HOLY FATHER'S ADDRESS TO 
CASTEL GANDOLFO'S CIVIL AUTHORITIES

As I leave Castel Gandolfo at the end of the summer season, I am pleased to meet you who have the task of administering this delightful town, which is dear to me and where Providence grants me a pleasant and beneficial stay among you.

I would once again like to offer you my sincere thanks for the indispensable professional contribution you make so that Castel Gandolfo can properly welcome the many pilgrims who come from every part of the world.

I am especially grateful for the spirit of devout courtesy that you offer the Pope, faithfully representing the sentiments of the whole town. Respect and discretion accompany your affection and familiarity, so that, not only at the papal residence, but precisely in Castel Gandolfo I feel "at home".

The now imminent Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 will bring greater activity here as well. As I congratulate you for all that the town government has planned for the Holy Year, I would urge you and all the citizens to benefit from the spiritual gift of the Jubilee. I hope that each resident and every family of Gastel Gandolfo will fully experience the Jubilee, and that this will make its beneficial influence felt even in your relations with one another.

I am pleased to leave with this hope, which I confirm by cordially imparting my Blessing to you, to your loved ones, and to all the citizens of Castel Gandolfo.

Castel Gandolfo, tuesday 28 september 1999