.- In a telegram sent to Archbishop Raul Vela Chiriboga of Quito, Pope Benedict XVI joined in Ecuador’s bicentennial celebrations and stressed that without God it is not possible to build the nation’s future.
In a telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope sent special greetings to the people of Ecuador and offered his prayers that “the Lord would abundantly pour out the gifts of his grace upon all the sons and daughters of this noble land” as they strive to build a more just and fraternal society.
Faced with the enormous task before them, the Pope encouraged Ecuadorans “to be sustained by faith in divine assistance, since man is not capable of managing his own future without relying upon those dimensions that have their beginning and fulfillment in God.”
Invoking the special protection of Our Lady of the Presentation of Quinche, the patroness of Ecuador, the Pontiff concluded his message imparting his Apostolic Blessing upon all Ecuadorans.
