382 Acta Apostolicæ Sedis - Commentarium Officiale

VIII

Ad Sodales Consilii Papal Foundation .

Your Eminences, Brother Bishops, Dear Friends,

I offer a warm welcome to you, the members of The Papal Foundation, on

the occasion of your annual pilgrimage to Rome. During this Easter season,

Christians throughout the world are united in celebrating the Lord's victory

over sin and death, the dawning of the new creation and the outpouring of

the Holy Spirit. May the joy of the resurrection fill your hearts with that

peace which the world cannot give1 and may your prayer at the tombs of

the apostles and martyrs renew you in fidelity to the Lord and his Church.

Since its establishment, The Papal Foundation has sought to advance the

Church's mission by supporting a wide gamut of charities close to the heart

of the Successor of Peter. I am deeply appreciative of the assistance which

the Foundation has given to the Church in developing countries through

grants supporting various educational, charitable and apostolic projects,

but also for the scholarships which you make available to laity, priests

and religious for study here in Rome. In this way, you help to ensure the

training of a new generation of leaders whose minds and hearts are shaped

by the truth of the Gospel, the wisdom of Catholic social teaching and a

profound sense of communion with the universal Church in her service to

the entire human family.

In these momentous days marked by the canonization of two outstand-

ing Popes of our time, John XXIII and John Paul II, I pray that you will

be confirmed in the grace of your Baptism and in your commitment to be

missionary disciples filled with the joy born of a personal encounter with

the Risen Jesus.2 I commend you and your families to the intercession of

Mary, Mother of the Church, and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing

as a pledge of joy and peace in the Lord.

* Die 2 Maii 2014. 1 Cf. Jn 14:27. 2 Cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 119.