Official Farewell at Geneva International Airport

Telegrams to Heads of State

Return to Rome

Official Farewell at Geneva International Airport

At 19.15 this evening, at Geneva International Airport, the official farewell ceremony took place at the end of the Holy Father’s trip to Switzerland. It was attended by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Alain Berset, the Federal Counsellor Ms. Doris Leuthard, and the ambassador to the Holy See, H.E. Mr. Pierre-Yves Fux.

The aircraft carrying the Holy Father – an Alitalia A321 – on the return trip from his ecumenical pilgrimage to Geneva departed at 19.55.

Telegrams to Heads of State

Upon leaving Swiss territory and returning to Italy the Holy Father sent the following telegram to the respective Heads of State:

HIS EXCELLENCY ALAIN BERSET
PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS CONFEDERATION
BERN

AS I LEAVE SWITZERLAND, I WISH TO EXPRESS MY DEEP GRATITUDE TO YOUR EXCELLENCY AND YOUR FELLOW CITIZENS FOR YOUR WARM WELCOME AND HOSPITALITY. WITH THE ASSURANCE OF MY PRAYERS, I INVOKE UPON THE NATION ALMIGHTY GOD’S ABUNDANT BLESSINGS.

FRANCISCUS PP.

HIS EXCELLENCY
HON. SERGIO MATTARELLA
PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC
PALAZZO DEL QUIRINALE 00187 ROME

AS I RETURN FROM MY APOSTOLIC TRIP TO GENEVA, WHERE I HAVE HAD THE JOY OF MEETING POPULATIONS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF DIFFERENT CHRISTIAN CHURCHES ENGAGED IN THE JOURNEY TOWARDS UNITY AND PEACE, I EXPRESS TO YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, MY BENEVOLENT GREETING AND I ASSURE A SPECIAL PRAYER FOR THE GOOD AND PROSPERITY OF THE ENTIRE ITALIAN NATION, UPON WHOM I INVOKE HEAVENLY BLESSINGS

FRANCISCUS PP.

Return to Rome

The aircraft carrying the Holy Father to Rome from Geneva on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the World Council of Churches landed at Rome-Ciampino airport at 21.12.