Sunday, June 21, 2015

Angelus in Turin

At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Celebration in Vittorio Square, the Holy Father, Pope Francis led the recitation of the Angelus.

Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus

At the conclusion of this celebration, our thoughts turn to the Virgin Mary, beloved mother who cares for all her children, who Jesus entrusted to us while he hung on the cross, while he offered Himself in the greatest gesture of love.  The Shroud is an icon of this love.  Once again, it has brought many people here to Turin.  The Shroud draws us toward the martyred face and body of Jesus and, at the same time, it drives us out toward the faces of all suffering and unjustly persecuted people.  It drives us in the same direction as the love of Jesus does.  The love of Jesus compels us: this word spoken by Saint Paul was the motto of Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo.

Recalling the apostolic zeal of many holy priests from this land, beginning with Don Bosco, of whom we recall the bicentennial of his birth, I greet all of you with gratitude, priests and religious.  You dedicate yourselves with commitment to the pastoral work and you are close to your people and to their problems.  I encourage you to joyously continue your ministry, always focusing on what is essential for the proclamation of the Gospel.  And while I thank you, brother Bishops from Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta for your presence, I ask you to remain close to your priests with warm and paternal affection and closeness.

To the Holy Virgin, I confide this city and its territory, as well as those who live here, that you might live in justice, in peace and in fraternity.  In particular, I confide the families, the young, the elderly, the prisoners and all those who suffer, with a special thought for the sick who suffer from leucemia on this National day against leucemia, lymphoma and melanoma.  May Mary the Consoler, queen of Turin and of Piemonte, strengthen your faith, secure your hope and nourish your charity, so that you can be salt and light for this blessed land, of which I am a nephew.

When the Eucharistic Celebration was complete, the Holy Father travelled by car to the Bishop's residence, and along the way, on the via dell'Arcivescovado, he greeted the Military from the nearby School of Formation who lined the route.

At the Archbishop's residence, the Holy Father shared lunch with young detainees from the Ferrante-Aporti juvenile prison, as well as a few immigrants and people with no fixed address and a Rom family.  After lunch, he greeted the founder of SERMIG (Youth Mission Services), Mister Ernesto Olivero and the youth who had served lunch.

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