At noon today, the Commemoration of all the faithful departed, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims who had gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Yesterday, we celebrated the Solemnity of all the Saints, and today the liturgy invites us to commemorate the faithful departed. These two days are intimately connected to each other, just as both joy and tears find in Jesus Christ a synthesis which is fundamental to our faith and our hope. On one hand, in fact, the Church, on its pilgrimage through history, rejoices at the intercession of the Saints and the Blesseds who sustain her in her mission of proclaiming the gospel; on the other hand, she is, like Jesus, she shares in the tears of those who are separated from their loved ones, and like Him, and because of Him, she echoes our thanks to the Father who has delivered us from the domination of sin and death.
Yesterday and today, many people will visit cemeteries, which, as this same word recounts, are places of rest, while we await the final awakening. It is good to think that Jesus himself will wake us up. Jesus himself revealed the fact that the death of the body is like a sleep from which He will awaken us. In faith, we stop - even spiritually - at the tombs of our beloved dead, of those who have loved us and who have been good to us. But today we are called to remember all the dead, even those who have no one to remember them. Let us remember the victims of war and violence: there are many little ones in our world who die from hunger and who suffer; let us remember those who are anonymous, who sleep in common graves. Let us remember brothers and sisters who have been killed because they are Christians; and those who have sacrificed their lives in service to others. Let us confide to the Father especially those who have died during this past year.
The tradition of the Church has always been to pray for the dead, and in particular to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice for them; this is the best spiritual help that we can give to their souls, especially to those who have been abandoned. The foundation of our prayer is communion in the Mystical Body. As the Second Vatican Council reminded us: the pilgrim Church on earth, well aware of this communion of the entire Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, has from the earliest days of the Christian religion, honored the memory of the dead with great respect (Lumen gentium, 50).
Remembering the dead, taking care of their tombs and praying for them are all ways of witnessing to our hope, rooted in the certainty that death is not the last word concerning the fate of humanity, for man is destined for a life without limits, which has its roots and its fulfillment in God. To God, we raise this prayer: God of infinite mercy, we entrust to your immense goodness all those who have left this world for eternity, where you wait for all humanity, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ your Son, who died as a ransom for our sins. Look not, O Lord, on our poverty, our suffering, our human weakness, when we appear before you to be judged for joy or for condemnation. Look upon us with mercy, born of the tenderness of your heart, and help us to walk in the ways of complete purification. Let none of your children be lost in the eternal fire, where there can be no repentance. We entrust to you, O Lord, the souls of our beloved dead, of those who have died without the comfort of the sacraments, or who have not had an opportunity to repent, even at the end of their lives. May none of them be afraid to meet You, after their earthly pilgrimage, but may they always hope to be welcomed in the embrace of your infinite mercy. May our Sister, corporal death find us always vigilant in prayer and filled with the good that has been done in the course of our short or long lives. Lord, may no earthly thing ever separate us from You, but may everyone and everything support us with a burning desire to rest peacefully and eternally in You. Amen. (Father Antonio Rungi, Passionist, Prayer for the dead).
With such faith in the supreme destiny of mankind, let us now turn to Our Lady, who suffered beneath the cross the drama of the death of Christ, and who later knew the joy of his resurrection. May she, the gate of heaven, help us to better comprehend the value of prayer for the faithful departed. They are victorious! May she support us in our daily pilgrimage on earth and help us to never lose sight of our ultimate aim of life in paradise. With such hope, which never fades, may we continue our journey of faith together.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet the families, the parish groups, the associations and all the pilgrims who have come from Rome, from Italy and from many parts of the world. In particular, I greet the faithful of the Diocese of Seville (Spain), those from Case Finali in Cesena and the volunteers from Oppeano and Granzette who are doing clown therapy in hospitals. I see you there: keep doing that which you do so well for the sick. Let's greet these wonderful people!
I wish you all a good Sunday, in Christian remembrance of our dearly departed. Please, don't forget to pray for me.
Enjoy your lunch. Goodbye!
At 6:00pm local time today, the Commemoration of all the faithful departed, the Holy Father, Pope Francis went to the grotto beneath the Vatican Basilica for a moment of private prayer for the repose of the souls of the Supreme Pontiffs who are buried there, and for all the deceased.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Yesterday, we celebrated the Solemnity of all the Saints, and today the liturgy invites us to commemorate the faithful departed. These two days are intimately connected to each other, just as both joy and tears find in Jesus Christ a synthesis which is fundamental to our faith and our hope. On one hand, in fact, the Church, on its pilgrimage through history, rejoices at the intercession of the Saints and the Blesseds who sustain her in her mission of proclaiming the gospel; on the other hand, she is, like Jesus, she shares in the tears of those who are separated from their loved ones, and like Him, and because of Him, she echoes our thanks to the Father who has delivered us from the domination of sin and death.
Yesterday and today, many people will visit cemeteries, which, as this same word recounts, are places of rest, while we await the final awakening. It is good to think that Jesus himself will wake us up. Jesus himself revealed the fact that the death of the body is like a sleep from which He will awaken us. In faith, we stop - even spiritually - at the tombs of our beloved dead, of those who have loved us and who have been good to us. But today we are called to remember all the dead, even those who have no one to remember them. Let us remember the victims of war and violence: there are many little ones in our world who die from hunger and who suffer; let us remember those who are anonymous, who sleep in common graves. Let us remember brothers and sisters who have been killed because they are Christians; and those who have sacrificed their lives in service to others. Let us confide to the Father especially those who have died during this past year.
The tradition of the Church has always been to pray for the dead, and in particular to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice for them; this is the best spiritual help that we can give to their souls, especially to those who have been abandoned. The foundation of our prayer is communion in the Mystical Body. As the Second Vatican Council reminded us: the pilgrim Church on earth, well aware of this communion of the entire Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, has from the earliest days of the Christian religion, honored the memory of the dead with great respect (Lumen gentium, 50).
Remembering the dead, taking care of their tombs and praying for them are all ways of witnessing to our hope, rooted in the certainty that death is not the last word concerning the fate of humanity, for man is destined for a life without limits, which has its roots and its fulfillment in God. To God, we raise this prayer: God of infinite mercy, we entrust to your immense goodness all those who have left this world for eternity, where you wait for all humanity, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ your Son, who died as a ransom for our sins. Look not, O Lord, on our poverty, our suffering, our human weakness, when we appear before you to be judged for joy or for condemnation. Look upon us with mercy, born of the tenderness of your heart, and help us to walk in the ways of complete purification. Let none of your children be lost in the eternal fire, where there can be no repentance. We entrust to you, O Lord, the souls of our beloved dead, of those who have died without the comfort of the sacraments, or who have not had an opportunity to repent, even at the end of their lives. May none of them be afraid to meet You, after their earthly pilgrimage, but may they always hope to be welcomed in the embrace of your infinite mercy. May our Sister, corporal death find us always vigilant in prayer and filled with the good that has been done in the course of our short or long lives. Lord, may no earthly thing ever separate us from You, but may everyone and everything support us with a burning desire to rest peacefully and eternally in You. Amen. (Father Antonio Rungi, Passionist, Prayer for the dead).
With such faith in the supreme destiny of mankind, let us now turn to Our Lady, who suffered beneath the cross the drama of the death of Christ, and who later knew the joy of his resurrection. May she, the gate of heaven, help us to better comprehend the value of prayer for the faithful departed. They are victorious! May she support us in our daily pilgrimage on earth and help us to never lose sight of our ultimate aim of life in paradise. With such hope, which never fades, may we continue our journey of faith together.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet the families, the parish groups, the associations and all the pilgrims who have come from Rome, from Italy and from many parts of the world. In particular, I greet the faithful of the Diocese of Seville (Spain), those from Case Finali in Cesena and the volunteers from Oppeano and Granzette who are doing clown therapy in hospitals. I see you there: keep doing that which you do so well for the sick. Let's greet these wonderful people!
I wish you all a good Sunday, in Christian remembrance of our dearly departed. Please, don't forget to pray for me.
Enjoy your lunch. Goodbye!
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