This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience a delegation from the “Battista Rom” Mission in Italy.

The following is the address prepared by the Pope for the occasion, which was handed to those present at the audience:

Address of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters, welcome!

I welcome you as children of the same Father and brothers in Christ, by whose wounds we have been healed; and as travelling companions in the pilgrimage of faith, charity and hope.

In receiving you as representatives of the Battista Rom Evangelical Mission in Italy, I would like to send a fraternal greeting to all the members of the Roma people and those whom you serve daily.

I would like that, by welcoming this greeting, we renew the common certainty that nothing and no one can ever separate us from God's love. And may this certainty make us credible witnesses through an industrious charity, through some shared experiences of prayer and service. May the Holy Spirit inspire and strengthen in us the courage and joy to proclaim in unison the Gospel of hope, especially to the Roma communities.

Fraternal cooperation among Christians is in itself a sign, a witness, the first instrument of evangelization for the benefit of all. And, in mysterious ways, unity of action inspired by the Gospel brings us closer to full unity of faith through mutual knowledge and esteem.

Dear brothers and sisters, as we prepare to celebrate the Holy Nativity, may our common earthly pilgrimage be marked by the words of the psalmist, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (Ps 27:14).

I sincerely thank you for your visit. And I invite you to pray together the prayer that Jesus taught us. Our Father...