Remembering John XXIII's
'moonlight discourse'
One of the most famous speeches of Pope John XXIII has come to be known as the 'moonlight discourse', and took place on the evening of October 11, 1962, several hours after he had inaugurated the Second Vatican Council.
A candlelight procession made its way towards St. Peter's Square, and in response, the 'good Pope John' appeared at his study window and proceeded to say the following words spontaneously:
Dear children, I hear your voices. Mine is just one voice, but it stands for all the voices in the world. In fact, the world is represented here today.
One might say that even the moon has rushed to be here tonight - look at it above us - in order to watch this spectacle at the Vatican. We are closing a great day of peace. Yes, peace, as in 'Glory to God and peace to men of good will".
If I could ask each one of you now - What brings you here? Then the sons and daughters of Rome, who are specially represented here tonight, would answer: "We are the children who are closest to you. You are our bishop".
Well, sons and daughters of Rome, you rightly feel that that you represent Roma caput mundi - Rome as the capital of the world - as it has been called by providential design through the centuries.
My person counts for nothing. But I am a brother who speaks to you, a brother who has become a father by the will of Our Lord. So let us continue to love each other, just as we do at this moment, face to face. Let us grasp that which unites us, and leave aside, if any, the things that can bring us some difficulty.
When you return to your homes and see your children, give them a caress and say, "This is the Pope's caress".
You may perhaps find there are tears to be dried. Have a word of comfort for those who suffer. Let the afflicted know that the Pope is with his children especially in their time of sadness and distress.
And all together, let us animate each other - singing, sighing, crying, but always full of confidence in Christ who helps us and listens to us, let us continue with our journey in life.
Farewell, my children. To my blessing, I add my wishes for a good night.
Italian Catholic Action in the diocese of Rome recreated that candellight procession fifty years ago tonight from Castel Sant'Angelo to St. Peter's Square.
'A humble joy after 50 years'
Translated from
Oct. 11, 2012
It was a special evening, with so many persons of every nation, race and age, who had all gathered in St. Peter's Square after recreating the candlelight procession that had illuminated it fifty years ago tonight after the Second Vatican Council had opened.
Another night, another Pope. This time, Pope Benedict XVI appeared at his study window at 8 p.m. and greeted the faithfui with his own spontaneous remarks.
Here is a translation of Korazym's transcription:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good evening to all of you, and thank you for coming here. Thank you to Catholic Action for organizing this candlelight procession.
Fifty years ago, on this day, I too was in St. Peter's Square, looking towards the window where the 'good Pope' had appeared and spoke to us with unforgettable words, full of poetry and and of goodness, words from the heart. We were all happy and, I would say, full of enthusiasm.
The great Ecumenical Council had been inaugurated and we were sure that a new springtime for the Church would come, a new Pentecost, a new strong presence of the liberating power of the Gospel.
Even today we are happy, we carry joy in our heart, but I would say it is a more moderate joy, a humble joy. In these fifty years, we have learned and experienced that original sin does exist and is always translated anew into personal sins that can grow into structures of sin.
We have seen that in the field of the Lord, there are always weeds. We have seen that Peter's net also includes bad fish. We have seen how human frailty is present even in the Church, but that the ship of the Church continues to navigate through contrary winds, despite tempests that threaten the ship. Sometimes we may have thought - Where is the Lord? Has he forgotten us? But this is just one part of the experiences we have had in the past 50 years.
We have also had a new experience of the presence of the Lord, of his goodness, of his strength. The fire of the Holy Spirit, the flame of Christ, is not a devouring and destructive fire - it is a silent fire, a flame of goodness and of truth that transforms, of light and warmth.
So we have seen that the Lord has not forgotten us. Even today, in his humble way, the Lord is present among us and warms our hearts, our lives - he creates charisms of goodness and charity that illuminate the world. and are, for us, a guarantee of the goodness of God.
Christ lives, and is with us, so we can be happy today because his goodness can never be extinguished and will always be powerful.
Finally, I dare to make mine the unforgettable words of Pope John: Go home and kiss the children, and say it is a kiss from the Pope. And with all my heart, I impart to you my blessing.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 13/10/2012 03:22]