VATICAN CITY, JUN 27, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul arrived at the Lviv International Airport this evening shortly after 6 p.m. and was welcomed by civil and religious authorities who came to bid him farewell as he departs for Rome, thus ending his 94th foreign apostolic trip. Following the playing of the pontifical hymn, the Ukrainian national song and remarks by Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma, Pope John Paul gave a farewell speech.
"The moment of farewell has arrived," he began. "Upon my arrival, I felt embraced by the affection of the city of Kiev with its golden domes and tapestry of gardens. I then experienced the traditional hospitality of Lviv, a city of famous monuments, rich in Christian memories. I am now sad to leave this land, which is a crossroads of peoples and cultures, where over a thousand years ago the Gospel began the course that led it to spread and take root in the historical and cultural fabric of the peoples of Eastern Europe. To each and every one of you I say again: Thank you!
"Thank you, Ukraine, who defended Europe in your untiring and heroic struggle against invaders," the Holy Father continued. "Thank you, civil and military authorities, and all of you who in different ways and with great generosity have cooperated in ensuring the successful outcome of my visit. Thank you, dear brothers and sisters, who are part of this Christian community, 'faithful unto death'. It has been my long-standing wish to express my admiration and appreciation for the heroic witness that you have borne during the long winter of persecution in the past century."
Extending "respectful and heartfelt greeting to the brothers and sisters and to the Pastors of the venerable Orthodox Church," the Pope said he wished "peace to you, people of Ukraine, who with tenacious and harmonious dedication have at last recovered your freedom, and have begun the work of rediscovering your truest roots. You are committed to an arduous path of reforms aimed at giving everyone the possibility of following and practicing their own faith, culture and convictions in a framework of freedom and justice.
"Even if you still feel the painful scars of the tremendous wounds inflicted over endless years of oppression, dictatorship and totalitarianism, during which the rights of the people were denied and trampled upon, look with confidence to the future. This is the opportune time! This is the time for hope and daring! My hope is that Ukraine will be able fully to become a part of the Europe which will take in the entire continent from the Atlantic to the Urals."
John Paul II affirmed that, "in this important and significant transition, the Church, conscious of her mission, will not fail to exhort the faithful to cooperate actively with the State in the promotion of the common good. ... Furthermore, Christians know that they are by right an integral part of the Ukrainian nation. They are so by virtue of a thousand-year history, which began with the baptism of Volodymyr and Kievan Rus' in 988 in the waters of the Dnieper river; but they are especially so today, because of the baptism of blood which they received in the course of the tremendous persecutions of the 20th century: in those terrible years countless were the witnesses to the faith, not only Catholics but also Orthodox and Reformed Christians, who underwent deprivations of all kinds for love of Christ, in many cases even to the sacrifice of their lives."
In concluding remarks, the Pope urged "Unity and harmony! This is the secret of peace and the condition for true and stable social progress. It is thanks to this combination of intentions and actions that Ukraine, homeland of faith and dialogue, will see its dignity recognized in the community of nations."
John Paul's plane left Lviv at 7 p.m. local time for the three-hour flight to Rome. A helicopter brought him back to Vatican City.
Vatican Information Service
27. juni 2001