On May 27, 1989, His Holiness Pope John Paul II addressed these words to the 10,000 children of the White Army gathered in the Nervi Hall:

Dearest children,

I am very happy to see you here in such large numbers and so joyful, and I greet you all with great affection.

You belong to that special association of prayer and apostolate called Armata Bianca, consecrated to the Most Holy Mary.

You have come from many cities across Italy, accompanied by several bishops, to whom I extend my fraternal greetings and heartfelt thanks—just as I thank all of you. My greetings also go to all those who organized this meeting, to your families, and to your leaders.

Above all, I thank the Lord, who has given you a great and simple faith—yet a convinced and profound one. For you too, Jesus said:
“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:16)

You know the commitments of your association: to consecrate yourselves to God the Father and to Mary, committing yourselves to the daily recitation of the Rosary, with the particular intention of reparation and prayer for the conversion of many to the Christian message.

I encourage you to be faithful to this task, combining prayer with a witness of goodness.
The world needs your goodness and innocence to find the way back to Christ and to come out of so many situations of moral poverty.

Dearest children, proclaim the value of goodness, especially through the power of generosity and grace, through a deep and generous friendship with Jesus Christ.
Humanity today has an immense need for such a message—perhaps even a great longing, an urgent desire. Be faithful, then, to your commitment to prayer and your devotion to the Most Holy Mary. You well know that the message and invitation of the Virgin to the children of Fatima can be summed up in these words:
“Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners.”

Today, I too would like to leave you a memory of this visit, and I do so with this recommendation:
Be faithful to your encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, joyfully participating in the Sunday and feast day Mass. Jesus calls you to the day of celebration; He wants you close to His Sacrifice; He desires to be in communion with you.
From Jesus, learn to love your neighbor, to be generous with everyone, to seek out moments of solidarity with those who suffer, with those who need you.

Help the Church in her mission as Teacher of Truth, as Mother of Grace.
Help her also to spread the faith. You can do this by studying the Catechism, by learning His words, and by responding with love to the invitations of your bishops and priests who guide you.

Be strong apostles of Jesus for your friends, and often repeat for them the prayer taught to the children of Fatima:

“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.”

May the Virgin Mary protect you, assist you, and make you steadfast in your commitment to the recitation of the Rosary.
May my Blessing, which I now affectionately impart, be of help to you, and I gladly extend it to your families and to your educators as well!

Here the speech in its original source

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