To Gentlemen working for His Holiness, to Antechamber Attendants and Pontifical Chair Bearers
Peace be with you!
Good morning to all, welcome!
Dear Gentlemen, Ushers and Chamberlains,
I am particularly pleased with this meeting, which – for once – is dedicated specifically to you, and allows me to offer you a word of gratitude and encouragement. I greet the Regent of the Prefecture of the Papal Household, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, and the Vice-Regent, Father Edward Daleng, O.S.A., who coordinate your service. I express my gratitude to all of you, especially for the spirit of fidelity to the Pope with which you carry out your duties. This dedication accompanies and helps me daily in my apostolic mission, benefiting all those I meet in state visits, audiences, on the most solemn occasions as well as the more familiar ones. Speaking of which, I think your work can be well summarized by three verbs, which encapsulate its meaning and value: preparing, welcoming, greeting.
The quality of an encounter, in fact, begins with the care that distinguishes its preparations, down to the smallest details. Rich in history and art, the space we inhabit demands a service that is both attentive and humble. The arrangement of the rooms is followed by the diligence of gestures of welcome and greeting that are noble but not affected, elegant but not sophisticated, so as to communicate affability to everyone. Whether prince or pilgrim, patriarch or postulant, the solicitude of the Successor of Peter remains the same towards all and loving towards each one.
The sober beauty that distinguishes the papal protocol is reflected in your every gesture. Thinking of the history of those who preceded you, bear witness to their values with a consistent life, knowing well that the service of honor certainly requires a peculiar code of conduct, but first and foremost a solid faith, and therefore a spiritual style marked by devotion to the Church and the Pope. May your actions, posture, and daily glances always be a luminous reflection of this. As I encourage you to continue diligently in the various services in which you collaborate, each according to your respective role, I reaffirm my gratitude to you and impart the Apostolic Blessing, which I gladly extend to your families and loved ones. Thank you!
By contrast, Pope Francis blessing the St. Michael the Archangel statue in the Vatican Gardens:
