From Pope John Paul II's remarks Aug. 12, 1993 on arrival at Denver's
Stapleton International Airport for World Youth Day.

   Mr. President
   Dear friends,
   Dear people of America,

      There is a special joy in coming to America for the celebration of
   this World Youth Day. A nation which is itself still young according
   to historical standards is hosting young people gathered from all
   over the world for a serious reflection on the theme of life: the
   human life which is God's marvelous gift to each one of us, and the
   transcendant life which Jesus Christ our Savior offers to those who
   believe in His name.
      I come to Denver to listen to the young people gathered here, to
   experience their inexhaustible quest for life. Each successive World
   Youth Day has been a confirmation of young people's openness to the
   meaning of life as a gift received, a gift to which they are eager to
   respond by striving for a better world for themselves and their
   fellow human beings....

                     The suffering of young people

      The well-being of the world's children and young people must be of
   immense concern to all who have public responsibilities. In my
   pastoral visits to the Church in every part of the world I have been
   deeply moved by the almost universal conditions of difficulty in
   which young people grow up and live. Too many sufferings are visited
   upon them by natural calamities, famines, epidemics, by economic and
   political crises, by the atrocities of wars. And where material
   conditions are at least adequate, other obstacles arise, not the
   least of which is the breakdown of family values and stability. In
   developed countries, a serious moral crisis is already affecting the
   lives of many young people....
      But how do we help them? Only by instilling a high moral vision
   can a society ensure that its young people are given the possibility
   to mature as free and intelligent human beings, endowed with a robust
   sense of responsibility to the common good, capable of working with
   others to create a community and a nation with a strong moral fiber.
   America was built on such a vision, and the American people possess
   the intelligence and will to meet the challenge of rededicating
   themselves with renewed vigor to fostering the truths on which this
   country was founded and by which it grew....

                         Equal justice for all

      America has a strong tradition of respect for the individual, for
   human dignity and human rights. I gladly acknowledged this during my
   previous visit to the United States in 1987, and I would like to
   repeat today the hope I expressed on that occasion: "America, you are
   beautiful and blessed in so many ways....But your best beauty and
   your richest blessing is found in the human person: in each man,
   woman and child, in every immigrant, in every native-born son and
   daughter....The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat
   every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless
   ones. The best traditions of your land presume respect for those who
   cannot defend themselves. If you want equal justice for all, and true
   freedom and lasting peace, then, America, defend life! All the great
   causes that are yours today will have meaning only to the extent that
   you guarantee the right to life and protect the human person"
   (Detroit, Sept. 19, 1987).

   From _National Catholic Register_, August 29, 1993, page 2.