On the Day of Catechists

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Before concluding this celebration, I would like to greet all of you and thank you for your participation, especially the catechists who have come from all over the world.

I offer a special greeting to my brother His Beatitude Youhanna X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. His presence invites us to pray once again for peace in Syria and the Middle East.

I greet the pilgrims who have come from Assisi on horseback and the Italian Alpine Club on the 150th anniversary of its foundation.

[In Spanish he said:]

I greet with affection the pilgrims from Nicaragua. The pastors and faithful of this dear nation are celebrating with joy the centenary of the canonical foundation of their ecclesiastical province.

[Again in Italian he said:]

With joy we recall the beatification yesterday in Croatia of Miroslav Bulešić, a diocesan priest, who was martyred in 1947. We praise the Lord, who grants to the weak the power of extreme testimony.

We turn now to Mary with the Angelus prayer.