The following is the text of the video message sent by the Holy Father Francis to the people of Morocco on the occasion of his upcoming apostolic trip, to take place from 30 to 31 March 2019:

Video Message of the Holy Father

Dear people of Morocco!

As-Salamu Alaikum!

Soon I shall be arriving for a two-day visit to your country, and I thank God for granting me this opportunity.

I am grateful to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for his kind invitation, and to the Moroccan authorities for their diligent cooperation.

Following in the footsteps of my predecessor Saint John Paul II, I come as a pilgrim of peace and of fraternity, in a world which has great need of both. As Christians and Muslims we believe in God the Creator and Merciful One, who has created men and women and placed them on the earth so that they might live together as brothers and sisters, respecting each other’s diversity and helping each other in their need. He has entrusted the earth – our common home – to them, to care for it responsibly and to preserve it for future generations.

It will be a joy for me to share these firm convictions with you directly at our meeting in Rabat. This journey also offers me the invaluable occasion to visit the Christian community in Morocco and to encourage its progress. I will meet migrants too, who represent an appeal to build together a more just and fraternal world.

Dear Moroccan friends, I already express my heartfelt thanks for your welcome, and above all for your prayers; and I assure you of my own prayers for you and for your dear country.

See you soon!