At the John Paul II international airport in Balice-Kraków, there was a departure ceremony held to mark the Holy Father's last moments in Poland. The Pope was welcomed at the airport by the President of the Polish Republic, Mister Andrzej Duda, along with his wife.
Following the playing of the respective national anthems and the sharing of greetings between the respective delegations, the Pope climbed the stairs and boarded the aircraft - a LOT airlines B787 - for the return flight to Rome.
Telegrams to Heads of State
during the journey from Kraków to Rome
The aircraft carrying the Holy Father departed from Kraków's international airport at approximately 7:30pm local time.
As it left Polish airspace, and passing over the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia before re-entering Italian airspace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis sent the following telegrams to the respective Heads of State.
Poland
His Excellency, Andrzej Duda
President of the Republic of Poland
Warsaw
As I depart Poland for my return trip to Rome, I wish to express my deep gratitude to Your Excellency and to all the Polish people for your generous welcome and hospitality. I renew the assurance of my prayers for the nation's peace and well-being, as I invoke upon all of you God's abundant blessings.
Franciscus
Czech Republic
His Excellency, Miloš Zeman
President of the Czech Republic
Prague
As my return flight to Rome carries me over Czech Republic territory, I renew my greetings to Your Excellency and your fellow citizens, and I assure you of my prayers for the peace and well-being of the nation.
Franciscus
Austria
Her Excellency, Doris Bures
President of the National Council
of the Republic of Austria
Vienna
Entering Austrian airspace on my return to Rome, I renew my greetings to Your Excellency and your fellow citizens as I invoke abundant divine blessings upon the country.
Franciscus
Slovenia
His Excellency, Borut Pahor
President of the Republic of Slovenia
Ljubijana
With the assurance of my prayers for the peace ad prosperity of the nation, I renew my greetings to Your Excellency and your fellow citizens as I enter Slovenian airspace on my return to Rome.
Franciscus
Croatia
Her Excellency, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
President of the Republic of Croatia
Zagreb
As my return flight to Rome carries me over Croatia, I renew my best wishes to Your Excellency and your fellow citizens and I invoke abundant divine blessings upon the nation.
Franciscus
Italy
To His Excellency, the Honorable Sergio Mattarella
President of the Italian Republic
Palazzo del Quirinale
00187 Rome
Upon my re-entry from the Apostolic voyage to Poland, where I encountered youth who are ready and committed to create a future rooted in the perennial Christian values that comprise the spiritual patrimony of Europe, which so admirably appears also in the history of Poland, I extend a heart-felt greeting to you, Mister President, and to the beloved Italian nation, along with my cordial greetings while assuring you all of my special prayer for you.
Franciscus
The aircraft carrying the Holy Father on the return flight from the XXXI World Youth Day, celebrated in Kraków, Poland, landed at the Leonardo da Vinci international airport in Rome-Fumicino shortly after 9:30pm local time.
Before returning to the Vatican, Pope Francis went, as usual, to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to pray before the image of Our Lady, Salus Populi romani in gratitude for the success of this Apostolic Voyage.
This afternoon, prior to leaving the Archbishop's residence in Kraków, the Holy Father appeared one last time at the window of the residence to greet the faithful who were gathered in the square nearby. Then, he travelled by car to the Tauron Arena where, at 5:10pm, he met with about 20 thousand volunteers who had worked to prepare and develop the XXXI World Youth Day in Kraków.
Following a word of greeting offered by the Coordinator of this year's World Youth Day, His Excellency, Damian Andrzej Muskus, OFM, Auxiliary Bishop of Kraków, and three volunteers - two young Poles and one youth from Panama, the nation where the next international gathering of the World Youth Day will take place in 2019 - the Pope spoke off the cuff to the volunteers, choosing to leave his prepared text for future reflection.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
offered from the window of the
Archbishop's residence in Kraków
Thank you very much for your presence, for having come to greet me.
Thank you very much for your warm welcome during these days.
And now, before I leave, I want to give you my blessing. However, I also want to ask you not to forget to pray for me. Let us pray together to the Virgin Mary, each in our own language:
Hail Mary …
(Blessing)
Good bye …
(Original text in Spanish)
Speech shared by the Holy Father, Pope Francis
with WYD volunteers
Before returning to Rome, I wanted to meet you and, before all else, to thank each of you for the effort, generosity and dedication you showed in guiding, helping and serving the thousands of young pilgrims. Thank you too for your witness of faith, which, together with that of so many young people from every part of the world, is a great sign of hope for the Church and the world. By giving of yourselves for love of Christ, you have experienced the beauty of commitment to a noble cause.
I wrote a talk for you … five pages … I don’t know if it is good or bad. A little boring… I’ll give it to you … But they tell me I can speak to you in any language, since there are translators. Shall I speak in Spanish?
Preparing a Youth Day is an adventure. It is about taking a risk and seeing it pay off. It is about service, hard work, accomplishment and then leaving it behind. First, adventure and generosity. I would like to thank you, the volunteers and the backers, for everything you have done. I would like to thank you for the hours you spent in prayer, because I know that this day took shape as a result of much work but also many prayers. Thanks to the volunteers who devoted significant time to prayer, so that we could make this happen.
Thanks also to the priests who accompanied you. Thanks to the religious women who accompanied you, to the consecrated persons, and to all of you who set out on this adventure with hope of making it happen.
The bishop who just spoke paid you a compliment. He said you are the hope of future, and that is true. But with two conditions. Do you want to be the hope for the future or not?
Two conditions that cost nothing. The first condition is to remember. Trying to understand where I come from: the memory of my people, my family, my whole history. The witness talk of the second volunteer was full of memories.
Memory of the path I have taken, memory of everything I have received from those who have gone before me. A young person who cannot remember is no hope for the future. Is that clear?
So, Father, how do I go about remembering?
First, talk to your grandparents. Because if you want to be hope for the future, you have to receive the torch from your grandfather and your grandmother. Will you promise me that in preparing for Panama, you will talk more with your grandparents? If your grandparents are already in heaven, will you talk to with the elderly? Are you going to ask them questions? Ask them. They are the wisdom of a people. So, in order to be hope, the first condition is to remember. You are the hope of the future, the Bishop told you.
Second condition. If I am hope for the future and I have memory of the past, then what about the present? What must I do in the present? Have courage, be strong, don’t be afraid. Let us heed the witness, the final witness given by our young friend who died of cancer. He wanted to be here and didn’t make it, but he had the courage to face things and the courage to keep fighting even in the worst of conditions. Today he is not here, but that young man sowed hope for the future.
So, for the present? Courage. Bravery, courage. Is that clear?
And then, if you have … What was the first thing? (They all repeat: Memory!)
And then? (Courage!), you are going to be the hope … (of the future!) Is all this clear? Good.
I don’t know if I’m going to be in Panama, but I can tell you one thing: that Peter will be in Panama. And Peter is going to ask you if you talked with your grandparents if you talked with the elderly in order to remember, and if you had the courage and bravery to meet situations head on and in that way to sow seeds for the future. And you are going to have to answer to Peter. Right?
God bless you all. Thank you, thank you for everything. And now let us all pray, each in his or her own language, to Our Lady.
Hail Mary …
I ask you also to pray for me. Don’t forget! I give you my blessing.
(Blessing)
Oh, and I forgot … What were those three things? (They all repeat: Memory, courage, future)
(Original text in Spanish)
Prepared text of His Holiness, Pope Francis
of the address to WYD Volunteers
Before returning to Rome, I wanted to meet you and to thank each of you for your commitment, generosity and dedication in guiding, helping and serving the thousands of young pilgrims. Thank you too for your witness of faith that, together with that of so many young people from every part of the world, is a great sign of hope for the Church and the world. By giving of yourselves for love of Christ, you have experienced the beauty of commitment to a noble cause. You have also seen how enriching it is to join with so many friends of both sexes in a project that, while tiring, repays your efforts with joy and a wealth of new knowledge and openness to Jesus, to our neighbours, and to important life decisions.
As an expression of my gratitude, I would like to share with you a gift offered us by the Virgin Mary, who has today come to visit us in the miraculous image of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, so dear to the heart of Saint John Paul II. In the Gospel mystery of the Visitation (cf Lk 1:39-45), we can see an icon of all Christian volunteer work. I would take three attitudes shown by Mary and leave them to you as an aid to interpreting the experience of these days and an inspiration for your future commitment to service. These three attitudes are listening, deciding and acting.
First, listening. Mary sets out after hearing the word of the angel: Your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son … (Lk 1:36). Mary knows how to listen to God. It is not simply about hearing, but about listening attentively and receptively, and being ready to help. Think of how many times we come before the Lord or other people, but fail to really listen. Mary also listens to events, to things that happen in life. She is attentive to practical realities; she does not stop at the surface, but seeks to grasp their meaning. Mary knew that Elizabeth, now elderly, was expecting a child. She saw in this the hand of God, a sign of his mercy. The same thing also happens in our own lives. The Lord stands at the door and knocks in any number of ways; he posts signs along our path and he calls us to read them in the light of the Gospel.
The second attitude we see in Mary is deciding. Mary listens and reflects, but she also knows how to take a step forward: she is decisive. This was the case with the fundamental decision of her life: Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word (Lk 1:38). So too, at the wedding feast of Cana, when Mary sees the problem, she decides to speak to Jesus and ask him to do something: They have no wine (Jn 2:3). In life, it is often hard to make decisions. We tend to postpone them, even allowing others decide in our place, or else we let ourselves be dragged along by the course of events and to follow the trend of the moment. At times, we know well what we have to do, but we lack the courage to do it, since we think it is too difficult to go against the grain … Mary is not afraid to go against the grain. With a steadfast heart she listens and decides, accepting the risks, never on her own, but with God!
Finally, acting. Mary set out on her journey and went with haste… (Lk 1:39). Despite the hardships and the criticisms she may have heard, she didn’t hesitate or delay, but went with haste, because she had the strength of God’s Word within her. Her way of acting was full of charity, full of love: this is the mark of God. Mary went to Elizabeth not to have other people praise her, but to be helpful, useful, in her service. And in setting out from her home, from herself, with love, she brought along the most precious thing she possessed: Jesus, the Son of God, the Lord. Elizabeth realizes this immediately: Why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? (Lk 1:43). The Holy Spirit awakens faith and joy within her: For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy (Lk 1:44).
In volunteer work too, every act of service we provide, even the most simple, is important. Ultimately, it is an expression of openness to the presence of Jesus. It makes us experience the love from on high that set us on our way and fills us with joy. World Youth Day volunteers are not only workers, but evangelizers, because the Church exists and serves to evangelize.
Once Mary had finished assisting Elizabeth, she went back home to Nazareth. Quietly and with no fuss, she left in the same way that she came. You too, dear volunteers, will not see all the fruits of your work here in Krakow or during the twinnings. Your brothers and sisters whom you served will see them in their lives and rejoice in them. That is the gratuitousness of love! Yet God knows your dedication, your commitment and your generosity. You can be sure that he will not fail to repay you for everything you have done for this Church of the young assembled in these days in Krakow with the Successor of Peter. I commend you to God and to the word of his grace (cf Acts 20:32). I entrust you to Mary, our Mother, model of all Christian volunteer service. And I ask you, please, to remember to pray for me.
Having concluded his meeting with the volunteers, the Holy Father then met the members of the Organizing committee and the benefactors of the World Youth Day.
Pope Francis then left the Tauran Arena and travelled to the John Paul II international airport where he was welcomed by the President of the Republic, Mister Andrazej Duda.
The aircraft - a LOT Airlines B787 - carrying the Holy Father, the papal entourage and accredited members of the press, departed at approximately 7:30pm local time and arrived at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci international airport (Fumicino) at approximately 9:25pm local time.
Here is the text of the reflection I shared with those who came to pray with us this weekend: some thoughts inspired by the words offered by Pope Francis to the youth gathered for the celebration of the XXXI World Youth Day.
Wisdom learned in
Kraków
The 31st celebration of World Youth Day has
been taking place this past week in the city of Kraków in Poland.Young people from all corners of the world
have gathered in the homeland of Saint John Paul II, the founder of these international
youth festivals of faith to celebrate the gift of their faith and to learn the
wisdom that is shared.
On Thursday evening of this week, the youth officially
welcomed Pope Francis who is there, along with other Cardinals, Bishops,
priests, Sisters and people of faith.Together, they (and we) are gathered in order to speak the words of
faith that are in their hearts: Jesus is
alive (Pope Francis, Address to Youth, 28 VII 2016).If we truly believe that Jesus is alive, we
can rekindle our enthusiasm in following
him, and we can renew our passionate
desire to be his disciples.
I watched Pope Francis as he spoke to the young people in
Błonia Park on Thursday.As he spoke, I
couldn’t help thinking that this is what it must have been like when Jesus
himself taught the crowds.One of the
additional things that the Pope is doing this week is hosting a series of
evening conversations, held by video conference with young people who are
gathered in other parts of the world. There have been two such video conferences, one with Italian youth and the other with youth who are gathered in La Habana (Cuba). In addition, on two occasions, the Holy Father has addressed crowds outside the Archbishop's residence in Kraków from the window above the entrance, recalling the frequent greetings that his venerable predecessor Saint John Paul II would also offer from that same window while he was Archbishop of Kraków. On Wednesday evening, Pope Francis spoke to youth gathered in the square outside the residence, and on Thursday evening, he spoke with married couples, newly-weds and those who are preparing for their weddings. The Holy Father knows that not all youth could be physically present in Poland, but that
shouldn’t stop them - or us - from being able to celebrate their faith.
The conversations Pope Francis has been having with young
people this week – at times including questions from the youth and answers from
his heart - are not unlike the conversation that Jesus had in the gospel we
have heard today.When someone in the
crowd asked him a question, Jesus took the opportunity to turn the question
around so that instead of accusing his brother of not wanting to divide the
family inheritance, the questioner and those who were gathered ended up asking
themselves some important questions (cf Lk 12:13-21).
Similarly, the young people who are in Kraków this week
may very well have arrived bearing their own questions, and Pope Francis has been speaking to their hearts and encouraging them to listen as Jesus too speaks to
their hearts.He began his speech on
Thursday evening by reassuring them: Nothing
is more beautiful than seeing the enthusiasm, dedication, zeal and energy with
which so many young people live their lives … In you, we see that the Father’s mercy has an ever-youthful
face, and constantly invites us to be part of his kingdom.
Today’s first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes
reminds us though that we must always be aware of the danger of vanity: the
temptation to believe that we can find all the answers on our own, without the
help of God.Pope Francis also spoke
about this temptation: It is difficult
and troubling to see young people who waste their lives looking for thrills, or
a feeling of being alive by taking dark paths and in the end having to pay for
it … dearly … or to see young people
squandering some of the best years of their lives, wasting their energies
running after peddlers of illusions … who rob you of what is best in you.
All of us, no matter what chronological age we have
attained, can fall prey to such illusions, but there is a way out, a way to find fulfillment, a way to gain new
strength.The object of our search is
not a tangible thing, but rather a person.His name is Jesus Christ.
During this Year of Mercy, we look to him, and we ask him
to open his heart to us, to teach us his ways of mercy, to show us the great
gift of his forgiveness.With the help
of our heavenly mother, we can turn our gaze away from selfish desires, and seek instead the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of
God (Col 3:1).
Today is the Feast Day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, (1491 – 1556), founder of the Society of Jesus. It is a very fitting day for Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, to conclude his service as Director of the Holy See Press Office.
The following two prayers, composed by the Society’s founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, summarize succinctly and beautifully the extraordinary dedication, diligence, fidelity, goodness and kindness of Father Lombardi to all the missions entrusted to him for many years.
In a special way, we recall with gratitude Father Lombardi’s leadership of the Vatican Television Centre, Vatican Radio and most recently, the Holy See Press Office. Let us join our voices to those of countless thousands of people who have benefitted from his gifts, friendship and example and simply give thanks to God for this loyal son of Ignatius,
Two Prayers of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,
All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.
Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will.
At the conclusion of the Holy Mass which officially closed the XXXI World Youth Day, the Holy Father led the recitation of the Angelus with the young people and the pilgrims who were present at Campus Misericordiae in Kraków.
Just before leaving the assembly of young people, the Pope announced the date and the place for the next international gathering of the World Youth Day.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
At the conclusion of this celebration, I join all of you in thanking God, the Father of infinite mercy, for allowing us to experience this World Youth Day. I thank Cardinal Dziwisz and Cardinal Ryłko, who have been indefatigable in their efforts to make this Day possible, as too, for the prayers which have accompanied the preparations for this event; I also thank all those who have contributed to its successful outcome. A big word of thanks goes to you, dear young people! You filled Kraków with the contagious enthusiasm of your faith. Saint John Paul II has rejoiced from heaven, and he will help you spread the joy of the Gospel everywhere.
In these days, we have experienced the beauty of our universal fraternity in Christ, the centre and hope of our lives. We have heard his voice, the voice of the Good Shepherd who dwells in our midst. He has spoken to each of you in your heart. He has renewed you by his love and he has shown you the light of his forgiveness, the power of his grace. He has made you experience the reality of prayer. These days have given you a spiritual breath of fresh air that will help you live lives of mercy once you return to your own countries and communities.
Here, beside the altar, is the image of the Virgin Mary venerated by Saint John Paul II in the shrine of Kalwaria. Mary, our Mother, teaches us how we can make our experience here in Poland be productive. She tells us to do what she did: not to squander the gift you have received, but to treasure it in your heart so it can grow and bear fruit, with the help of the Holy Spirit. In this way, each of you, for all your limitations and failings, can be a witness to Christ wherever you live: at home, in your parishes, in your associations and groups, and your places of study, work, service, entertainment … wherever God’s providence will lead you.
God’s providence is always one step ahead of us. Think: it has already determined the next stop in this great pilgrimage begun in 1985 by Saint John Paul II! So now I am happy to announce that the next World Youth Day – after the two that will be held on the diocesan level – will take place in 2019 in Panama.
I invite the Bishops of Panama to approach, and to join me in giving the blessing.
Trusting in the intercession of Mary, let us ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten and sustain the journey of young people in the Church and in the world, and make you disciples and witnesses to God’s mercy.
And now let us recite together the Angelus prayer…
At the conclusion of the Angelus, the Holy Father returned to the Archbishop's residence in Kraków.
This morning, the Holy Father left the Archbishop's residence in Kraków and travelled by car to Campus Misericordiae, the large field located on the outskirts of the city which was the site of last evening's Vigil celebration for the celebration of the concluding liturgy of World Youth Day.
On this campus, there are two Caritas structures that will remain in lasting memory of the World Youth Day event and very tangible signs of mercy. One is a daily drop-in centre for the elderly that will be named Campus Misericordiae and the second Caritas centre will be named The Bread of Mercy. The Pope was welcomed by the Mayor of Wieliczka, in whose territory the Campus is located as well as the Director of Caritas. His Holiness was accompanied to the entrance of one of the two houses that is destined to welcome the poor and elderly people in need. Pope Francis blessed those who were present, the various rooms of the centre, and a statute of Our Lady of Loretto.
After having blessed the Caritas houses, the Holy Father, Pope Francis travelled in the popemobile through the fields of Campus Misericordiae in order to greet the youth who had come from every corner of the world, many of them having spent the night in continual Adoration of the Eucharist, beginning at the conclusion of the prayer Vigil that took place last evening.
At 9:45am local time this morning, following a word of greeting offered by the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the Pope presided over the concluding Eucharistic celebration for the XXXI World Youth Day which had has its theme: Blessed are the merciful, for they will discover mercy (Mt 5:7).
Homily of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the concluding Mass of the
XXXI World Youth Day celebration
Dear young people, you have come to Krakow to meet Jesus. Today’s Gospel speaks to us of just such a meeting between Jesus and a man named Zacchaeus, in Jericho (cf Lk 19:1-10). There Jesus does not simply preach or greet people; as the Evangelist tells us, he passed through the city (Lk 19:1). In other words, Jesus wants to draw near to us personally, to accompany our journey to its end, so that his life and our life can truly meet.
An amazing encounter then takes place, with Zacchaeus, the chief publican or tax collector. Zacchaeus was thus a wealthy collaborator of the hated Roman occupiers, someone who exploited his own people, someone who, because of his ill repute, could not even approach the Master. His encounter with Jesus changed his life, just as it has changed, and can daily still change, each of our lives. But Zacchaeus had to face a number of obstacles in order to meet Jesus. It was not easy for him; he had to face a number of obstacles. At least three of these can also say something to us.
The first obstacle is smallness of stature. Zacchaeus couldn’t see the Master because he was little. Even today we can risk not getting close to Jesus because we don’t feel big enough, because we don’t think ourselves worthy. This is a great temptation; it has to do not only with self-esteem, but with faith itself. For faith tells us that we are children of God … that is what we are (1 Jn 3:1). We have been created in God’s own image; Jesus has taken upon himself our humanity and his heart will never be separated from us; the Holy Spirit wants to dwell within us. We have been called to be happy for ever with God!
That is our real stature, our spiritual identity: we are God’s beloved children, always. So you can see that not to accept ourselves, to live glumly, to be negative, means not to recognize our deepest identity. It is like walking away when God wants to look at me, trying to spoil his dream for me. God loves us the way we are, and no sin, fault or mistake of ours makes him change his mind. As far as Jesus is concerned – as the Gospel shows – no one is unworthy of, or far from, his thoughts. No one is insignificant. He loves all of us with a special love; for him all of us are important: you are important! God counts on you for what you are, not for what you possess. In his eyes the clothes you wear or the kind of cell phone you use are of absolutely no concern. He doesn’t care whether you are stylish or not; he cares about you, just as you are! In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable.
At times in our lives, we aim lower rather than higher. At those times, it is good to realize that God remains faithful, even obstinate, in his love for us. The fact is, he loves us even more than we love ourselves. He believes in us even more than we believe in ourselves. He is always cheering us on; he is our biggest fan. He is there for us, waiting with patience and hope, even when we turn in on ourselves and brood over our troubles and past injuries. But such brooding is unworthy of our spiritual stature! It is a kind of virus infecting and blocking everything; it closes doors and prevents us from getting up and starting over. God, on the other hand, is hopelessly hopeful! He believes that we can always get up, and he hates to see us glum and gloomy. It is sad to see young people who are glum. Because we are always his beloved sons and daughters. Let us be mindful of this at the dawn of each new day. It will do us good to pray every morning: Lord, I thank you for loving me; I am sure that you love me; help me to be in love with my own life! Not with my faults, that need to be corrected, but with life itself, which is a great gift, for it is a time to love and to be loved.
Zacchaeus faced a second obstacle in meeting Jesus: the paralysis of shame. We spoke a little about this yesterday. We can imagine what was going on in his heart before he climbed that sycamore. It must have been quite a struggle – on one hand, a healthy curiosity and desire to know Jesus; on the other, the risk of appearing completely ridiculous. Zacchaeus was a public figure, a man of power, but deeply hated. He knew that in trying to climb that tree, he would have become a laughingstock to all. Yet he mastered his shame, because the attraction of Jesus was more powerful. You know what happens when someone is so attractive that we fall in love with them: we end up ready to do things we would never have even thought of doing. Something similar took place in the heart of Zacchaeus, when he realized that Jesus was so important that he would do anything for him, since Jesus alone could pull him out of the mire of sin and discontent. The paralysis of shame did not have the upper hand. The Gospel tells us that Zacchaeus ran ahead, climbed the tree, and then, when Jesus called him, he hurried down (Lk 19:4, 6). He took a risk, he put his life on the line. For us too, this is the secret of joy: not to stifle a healthy curiosity, but to take a risk, because life is not meant to be tucked away. When it comes to Jesus, we cannot sit around waiting with arms folded; he offers us life – we can’t respond by thinking about it or texting a few words!
Dear young friends, don’t be ashamed to bring everything to the Lord in confession, especially your weaknesses, your struggles and your sins. He will surprise you with his forgiveness and his peace. Don’t be afraid to say yes to him with all your heart, to respond generously and to follow him! Don’t let your soul grow numb, but aim for the goal of a beautiful love which also demands sacrifice. Say a firm no to the narcotic of success at any cost and the sedative of worrying only about yourself and your own comfort.
After his small stature, after the paralysis of shame, there was a third obstacle that Zacchaeus had to face. It was no longer an interior one, but was all around him. It was the grumbling of the crowd, who first blocked him and then criticized him: How could Jesus have entered his house, the house of a sinner! How truly hard it is to welcome Jesus, how hard it is to accept a God who is rich in mercy (Eph 2:4)! People will try to block you, to make you think that God is distant, rigid and insensitive, good to the good and bad to the bad. Instead, our heavenly Father makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good (Mt 5:45). He demands of us real courage: the courage to be more powerful than evil by loving everyone, even our enemies. People may laugh at you because you believe in the gentle and unassuming power of mercy. But do not be afraid. Think of the motto of these days: Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy (Mt 5:7). People may judge you to be dreamers, because you believe in a new humanity, one that rejects hatred between peoples, one that refuses to see borders as barriers and can cherish its own traditions without being self-centred or small-minded. Don’t be discouraged: with a smile and open arms, you proclaim hope and you are a blessing for our one human family, which here you represent so beautifully!
That day, the crowd judged Zacchaeus; they looked him over, up and down. But Jesus did otherwise: he gazed up at him (Lk 19:5). Jesus looks beyond the faults and sees the person. He does not halt before bygone evil, but sees future good. His gaze remains constant, even when it is not met; it seeks the way of unity and communion. In no case does it halt at appearances, but looks to the heart. Jesus looks to our hearts, your heart, my heart. With this gaze of Jesus, you can help bring about another humanity, without looking for acknowledgement but seeking goodness for its own sake, content to maintain a pure heart and to fight peaceably for honesty and justice. Don’t stop at the surface of things; distrust the worldly cult of appearances, cosmetic attempts to improve our looks. Instead, download the best link of all, that of a heart which sees and transmits goodness without growing weary. The joy that you have freely received from God, please, freely give away (cf Mt 10:8): so many people are waiting for it! So many are waiting for it from you.
Finally let us listen to the words that Jesus spoke to Zacchaeus, which to me seem meant for us today, for each one of us: Come down, for I must stay at your house today (Lk 19:5). Come down, for I must stay with you today. Open to me the door of your heart. Jesus extends the same invitation to you: I must stay at your house today. We can say that World Youth Day begins today and continues tomorrow, in your homes, since that is where Jesus wants to meet you from now on. The Lord doesn’t want to remain in this beautiful city, or in cherished memories alone. He wants to enter your homes, to dwell in your daily lives: in your studies, your first years of work, your friendships and affections, your hopes and dreams. How greatly he desires that you bring all this to him in prayer! How much he hopes that, in all the contacts and chats of each day, pride of place be given to the golden thread of prayer! How much he wants his word to be able to speak to you day after day, so that you can make his Gospel your own, so that it can serve as a compass for you on the highways of life!
In asking to come to your house, Jesus calls you, as he did Zacchaeus, by name. All of us, Jesus calls by name. Your name is precious to him. The name Zacchaeus would have made people back then think of the remembrance of God. Trust the memory of God: his memory is not a hard disk that saves and archives all our data, his memory is a heart filled with tender compassion, one that finds joy in erasing in us every trace of evil. May we too now try to imitate the faithful memory of God and treasure the good things we have received in these days. In silence, let us remember this encounter, let us preserve the memory of the presence of God and his word, and let us listen once more to the voice of Jesus as he calls us by name. So let us now pray silently, remembering and thanking the Lord who wanted us to be here and has come here to meet us.
(Original text in Italian)
At the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, offered a few words of gratitude to the Holy Father and introduced the ritual of missionary commissioning by the Holy Father of some of the youth, to whom he consigned lamps, signs of the light of Christ.
At Campus Misericordiae, located on the outskirts of Kraków, in the comune of Wieliczka, a prayer vigil took place this evening for the youth who are participating in the XXXI World Youth Day.
The Holy Father arrived shortly after 6:30pm local time and travelled in the popemobile through the crowds of youth scattered throughout the Campus. He eventually arrived at the large Holy Door, which he passed through on foot together with five youth representing their respective continents.
The Prayer Vigil, organized under the theme of Jesus, Font of Mercy, began at 7:30pm and was introduced by greetings offered by the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz. A theatrical performance in five acts (faith for doubters, hope for the discouraged, love for those who are indifferent, forgiveness for those who have done wrong and joy for people who are sad) were alternated with testimonials offered by three young people. Then Pope Francis shared a speech.
Testimonies offered by youth
from various countries
First testimonial offered by Natalia (Poland)
On the 15th of April 2012, a Sunday, I awoke in my apartment in Łódź. It is the third largest city in Poland. At that time, I was editor in chief of a fashion magazine and for 20 years, I had had nothing in common with the Church.
I had met with success at work, I had met cute guys, I went from one party to another, and this is how I defined the sense in my life. All was going well ... except that on that day, I woke up with a certain anxiety caused by thoughts that what I was doing with my life was far from being something good. I realized that I needed to go to confession that very same day. I didn't really know how to go about it so I tried to Google the word confession. In one of the articles that I found, I read the following phrase: God gave his life for love of us. I understood the full sense of this affirmation: God had died because of his love, a love that he felt for me, he wanted to give me the fullness of life, while I was closed in upon my own indifference, sitting in the kitchen, spoking a cigarette.
This is how I understood the situation at that time. I burst into tears, took a sheet of paper and began to write a list of my sins. They were all very clear, each of them stood before my eyes and I realized that I had broken all 10 of the Commandments. I felt an immediate need to speak at once with a priest. On the internet, I discovered that at 3:00pm at the Cathedral, there would be an opportunity for confessions. I went there, but I had a tremendous fear that the priest would say to me: Your sins are too serious, I cannot do anything for you. Nevertheless, I found the courage and I approached the confessional. I told him everything and I burst into tears. The priest didn't say anything. When I was finished, he said: This was a beautiful confession. I did not understand what he was saying, there was nothing beautiful about what I had said. Do you know what day it is today? - he asked - It is Mercy Sunday. Do you know what time it is? It's just after 3:00pm. This is the hour of mercy. Do you know where you are? In the Cathedral, the place where Saint Faustina used to pray every day, when she was still living in Łódź. Then, the Lord God himself appeared and said that he wanted to forgive all our sins on that day, no matter what they were. Your sins were forgiven. There are no more sins, don't go back to thinking about them, banish them from your thoughts. These were powerful words. While I was going to confession, I was convinced that I had definitely lost eternal life, but now I just felt that God had made it so that everything that I had done wrong was gone forever. I also felt as though he had always been waiting for me and that he had even arranged to meet me on that day. I left that church feeling as though I was returning from a battlefield: tremendously tired, but at the same time overjoyed, with a feeling of victory and conviction that Jesus himself was returning home with me.
During the last two years, I have been involved in preparations for the WYD in Łódź, so that others too could experience what I myself had experienced. The mercy of God is alive and continues to work uninterrupted even today. I am a witness of it and I wish that each of you might also experience the same thing.
(Original text in Polish)
Second testimonial offered by Rand (Syria)
My name is Rand Mittri. I am 26 years old, and I am from Aleppo, from Syria. As you may know, our city has been destroyed, ruined, and broken. The meaning in our lives has been cancelled. We are the forgotten city.
It may be hard for many of you to know and understand the full breadth of what is happening in my beloved country, Syria. It will be very hard for me to impart a life of pain to you in a few sentences, but I will try to share a few aspects of our reality with you.
Every day we live lives that are surrounded by death. But like you, we close our doors behind us as each morning as we leave for work or school. It is in that moment that we are gripped by fear that we will not return to find our homes and our families as we left them. Perhaps we will be killed that day. Or perhaps our families will. It is a hard and painful feeling to know that you are surrounded by death and killing, and there is no way to escape; no one to help.
Is it possible that this is the end, and that we were born to die in pain? Or are we born to live, and to live life to the fullest? My experience in this war has been a harsh and difficult one. But it has caused me to mature and grow up before my time, and to see things in a different perspective.
I serve at the Don Bosco Center in Aleppo. Our center receives more than 700 young men and women who come hoping to see a smile and hear a word of encouragement. They are also seeking something that is otherwise lacking in their lives: genuine humanitarian treatment. But it is very difficult for me to give joy and faith to others while I myself am bankrupt of these things in my life.
Through my meager life experience, I have learned that my faith in Christ supersedes the circumstances of life. This truth is not conditioned on living a life of peace that is free of hardship. More and more, I believe that God exists despite all of our pain. I believe that sometimes through our pain, He teaches us the true meaning of love. My faith in Christ is the reason for my joy and hope. No one will ever be able to steal this true joy from me.
I thank you all and I earnestly ask you to pray for my beloved country, Syria.
Third testimonial offered by Miguel (Paraguay)
My name is Miguel. I am 34 years old and I am from Asunción (Paraguay). I am one of 11 brothers, and I am the only one with drug problems. I recuperated in the Fazenda de la Esperanza San Rafael in RS, Brazil.
I used drugs for 16 years, since I was 11 years old. I always had great difficulty with relationships with my family. I did not feel wanted, or close to them. We constantly argued and lived in continual tension. I have no memory of ever sitting at the table with my family; for me, family was a non-existent concept, my house was just a place to eat and sleep.
At the age of 11 years, I ran away from home because the tension was just too great. At the time, I was still in school but I wanted to be free. A few months later, I had already begun to experiment with drugs on my way to school. This only served to deepen the void within me, I did not want to go home, to face my family, to deal with my problems. At that time, I left my formal education and my parents had to close the doors of their home because they were losing hope. At the age of 15 years, I committed a crime for which I was imprisoned. While I was in prison, I was visited by my father who asked me if I wanted to change, and I answered: Yes. He quickly managed to arrange for my release. I left, but I returned to crime. One day, I committed a felony for which I was imprisoned for six years, years of much suffering. I could not understand why none of my brothers would ever visit me. Eventually, the years passed and I served the entire sentence. All the while, my parents continued to have a connection to the Church.
One month before I was to leave the prison, a priest friend of the family invited me to see a place called Hope Farm. My life was aimless. All those lost years were reflected strongly in my eyes, in my face. I agreed to go and for the first time, I began to feel like I was in a family. In the beginning, relationships were difficult, living together. In this community, the method of healing is the Word of God, living it. In my process of recovery, there was a friend who I had much difficulty to forgive, but eventually I found peace and was able to love him. During my seventh month, I had a responsibility in the house, to help it to function better. In this way, I began to understand that God wanted me to do something. One of the guys received a letter from his wife; their relationship was weakened, and this helped me to understand better. I handed him the letter and he said to me: Brother, can you forgive me? ... I replied that of course I would. Beginning at that moment, we have enjoyed an excellent relationship. Truly, God has transformed us, God has renewed us.
I have been recovering for 10 years, and today I am responsible for the Quo Vadis? house at the Hope Farm in Cerro Chato - in Uruguay, a responsibility that I have had for three years now.
(Original text in Spanish)
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
during the WYD Prayer Vigil
Dear young friends, good evening!
It is good to be here with you at this Prayer Vigil!
At the end of his powerful and moving witness, Rand asked something of us. She said: I earnestly ask you to pray for my beloved country. Her story, involving war, grief and loss, ended with a request for prayers. Is there a better way for us to begin our vigil than by praying?
We have come here from different parts of the world, from different continents, countries, languages, cultures and peoples. Some of us are sons and daughters of nations that may be at odds and engaged in various conflicts or even open war. Others of us come from countries that may be at peace, free of war and conflict, where most of the terrible things occurring in our world are simply a story on the evening news. But think about it. For us, here, today, coming from different parts of the world, the suffering and the wars that many young people experience are no longer anonymous, something we read about in the papers. They have a name, they have a face, they have a story, they are close at hand. Today the war in Syria has caused pain and suffering for so many people, for so many young people like our good friend Rand, who has come here and asked us to pray for her beloved country.
Some situations seem distant until in some way we touch them. We don’t appreciate certain things because we only see them on the screen of a cell phone or a computer. But when we come into contact with life, with people’s lives, not just images on a screen, something powerful happens. We all feel the need to get involved. To see that there are no more forgotten cities, to use Rand’s words, or brothers and sisters of ours surrounded by death and killing, completely helpless. Dear friends, I ask that we join in prayer for the sufferings of all the victims of war, of this war today in the world. Once and for all, may we realize that nothing justifies shedding the blood of a brother or sister; that nothing is more precious than the person next to us. In asking you to pray for this, I would also like to thank Natalia and Miguel for sharing their own battles and inner conflicts. You told us about your struggles, and about how you succeeded in overcoming them. Both of you are living signs of what God’s mercy wants to accomplish in us.
This is no time for denouncing anyone or fighting. We do not want to tear down, we do not want to give insult. We have no desire to conquer hatred with more hatred, violence with more violence, terror with more terror. We are here today because the Lord has called us together. Our response to a world at war has a name: its name is fraternity, its name is brotherhood, its name is communion, its name is family. We celebrate the fact that coming from different cultures, we have come together to pray. Let our best word, our best argument, be our unity in prayer. Let us take a moment of silence and pray. Let us place before the Lord these testimonies of our friends, and let us identify with those for whom the family is a meaningless concept, the home only a place to sleep and eat, and with those who live with the fear that their mistakes and sins have made them outcasts. Let us also place before the Lord your own battles, our battles, the interior struggles that each carries in his or her heart. And so, to live as a family, in fraternity, I invite all of you together to stand, to take each other’s hand and to pray in silence. All of us.
After a moment of silent prayer, the Holy Father continued:
As we were praying, I thought of the Apostles on the day of Pentecost. Picturing them can help us come to appreciate all that God dreams of accomplishing in our lives, in us and with us. That day, the disciples were together behind locked doors, out of fear. They felt threatened, surrounded by an atmosphere of persecution that had cornered them in a little room and left them silent and paralyzed. Fear had taken hold of them. Then, in that situation, something spectacular, something grandiose, occurred. The Holy Spirit and tongues as of fire came to rest upon each of them, propelling them towards an undreamt-of adventure. This brings about a total change!
We have heard three testimonies. Our hearts were touched by their stories, their lives. We have seen how, like the disciples, they experienced similar moments, living through times of great fear, when it seemed like everything was falling apart. The fear and anguish born of knowing that leaving home might mean never again seeing their loved ones, the fear of not feeling appreciated or loved, the fear of having no choices. They shared with us the same experience the disciples had; they felt the kind of fear that only leads to one thing. Where does fear lead us? The feeling of being closed in on oneself, trapped. Once we feel that way, our fear starts to fester and is inevitably joined by its twin sister, paralysis: the feeling of being paralyzed. Thinking that in this world, in our cities and our communities, there is no longer any room to grow, to dream, to create, to gaze at new horizons – in a word to live – is one of the worst things that can happen to us in life, and especially at a younger age. When we are paralyzed, we miss the magic of encountering others, making friends, sharing dreams, walking at the side of others. This paralysis distances us from others, it prevents us from taking each other’s hand, as we saw (on the stage), all closed within the small rooms of glass.
But in life there is another, even more dangerous, kind of paralysis. It is not easy to put our finger on it. I like to describe it as the paralysis that comes from confusing happiness with a sofa. In other words, to think that in order to be happy all we need is a good sofa. A sofa that makes us feel comfortable, calm, safe. A sofa like one of those we have nowadays with a built-in massage unit to put us to sleep. A sofa that promises us hours of comfort so we can escape to the world of video games and spend all kinds of time in front of a computer screen. A sofa that keeps us safe from any kind of pain and fear. A sofa that allows us to stay home without needing to work at, or worry about, anything. Sofa-happiness! That is probably the most harmful and insidious form of paralysis, which can cause the greatest harm to young people. And why does this happen Father? Because, little by little, without even realizing it, we start to nod off, to grow drowsy and dull. The other day, I spoke about young people who go into retirement at the age of 20; today I speak about young persons who nod off, grow drowsy and dull, while others – perhaps more alert than we are, but not necessarily better – decide our future for us. For many people in fact, it is much easier and better to have drowsy and dull kids who confuse happiness with a sofa. For many people, that is more convenient than having young people who are alert and searching, trying to respond to God’s dream and to all the restlessness present in the human heart. I ask you: do you want to be young people who nod off, who are drowsy and dull? (The young people answer: No!) Do you want others to decide your future for you? (No!) Do you want to be free? (Yes!) Do you want to be alert? (Yes!) Do you want to work hard for your future? (Yes!) You don’t seem very convinced … Do you want to work hard for your future? (Yes!)
The truth, though, is something else. Dear young people, we didn’t come into this world to vegetate, to take it easy, to make our lives a comfortable sofa to fall asleep on. No, we came for another reason: to leave a mark. It is very sad to pass through life without leaving a mark. But when we opt for ease and convenience, for confusing happiness with consumption, then we end up paying a high price indeed: we lose our freedom. We are not free to leave a mark. We lose our freedom. This is the high price we pay. There are so many people who do not want the young to be free; there are so many people who do not wish you well, who want you to be drowsy and dull, and never free! No, this must not be so! We must defend our freedom!
This is itself a great form of paralysis, whenever we start thinking that happiness is the same as comfort and convenience, that being happy means going through life asleep or on tranquillizers, that the only way to be happy is to live in a haze. Certainly, drugs are bad, but there are plenty of other socially acceptable drugs, that can end up enslaving us just the same. One way or the other, they rob us of our greatest treasure: our freedom. They strip us of our freedom.
My friends, Jesus is the Lord of risk, he is the Lord of the eternal more. Jesus is not the Lord of comfort, security and ease. Following Jesus demands a good dose of courage, a readiness to trade in the sofa for a pair of walking shoes and to set out on new and uncharted paths. To blaze trails that open up new horizons capable of spreading joy, the joy that is born of God’s love and wells up in your hearts with every act of mercy. To take the path of the craziness of our God, who teaches us to encounter him in the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the friend in trouble, the prisoner, the refugee and the migrant, and our neighbours who feel abandoned. To take the path of our God, who encourages us to be politicians, thinkers, social activists. The God who encourages us to devise an economy marked by greater solidarity than our own. In all the settings in which you find yourselves, God’s love invites you to share the Good News, making of your own lives a gift to him and to others. This means being courageous, this means being free!
You might say to me: Father, that is not for everybody, but just for a chosen few. True, and those chosen are all who are ready to share their lives with others. Just as the Holy Spirit transformed the hearts of the disciples on the day of Pentecost, and they were paralyzed, so he did with our friends who shared their testimonies. I will use your own words, Miguel. You told us that in the Facenda on the day they entrusted you with the responsibility for helping make the house run better, you began to understand that God was asking something of you. That is when things began to change.
That is the secret, dear friends, and all of us are called to share in it. God expects something from you. Have you understood this? God expects something from you, God wants something from you. God hopes in you. God comes to break down all our fences. He comes to open the doors of our lives, our dreams, our ways of seeing things. God comes to break open everything that keeps you closed in. He is encouraging you to dream. He wants to make you see that, with you, the world can be different. For the fact is, unless you offer the best of yourselves, the world will never be different. This is the challenge.
The times we live in do not call for young couch potatoes, but for young people with shoes, or better, boots that are laced. The times we live in require only active players on the field, and there is no room for those who sit on the bench. Today’s world demands that you be a protagonist of history because life is always beautiful when we choose to live it fully, when we choose to leave a mark. History today calls us to defend our dignity and not to let others decide our future. No! We must decide our future, you must decide your future! As he did on Pentecost, the Lord wants to work one of the greatest miracles we can experience; he wants to turn your hands, my hands, our hands, into signs of reconciliation, of communion, of creation. He wants your hands to continue building the world of today. And he wants to build that world with you. And what is your response? Yes or no? (Yes!)
You might say to me: Father, but I have my limits, I am a sinner, what can I do? When the Lord calls us, he doesn’t worry about what we are, what we have been, or what we have done or not done. Quite the opposite. When he calls us, he is thinking about everything we have to give, all the love we are capable of spreading. His bets are on the future, on tomorrow. Jesus is pointing you to the future, and never to the museum.
So today, my friends, Jesus is inviting you, calling you, to leave your mark on life, to leave a mark on history, your own and that of many others as well.
Life nowadays tells us that it is much easier to concentrate on what divides us, what keeps us apart. People try to make us believe that being closed in on ourselves is the best way to keep safe from harm. Today, we adults need you to teach us, as you are doing today, how to live in diversity, in dialogue, to experience multiculturalism not as a threat but as an opportunity. You are an opportunity for the future. Have the courage to teach us, have the courage to show us that it is easier to build bridges than walls! We need to learn this. Together we ask that you challenge us to take the path of fraternity. We need you to challenge us, if we choose the path of walls, the path of enmity, the path of war. To build bridges … Do you know the first bridge that has to be built? It is a bridge that we can build here and now – by reaching out and taking each other’s hand. Come on, build it now. Build this human bridge, take each other’s hand, all of you: it is the first of bridges, it is the human bridge, it is the first, it is the model. There is always a risk, as I said the other day, of offering your hand - that no one will take it. But in life we need to take a risk, for the person who does not take a risk never wins. With this bridge we can move forwards. Here, this is the primordial bridge: take each other’s hands. Thank you. This is a great bridge of brotherhood, and would that the powers of this world might learn to build it … not for pictures and ulterior motives, but for building ever bigger bridges. May this human bridge be the beginning of many, many others; in that way, it will leave a mark.
Today Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, is calling you, you, and you to leave your mark on history. He, who is life, is asking each of you to leave a mark that brings life to your own history and that of many others. He, who is truth, is asking you to abandon the paths of rejection, division and emptiness. Are you up to this? (Yes!) Are you up to this? (Yes!) What answer will you give - and I’d like to see it, with your hands and with your feet - to the Lord, who is the way, the truth and the life? Are you up to this? (Yes!) May the Lord bless your dreams. Thank you!
The WYD Vigil continued with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. After the final blessing, the Holy Father returned to the Archbishop's residence while the youth remained in prayer throughout the night, waiting for the celebration of the concluding Mass which will take place tomorrow morning.
At approximately 6:00pm this evening, on his way from the Archbishop's residence in Kraków to Campus Misericordiae for the Vigil of prayer with the youth, the Holy Father paid a very brief visit to the Church of Saint Francis (located across the street from the Archbishop's residence) where he venerated the relics of two Franciscan martyrs: Zbigniew Strzałkowski and Michał Tomaszek, who were killed by guerrillas from the Sendero luminoso on 9 August 1991 in Pariacoto (Perù). They were beatified on 5 December 2015 (in Pariacoto) together with Italian priest, Don Alessandro Dordi from the Diocese of Bergamo.
In addition to the Franciscan brothers, some of the family members of the martyrs were also in attendance. The Pope recited a Prayer for peace and for the defence of violence and terrorism.
Prayer for peace and protection
from violence and from terrorism
O almighty and merciful God, Lord of the universe and of history. All that You have created is good and your compassion for the mistakes of mankind knows no limits.
We come to You today to ask You to keep in peace the world and its people, to keep far away from it the devastating wave of terrorism, to restore friendship and instil in the hearts of your creatures the gift of trust and of readiness to forgive.
O Giver of life, we pray to You also for all those who have died as victims of brutal terrorist attacks. Grant them their eternal reward. May they intercede for the world that is torn apart by conflicts and disagreements.
O Jesus, Prince of Peace, we pray to You for the ones who have been wounded in these acts of inhuman violence: children and young people, old people and innocent people accidentally involved in evil. Heal their bodies and hearts; console them with Your strength and, at the same time, take away any hatred and a desire for revenge.
Holy Spirit Consoler, visit the families of the victims of terrorism, families that suffer through no fault of their own. Wrap them in the mantle of Your divine mercy. Make them find again in You and in themselves the strength and courage to continue to be brothers and sisters for others, above all for immigrants, giving witness to Your love by their lives.
Touch the hearts of terrorists so that they may recognize the evil of their actions and may turn to the way of peace and goodness, of respect for life and for the dignity of every human being, regardless of religion, origin, wealth or poverty.
O God, Eternal Father, in Your mercy hear our prayer which we raise up to You amidst the deafening noise and desperation of the world. We turn to You with great hope, full of trust in Your infinite Mercy. Made strong by the examples of the blessed martyrs of Perú, Zbigniew and Michael, who have rendered courageous testimony to the Gospel, to the point of offering their blood, we entrust ourselves to the intercession of Your Most Holy Mother. We ask for the gift of peace and of the elimination from our midst of the sore of terrorism.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer of Holy Father, Pope Francis,
prayed in the Basilica of St. Francis, Kraków, 30.07.2016
(Original text in Italian)
