It was a collective expression of love and gratitude.

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"Your esteemed and beneficent activity, carried out in a variety of fields and in different parts of the world... is not mere philanthropy, but an effective expression and a living testimony of evangelical love, " the pontiff said.

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But it was a final expression most of all of his love for the family and friends that he cared so much about, for the men and women he was honored to serve with, for the country that held such a special place in his heart.

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"Those different forms of expression are all made of the same cloth and I love doing both, " he says.

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