I thank God for the opportunity to be here and pray with you….
Pope Francis told this to Romania’s Catholics–who make up 7.2 percent of the population in the mainly Orthodox country– during his Regina Caeli address in Romania, the final day of his three-day, May 31-June 2, 2019, visit to the nation, marking his 30th Apostolic Visit abroad. ZENIT French journalist, Anne Kurian, is on the Papal Flight.
“I greet the faithful of the Catholic Church: the Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful of Bucharest and Iaşi, together with the many pilgrims from Şumuleu Ciuc,” Francis said, underscoring: “I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to pray with you and to encourage your commitment to evangelization and your witness of charity.”
“Here in Blaj, the land of martyrdom, freedom and mercy, I pay tribute to you, the sons and daughters of the Greek-Catholic Church, who for three centuries have borne witness to your faith with apostolic zeal.”
Pope Francis prayed that the Virgin Mary bestow her maternal protection upon all the citizens of Romania “who in the course of history have always trusted in her intercession.”
“In entrusting all of you to her,” Pope Francis said, before praying the Marian prayer, “I ask her to guide you on your journey of faith, as you advance towards a future of authentic progress and peace, and contribute to the building of an ever more just and fraternal homeland.”
In the Romanian city of Blaj, Francis beatified seven Romanian bishops, including a cardinal, martyred, between 1950 and 1970, tortured for their faith.
https://zenit.org/articles/beatifying-romanian-martyrs-pope-francis-invites-to-bring-the-gospel-to-contemporaries-like-these-blesseds-resist-new-ideologies/
Here is the full Vatican-provided text of the Regina Caeli:
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Before concluding this Divine Liturgy, I want once again to greet all of you and all those whom I have met in the course of these days. I thank you for your warm welcome. I offer a respectful
greeting to the President of the Republic and to the Authorities present here. I express my heartfelt gratitude for their generous cooperation in the planning and the unfolding of my visit. I am grateful to His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, to the Holy Synod, and to the clergy and faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Church for their fraternal welcome. May the Lord bless this ancient and illustrious Church and sustain it in its mission.
I also offer a greeting full of affection and gratitude to His Beatitude Cardinal Lucian Mureşan. I greet the faithful of the Catholic Church: the Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful of Bucharest and Iaşi, together with the many pilgrims from Şumuleu Ciuc. I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to pray with you and to encourage your commitment to evangelization and your witness of charity. Here in Blaj, the land of martyrdom, freedom and mercy, I pay tribute to you, the sons
and daughters of the Greek-Catholic Church, who for three centuries have borne witness to your faith with apostolic zeal.
https://zenit.org/articles/inside-look-the-beloved-marian-shrine-sumuleu-ciuc-in-transylvania-pope-francis-will-visit-in-romania/
May the Virgin Mary bestow her maternal protection upon all the citizens of Romania who in the course of history have always trusted in her intercession. In entrusting all of you to her, I ask her to guide you on your journey of faith, as you advance towards a future of authentic progress and peace, and contribute to the building of an ever more just and fraternal homeland.
Regina Coeli…
[Original text: Italian. Vatican-provided Text and Translation]
