Giovanni Paolo II – pellegrino di pace e di speranza in Messsico, San Salvador e Fatima nelle testimonianze di un Nunzio Apostolico
John Paul II – the pilgrim of peace and hope in Mexico, Salvador and Fatima in the recollections of an Apostolic Nuntio

Summary/Abstract: During my career in the diplomacy of the Holy See, I had the opportunity of receiving the Holy Father, John Paul II, during his pilgrimages to Mexico, Salvador, Fatima and Spain. All of those pilgrimages proved to be a remarkable gift for the Church and for the visited countries, thanks both to the extraordinary personality of the Pope and the way in which he engaged current problems and challenges and thanks to his immense influence upon the transformations of the world. The visit to Mexico in late January of 1979 – the first pilgrimage of the new Pope – took place in extraordinary circumstances: the lack of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Mexico, numerous bans to which the Catholic Church was subject in this country (the clergymen were forbidden to wear frocks in public places, the holy mass could not be celebrated outside sacred places, foreign clergymen were subject to many bans). The main reason of the visit was John Paul II’s desire to participate in the III Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), which was organized in the Puebla de los Ángeles and which was crucial for this continent. The papal decision, with its strategic importance for the Church, continues to impress after the elapsing of a few decades. The risk that was taken by the Pope, who was received only as the head of the Vatican State (not as the head of the Church) and the week that he spent in Mexico proved to be a great success and an event of crucial importance for the future of Latin America. John Paul II’s pilgrimage to Salvador in March 1983, undertaken during an all‑out civil war in that country, had a peace‑loving and conciliatory character. By calling the parties of the conflict to mutual respect and forgiveness, the Pope embraced the building of a future based on hope and peace and the rejection of ideologies which fail to respect the dignity and rights of the human person. During his second visit to this country, in February 1996, John Paul II called the citizens and those in power to create an atmosphere of true peace achieved through brotherhood and a just distribution of material goods. The words and prayers of the Pope were answered. The message to the nation and the young people remained in the hearts of most of the inhabitants of Salvador. The real quest for peace began, and this peace was achieved with major difficulties.

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