At 11:30am today, in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a delegation from the Pro Petri Sede Association.
Dear friends,
I welcome you with joy, members of the Pro Petri Sede Association, on the occasion of your pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apostles, which nourishes your faith and demonstrates your faithfulness to the Successor of Peter.
I express my gratitude for your commitment to serving the poor. The growing number of marginalized persons and those who live in very precarious situations challenges us and requires of us a renewed solidarity in order to provide them with the material and spiritual support they need. At the same time, there is much that we can also receive from the poor who draw near to us, those who we are able to help. Even as they struggle with their difficulties, they are often witnesses to the essentials, to family values; the are able to share those who are less fortunate even than themselves and they know how to rejoice, as I was able to witness during my recent voyage to Asia. Indifference and self-centredness are always lurking. Attention to the poor enriches us by placing us on a path toward humility and truth. Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians: What do you possess that you did not first receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7). Their presence is a reminder of our common humanity, of the fragility of life, of our dependence on God and on each other. I encourage you therefore, especially during Lent which is about to begin, to ask the Lord to give us merciful and poor hearts, aware of our own poverty and capable of giving to others (cf Message for Lent 2015).
With the precious gift that you present today to the Successor of Peter, you will help some of those most severely tried in various parts of the world. Through this solidarity, you offer them also the spiritual comfort of not feeling as though they have been forgotten in the midst of their trials, and of maintaining their hope. I sincerely thank you for this on their behalf. I also invite you to pray constantly for peace, that those in political office might find ways to continue the dialogue and to be reconciled.
Dear friends, may your pilgrimage increase in each one of you a sense of belonging to the Church, which is a large family, and may you know the joy of proclaiming the gospel to all people. May fraternity be strengthened among you, so that you might continue your mission of service to the poor and the often forgotten, for whom Jesus has a special love and preference. I entrust you all to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of Saint Peter and all the Saints from your various countries, while willingly imparting the Apostolic Blessing upon you, your families and all the members of your Associations. And, please, don't forget to pray for me.
But first, I want to add another word. I am thinking about Belgium and Holland: those two countries once filled the world with missionaries. Today they are experiencing a vocational crisis. I want to ask you to knock at the heart of Jesus, asking him not to forget them, but to reward them for the generosity that they once were able to exercise. May He send vocations to Belgium and to Holland, so that the life of faith might grow even more in those places. You work with the poor and you love them, but spare a thought also for those who are poor in faith, those who have no faith because there is no one left to preach it. May the Lord send priests to proclaim the faith. And please, pray for vocations in your own countries.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the meeting with the
Pro Petri Sede Association
Dear friends,
I welcome you with joy, members of the Pro Petri Sede Association, on the occasion of your pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apostles, which nourishes your faith and demonstrates your faithfulness to the Successor of Peter.
I express my gratitude for your commitment to serving the poor. The growing number of marginalized persons and those who live in very precarious situations challenges us and requires of us a renewed solidarity in order to provide them with the material and spiritual support they need. At the same time, there is much that we can also receive from the poor who draw near to us, those who we are able to help. Even as they struggle with their difficulties, they are often witnesses to the essentials, to family values; the are able to share those who are less fortunate even than themselves and they know how to rejoice, as I was able to witness during my recent voyage to Asia. Indifference and self-centredness are always lurking. Attention to the poor enriches us by placing us on a path toward humility and truth. Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians: What do you possess that you did not first receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7). Their presence is a reminder of our common humanity, of the fragility of life, of our dependence on God and on each other. I encourage you therefore, especially during Lent which is about to begin, to ask the Lord to give us merciful and poor hearts, aware of our own poverty and capable of giving to others (cf Message for Lent 2015).
With the precious gift that you present today to the Successor of Peter, you will help some of those most severely tried in various parts of the world. Through this solidarity, you offer them also the spiritual comfort of not feeling as though they have been forgotten in the midst of their trials, and of maintaining their hope. I sincerely thank you for this on their behalf. I also invite you to pray constantly for peace, that those in political office might find ways to continue the dialogue and to be reconciled.
Dear friends, may your pilgrimage increase in each one of you a sense of belonging to the Church, which is a large family, and may you know the joy of proclaiming the gospel to all people. May fraternity be strengthened among you, so that you might continue your mission of service to the poor and the often forgotten, for whom Jesus has a special love and preference. I entrust you all to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of Saint Peter and all the Saints from your various countries, while willingly imparting the Apostolic Blessing upon you, your families and all the members of your Associations. And, please, don't forget to pray for me.
But first, I want to add another word. I am thinking about Belgium and Holland: those two countries once filled the world with missionaries. Today they are experiencing a vocational crisis. I want to ask you to knock at the heart of Jesus, asking him not to forget them, but to reward them for the generosity that they once were able to exercise. May He send vocations to Belgium and to Holland, so that the life of faith might grow even more in those places. You work with the poor and you love them, but spare a thought also for those who are poor in faith, those who have no faith because there is no one left to preach it. May the Lord send priests to proclaim the faith. And please, pray for vocations in your own countries.
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