APOSTOLIC PILGRIMAGE
OF HIS HOLINESS PAUL VI
TO WEST ASIA, OCEANIA AND AUSTRALIA

DEPARTURE CEREMONY

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER PAUL VI

 International Airport of Colombo
Saturday, 5 December 1970

At the end of this long journey, We are now about to leave for Rome. It is among you, dear people of Ceylon, that We end these unforgettable days of travelling. Before leaving, however, We could not fail to express Our profound gratitude for having been permitted to bring to a conclusion in your midst Our visits to the Christian communities of the vast continents of Asia and Oceania. God has drawn Us to undertake this journey to show first of all to Our brothers in the faith Our will to share in their labours and anxieties. We wished to show Our desire to see the Catholic Church accomplish her mission in harmony with the traditions and cultures of Asia-traditions and cultures which are so worthy of respect. This journey was meant also as a sign to the members of other religious confessions, and indeed to all men of goodwill, of the earnest desire of the Catholic Church to make her contribution in a spirit of mutual respect, understanding and esteem, to the task of ensuring for the inhabitants of these regions-particularly for the young and for the poor-the conditions necessary for the full development of their God-given potential.

We wish Our prayer to join with yours in imploring the Almighty for the justice, peace and happiness of individuals and families, of social groups and of nations so that men may begin to live at last as brothers.

Thank you again for your welcome. In imparting to you Our fatherly Apostolic Blessing, We call down upon all of you the richest favours of God.

Siyal’u denatema bohome isthuthi.