Today's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square. The Holy Father, Pope Francis met there with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and every corner of the world.
In his address, the Pope spoke of his recent Pilgrimage to the Holy Land on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Atenagora.
After summarizing His Holiness' catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered specific greetings to each group of the faithful present at today's Audience.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In the past few days, as you know, I lived a pilgrimage in the Holy Land. It was a great gift for the Church, for which I give thanks to God. He guided me in that blessed Land, which witnessed the historical presence of Jesus and where fundamental events have taken place for Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I wish to renew my cordial gratitude to His Beatitude, Patriarch Fouad Twal, to the Bishops of various Rites, the Priests and the Franciscans from the Custody of the Holy Land. Those Franciscans are great! Their work is beautiful, the work that they do! My grateful thoughts are also directed toward the Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian Authorities, who welcomed me with such courtesy, I would say also with friendship, as well as toward all those who contributed toward the making this visit a reality.
The main reason for this pilgrimage was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic encounter between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Atenagora. It was the first time that a Successor of Peter had visited the Holy Land: in this way, during the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI, Paul VI began the international Papal travels in the modern era. That prophetic gesture on the part of the Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople was a milestone along the journey, at times suffering and at times promising, of unity between all Christians who, since that moment, have made significant advances. So it was that my meeting with His Holiness, Bartholomew, beloved brother in Christ, represented the culminating moment of this visit. Together, we prayed at the Tomb of Jesus, and present with us was the Greek-Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilios III and the Armenian Patriarch, Apostolico Nouhan, as well as the Archbishops and Bishops of various Churches and Communities, civil authorities and many of the faithful. In that place where the news of the Resurrection was first announced, we felt the bitterness and suffering of divisions which still exist between the disciples of Christ; and truly all this fighting causes so much pain, so much heartache. We are still divided: in that place where the good news of the Resurrection was first heard, where Jesus gave us life, we are still somewhat divided. But above all, during that celebration of reciprocal fraternity, esteem and affection, we heard loudly and clearly the voice of the Risen Good Shepherd who wants to make of all his people his flock; we heard the desire to heal the wounds which are still open and to remain firmly committed to the path toward full communion. One more time, as previous Popes have done, I ask pardon for anything that we have done to promote division, and I ask the Holy Spirit to help us to heal the wounds that we have inflicted upon other brothers and sisters. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ and with Patriarch Bartholomew, we are friends, brothers and we have shared a desire to walk the path ahead together, doing everything we can from this day forward: praying together, working together for the flock of the Lord, seeking peace, caring for creation, so many things that we share in common. Together, we must proceed from this point as brothers.
Another reason for this pilgrimage was to encourage the path toward peace in that region, which is at the same time a gift from God and calls for human commitment. I did this in Jordan, in Palestine and in Israel. And I did it as a pilgrim, in the name of God and of man, carrying in my heart great compassion for the sons of that land who for too long have suffered from the wounds of war, and who have the right to finally experience peace!
For this reason, I called upon the Christian faithful to allow themselves to be anointed with open hearts, docile to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in order to always be capable of gestures of humility, fraternity and reconciliation. The Spirit helps us to adopt these attitudes in our daily lives, with people of various cultures and religions, and therefore to become artisans of peace. Peace is an art! There is no industry that creates peace, no. It is created every day, artistically, with open hearts capable of welcoming the gift of God. This is why I called upon the Christian faithful to allow themselves to be anointed.
In Jordan, I thanked the Authorities and the people for their commitment to welcoming so many refugees from war zones, a humanitarian commitment which merits and requires the constant support of the international community. I was struck by the generosity of the Jordanian people who have welcomed refugees, so many refugees who have fled war are now in that place. May the Lord bless those welcoming people, bless them so! And we should pray that the Lord may bless this welcome and ask all international institutions to help those people in their work of welcoming. In other places too, during the pilgrimage, I encouraged the authorities concerned to continue their efforts to stem the tensions in the Middle East, especially in martyred Syria, and also to continue their search for equitable solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For this reason, I invited the President of Israel and the President of Palestine, both of them men of peace and artisans of peace, to come to the Vatican in order to pray together with me for peace. Please, I ask you not to leave us alone: pray, pray fervently that the Lord may bestow the gift of peace, that He may give the gift of peace to that blessed land! I am counting on your prayers. Be strong, pray, now, pray for the gift of peace.
This pilgrimage in the Holy Land was also an occasion to confirm the Christian community in their faith, that community that suffers so much, and to express the gratitude of the whole church for the presence of Christians in that place and throughout the Middle East. These brothers and sisters of ours are courageous witnesses of hope and of charity, salt and light in that land. With their lives of faith and prayer and with their precious efforts toward education and assistance, they are working toward reconciliation and forgiveness, contributing to the common good of society.
With this pilgrimage, which was truly a gift from the Lord, I wanted to deliver a word of hope, but I also in turn received hope! I received it from brothers and sisters who hope against all hope (Rm 4:18), despite so much suffering, such as those who have fled from their own countries because of conflict; such as those, in various parts of hte world, who are discriminated against and despised because of their faith in Christ. Let us continue to be close to them! Let us pray for them and for peace in the Holy Land and in all of the Middle East. The prayer of the entire Church will also sustain the path toward full union between Christians because we believe in God who in Jesus Christ, came to live among us.
I invite you all to pray together now, pray together to Mary, the Queen of Peace, the Queen of unity among Christians, the Mother of all Christians: may she show us the way to peace, throughout the world, and may she accompany us in our efforts toward unity.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized and presented in various languages. After each summary, the Pope expressed particular greetings to the pilgrims. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I am pleased to greet the members of the International Catholic Migration Commission meeting in plenary session, with prayerful good wishes for their united action in providing relief to so many of our brothers and sisters in need. I also greet the Catholic Police Guild of England and Wales on the centenary of its foundation, and the members of the Global Legislators Organization. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, Sweden, Israel, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, Canada and the United States, I invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Lord. God bless you!
In his address, the Pope spoke of his recent Pilgrimage to the Holy Land on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Atenagora.
After summarizing His Holiness' catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered specific greetings to each group of the faithful present at today's Audience.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In the past few days, as you know, I lived a pilgrimage in the Holy Land. It was a great gift for the Church, for which I give thanks to God. He guided me in that blessed Land, which witnessed the historical presence of Jesus and where fundamental events have taken place for Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I wish to renew my cordial gratitude to His Beatitude, Patriarch Fouad Twal, to the Bishops of various Rites, the Priests and the Franciscans from the Custody of the Holy Land. Those Franciscans are great! Their work is beautiful, the work that they do! My grateful thoughts are also directed toward the Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian Authorities, who welcomed me with such courtesy, I would say also with friendship, as well as toward all those who contributed toward the making this visit a reality.
The main reason for this pilgrimage was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic encounter between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Atenagora. It was the first time that a Successor of Peter had visited the Holy Land: in this way, during the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI, Paul VI began the international Papal travels in the modern era. That prophetic gesture on the part of the Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople was a milestone along the journey, at times suffering and at times promising, of unity between all Christians who, since that moment, have made significant advances. So it was that my meeting with His Holiness, Bartholomew, beloved brother in Christ, represented the culminating moment of this visit. Together, we prayed at the Tomb of Jesus, and present with us was the Greek-Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilios III and the Armenian Patriarch, Apostolico Nouhan, as well as the Archbishops and Bishops of various Churches and Communities, civil authorities and many of the faithful. In that place where the news of the Resurrection was first announced, we felt the bitterness and suffering of divisions which still exist between the disciples of Christ; and truly all this fighting causes so much pain, so much heartache. We are still divided: in that place where the good news of the Resurrection was first heard, where Jesus gave us life, we are still somewhat divided. But above all, during that celebration of reciprocal fraternity, esteem and affection, we heard loudly and clearly the voice of the Risen Good Shepherd who wants to make of all his people his flock; we heard the desire to heal the wounds which are still open and to remain firmly committed to the path toward full communion. One more time, as previous Popes have done, I ask pardon for anything that we have done to promote division, and I ask the Holy Spirit to help us to heal the wounds that we have inflicted upon other brothers and sisters. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ and with Patriarch Bartholomew, we are friends, brothers and we have shared a desire to walk the path ahead together, doing everything we can from this day forward: praying together, working together for the flock of the Lord, seeking peace, caring for creation, so many things that we share in common. Together, we must proceed from this point as brothers.
Another reason for this pilgrimage was to encourage the path toward peace in that region, which is at the same time a gift from God and calls for human commitment. I did this in Jordan, in Palestine and in Israel. And I did it as a pilgrim, in the name of God and of man, carrying in my heart great compassion for the sons of that land who for too long have suffered from the wounds of war, and who have the right to finally experience peace!
For this reason, I called upon the Christian faithful to allow themselves to be anointed with open hearts, docile to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in order to always be capable of gestures of humility, fraternity and reconciliation. The Spirit helps us to adopt these attitudes in our daily lives, with people of various cultures and religions, and therefore to become artisans of peace. Peace is an art! There is no industry that creates peace, no. It is created every day, artistically, with open hearts capable of welcoming the gift of God. This is why I called upon the Christian faithful to allow themselves to be anointed.
In Jordan, I thanked the Authorities and the people for their commitment to welcoming so many refugees from war zones, a humanitarian commitment which merits and requires the constant support of the international community. I was struck by the generosity of the Jordanian people who have welcomed refugees, so many refugees who have fled war are now in that place. May the Lord bless those welcoming people, bless them so! And we should pray that the Lord may bless this welcome and ask all international institutions to help those people in their work of welcoming. In other places too, during the pilgrimage, I encouraged the authorities concerned to continue their efforts to stem the tensions in the Middle East, especially in martyred Syria, and also to continue their search for equitable solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For this reason, I invited the President of Israel and the President of Palestine, both of them men of peace and artisans of peace, to come to the Vatican in order to pray together with me for peace. Please, I ask you not to leave us alone: pray, pray fervently that the Lord may bestow the gift of peace, that He may give the gift of peace to that blessed land! I am counting on your prayers. Be strong, pray, now, pray for the gift of peace.
This pilgrimage in the Holy Land was also an occasion to confirm the Christian community in their faith, that community that suffers so much, and to express the gratitude of the whole church for the presence of Christians in that place and throughout the Middle East. These brothers and sisters of ours are courageous witnesses of hope and of charity, salt and light in that land. With their lives of faith and prayer and with their precious efforts toward education and assistance, they are working toward reconciliation and forgiveness, contributing to the common good of society.
With this pilgrimage, which was truly a gift from the Lord, I wanted to deliver a word of hope, but I also in turn received hope! I received it from brothers and sisters who hope against all hope (Rm 4:18), despite so much suffering, such as those who have fled from their own countries because of conflict; such as those, in various parts of hte world, who are discriminated against and despised because of their faith in Christ. Let us continue to be close to them! Let us pray for them and for peace in the Holy Land and in all of the Middle East. The prayer of the entire Church will also sustain the path toward full union between Christians because we believe in God who in Jesus Christ, came to live among us.
I invite you all to pray together now, pray together to Mary, the Queen of Peace, the Queen of unity among Christians, the Mother of all Christians: may she show us the way to peace, throughout the world, and may she accompany us in our efforts toward unity.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized and presented in various languages. After each summary, the Pope expressed particular greetings to the pilgrims. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I am pleased to greet the members of the International Catholic Migration Commission meeting in plenary session, with prayerful good wishes for their united action in providing relief to so many of our brothers and sisters in need. I also greet the Catholic Police Guild of England and Wales on the centenary of its foundation, and the members of the Global Legislators Organization. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, Sweden, Israel, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, Canada and the United States, I invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Lord. God bless you!
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