Angelus of thanksgiving

At noon today, 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.

 

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

Before reciting the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters!

Last Sunday I was in Rio de Janeiro, concluding the Mass and the World Youth Day.  I think we should all thank the Lord for the great gift that this event was for Brazil, for Latin America and for the whole world.  It was a new step in the pilgrimage of young people from all the continents along with the Cross of Christ.  We should never forget that the World Youth Days are not fireworks, moments of enthusiasm for their own sake; they are stages of a long journey, begun in 1985, through the initiative of Pope John Paul II.  He confided the Cross to the youth and told them: go, and I will go with you!  This is how it began; and this pilgrimage of youth continued under the leadership of Pope Benedict, and thanks be to God that I too was able to live this marvelous step in Brazil.  We will always remember: youth do not follow the Pope, they follow Jesus Christ, carrying his cross.  And the Pope guides them and accompanies them along this journey of faith and of hope.  I wish to thank all the youth who participated, some at great cost and even sacrifice.  And I thank the Lord also for the other meetings that I had with pastors and with people from the great country of Brazil, as well as the authorities and the volunteers.  May the Lord reward all those who contributed to the success of that great festival of faith.  I would also like to thank all the Brazilian people.  They are wonderful people, a very generous people!  I will not forget their warm welcome, their greetings, the looks on their faces, such joy!  They are a generous people; I ask the Lord to bless them all!

I would like to ask you to pray with me for all the young people who took part in the World Youth Day, that they may be able to understand this experience as part of their ongoing pilgrimage, and that it may inspire them every day; may this experience help them make the important choices in their lives, so that they may respond to the personal call of the Lord.  In today’s liturgy, the provoking words of Quohelet resound: Vanity of vanities … all is vanity (1:2).  Young people are particularly sensitive at times to the meaning of the values which surround them.  Unfortunately, at times they also pay the consequences.  Instead, the encounter with the living Jesus, amidst the great family which is the Church, fills their hearts with joy because it fills them with true life, with a profound good, which does not pass away and does not rot: we saw it on the faces of the youth in Rio.  But this experience has to counter daily vanity, the poison of emptiness that creeps into our society and bases everything on profit and on material possession, deceiving young people with consumerism.  This Sunday’s gospel reminds us of the absurdity of those who base their happiness on material possessions.  The rich man says to himself: My soul, you have many possessions … rest, eat, drink and be merry! But God responds: Fool, this very night you will lose your life, and all that you have accumulated, what will become of it? (cf. Lk 12:19-20).  Dear brothers and sisters, the true wealth is the love of God shared with our brothers and sisters.  This love that comes from God can be shared among us if we help one another.  Those who experience it do not fear death and receive heart-felt peace.  Let us confide this intention, the intention of receiving the love of God and sharing it with our brothers and sisters, to the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters,

I greet you all and thank you for your presence, despite the heat.  I am happy to greet in particular a few groups of young people: the Young Carmelites of Croatia; the youth from Sandon and Fosso, from the Diocese of Verona; those from Mozzanica, in the Diocese of Cremona; those from Moncalieri, who travelled part of the way on foot; and those from Bergamo who came on bicycles.  Thank you to all of you.  There are so many young people today in the square: it seems that I’m still in Rio de Janeiro!

I wish to remember especially the pastors and priests of the world, because today is the Memorial of their patron, Saint John Mary Vianney.  Dear confreres, let us be united in prayer and in pastoral charity.

Tomorrow, Romans will remember our Mother, the Salus Populii Romani: let us ask Her to take care of us; and now all together, let’s pray a Hail Mary.  All together: Hail Mary ….  A salute to our Mother, all together, applause for our Mother (he claps along with all the people).

I would also like to highlight the liturgical feast of the Transfiguration, which will be celebrated the day after tomorrow, with the expression of my profound gratitude for the Venerable Pope Paul VI, who left this world in the evening of August 6, 35 years ago.

Dear friends, I wish you a good day and a good month of August.  Enjoy your lunch!  Good bye!