Praying for the lost of Lampedusa

At 7:20 this morning, the Holy Father, Pope Francis departed from the Domus Sanctae Marthae by car and travelled to the Ciampino airport, where, at 8:00am, he departed for his short visit to the island of Lampedusa.

When he arrived at the airport of Lampedusa, the Holy Father was welcomed by the Archbishop of Agrigento, His Excellency, Francesco Montenegro, and by the Mayor of the Island, Doctor Giuseppina Nicolini.  The Holy Father then travelled by car to Cala Pisana, where he boarded a ferry and crossed to the port of Lampedusa.  He was accompanied on the crossing by fishermen who surrounded the ferry with their boats.  While at sea, the Holy Father laid a wreath of flowers, remembering the many souls which have been lost during the crossings from various countries in North Africa.

At 9:30am, the Pope’s ferry entered into the Port of Punta Favarolo.  On the pier, a group of immigrants were waiting to greet the Holy Father.  The Pontiff then travelled by car to a nearby sports field known as Arena, in the region of Salina, where at 10:30 this morning, he celebrated Mass.

The Holy Father preached the homily during the Mass, and when the celebration was completed, following the greetings offered by the Archbishop of Agrigento, the Holy Father recited the Marian prayer Stella del Mare.

Hail Star of the Sea

Hail, O Star of the ocean, God's own Mother blest, 

ever sinless Virgin, gate of heav'nly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave, which from Gabriel came, 

peace confirm within us, changing Eve's name.
Break the sinners' fetters, make our blindness day, 

Chase all evils from us, for all blessings pray.
Show thyself a Mother, may the Word divine born for us thine Infant 

hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling, mildest of the mild, 

free from guilt preserve us meek and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless, make our way secure 

till we find in Jesus, joy for evermore.
Praise to God the Father, honor to the Son, 

in the Holy Spirit, be the glory one.
Amen.

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

For the Mass celebrated on the island of Lampedusa

Immigrants who died at sea, from that boat that, instead of being a way of hope was a way of death. This is the headline in the papers! When, a few weeks ago, I heard the news – which unfortunately has been repeated so many times – the thought was like a thorn in the heart that brings suffering. And then I felt that I ought to come here today to pray, to make a gesture of closeness, but also to reawaken our consciences so that what happened would not be repeated. Not repeated, please! But first I want to say a word of sincere gratitude and encouragement to you, the residents of Lampedusa and Linosa, to the associations, to the volunteers and to the security forces that have shown and continue to show attention to persons on their voyage toward something better. You are a small group, but you offer an example of solidarity! Thank you! Thanks also to Archbishop Francesco Montenegro for his help and his work, and for his pastoral closeness. I warmly greet the Mayor, Mrs Giuseppina Nicolini. Thank you so much for all you have done, and for all you do. I give a thought, too, to the dear Muslim immigrants that are beginning the fast of Ramadan, with best wishes for abundant spiritual fruits. The Church is near to you in the search for a more dignified life for yourselves and for your families. I say to you O’ scia’! (a friendly greeting in the local dialect).

This morning, in the light of the Word of God that we have heard, I want to say a few words that, above all, provoke the conscience of all, pushing us to reflect and to change certain attitudes in concrete ways. 

Adam, where are you? This is the first question that God addresses to man after sin. Where are you Adam? Adam is disoriented and has lost his place in creation because he thought to become powerful, to dominate everything, to be God. And harmony was broken, the man erred – and this is repeated even in relations with his neighbour, who is no longer a brother to be loved, but simply someone who disturbs my life, my well-being. And God speaks a second question: Cain, where is your brother? The dream of being powerful, of being as great as God, even of being God, leads to a chain of errors that is a chain of death; it leads to shedding the blood of the brother!

These two questions resonate even today, with all their strength! So many of us, even including myself, are disoriented, we are no longer attentive to the world in which we live, we don’t care, we don’t protect that which God has created for us, and we are unable to care for one another. And when this disorientation assumes worldwide dimensions, we arrive at tragedies like the one we have seen.

 Where is your brother? The voice of his blood cries even to me, God says. This is not a question addressed to others: it is a question addressed to me, to you, to each one of us. These, our brothers and sisters sought to leave difficult situations in order to find a little serenity and peace. They sought a better place for themselves and for their families – but they found death. How many times do those who seek not find understanding, not find welcome, not find solidarity! And their voices rise up even to God! And once more to you, the residents of Lampedusa, thank you for your solidarity! I recently heard one of these brothers. Before arriving here, he had passed through the hands of traffickers, those who exploit the poverty of others; these people for whom the poverty of others is a source of income. What they have suffered! And some have been unable to arrive!

Where is your brother? Who is responsible for this blood? In Spanish literature there is a play by Lope de Vega that tells how the inhabitants of the city of Fuente Ovejuna killed the Governor because he was a tyrant, and did it in such a way that no one knew who had carried out the execution. And when the king’s judge asked Who killed the Governor? they all responded, Fuente Ovejuna, sir. All and no one! Even today this question comes to us with strength: Who is responsible for the blood of these brothers and sisters? No one! We all respond this way: not me, it has nothing to do with me, there are others, certainly not me. But God asks each one of us: Where is the blood of your brother that cries out to me? Today no one in the world feels responsible for this; we have lost the sense of fraternal responsibility; we have fallen into the hypocritical attitude of the priest and of the servant of the altar that Jesus speaks about in the parable of the Good Samaritan: We look upon the brother half dead by the roadside, perhaps we think poor guy, and we continue on our way, it’s none of our business; and we feel fine with this. We feel at peace with this, we feel fine! The culture of well-being, that makes us think of ourselves, that makes us insensitive to the cries of others, that makes us live in soap bubbles, that are beautiful but are nothing, are illusions of futility, of the transient, that brings indifference to others, that brings even the globalization of indifference. In this world of globalization we have fallen into a globalization of indifference. We are accustomed to the suffering of others, it doesn’t concern us, it’s none of our business.

The figure of the Unnamed of Manzoni returns. The globalization of indifference makes us all unnamed, leaders without names and without faces.

Adam, where are you? Where is your brother? These are the two questions that God addresses at the beginning of the story of humanity, and that He also addresses to the men and women of our time, even to us. But I want to set before us a third question: Who among us has wept for these things, and things like this? Who has wept for the deaths of these brothers and sisters? Who has wept for the people who were on the boat? For the young mothers carrying their babies? For these men who wanted to support their families? We are a society that has forgotten the experience of weeping, of suffering with: the globalization of indifference has taken from us the ability to weep! In the Gospel we heard the cry, the plea, the great lament: Rachel weeping for her children . . . because they are no more. Herod sowed death in order to defend his own well-being, his own soap bubble. And this continues to repeat itself. Let us ask the Lord to wipe out whatever attitude of Herod remains in our hearts; let us ask the Lord for the grace to weep over our indifference, to weep over the cruelty in the world, in ourselves, and even in those who anonymously make socio-economic decisions that open the way to tragedies like this. Who has wept? Who in today’s world has wept?

O Lord, in this Liturgy, a Liturgy of repentance, we ask forgiveness for the indifference towards so many brothers and sisters, we ask forgiveness for those who are pleased with themselves, who are closed in on their own well-being in a way that leads to the anaesthesia of the heart, we ask you, Father, for forgiveness for those who with their decisions at the global level have created situations that lead to these tragedies. Forgive us, Lord!

O Lord, even today let us hear your questions: Adam, where are you? Where is the blood of your brother? Amen.

At the end of today’s liturgical celebration, the Holy Father addressed the crowds:

Before imparting the blessing, I wish once more to thank you, dear Lampedusians, for the example of love, per the example of caring, for the example of welcome that you have provided, that you have given and which you continue to give.  The Bishop said that Lampedusa is a deed.  May this example be shown to all the world, because you have the courage to welcome those who seek a better life.  Thank you for your testimony.  And I wish once more to thank you for your tenderness, which I witnessed in the person of Don Stafano.  While we were on the boat, he was telling me about what he and his associate pastor are doing.  Thank you, thank you Don Stefano.

At the end of the Mass, the Pope travelled by car to the Parish of San Gerlando for a brief siesta, then at 12:30, he left the parish and transferred by car to the airport of Lampedusa from where, at 12:45 he departed for Rome.  His arrival at Ciampino was anticipated at 2:00pm, and from there, he returned to the Vatican.