Pope John Paul in Belize, March 9th 1983
"I praise the divine Providence that has brought me to Belize. I give thanks to God for the opportunity to be in your midst today, for this opportunity to speak to you about God?s love, his peace, his commandment of paternal charity, and for this opportunity to proclaim God the son for a world where justice, freedom, and mutual respect are the authentic expression of a civilization of law. I am grateful to the authorities of this land for their invitation to come among you, and I am grateful to all of you, the people for your manifestation of goodwill in mother God and for your wonderful welcome. As a new nation in this part of the world, you rightfully place great emphasis on unity. Indeed Pope John Paul II Wednesday visited the tiny Central American nation of Belize where he called on Protestants and Catholics to unite into one church to fulfill 'the will of Christ.' Belize, a former British colony wedged between Guatemala and Mexico, was the seventh stop on the pope's Central American tour. He traveled to Haiti later in the day to hold mass and address the Latin American Bishops' Council before flying back to Rome. As the pope descended from his plane into the cool Belize air, Focundo Castillo, the country's oldest bishop, fainted with emotion. He was quickly revived. The pope, traveling in a small aircraft bearing the flags of Belize and the Vatican, was greeted with a 21-g
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About this Belize website
"I praise the divine Providence that has brought me to Belize. I give thanks to God for the opportunity to be in your midst today, for this opportunity to speak to you about God?s love, his peace, his commandment of paternal charity, and for this opportunity to proclaim God the son for a world where justice, freedom, and mutual respect are the authentic expression of a civilization of law. I am grateful to the authorities of this land for their invitation to come among you, and I am grateful to all of you, the people for your manifestation of goodwill in mother God and for your wonderful welcome. As a new nation in this part of the world, you rightfully place great emphasis on unity. Indeed Pope John Paul II Wednesday visited the tiny Central American nation of Belize where he called on Protestants and Catholics to unite into one church to fulfill 'the will of Christ.' Belize, a former British colony wedged between Guatemala and Mexico, was the seventh stop on the pope's Central American tour. He traveled to Haiti later in the day to hold mass and address the Latin American Bishops' Council before flying back to Rome. As the pope descended from his plane into the cool Belize air, Focundo Castillo, the country's oldest bishop, fainted with emotion. He was quickly revived. The pope, traveling in a small aircraft bearing the flags of Belize and the Vatican, was greeted with a 21-g
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- ambergriscaye.com
- First discovered
- 14 September 2026
- Last checked
- 14 September 2026
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Here are his comments that day....
"I praise the divine Providence that has brought me to Belize. I give thanks to God for the opportunity to be in your midst today, for this opportunity to speak to you about God?s love, his peace, his commandment of paternal charity, and for this opportunity to proclaim God the son for a world where justice, freedom, and mutual respect are the authentic expression of a civilization of law. I am grateful to the authorities of this land for their invitation to come among you, and I am grateful to all of you, the people for your manifestation of goodwill in mother God and for your wonderful welcome. As a new nation in this part of the world, you rightfully place great emphasis on unity. Indeed
