At the end of the Holy Mass celebrated on the parvis of the Vatican Basilica for the proclamation of Blessed John Paul I, before the Angelus prayer, the Holy Father Francis addressed the following words to the faithful and pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square:

Before the Angelus

Before concluding this celebration, I extend my greeting to all of you and thank you for your participation.

I am grateful to my brother Cardinals, to the Bishops and priests who have come from various countries.

I greet the official delegations who have come here to render homage to the new Blessed. My respectful thought goes to the President of the Italian Republic and the Prime Minister of the Principality of Monaco.

I greet all of you pilgrims, especially the faithful from Venice, Belluno and Vittorio Veneto, the places connected to the human, priestly, and episcopal life of Blessed Albino Luciani.

And now we turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary, so that she might obtain the gift of peace throughout the world, especially for war-torn Ukraine. May she, the first and perfect disciple of the Lord, help us follow the example and holiness of life of John Paul I.