At noon today in Rome, 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 gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appointment.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
The second Sunday of Lent presents us with the gospel passage of the Transfiguration of Jesus.
The apostolic voyage that I have completed in these last days in Mexico was an experience of transfiguration. How could it not be? ... for the Lord showed us the light of his glory through the boy of his Church, that of his holy people who live in that land. A boy that is often wounded, a people who have been repeatedly oppressed, despised and had their dignity violated. In effect, the various encounters that we experienced in Mexico were filled with light: the light of faith that transfigures faces and shows us the way.
The spiritual centre of gravity was the Shrine of the Madonna of Guadalupe. My first desire was to spend some time in silence before the image of the Mother, and I thank God that he granted me that possibility. I contemplated, and I allowed myself to be gazed upon by the One who bears, etched into her eyes, the gaze of all her children, and collects the pain of violence, kidnappings, killings, the abuses to the detriment of many poor people, of many women. Guadalupe is the most visited Marian shrine in the world. People come from all over America to pray there, where the Virgin Morenita showed herself to the indian Saint Juan Diego, giving birth to the evangelization of the continent and its new civilization, the fruit of the encounter between various cultures.
This is the inheritance that the Lord has bequeathed to Mexico: to cherish the treasure of diversity and, at the same time, to manifest the harmony of the common faith, a sincere and strong faith, along with great care for vitality and for humanity. Like my predecessors, I too went to confirm the faith of the Mexican people, but at the same time to be confirmed myself; I gathered this gift with both my hands so that it could benefit the universal Church.
An enlightening example of what I am saying is given by families: Mexican families welcomed me with joy as a messenger of Christ, the Pastor of the Church; but they also provided me with clear and strong testimonies of their lived faith, of faith that transforms lives, and this helps to build up all Christian families throughout the world. The same can be said about young people, about consecrated men and women, about priests, about workers and about prisoners.
For all this I give thanks to the Lord and to the Virgin of Guadalupe for the gift of this pilgrimage. In addition, I thank the President of Mexico and the other civic authorities for their warm welcome; I sincerely thank my brother bishops, and all those who in many ways contributed toward the success of this journey.
Special praise should be raised to the Holy Trinity for having desired that, on this occasion, a meeting was made possible in Cuba between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow and of all Russia, my dear brother Kirill; a meeting which has been long anticipated by me and by my predecessors. This event too is a prophetic light of Resurrection, which people today need more than ever before. May the Holy Mother of God continue to guide us on the path to unity. Let us pray to the Madonna of Kazan', an icon of whom Patriarch Kirill presented to me.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Tomorrow in Rome, there will be an international convention held under the title: For a world without the death penalty, organized by the Saint Egidio Community. I hope that this symposium will bring renewed strength of commitment toward the abolition of capital punishment. A sign of hope is found in the development, according to public opinion, of a growing opposition to the death penalty as a legitimate tool of social defence.
Indeed, modern societies have the ability to effectively express the crime without permanently removing the one who has committed the crime from the possibility of redeeming him- or herself. The problem must be seen in the context of penal justice that is increasingly in conformity with the dignity of mankind and the will of God for mankind and for society, and also a system of penal justice that is open to the hope of reintegration into society. The commandment: Thou shall not kill refers equally to the innocent and to those who are guilty.
The extra-ordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a propitious occasion for promoting throughout the world increasingly mature forms of respect for life and for the dignity of every person. Even a criminal retains the inviolable right to life, the gift of God. I appeal to the consciences of all rulers, that we may achieve an international consensus for the abolition of the death penalty, and I propose that those among them who are Catholic might be committed to a courageous and exemplary gesture: that no death sentence will be executed during this Holy Year of Mercy.
All Christians and men of good will are called today to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also to improve prison conditions, in respect to the dignity of those persons who are deprived of liberty.
I extend a cordial greeting to families, to parish groups, to associations and to all pilgrims from Rome, Italy and various other countries.
I greet the faithful from Seville, Cádiz, Ceuta (Spain) and those from Trieste, Corato and Turin. A special thought is extended to the Pope John XXIII Community, founded by the Servant of God, Father Oreste Benzi, who will form a Via crucis in the streets of Rome next Friday in solidarity with and in prayer for women who are victims of trafficking.
Lent is a favourable time to walk a path of conversion that is focused on mercy. Therefore, today, I thought of gifting all of you who are here in the Square with a spiritual medicine called Misericordina. I have already done this on one other occasion, but this one is better quality: Mistericordina plus: a box containing a rosary and a small image of the Merciful Jesus. Now they will be distributed by volunteers, including the poor, the homeless, refugees and some religious men and women. Accept this gif as a spiritual tool to help you spread love, forgiveness and fraternity especially during this Year of Mercy.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
The second Sunday of Lent presents us with the gospel passage of the Transfiguration of Jesus.
The apostolic voyage that I have completed in these last days in Mexico was an experience of transfiguration. How could it not be? ... for the Lord showed us the light of his glory through the boy of his Church, that of his holy people who live in that land. A boy that is often wounded, a people who have been repeatedly oppressed, despised and had their dignity violated. In effect, the various encounters that we experienced in Mexico were filled with light: the light of faith that transfigures faces and shows us the way.
The spiritual centre of gravity was the Shrine of the Madonna of Guadalupe. My first desire was to spend some time in silence before the image of the Mother, and I thank God that he granted me that possibility. I contemplated, and I allowed myself to be gazed upon by the One who bears, etched into her eyes, the gaze of all her children, and collects the pain of violence, kidnappings, killings, the abuses to the detriment of many poor people, of many women. Guadalupe is the most visited Marian shrine in the world. People come from all over America to pray there, where the Virgin Morenita showed herself to the indian Saint Juan Diego, giving birth to the evangelization of the continent and its new civilization, the fruit of the encounter between various cultures.
This is the inheritance that the Lord has bequeathed to Mexico: to cherish the treasure of diversity and, at the same time, to manifest the harmony of the common faith, a sincere and strong faith, along with great care for vitality and for humanity. Like my predecessors, I too went to confirm the faith of the Mexican people, but at the same time to be confirmed myself; I gathered this gift with both my hands so that it could benefit the universal Church.
An enlightening example of what I am saying is given by families: Mexican families welcomed me with joy as a messenger of Christ, the Pastor of the Church; but they also provided me with clear and strong testimonies of their lived faith, of faith that transforms lives, and this helps to build up all Christian families throughout the world. The same can be said about young people, about consecrated men and women, about priests, about workers and about prisoners.
For all this I give thanks to the Lord and to the Virgin of Guadalupe for the gift of this pilgrimage. In addition, I thank the President of Mexico and the other civic authorities for their warm welcome; I sincerely thank my brother bishops, and all those who in many ways contributed toward the success of this journey.
Special praise should be raised to the Holy Trinity for having desired that, on this occasion, a meeting was made possible in Cuba between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow and of all Russia, my dear brother Kirill; a meeting which has been long anticipated by me and by my predecessors. This event too is a prophetic light of Resurrection, which people today need more than ever before. May the Holy Mother of God continue to guide us on the path to unity. Let us pray to the Madonna of Kazan', an icon of whom Patriarch Kirill presented to me.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Tomorrow in Rome, there will be an international convention held under the title: For a world without the death penalty, organized by the Saint Egidio Community. I hope that this symposium will bring renewed strength of commitment toward the abolition of capital punishment. A sign of hope is found in the development, according to public opinion, of a growing opposition to the death penalty as a legitimate tool of social defence.
Indeed, modern societies have the ability to effectively express the crime without permanently removing the one who has committed the crime from the possibility of redeeming him- or herself. The problem must be seen in the context of penal justice that is increasingly in conformity with the dignity of mankind and the will of God for mankind and for society, and also a system of penal justice that is open to the hope of reintegration into society. The commandment: Thou shall not kill refers equally to the innocent and to those who are guilty.
The extra-ordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a propitious occasion for promoting throughout the world increasingly mature forms of respect for life and for the dignity of every person. Even a criminal retains the inviolable right to life, the gift of God. I appeal to the consciences of all rulers, that we may achieve an international consensus for the abolition of the death penalty, and I propose that those among them who are Catholic might be committed to a courageous and exemplary gesture: that no death sentence will be executed during this Holy Year of Mercy.
All Christians and men of good will are called today to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also to improve prison conditions, in respect to the dignity of those persons who are deprived of liberty.
I extend a cordial greeting to families, to parish groups, to associations and to all pilgrims from Rome, Italy and various other countries.
I greet the faithful from Seville, Cádiz, Ceuta (Spain) and those from Trieste, Corato and Turin. A special thought is extended to the Pope John XXIII Community, founded by the Servant of God, Father Oreste Benzi, who will form a Via crucis in the streets of Rome next Friday in solidarity with and in prayer for women who are victims of trafficking.
Lent is a favourable time to walk a path of conversion that is focused on mercy. Therefore, today, I thought of gifting all of you who are here in the Square with a spiritual medicine called Misericordina. I have already done this on one other occasion, but this one is better quality: Mistericordina plus: a box containing a rosary and a small image of the Merciful Jesus. Now they will be distributed by volunteers, including the poor, the homeless, refugees and some religious men and women. Accept this gif as a spiritual tool to help you spread love, forgiveness and fraternity especially during this Year of Mercy.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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