Vatican City, 7 July 2015 (VIS) – The
Pope spent the last part of his second day in Ecuador in the capital,
Quito, where he paid a courtesy visit to President Rafael Correa at
Carondelet Palace, the seat of the government. Built in the late
eighteenth century by the Spanish architect Antonio Garcia, it is
located in the historic centre of the city and owes its name to the
governor Francisco Luis Hector, baron of Carondelet, under whose
mandate it was constructed. During the colonial period it was known
as the Royal Palace, but according to legend Simon Bolivar, in
admiration of its facade, changed its name in memory of the governor.
Upon arrival President Correa greeted
the Pope with a warm embrace; they then entered the Protocol Room
where they spoke in private. The president subsequently introduced
his family to the Holy Father and gifts were exchanged. Francis gave
the Ecuadorian head of State a mosaic depicting the Virgin and Child,
a copy realised by the Vatican Museums mosaic laboratory of the image
from the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Roman basilica of
St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, before which St. Ignatius of Loyola and
his first followers gave their religious vows on 22 August 1541,
thereby originating the Society of Jesus.
At the end of his visit, the bishop of
Rome and the president appeared at the balcony of Carondelet Palace
to greet the crowd gathered in Plaza de la Independencia. The Pope
travelled on foot the fifty metres between the Palace and the
Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito, which invokes the Coronation of the
Virgin Mary. The Cathedral, completed in 1585, represents a
combination of styles, from the Gothic-Mudejar (Moorish) to Baroque
and neo-Classical, and it houses the remains of Antonio Jose
Francisco de Sucre y Alcala, the Mariscal Sucre (1795-1830), hero of
South American independence.
The Holy Father entered the cathedral
where he was received by the rector; after greeting various sick and
disabled people gathered inside, he prayed a moment. Upon leaving,
almost at night-time, he blessed the thousands of people congregated
in the square, setting aside the brief discourse he had previously
prepared, and addressed the following words to them:
“I give you my blessing, to each one
of you, to your families, to all your loved ones and to the great and
noble Ecuadorian people, so that there may be no more difference, no
more exclusion, so that no-one is discarded, so that all may be
brothers, so that everyone is included and no-one is left out of this
great Ecuadorian nation. To every one of you and your families, I
give my blessing. But first, let us pray the Hail Mary together...”.
“May the blessing of God Almighty, of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, descend upon you
and remain with you for ever. And please, I ask you to pray for me.
Good night, and see you tomorrow”.
Today, 7 July, Pope Francis will meet
the bishops of Ecuador and will celebrate Holy Mass in the
Bicentenario Park in Quito. Later he will visit the Pontifical
Catholic University of Ecuador, where he will receive the keys to the
capital in the Church of St. Francis and address those present. He
will conclude the day with a private visit to the Church of the
Society of Jesus.
The following is the brief discourse
the Pope had prepared, to be given outside Quito Cathedral:
“I have come to Quito as a pilgrim,
to share with you the joy of spreading the Gospel. When I left the
Vatican, I passed the statue of Saint Mariana de Jesus, who from the
apse of St. Peter’s Basilica keeps watch over the little street
which the Pope travels so often. I entrusted to her the fruits of
this visit, and I prayed that all of us might learn from her example.
Her sacrifice and her heroic virtue are usually represented by a
flower, a lily. Yet, at St. Peter’s she holds a whole bouquet of
flowers. Along with her own flower, she offers the Lord, in the heart
of the Church, your flowers, and the flowers of all the people of
Ecuador.
“The Saints call us to imitate them
and to learn from them. This was the case with St. Narcisa de Jesus
and Blessed Mercedes de Jesus Molina, who were challenged by St.
Mariana’s example. How many of you here today have known what it is
to be orphaned? How many of you have had to assume the responsibility
of looking after younger brothers or sisters, despite being young
yourselves? How many of you care daily with great patience for the
sick or the elderly? Mariana did just this, and Narcisa and Mercedes
followed her example. It is not difficult if God is with us. They
accomplished no great feats in the eyes of the world. They simply
loved much, and they showed this love in their daily lives, touching
the suffering flesh of Christ in others, in his people. Nor did they
do this alone, they did it 'side by side' with others. All the work
that went into the building of this Cathedral was done that same way,
our way, the way of the native peoples, quietly and unassumingly
working alongside one another for the good of the community, without
seeking credit or applause. God grant that, just as the stones of
this cathedral were carried by those who went before us, we may carry
one another’s burdens, and thus help to build up or heal the lives
of so many of our brothers and sisters incapable of doing it by
themselves.
“Today I am here with you, and you
have shared with me the joy which fills your hearts: 'How beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings'. This
is the beauty we are called to spread, like an aroma of Christ: our
prayer, our good works, and our sacrifices for those most in need.
This is the joy of evangelising and 'blessed are you if you do these
things'.
“God bless you all”.
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