Address by the President of the ICRC on the occasion of the visit of His Holiness Pope John Paul II, on 15 June 1982

Extract

To receive Your Holiness in the headquarters of our Committee is not merely an honour and a privilege, it is above all a great comfort. In fact, this is a unique opportunity to welcome the Head of a State founded on spiritual strength rather than on military might.

In a world too often ruled by the force of arms, You, as Sovereign Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, embody the spiritual values without which no enterprise can be truly described as human.