Today's General Audience took place in Saint Peter's Square beginning at 10:30am. His Holiness, Pope Francis received pilgrims and the faithful from all parts of Italy and from other parts of the world who had come to meet with him.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In the Credo, we say: I believe in one Church. We therefore profess that the Church is unique and that the Church is also united. But if we look at the Catholic Church in the world, we discover that it comprises almost 3,000 dioceses spread over all the continents: many languages, many cultures! Right here in our midst today there are so many bishops present from different cultures and from many countries. We have a bishop from Sri Lanka here, a bishop from South Africa, a bishop from India, there are so many who ... bishops from Latin America. The Church is scattered all over the world! Yet, the thousands of Catholic communities form one body. How can this be?
We find one concise answer to this question in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which affirms: the Catholic Church scattered throughout the world has one faith, one sacramental life, one apostolic succession, one common hope, the same love (n. 161). This is a beautiful definition, it's clear, it gives us good direction. Unity in the faith, in hope, in charity, unity in the Sacraments, in our ministry: they are like pillars and support and hold together the great building that is the Church. Where ever we go, even in the smallest parish, in the furthest place on the earth, the unity of the Church is present; we are at home, we are surrounded by family, we are among brothers and sisters. This is a great gift from God! The Church is one for everyone. There is no separate Church for Europeans, another for Africans, one for Americans, one for Asians, and one for those who live in Oceania; no, the Church is the same everywhere. It's like in a family: members can be far away, spread throughout the world, but the deep ties that unite all the members of the family remain steadfast no matter the distance. I think, for example, of the experience of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro: in that vast crowd of young people on Copacabana beach, we could hear many different languages being spoken, we could see many very different traits among them, many diverse cultures met there, and there was also profound unity, we formed the unity of the Church, we were united and we could feel it. Let us all ask: as a Catholic, do I feel this unity? As a Catholic, do I live this unity in the Church? Or am I not interested in unity because I am closed in on my little group or upon myself? Am I one of those who privatizes the Church, thinking of it in terms of my own group, or my own country, or my friends? It is sad to find a Church that is privatized due to egoism and a lack of faith. It's sad! When I think of or hear that so many Christians are persecuted and even give their own lives for their faith, does it touch my heart or not? Am I open to that brother or sister in the family who has given his or her life for Jesus Christ? Do we pray for each other? I want to ask you something, but don't respond out loud, only in your heart: how many of you pray for Christians who are persecuted? How many? Everyone respond in the silence of your heart. Do I pray for that brother, for that sister who is in trouble because of having confessed and defended his or her faith? It's important that we look beyond our own fences, that we realize that the Church is the family of God!
Let's go a little further and ask ourselves: are there any wounds in this unity? Can this unity be wounded? Unfortunately, we see that in the course of history, even now, we don't always live in unity. Sometimes misunderstandings occur, conflicts, tensions, divisions that wound, and the Church sometimes doesn't have the appearance that we would prefer; sometimes it doesn't demonstrate charity, as God would want it. Sometimes, we are the ones who create lacerations! And if we look at the divisions that still exist among Christians, Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants … we feel the labor of rendering this unity fully visible. God gives us unity, but we often find it hard to live it. We must seek, build communion, and educate ourselves to communion, to surmount misunderstandings and divisions, beginning with the family, with the ecclesial realities, in the ecumenical dialogue. Our world is in need of unity, of reconciliation, of communion and the Church is the House of communion. Saint Paul said to the Christians of Ephesus: I therefore, prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (4:1-3). Humility, gentleness, magnanimity, love for the sake of the preservation of unity! And he continued: There is one body, that of Christ which we receive in the Eucharist; one Spirit, the Holy Spirit that animates and constantly recreates the Church; one hope, eternal life; one faith, one Baptism, one God, Father of us all (cf. vv. 4-6). The richness of that which unites us! Each one should ask him- or herself today: do I make unity grow in my family, in my parish, in my community … or am I a cause for division, for hardship? Do I have the humility to heal with patience and with sacrifice, the wounds to communion?
Catechesis of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In the Credo, we say: I believe in one Church. We therefore profess that the Church is unique and that the Church is also united. But if we look at the Catholic Church in the world, we discover that it comprises almost 3,000 dioceses spread over all the continents: many languages, many cultures! Right here in our midst today there are so many bishops present from different cultures and from many countries. We have a bishop from Sri Lanka here, a bishop from South Africa, a bishop from India, there are so many who ... bishops from Latin America. The Church is scattered all over the world! Yet, the thousands of Catholic communities form one body. How can this be?
We find one concise answer to this question in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which affirms: the Catholic Church scattered throughout the world has one faith, one sacramental life, one apostolic succession, one common hope, the same love (n. 161). This is a beautiful definition, it's clear, it gives us good direction. Unity in the faith, in hope, in charity, unity in the Sacraments, in our ministry: they are like pillars and support and hold together the great building that is the Church. Where ever we go, even in the smallest parish, in the furthest place on the earth, the unity of the Church is present; we are at home, we are surrounded by family, we are among brothers and sisters. This is a great gift from God! The Church is one for everyone. There is no separate Church for Europeans, another for Africans, one for Americans, one for Asians, and one for those who live in Oceania; no, the Church is the same everywhere. It's like in a family: members can be far away, spread throughout the world, but the deep ties that unite all the members of the family remain steadfast no matter the distance. I think, for example, of the experience of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro: in that vast crowd of young people on Copacabana beach, we could hear many different languages being spoken, we could see many very different traits among them, many diverse cultures met there, and there was also profound unity, we formed the unity of the Church, we were united and we could feel it. Let us all ask: as a Catholic, do I feel this unity? As a Catholic, do I live this unity in the Church? Or am I not interested in unity because I am closed in on my little group or upon myself? Am I one of those who privatizes the Church, thinking of it in terms of my own group, or my own country, or my friends? It is sad to find a Church that is privatized due to egoism and a lack of faith. It's sad! When I think of or hear that so many Christians are persecuted and even give their own lives for their faith, does it touch my heart or not? Am I open to that brother or sister in the family who has given his or her life for Jesus Christ? Do we pray for each other? I want to ask you something, but don't respond out loud, only in your heart: how many of you pray for Christians who are persecuted? How many? Everyone respond in the silence of your heart. Do I pray for that brother, for that sister who is in trouble because of having confessed and defended his or her faith? It's important that we look beyond our own fences, that we realize that the Church is the family of God!
Let's go a little further and ask ourselves: are there any wounds in this unity? Can this unity be wounded? Unfortunately, we see that in the course of history, even now, we don't always live in unity. Sometimes misunderstandings occur, conflicts, tensions, divisions that wound, and the Church sometimes doesn't have the appearance that we would prefer; sometimes it doesn't demonstrate charity, as God would want it. Sometimes, we are the ones who create lacerations! And if we look at the divisions that still exist among Christians, Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants … we feel the labor of rendering this unity fully visible. God gives us unity, but we often find it hard to live it. We must seek, build communion, and educate ourselves to communion, to surmount misunderstandings and divisions, beginning with the family, with the ecclesial realities, in the ecumenical dialogue. Our world is in need of unity, of reconciliation, of communion and the Church is the House of communion. Saint Paul said to the Christians of Ephesus: I therefore, prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (4:1-3). Humility, gentleness, magnanimity, love for the sake of the preservation of unity! And he continued: There is one body, that of Christ which we receive in the Eucharist; one Spirit, the Holy Spirit that animates and constantly recreates the Church; one hope, eternal life; one faith, one Baptism, one God, Father of us all (cf. vv. 4-6). The richness of that which unites us! Each one should ask him- or herself today: do I make unity grow in my family, in my parish, in my community … or am I a cause for division, for hardship? Do I have the humility to heal with patience and with sacrifice, the wounds to communion?
Finally, the last step in greater depth: who is the
driving force of this unity of the Church? The Holy Spirit. Our unity is not
primarily the fruit of our consensus, of our effort to be in agreement; it
comes from Him who creates unity in the midst of diversity, which is harmony.
Because of this, prayer is important, which is the soul of our commitment as men
and women of communion and of unity.
Let us pray to the Lord: enable us to be ever more
united, to never be instruments of division; make us be committed -- as a beautiful
Franciscan prayer says -- to bring love where there is hatred, to bring
forgiveness where there is offense, to bring union where there is discord.
Following the
syntheses of this catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered
greetings in various languages to the groups of pilgrims who were present. To the English-language pilgrims, he said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the
English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including those from
England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, South Africa, Uganda, Australia,
New Zealand, India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Vietnam, Canada and
the United States. My particular greeting goes to the delegation from
Sophia University in Tokyo, the new seminarians of the Venerable English
College, the participants in the Institute for Continuing Theological Education
at the Pontifical North American College, and the priests’ pilgrimage from the
Archdiocese of Colombo accompanied by its Cardinal Archbishop. May your
stay in the Eternal City confirm you in love for Christ and his
Church. God bless you all!
At the conclusion
of the greetings offered to pilgrims in various languages, the Holy Father
concluded:
Finally, an affectionate thought for the youth,
especially those from Monsummano Terme, for the sick and the newly married
couples. Ask the Lord in prayer for the
gift of unity, for the Church, for families and for the entire world, so that
all hatred and discord may be overcome and everyone may experience the joy that
comes from peace.
The General
Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic
Benediction pronounced by the Holy Father.
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