Dear Brother Bishops,
I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak to you. Just a year ago, I was with you during my pastoral visit to the United States. There I was impressed by the vitality and diversity of the Catholic community. Throughout its history, the church in your country has welcomed and integrated new waves of immigrants. In the rich variety of their languages and cultural traditions, they have shaped the changing face of the American church.
In this context, I would commend the coming Fifth National Hispanic Pastoral Encuentro. The celebration of this Fifth Encuentro will begin in your dioceses in this coming January and conclude with a national celebration in September 2018.
