"All this began because 'they had no wine'. It could all be done because a
woman - the Virgin Mary - was attentive, left her concerns in God's hands and
acted sensibly and courageously. But there is a further detail, the best was to
come: everyone went on to enjoy the finest of wines. And this is the good news:
the finest wines are yet to be tasted; for families, the richest, deepest and
most beautiful things are yet to come. The time is coming when we will taste
love daily, when our children will come to appreciate the home we share, and
our
elderly will be present each day in the joys of life. The finest of wines is
expressed by hope, this wine will come for every person who stakes everything
on
love. And the best wine is yet to come, in spite of all the variables and
statistics which say otherwise. The best wine will come to those who today feel
hopelessly lost. Say it to yourselves until you are convinced of it. Say it to
yourselves, in your hearts: the best wine is yet to come. Whisper it to the
hopeless and the loveless. Have patience, hope, and follow Mary's example,
pray,
open your heart, because the best wine is yet to come. God always seeks out the
peripheries, those who have run out of wine, those who drink only of
discouragement. Jesus feels their weakness, in order to pour out the best wines
for those who, for whatever reason, feel that all their jars have been broken".
 After his final blessing, the Pope transferred by car to the Colegio Javier of
the Society of Jesus, founded in 1856, and where there are currently 1560
students. The community is made up of 20 Jesuit fathers, with whom the Pope
lunched. Following a brief rest he returned to Quito to meet with the president
of the Republic.

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 Visit to the president of Ecuador and Quito Cathedral
 Vatican City, 7 July 2015 (VIS) - The Pope spent the last part of his second
day in Ecuador in the capital, Quito, where he paid a courtesy visit to
President Rafael Correa at Carondelet Palace, the seat of the government. Built
in the late eighteenth century by the Spanish architect Antonio Garcia, it is
located in the historic centre of the city and owes its name to the governor
Francisco Luis Hector, baron of Carondelet, under whose mandate it was
constructed. During the colonial period it was known as the Royal Palace, but
according to legend Simon Bolivar, in admiration of its facade, changed its
name
in memory of the governor.
 Upon arrival President Correa greeted the Pope with a warm embrace; they then
entered the Protocol Room where they spoke in private. The president
subsequently introduced his family to the Holy Father and gifts were exchanged.
Francis gave the Ecuadorian head of State a mosaic depicting the Virgin and
Child, a copy realised by the Vatican Museums mosaic laboratory of the image
from the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Roman basilica of St. Paul
Outside-the-Walls, before which St. Ignatius of Loyola and his first followers
gave their religious vows on 22 August 1541, thereby originating the Society of
Jesus.
 At the end of his visit, the bishop of Rome and the president appeared at the
balcony of Carondelet Palace to greet the crowd gathered in Plaza de la
Independencia. The Pope travelled on foot the fifty metres between the Palace
and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito, which invokes the Coronation of the
Virgin Mary. The Cathedral, completed in 1585, represents a combination of
styles, from the Gothic-Mudejar (Moorish) to Baroque and neo-Classical, and it
houses the remains of Antonio Jose Francisco de Sucre y Alcala, the Mariscal
Sucre (1795-1830), hero of South American independence.
 The Holy Father entered the cathedral where he was received by the rector;
after greeting various sick and disabled people gathered inside, he prayed a
moment. Upon leaving, almost at night-time, he blessed the thousands of people
congregated in the square, setting aside the brief discourse he had previously
prepared, and addressed the following words to them:
 "I give you my blessing, to each one of you, to your families, to all your
loved ones and to the great and noble Ecuadorian people, so that there may be
no
more difference, no more exclusion, so that no-one is discarded, so that all
may
be brothers, so that everyone is included and no-one is left out of this great
Ecuadorian nation. To every one of you and your families, I give my blessing.
But first, let us pray the Hail Mary together...".
 "May the blessing of God Almighty, of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy
Spirit, descend upon you and remain with you for ever. And please, I ask you to
pray for me. Good night, and see you tomorrow".
 Today, 7 July, Pope Francis will meet the bishops of Ecuador and will
celebrate
Holy Mass in the Bicentenario Park in Quito. Later he will visit the Pontifical
Catholic University of Ecuador, where he will receive the keys to the capital
in
the Church of St. Francis and address those present. He will conclude the day
with a private visit to the Church of the Society of Jesus.
 The following is the brief discourse the Pope had prepared, to be given
outside
Quito Cathedral:
 "I have come to Quito as a pilgrim, to share with you the joy of spreading the
Gospel. When I left the Vatican, I passed the statue of Saint Mariana de Jesus,
who from the apse of St. Peter's Basilica keeps watch over the little street
which the Pope travels so often. I entrusted to her the fruits of this visit,
and I prayed that all of us might learn from her example. Her sacrifice and her
heroic virtue are usually represented by a flower, a lily. Yet, at St. Peter's
she holds a whole bouquet of flowers. Along with her own flower, she offers the
Lord, in the heart of the Church, your flowers, and the flowers of all the
people of Ecuador.
 "The Saints call us to imitate them and to learn from them. This was the case
with St. Narcisa de Jesus and Blessed Mercedes de Jesus Molina, who were
challenged by St. Mariana's example. How many of you here today have known what
it is to be orphaned? How many of you have had to assume the responsibility of
looking after younger brothers or sisters, despite being young yourselves? How
many of you care daily with great patience for the sick or the elderly? Mariana
did just this, and Narcisa and Mercedes followed her example. It is not
difficult if God is with us. They accomplished no great feats in the eyes of
the
world. They simply loved much, and they showed this love in their daily lives,
touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others, in his people. Nor did they
do
this alone, they did it 'side by side' with others. All the work that went into
the building of this Cathedral was done that same way, our way, the way of the
native peoples, quietly and unassumingly working alongside one another for the
good of the community, without seeking credit or applause. God grant that, just
as the stones of this cathedral were carried by those who went before us, we
may
carry one another's burdens, and thus help to build up or heal the lives of so
many of our brothers and sisters incapable of doing it by themselves.
 "Today I am here with you, and you have shared with me the joy which fills
your
hearts: 'How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good
tidings'. This is the beauty we are called to spread, like an aroma of Christ:
our prayer, our good works, and our sacrifices for those most in need. This is
the joy of evangelising and 'blessed are you if you do these things'.
 "God bless you all".

___________________________________________________________

 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 7 July 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Bishop
Santiago
Silva Retamales, auxiliary of the diocese of Valparaiso, Chile, as military
ordinary for Chile.

___________________________________________________________

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