At noon today local time (6:00am EDT), the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus along with pilgrims and the faithful who were gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Saints Peter and Paul, who we are celebrating today, are sometimes depicted in icons holding up a church building. This reminds us of the words of today's gospel passage, in which Jesus says to Peter: You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church (Mt 16:18). This is the first time that Jesus pronounces the word Church, but rather than the noun, I would encourage you to think about the adjective, which is possessive: mine, my Church. Jesus does not speak of the Church like an external reality, but he expresses the great love that he has for her: my Church. Jesus is attached to the Church, to us. Saint Paul writes: Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her (Eph 5:25), that is - as the Apostle explains - Jesus loves the Church as his bride. For the Lord we are not a group of believers or a religious organization, we are his bride. He looks at his Church with tenderness, he loves her with absolute fidelity, despite our mistakes and betrayals. As he said that day to Peter, today he says to all of us: my Church, you are my Church.
And we too can repeat it: my Church. We do not say this with a sense of exclusive belonging, but with an inclusive love; not to differentiate ourselves from others, but to learn the beauty of being with others, because Jesus wants us to be united and open. The Church, in fact, is not mine because it responds to my self, to my desires, but because I pour out my affection upon you. It is mine to take care of it, because, like the Apostles in the icon, I also support it. How? With brotherly love. With our brotherly love we can say: my Church.
In another icon, Saints Peter and Paul are portrayed hugging each other in an embrace. There were many differences between them: a fisherman and a Pharisee with different life experiences, characters, ways of doing things and very different sensibilities. There was no shortage between them of conflicting opinions and frank debates (cf Gal 2:11 ff). But that which united them was infinitely greater: Jesus was the Lord of both of them, together, they would say my Lord of the One who says my Church. Brothers in faith, they invite us to rediscover the joy of being brothers and sisters in the Church. On this feast day, which unites two Apostles who are so different, it would be beautiful for each one of us to be able to say: Thank you Lord, for this person who is different from me: he/she is a gift for my Church. We are different but this enriches us; this is brotherhood. It is good to appreciate the qualities of others, to recognize the gifts of others without malice and without envy. Envy! Envy causes bitterness in our hearts, it is vinegar on the heart. Envious people have a bitter look. So many times, when we find an envious person, do we want to ask: but what did he have for breakfast today, latte or vinegar? Because envy is bitter. It makes life bitter. How nice it is to know that we belong to each other, because we share the same faith, the same love, the same hope, the same Lord. We belong to one another and this is splendid, to be able to say: our Church! Brotherhood.
At the end of the gospel, Jesus says to Peter: Feed my sheep (Jn 21:17). He is speaking about us as he says: my sheep, with the same tenderness that he uses to speak about the Church. Jesus loves us with such great love, with such great tenderness! We feel like we belong to him. This is the affection that the Church creates. Today, through the intercession of the Apostles, let us ask for the grace to love our Church. Let us ask for eyes that are capable of seeing our brothers and sisters as they are, for hearts that are capable of welcoming others with the tender love that Jesus has for us. And let us ask for the strength to pray for those who do not think like we do - those who think differently, let us pray for them - to pray and to love, which is the opposite to speaking against them, perhaps even behind their backs. We should never talk in this way, simply pray and love. May Our Lady, who established harmony among the Apostles and prayed with them (cf Acts 1:14), keep us as brothers and sisters in the Church.
Dear brothers and sisters!
On this feast of the principal Patrons of Rome, I goodness to all of you Romans and to all those who live in this city. I encourage you all to react with civic sensitivity to the problems of society.
I renew my gratitude to the delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and I send a cordial and fraternal greeting to my brother, His Holiness, Bartholomew I.
I affectionately greet the pilgrims who have come to celebrate with the Metropolitan Archbishops, for whom I blessed new Pallia this morning.
I sincerely thank the master florists and all their staff who worked together to create the historic floral display organized by the Roman group Pro Loco.
I greet all of you, dear pilgrims, in particular those who have come from Vietnam, from Slovakia, from El Paso (Texas, USA) and Kansas City (Kansas, USA) as well as from Germany. I greet the Yago Schoolfrom Seville (Spain), with the great children's choir, and the Ahlzahir College from Cordoba (Spain); the group from Voix de la Charité Radio in Lebanon and the group from the Spanish Youth Eucharistic Movement; and the Resurrectionist priests.
I greet the faithful from Donori, Forlì, Lanciano, Brindisi and Castelfranco Veneto, and the Little Choir of Saint Francis of Assisi from Mesagne.
I wish you all a good feast day and I ask you, please, to pray for me through the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Testo originale in italiano
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Saints Peter and Paul, who we are celebrating today, are sometimes depicted in icons holding up a church building. This reminds us of the words of today's gospel passage, in which Jesus says to Peter: You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church (Mt 16:18). This is the first time that Jesus pronounces the word Church, but rather than the noun, I would encourage you to think about the adjective, which is possessive: mine, my Church. Jesus does not speak of the Church like an external reality, but he expresses the great love that he has for her: my Church. Jesus is attached to the Church, to us. Saint Paul writes: Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her (Eph 5:25), that is - as the Apostle explains - Jesus loves the Church as his bride. For the Lord we are not a group of believers or a religious organization, we are his bride. He looks at his Church with tenderness, he loves her with absolute fidelity, despite our mistakes and betrayals. As he said that day to Peter, today he says to all of us: my Church, you are my Church.
And we too can repeat it: my Church. We do not say this with a sense of exclusive belonging, but with an inclusive love; not to differentiate ourselves from others, but to learn the beauty of being with others, because Jesus wants us to be united and open. The Church, in fact, is not mine because it responds to my self, to my desires, but because I pour out my affection upon you. It is mine to take care of it, because, like the Apostles in the icon, I also support it. How? With brotherly love. With our brotherly love we can say: my Church.
In another icon, Saints Peter and Paul are portrayed hugging each other in an embrace. There were many differences between them: a fisherman and a Pharisee with different life experiences, characters, ways of doing things and very different sensibilities. There was no shortage between them of conflicting opinions and frank debates (cf Gal 2:11 ff). But that which united them was infinitely greater: Jesus was the Lord of both of them, together, they would say my Lord of the One who says my Church. Brothers in faith, they invite us to rediscover the joy of being brothers and sisters in the Church. On this feast day, which unites two Apostles who are so different, it would be beautiful for each one of us to be able to say: Thank you Lord, for this person who is different from me: he/she is a gift for my Church. We are different but this enriches us; this is brotherhood. It is good to appreciate the qualities of others, to recognize the gifts of others without malice and without envy. Envy! Envy causes bitterness in our hearts, it is vinegar on the heart. Envious people have a bitter look. So many times, when we find an envious person, do we want to ask: but what did he have for breakfast today, latte or vinegar? Because envy is bitter. It makes life bitter. How nice it is to know that we belong to each other, because we share the same faith, the same love, the same hope, the same Lord. We belong to one another and this is splendid, to be able to say: our Church! Brotherhood.
At the end of the gospel, Jesus says to Peter: Feed my sheep (Jn 21:17). He is speaking about us as he says: my sheep, with the same tenderness that he uses to speak about the Church. Jesus loves us with such great love, with such great tenderness! We feel like we belong to him. This is the affection that the Church creates. Today, through the intercession of the Apostles, let us ask for the grace to love our Church. Let us ask for eyes that are capable of seeing our brothers and sisters as they are, for hearts that are capable of welcoming others with the tender love that Jesus has for us. And let us ask for the strength to pray for those who do not think like we do - those who think differently, let us pray for them - to pray and to love, which is the opposite to speaking against them, perhaps even behind their backs. We should never talk in this way, simply pray and love. May Our Lady, who established harmony among the Apostles and prayed with them (cf Acts 1:14), keep us as brothers and sisters in the Church.
Dear brothers and sisters!
On this feast of the principal Patrons of Rome, I goodness to all of you Romans and to all those who live in this city. I encourage you all to react with civic sensitivity to the problems of society.
I renew my gratitude to the delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and I send a cordial and fraternal greeting to my brother, His Holiness, Bartholomew I.
I affectionately greet the pilgrims who have come to celebrate with the Metropolitan Archbishops, for whom I blessed new Pallia this morning.
I sincerely thank the master florists and all their staff who worked together to create the historic floral display organized by the Roman group Pro Loco.
I greet all of you, dear pilgrims, in particular those who have come from Vietnam, from Slovakia, from El Paso (Texas, USA) and Kansas City (Kansas, USA) as well as from Germany. I greet the Yago Schoolfrom Seville (Spain), with the great children's choir, and the Ahlzahir College from Cordoba (Spain); the group from Voix de la Charité Radio in Lebanon and the group from the Spanish Youth Eucharistic Movement; and the Resurrectionist priests.
I greet the faithful from Donori, Forlì, Lanciano, Brindisi and Castelfranco Veneto, and the Little Choir of Saint Francis of Assisi from Mesagne.
I wish you all a good feast day and I ask you, please, to pray for me through the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Testo originale in italiano
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