison, who had written to
the Pope asking him to visit them during his trip to Paraguay. As he
entered the prison, the choir “Fifty voices of hope” welcomed him
by singing for him.
Upon arrival in Asuncion, the Pope
transferred to the apostolic nunciature, where he will stay during
his days in Paraguay, and from there he travelled by popemobile to
the presidential palace, where he was received by President Horacio
Manuel Cartes Jara, who introduced his family members, after which
they spoke in private.
The President then accompanied the Pope
to the garden of the presidential residence, where he met with
members of the government, the National Congress, the Supreme Court
of Justice and the diplomatic corps. The Pope addressed those
present, recalling Paraguay's suffering throughout history, as well
as the resilience and their determination to build a prosperous
nation. He also emphasised the role of the Catholic Church in the
common effort to construct a just and inclusive society in which all
members live in harmony.
“A particular word of thanks is due
to all those individuals and institutions who worked so hard to
prepare this visit and to make me feel at home. It is not hard to
feel at home in so welcoming a land. Paraguay is known as the heart
of America, not only because of her geographic location, but also
because of the warmth of her hospitality and the friendliness of her
people.
“From the first days of the country’s
independence to recent times, Paraguay has known the terrible
sufferings brought on by war, fratricidal conflict, lack of freedom
and contempt for human rights. How much suffering and death! Yet the
Paraguayan people have also shown an admirable spirit of perseverance
in surmounting adversities and in working to build a prosperous and
peaceful nation. Here, in the garden of this palace which has
witnessed so much of the country’s history – from the time when
it was no more than a riverbank used by the Guarani, until the
present day – I wish to pay tribute to the many ordinary Paraguayan
people, whose names are not written in history books but who have
been, and continue to be, the real protagonists in the life of your
nation. I would also like to acknowledge with profound admiration the
role played by the women of Paraguay in those very dramatic
historical moments, especially during that horrible war which almost
managed to destroy fraternity among our peoples. As mothers, wives
and widows, they shouldered the heaviest burdens; they found a way to
move their families and their country forward, instilling in new
generations the hope of a better tomorrow. May God bless Paraguayan
women, the most glorious of all in the Americas!
“A people which forgets its own past,
its history and its roots, has no future; it is a dull people.
Memory, if it is firmly based on justice and rejects hatred and all
desire for revenge, makes the past a source of inspiration for the
building of a future of serene coexistence. It also makes us realise
the tragedy and pointlessness of war. Let there be an end to wars
between brothers! Let us always build peace! A peace which which
grows stronger day by day, a peace which makes itself felt in
everyday life, a peace to which each person contributes by seeking to
avoid signs of arrogance, hurtful words, contemptuousness, and
instead by working to foster understanding, dialogue and cooperation.
“For some years now, Paraguay has
sought to build a solid and stable democracy. It is proper to
recognise with satisfaction progress made in this direction, thanks
to the efforts of everyone, even amid great difficulties and
uncertainties. I encourage you to continue working to strengthen the
democratic structures and institutions, so that they can respond to
the legitimate aspirations of the nation’s people. The form of
government adopted by your Constitution, a 'representative,
participative and pluralistic democracy' based on the promotion of
and respect for human rights, must banish the temptation to be
satisfied with a purely formal democracy, one which, as Aparecida put
it, is content with being 'founded on fair election procedures'. That
is a purely formal democracy.
“In every sector of society, but
above all in public service, there is a need to reaffirm that
dialogue is the best means of promoting the common good, on the basis
of a culture of encounter, respect and acknowledgement of the
legitimate differences and opinions of others. In the effort to
overcome a spirit of constant conflict, unity is always better than
conflict; convictions born of ideology or partisan interest should
blend advantageously with love of the country and its people. That
love must be the incentive to increased administrative transparency
and unceasing efforts to combat corruption. I know that today there
exists a firm desire to root out corruption.
“Dear friends, in the desire to serve
and promote the common good, the poor and needy have to be given
priority of place. Paraguay has done much to advance along the path
of economic growth. Important steps have been taken in the areas of
education and health care. May all social groups work to ensure that
there will never again be children without access to schooling,
families without homes, workers without dignified employment, small
farmers without land to cultivate, or campesinos forced to leave
their lands for an uncertain future. May there be an end to violence,
corruption and drug trafficking. An economic development which fails
to take into account the weakest and underprivileged is not an
authentic development. Economic progress must be measured by the
integral dignity of persons, especially the most vulnerable and
helpless.
“Mr President, dear friends, in the
name of my brothers, the bishops of Paraguay, I also wish to assure
you of the commitment and cooperation of the Catholic Church in the
common effort to build a just and inclusive society where each person
can live in peace and harmony. All of us, including the Church’s
pastors, are called to be concerned with building a better world. Our
sure faith in God, who willed to become man, to live among us and to
share our lot, urges us to press forward. Christ opens up to us the
path of mercy, which, founded on justice, goes beyond it to inspire
works of charity, so that no one will remain on the fringes of this
great family which is Paraguay, a land you love and wish to serve.
“With great joy that I have come to
this country consecrated to the Blessed Virgin of Caacupe – and
here I would like to remember in a special my Paraguayan brothers and
sisters in Buenos Aires, my former Diocese; they belong to the parish
of the Virgin of the Miracles of Caacupé – I invoke the Lord’s
blessings on each of you, your families and all the beloved people of
Paraguay. May this country be fruitful, as symbolised by the
pasiflora fower on Our Lady’s mantle, and may the national colors
which decorate her image draw all the Paraguayan people to embrace
the Mother of Caacupe. Thank you very much”.
After his discourse, the Pope attended
a musical show with works from the era of the Jesuit Reductions. The
Reductions were pioneering missionary villages in which the Christian
Indios, separated from the Spanish, lived under the protection of
European missionaries. At their height, in around 1731, there were
approximately 150,000 Christian Indios in the Jesuit Reductions, but
the experience came to an end in 1767 with the expulsion of the
Jesuits from all the settlements.
Today, 11 July, the Holy Father will
visit the “Ninos de Acosta Nu” paediatric hospital, and will then
celebrate Mass in the Marian Shrine of Caacupe. Upon his return to
Asuncion he will meet with representatives of civil society; the day
will conclude with Vespers and an address to the clergy in the
Cathedral of Asuncion.
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