The ceremony took place in the airport premises of the Guatemalan Air Force. Other political and civil authorities, as well as the bishops of Guatemala, were on hand.
Among those present were the Prime Minister of Belize, and the presidents of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic.
After hearing Guatemalan President Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera’s words of welcome, the Pope delivered his address (published Monday in ZENIT).
