At 4:30pm this afternoon, the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with the sick and the disabled in the church of the Little House of Divine Providence, known as Cottolengo, after the name of its founder, Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo.
After having greeted and blessed each of the sick who were present, the Pope shared the following speech with those who were gathered.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I can't come to Turin without stopping in this house: the Little House of Divine Providence, founded almost two centuries ago by Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo. Inspired by the merciful love of God the Father, and confided entirely to his Providence, he welcomed the poor, the abandoned and the sick who had been turned away from the hospitals of the time.
The exclusion of the poor and the difficulty that they encounter when they seek necessary care, and treatment, is a situation that unfortunately still exists today. Great strides in progress have been made in the fields of medicine and social assistance, but there has also been a throw away culture diffused, as a consequence of an anthropological crisis which no longer places man at the centre of its interests, but rather consumerism and economic interests (cf Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, 52-53).
Among the victims of this throw-away culture I want to recall especially the elderly, who are welcomed in great numbers in this house; the elderly who are the memory and the wisdom of a people. Their long lives are not always seen as a gift from God, but sometimes as a difficult weight to be sustained, most often when their health is greatly compromised. This mentality is not good for society, and we must develop antibodies against this view of the elderly, or persons with handicaps, who live as though it's not worth living. This is a sin, a serious social sin. Instead, Cottolengo loved these people with tender love! We can learn to look differently at human life and at the human person!
Cottolengo meditated in depth over the pages of the gospel concerning Jesus' final judgement, in chapter 25 of Saint Matthew's gospel. He did not remain deaf to the call of Jesus who asks for food, drink, clothing and to be visited. Spurred on by the charity of Christ he began a work of charity in which the Word of God demonstrated the fullness of its fruitfulness (cf Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 233). We can learn from him the concreteness of evangelical love, so that many poor and sick persons might find a home, live like a family, know that they belong to a community that supports them, and that they are not excluded.
Dear sick brothers, you are precious members of the Church, you are the flesh of the crucified Christ who we have the honour of touching and of serving with love. With the grace of Jesus, you can be witnesses and apostles of divine mercy who save the world. Looking to the crucified Christ, full of love for us, and also with the help of those who take care of you, you find strength and consolation in order to carry your cross every day.
The raison d'être of this house is not welfare, or philanthropy, but the gospel: the gospel of the love of Christ and the strength that brought it to birth and that keeps it going: the love of Jesus' fondness for the vulnerable and the weak. This is the focus. For this reason, work like this cannot advance without prayer, which is the first and most important work of this Little House, as your founder would often repeat (cf Sayings and thoughts, 24), and as is demonstrated by your monasteries of Sisters of contemplative life who are involved in this same Work.
I want to thank the Sisters, the consecrated Brothers and the Priests who are present here in Turin and in your case, spread throughout the world. Together with many lay workers, volunteers and Friends of Cottolengo, you are called to continue, with creative trust, the mission of this great Saint of charity. His charism bears fruit, as can be seen also in the lives of Blessed Don Francesco Paleari and Brother Luigi Bordino, as well as the Servant of God, Sister Maria Carola Cecchin, a missionary.
May the Holy Spirit always give you the strength and the courage to follow their example and to bear witness with joy to the love of Christ that inspires us to serve the poor, contributing in this way to the growth of the Kingdom of God and of a more welcoming and fraternal world.
I bless you all. May Our Lady protect you, and please, don't forget to pray for me.
At the conclusion of the meeting with the sick, the Holy Father went to the inner courtyard to greet those who could not find space in the church. He shared the following impromptu words with them:
I greet you all, with all my heart! I thank you so much, for all that you do for the sick, for the elderly and for all that you do with such tenderness, with so much love. I thank you all and I ask you to pray for me, pray for the Church, pray for the children who are learning their catechism, pray for the children who are receiving their first Communion, pray for the elderly, for families ... from this place you can pray for the Church, pray that the Lord might send priests and sisters to do this work ... there is so much work! Now, let us pray together with Our Lady, and then I will give you my blessing.
Hail Mary ...
The Pope then left the Cottolengo and travelled by car to Vittorio Square for his meeting with young people.
After having greeted and blessed each of the sick who were present, the Pope shared the following speech with those who were gathered.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the meeting with the sick and the disabled
Dear brothers and sisters,
I can't come to Turin without stopping in this house: the Little House of Divine Providence, founded almost two centuries ago by Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo. Inspired by the merciful love of God the Father, and confided entirely to his Providence, he welcomed the poor, the abandoned and the sick who had been turned away from the hospitals of the time.
The exclusion of the poor and the difficulty that they encounter when they seek necessary care, and treatment, is a situation that unfortunately still exists today. Great strides in progress have been made in the fields of medicine and social assistance, but there has also been a throw away culture diffused, as a consequence of an anthropological crisis which no longer places man at the centre of its interests, but rather consumerism and economic interests (cf Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, 52-53).
Among the victims of this throw-away culture I want to recall especially the elderly, who are welcomed in great numbers in this house; the elderly who are the memory and the wisdom of a people. Their long lives are not always seen as a gift from God, but sometimes as a difficult weight to be sustained, most often when their health is greatly compromised. This mentality is not good for society, and we must develop antibodies against this view of the elderly, or persons with handicaps, who live as though it's not worth living. This is a sin, a serious social sin. Instead, Cottolengo loved these people with tender love! We can learn to look differently at human life and at the human person!
Cottolengo meditated in depth over the pages of the gospel concerning Jesus' final judgement, in chapter 25 of Saint Matthew's gospel. He did not remain deaf to the call of Jesus who asks for food, drink, clothing and to be visited. Spurred on by the charity of Christ he began a work of charity in which the Word of God demonstrated the fullness of its fruitfulness (cf Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 233). We can learn from him the concreteness of evangelical love, so that many poor and sick persons might find a home, live like a family, know that they belong to a community that supports them, and that they are not excluded.
Dear sick brothers, you are precious members of the Church, you are the flesh of the crucified Christ who we have the honour of touching and of serving with love. With the grace of Jesus, you can be witnesses and apostles of divine mercy who save the world. Looking to the crucified Christ, full of love for us, and also with the help of those who take care of you, you find strength and consolation in order to carry your cross every day.
The raison d'être of this house is not welfare, or philanthropy, but the gospel: the gospel of the love of Christ and the strength that brought it to birth and that keeps it going: the love of Jesus' fondness for the vulnerable and the weak. This is the focus. For this reason, work like this cannot advance without prayer, which is the first and most important work of this Little House, as your founder would often repeat (cf Sayings and thoughts, 24), and as is demonstrated by your monasteries of Sisters of contemplative life who are involved in this same Work.
I want to thank the Sisters, the consecrated Brothers and the Priests who are present here in Turin and in your case, spread throughout the world. Together with many lay workers, volunteers and Friends of Cottolengo, you are called to continue, with creative trust, the mission of this great Saint of charity. His charism bears fruit, as can be seen also in the lives of Blessed Don Francesco Paleari and Brother Luigi Bordino, as well as the Servant of God, Sister Maria Carola Cecchin, a missionary.
May the Holy Spirit always give you the strength and the courage to follow their example and to bear witness with joy to the love of Christ that inspires us to serve the poor, contributing in this way to the growth of the Kingdom of God and of a more welcoming and fraternal world.
I bless you all. May Our Lady protect you, and please, don't forget to pray for me.
At the conclusion of the meeting with the sick, the Holy Father went to the inner courtyard to greet those who could not find space in the church. He shared the following impromptu words with them:
I greet you all, with all my heart! I thank you so much, for all that you do for the sick, for the elderly and for all that you do with such tenderness, with so much love. I thank you all and I ask you to pray for me, pray for the Church, pray for the children who are learning their catechism, pray for the children who are receiving their first Communion, pray for the elderly, for families ... from this place you can pray for the Church, pray that the Lord might send priests and sisters to do this work ... there is so much work! Now, let us pray together with Our Lady, and then I will give you my blessing.
Hail Mary ...
The Pope then left the Cottolengo and travelled by car to Vittorio Square for his meeting with young people.
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