Then, Benedict XVI thanked bishops, priests, deacons, religious, parents, teachers and catechists. "The faithfulness and courage through which the Church in this country will be able to tackle the challenges of a secularized and materialistic culture he declared will largely depend on your personal faithfulness in conveying the Catholic faith. The young need to be helped in detecting the path for a sincere and generous imitation of Christ". In this respect, he went on, "there were advances in the development of solid programmes for catechesis, but many more things have still to be done. The challenges before us need a remarkable and sound education to the truth of faith, as well as an intellectual ‘culture’, which has to be genuinely Catholic, prepared to bring the vision of faith in touch with the urgent questions of the future of American society". Benedict XVI addressed his last greetings to the believers of Spanish language, inviting them "not to let themselves be overwhelmed by pessimism, inertia or problems. The Church in the USA went on growing thanks also to the vitality of the faith of believers of Spanish language. For this reason, the Lord asks you to pay a contribution to the future of the Church in this country". Shortly before, he had also recalled "the injustice suffered by the native American peoples, and by those who were brought here by force, from Africa, as slaves".
