Pope Francis' Message for World Mission Sunday

Today, the Holy See Press Centre published the text of the Holy Father, Pope Francis' Message for the upcoming celebration of World Mission Sunday, which will be observed on Sunday, 18 October 2020.

Message of His Holiness, Pope Francis

for World Mission Sunday 2020

Dear brothers and sisters,

I wish to express my gratitude to God for the commitment with which the Church throughout the world carried out the Extraordinary Missionary Month last October. I am convinced that it stimulated missionary conversion in many communities on the path indicated by the theme: Baptized and Sent: the Church of Christ on Mission in the World.

In this year marked by the suffering and challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic, the missionary journey of the whole Church continues in light of the words found in the account of the calling of the prophet Isaiah: Here am I, send me (Is 6:8). This is the ever new response to the Lord’s question: Whom shall I send? (Is 6: 8). This invitation from God’s merciful heart challenges both the Church and humanity as a whole in the current world crisis. Like the disciples in the Gospel we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying ‘We are perishing’ (Mk 4: 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this (Meditation in Saint Peter’s Square, 27 March 2020). We are indeed frightened, disoriented and afraid. Pain and death make us experience our human frailty, but at the same time remind us of our deep desire for life and liberation from evil. In this context, the call to mission, the invitation to step out of ourselves for love of God and neighbour presents itself as an opportunity for sharing, service and intercessory prayer. The mission that God entrusts to each one of us leads us from fear and introspection to a renewed realization that we find ourselves precisely when we give ourselves to others.

In the sacrifice of the cross, where the mission of Jesus is fully accomplished (cf Jn 19: 28-30), God shows us that his love is for each and every one of us (cf Jn 19: 26-27). He asks us to be personally willing to be sent, because he himself is Love, love that is always on mission, always reaching out in order to give life. Out of his love for us, God the Father sent his Son Jesus (cf Jn 3: 16). Jesus is the Father’s Missionary: his life and ministry reveal his total obedience to the Father’s will (cf Jn 4: 34; 6: 38; 8: 12-30; Heb 10: 5-10). Jesus, crucified and risen for us, draws us in turn into his mission of love, and with his Spirit which enlivens the Church, he makes us his disciples and sends us on a mission to the world and to its peoples.

The mission, the ‘Church on the move’, is not a programme, an enterprise to be carried out by sheer force of will. It is Christ who makes the Church go out of herself. In the mission of evangelization, you move because the Holy Spirit pushes you, and carries you (Senza di Lui non possiamo fare nulla: Essere missionari oggi nel mondo. Una conversazione con Gianni Valente, Libreria Editrice Vaticana: San Paolo, 2019, 16-17). God always loves us first and with this love comes to us and calls us. Our personal vocation comes from the fact that we are sons and daughters of God in the Church, his family, brothers and sisters in that love that Jesus has shown us. All, however, have a human dignity founded on the divine invitation to be children of God and to become, in the sacrament of Baptism and in the freedom of faith, what they have always been in the heart of God.

Life itself, as a gift freely received, is implicitly an invitation to this gift of self: it is a seed which, in the baptized, will blossom as a response of love in marriage or in virginity for the kingdom of God. Human life is born of the love of God, grows in love and tends towards love. No one is excluded from the love of God, and in the holy sacrifice of Jesus his Son on the cross, God conquered sin and death (cf Rom 8: 31-39). For God, evil – even sin – becomes a challenge to respond with even greater love (cf Mt 5: 38-48; Lk 22: 33-34). In the Paschal Mystery, divine mercy heals our wounded humanity and is poured out upon the whole universe. The Church, the universal sacrament of God’s love for the world, continues the mission of Jesus in history and sends us everywhere so that, through our witness of faith and the proclamation of the Gospel, God may continue to manifest his love and in this way touch and transform hearts, minds, bodies, societies and cultures in every place and time.

Mission is a free and conscious response to God’s call. Yet we discern this call only when we have a personal relationship of love with Jesus present in his Church. Let us ask ourselves: are we prepared to welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, to listen to the call to mission, whether in our life as married couples or as consecrated persons or those called to the ordained ministry, and in all the everyday events of life? Are we willing to be sent forth at any time or place to witness to our faith in God the merciful Father, to proclaim the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ, to share the divine life of the Holy Spirit by building up the Church? Are we, like Mary, the Mother of Jesus, ready to be completely at the service of God’s will (cf Lk 1: 38)? This interior openness is essential if we are to say to God: Here am I, Lord, send me (cf Is 6: 8). And this, not in the abstract, but in this chapter of the life of the Church and of history.

Understanding what God is saying to us at this time of pandemic also represents a challenge for the Church’s mission. Illness, suffering, fear and isolation challenge us. The poverty of those who die alone, the abandoned, those who have lost their jobs and income, the homeless and those who lack food challenge us. Being forced to observe social distancing and to stay at home invites us to rediscover that we need social relationships as well as our communal relationship with God. Far from increasing mistrust and indifference, this situation should make us even more attentive to our way of relating to others. And prayer, in which God touches and moves our hearts, should make us ever more open to the need of our brothers and sisters for dignity and freedom, as well as our responsibility to care for all creation. The impossibility of gathering as a Church to celebrate the Eucharist has led us to share the experience of the many Christian communities that cannot celebrate Mass every Sunday. In all of this, God’s question: Whom shall I send? is addressed once more to us and awaits a generous and convincing response: Here am I, send me! (Is 6: 8). God continues to look for those whom he can send forth into the world and to the nations to bear witness to his love, his deliverance from sin and death, his liberation from evil (cf Mt 9: 35-38; Lk 10: 1-12).

The celebration of World Mission Day is also an occasion for reaffirming how prayer, reflection and the material help of your offerings are so many opportunities to participate actively in the mission of Jesus in his Church. The charity expressed in the collections that take place during the liturgical celebrations of the third Sunday of October is aimed at supporting the missionary work carried out in my name by the Pontifical Mission Societies, in order to meet the spiritual and material needs of peoples and Churches throughout the world, for the salvation of all.

May the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of Evangelization and Comforter of the Afflicted, missionary disciple of her Son Jesus, continue to intercede for us and sustain us.

Rome, Saint John Lateran
31 May 2020
Solemnity of Pentecost

Franciscus
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
Texte en français
Texto en español
Texto em português
Text in Deutsch

Different but the same

Here is the text of the reflection I shared with those who joined us for this weekend's celebration of the Solemnity of Pentecost.

Different but the same

There are actually two accounts of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles recounted in today's scripture passages.  In the Acts of the Apostles, the arrival of the Spirit is characterized by a sound like the rush of a violent wind ... that filled the entire house ... Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them (Acts 2: 2-3).  This description makes the moment sound as though there was a violent storm: wind and fire that must have been alarming to those who were present in that place.

Sometimes, the Holy Spirit is made known to us through experiences that actually frighten us.  Admittedly, when we are faced with major crises like traumatic experiences, close brushes with death or sufferings and diseases that threaten to tear us apart, it can be easy for us to become lost in our own drama instead of seeing such experiences as moments of blessing.  Could it be that in the midst of tumultuous situations, the Spirit of God is indeed present?

On the other hand, the gospel account speaks of the arrival of the Holy Spirit as a much more peaceful encounter.  Standing among the disciples, Jesus breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit ...' (Jn 20: 22).  I have always envisioned this moment as a rather serene encounter: Jesus' breath wafting warmly over all the disciples, not in a threatening way but rather in a very peaceful, heartwarming fashion.

Peace is the gift that the Lord offered to his disciples when he appeared to them that night.  Human understandings of peace paint a picture of serenity, the absence of violence.  This image is very different from the one that is portrayed in the account of Pentecost that is told in the Acts of the Apostles.  Is it possible that the arrival of the Holy Spirit was both peaceful and disturbing, both serene and violent at the same time?

The Solemnity of Pentecost marks one year since the Parish of Saint Bernadette was established.  If we look back over the past year, we can see moments when there was great serenity and joy, celebration and togetherness ... but we must also admit that there were growing pains: moments when things didn't go the way we might have hoped that they would.  This past year has been characterized both by peaceful encounters and moments when we have all been challenged.  Like the scripture passages, our experience of the birth of this new parish has been characterized with experiences that have been very different one from another at times.  However, we must remain rooted and confident in our belief that the Holy Spirit is indeed present and at work among us.  It is the Holy Spirit who finds ways to sow unity in the midst of discord, the Holy Spirit who is always at work: sometimes in ways that we do not comprehend, the Holy Spirit who invites people who are from very different backgrounds, each of whom brings different experiences to the table, to discover that we are all brothers and sisters on a common journey, and that we need to walk side by side, helping one another to find our way.

There are a variety of gifts, but all the gifts we have been given are from the same Spirit (1 Cor 12: 4).  There are varieties of services needed in order to build up a vibrant parish community (1 Cor 12: 5).  Sometimes it might take a little while to discern the needs, and then to identify the gifts that are at our disposal, but we can all do our part by praying for the Spirit's guidance and inspiration and by opening our hearts.  In this Spirit, we were all baptized into one body - regardless of our ethnic backgrounds - and we have all been made to drink of the one Spirit (1 Cor 12: 13).  How can we recognize the presence of the Spirit among us?  We come to the Lord, each of us bringing our own gifts, each of us bringing our own points of view - which are not necessarily the same as those held by everyone else, and we pray for the grace to be attentive to the promptings of the Spirit who is always at work, building up the body of Christ.

Quelque chose de différent ... mais la même chose

Il y a en fait deux récits de la descente du Saint-Esprit sur les apôtres racontés dans les passages des Saintes Écritures de cette messe. Dans les Actes des Apôtres, l'arrivée de l'Esprit se caractérise par un bruit comme un violent coup de vent ... qui remplit toute la maison ... Des langues qu'on aurait dites de feu ... se partageaient, et ... s'en posa une sur chacun d'eux (Actes 2, 2-3). Cette description nous présente une image comme s'il y avait eu une violente tempête: du vent et du feu qui devaient faire peur à ceux qui étaient présents à cet endroit.

Parfois, le Saint-Esprit nous est révélé par des expériences qui nous font peur. Certes, lorsque nous sommes confrontés à des crises majeures telles que des expériences traumatisantes, des crises de mort ou des souffrances ... ou des maladies qui menacent de nous déchirer, il peut être facile pour nous de nous perdre dans notre propre drame au lieu de voir de telles expériences comme des moments de bénédiction.  Se pourrait-il qu'au milieu des situations tumultueuses, l'Esprit de Dieu soit bien présent?

D'un autre côté, le récit évangélique parle de l'arrivée du Saint-Esprit comme d'une rencontre beaucoup plus paisible. Ayant apparu parmi les disciples, Jésus souffla sur eux et il leur dit: 'Recevez le Saint-Esprit ...' (Jn 20, 22). J'ai toujours envisagé ce moment comme une rencontre plutôt sereine: le souffle de Jésus flottant chaudement sur tous les disciples, non pas d'une manière menaçante mais plutôt d'une manière très paisible et réconfortante.

La paix c'est le don que le Seigneur a offert à ses disciples lorsqu'il leur est apparu cette nuit-là. La compréhension humaine de la paix dépeint une image de sérénité, d'absence de violence. Cette image est très différente de celle qui est décrite dans le récit de la Pentecôte qui est raconté dans les Actes des Apôtres. Est-il possible que l'arrivée du Saint-Esprit ait été à la fois pacifique et dérangeante, à la fois sereine et violente?

La Solennité de la Pentecôte marque un an depuis la création de la Communauté catholique Sainte Bernadette. Si nous regardons en arrière l'année qui s'est découlée, nous pouvons constater des moments où il y avait une grande sérénité, des moments de joie, des moments de célébration et des moments de convivialité ... mais nous devons également admettre qu'il y avait des moments difficiles: des occasions où les choses ne se passaient pas comme nous aurions pu espérer qu'elles le feraient. Cette dernière année a été marquée à la fois par des rencontres pacifiques et des moments où nous avons tous été mis au défi. Comme les passages des Écritures, notre expérience de la naissance de cette nouvelle paroisse a été caractérisée par des expériences parfois très différentes les unes des autres. Cependant, nous devons rester enracinés et confiants dans notre conviction que le Saint-Esprit est bien présent et à l'œuvre parmi nous. C'est le Saint-Esprit qui trouve des moyens de semer l'unité au milieu de la diversité, c'est le Saint-Esprit qui est toujours à l'oeuvre parfois d'une manière que nous ne comprenons pas, c'est le Saint-Esprit qui invite des personnes d'horizons très différents, chacune apportant des expériences différentes, pour qu'ensemble nous découvrions que nous sommes tous frères et sœurs partis sur un chemin commun, et que nous devons marcher côte à côte, nous aider les uns les autres à trouver le bon chemin.

Les dons de la grâce sont variés, mais tous les dons que nous avons reçus sont du même Esprit (1 Co 12, 4). Les services requises pour construire une communauté paroissiale dynamique sont variés (cf 1 Co 12, 5). Parfois, cela peut prendre un peu de temps pour discerner les besoins, puis pour identifier les dons qui sont à notre disposition, mais nous pouvons tous faire notre part en priant, en cherchant la direction et l'inspiration de l'Esprit et en ouvrant nos cœurs afin d'y être dociles. Dans cet Esprit, nous avons tous été baptisés pour former un seul corps - indépendamment de nos origines ethniques - dans un unique Esprit (1 Co 12, 13). Comment pourront nous reconnaître la présence de l'Esprit parmi nous? Nous venons au Seigneur, chacun de nous apportant ses propres dons, chacun de nous apportant ses propres points de vue - qui ne sont pas nécessairement les mêmes que ceux de tous les autres - et nous prions pour la grâce d'être attentive aux incitations de l'Esprit qui est toujours à l'œuvre, édifiant le Corps du Christ.

Regina Caeli greetings for Pentecost

At noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study inside the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Regina Caeli with the faithful and with pilgrims who were gathered in Saint Peter's Square.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Regina Caeli

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today, the Square is open, we can come back.  This is good!

Today, we are celebrating the great Feast of Pentecost, remembering the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the first Christian community. Today's Gospel (cf Jn 20: 19-23) brings us back to Easter evening and shows us the risen Jesus who appeared in the Upper Room, where the disciples had taken refuge. They were afraid. He stood in their midst and said to them: Peace be with you! (Jn 20: 19). These first words pronounced by the Risen Lord: Peace be with you, should be considered to be more than a greeting: they express forgiveness, the forgiveness extended to the disciples who, to tell the truth, had abandoned him. These are words of reconciliation and forgiveness. And we too, when we wish peace to others, are forgiving and also asking for forgiveness. Jesus offers his peace precisely to these disciples who are afraid, who find it hard to believe what they have seen, that is, the empty tomb, and who underestimate the testimony of Mary of Magdala and the other women. Jesus forgives, always forgives, and offers his peace to his friends. Don't forget: Jesus never tires of forgiving. It is we who tire of asking for forgiveness.

By forgiving and gathering the disciples around him, Jesus makes them a Church, his Church, which is a community reconciled and ready for mission. Reconciled and ready for the mission. When a community is not reconciled, it is not ready for mission: it is ready to discuss within itself, it is ready for internal discussions. The encounter with the risen Lord turns the existence of the Apostles upside down and transforms them into courageous witnesses. In fact, immediately afterwards he says: As the Father sent me, I also send you (Jn 20: 21). These words make it clear that the Apostles are sent to extend the same mission that the Father has entrusted to Jesus. I am sending you: it is not time to be locked up, nor to regret: to regret the good times, those times spent with the Master. The joy of the resurrection is great, but it is an expansive joy, which should not be kept to itself, this joy is meant to be given. On Easter Sunday we first heard this same episode, then the meeting with the disciples of Emmaus, then the good Shepherd, the farewell speeches and the promise of the Holy Spirit: all this is meant to strengthen the faith of the disciples - and ours too - in view of the mission.

And just to animate the mission, Jesus gives the Apostles his Spirit. The Gospel says: He breathed on them and said: 'Receive the Holy Spirit' (Jn 20: 22). The Holy Spirit is fire that burns away sins and creates new men and women; it is a fire of love with which the disciples will be able to set the world on fire, with the love of tenderness which favors the little ones, the poor, the excluded ... In the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation we received the Holy Spirit with his gifts: wisdom, intellect, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, fear of God. This last gift - the fear of God - is just the opposite of the fear that paralyzed the disciples before: it is love for the Lord, it is the certainty of his mercy and his goodness, it is the confidence to be able to move in the direction he points out, without ever missing his presence and his support.

The Feast of Pentecost renews our awareness that the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit dwells in us. He also gives us the courage to come out of the protective walls of our upper rooms, our small groups, without resting in the quiet life or locking ourselves in sterile habits. Let us now raise our thoughts to Mary. She was there, with the Apostles, when the Holy Spirit came, a protagonist with the first community of the admirable experience of Pentecost, and let us pray that she obtain for the Church the ardent missionary spirit.



Following the recitation of the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters,

The Synod on the Amazon ended seven months ago; today, on the Feast of Pentecost, we invoke the Holy Spirit to give light and strength to the Church and society in the Amazon, which is being severely tested by the pandemic. Many people have been infected and many have died, even among indigenous peoples, particularly the vulnerable. Through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Amazon, I pray for the poor and most defenceless of that beloved Region, but also for those around the world, and I appeal that no one is denied health care. Treating people, not saving for the economy. Treating people is more important than the economy. We people are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the economy is not.

Today in Italy the National Day of Relief is celebrated, to promote solidarity towards the sick. I renew my appreciation for those who, especially in this period, have offered and are offering their testimony of care for others. I remember with gratitude and admiration all those who gave their lives by supporting the sick during this pandemic. Let us pray silently for doctors, volunteers, nurses, all health workers and many who have given their lives during this period.

I wish everyone a good Pentecost Sunday. We need the light and strength of the Holy Spirit so much! The Church needs it, to walk in harmony, courageously witnessing to the Gospel. And the whole human family needs it, in order to get out of this crisis more united and no longer divided. You know that from a crisis like this one does not come out the same as before: one comes out either better or worse. May we have the courage to change, to be better, to be better than before and to be able to positively build the post-crisis world that will exist after the pandemic.

Please, don't forget to pray for me.  Enjoy your lunch and good bye to all of you who are here in the Square!
Testo originale nella lingua italiana

Pentecost Mass from the Vatican

At 10:00am this morning in Rome (4:00am EDT), Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Father, Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass at the Altar of the Chair, inside Saint Peter's Basilica.

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

during the Mass celebrated for Pentecost

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit (1 Cor 12: 4), as the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians. He continues: There are different forms of service, but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone (1 Cor 12: 5-6). Diversity and unity: Saint Paul puts together two words that seem contradictory. He wants to tell us that the Holy Spirit is the one who brings together the many; and that the Church was born this way: we are all different, yet united by the same Holy Spirit.

Let us go back to the origin of the Church, to the day of Pentecost. Let us look at the Apostles: some of them were fishermen, simple people accustomed to living by the work of their hands, but there were also others, like Matthew, who was an educated tax collector. They were from different backgrounds and social contexts, and they had Hebrew and Greek names. In terms of character, some were meek and others were excitable; they all had different ideas and sensibilities. They were all different. Jesus did not change them; he did not make them into a set of pre-packaged models. No. He left their differences and then he united them by anointing them with the Holy Spirit. With the anointing came their union – unity in diversity. At Pentecost, the Apostles understood the unifying power of the Spirit. They saw it with their own eyes when everyone, though speaking in different languages, came together as one people: the people of God, shaped by the Spirit, who weaves unity out of diversity and bestows harmony because in the Spirit there is harmony. He himself is harmony.

Let us now focus on ourselves, the Church of today. We can ask ourselves: What is it that unites us, what is the basis of our unity? We too have our differences, for example: of opinions, choices, sensibilities. But the temptation is always fiercely to defend our ideas, believing them to be good for everybody and agreeing only with those who think as we do. This is a bad temptation that brings division. But this is a faith created in our own image; it is not what the Spirit wants. We might think that what unites us are our beliefs and our morality. But there is much more: our principle of unity is the Holy Spirit. He reminds us that first of all we are God’s beloved children; all equal, in this respect, and all different. The Spirit comes to us, in our differences and difficulties, to tell us that we have one Lord – Jesus – and one Father, and that for this reason we are brothers and sisters! Let us begin anew from here; let us look at the Church with the eyes of the Spirit and not as the world does. The world sees us only as on the right or left, with one ideology or the other; the Spirit sees us as sons and daughters of the Father and brothers and sisters of Jesus. The world sees conservatives and progressives; the Spirit sees children of God. A worldly gaze sees structures to be made more efficient; a spiritual gaze sees brothers and sisters pleading for mercy. The Spirit loves us and knows everyone’s place in the grand scheme of things: for him, we are not bits of confetti blown about by the wind, rather we are irreplaceable fragments in his mosaic.

If we go back to the day of Pentecost, we discover that the first task of the Church is proclamation. Yet we also see that the Apostles devised no strategy; when they were locked in there, in the Upper Room, they were not strategizing, no, they were not drafting any pastoral plan. They could have divided people into groups according to their roots, speaking first to those close by and then to those far away, in an orderly manner ... They could also have waited a while before beginning their preaching in order to understand more deeply the teachings of Jesus, so as to avoid risks ... No. The Spirit does not want the memory of the Master to be cultivated in small groups locked in upper rooms where it is easy to nest. This is a terrible disease that can also infect the Church: making her into a nest instead of a community, a family or a Mother. The Spirit himself opens doors and pushes us to press beyond what has already been said and done, beyond the precincts of a timid and wary faith. In the world, unless there is tight organization and a clear strategy, things fall apart. In the Church, however, the Spirit guarantees unity to those who proclaim the message. The Apostles set off: unprepared, yet putting their lives on the line. One thing kept them going: the desire to give what they received. The opening part of the First Letter of Saint John is beautiful: that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you (cf 1 Jn 1: 3).

Here we come to understand what the secret of unity is, the secret of the Spirit. The secret of unity in the Church, the secret of the Spirit is gift. For the Spirit himself is gift: he lives by giving himself and in this way he keeps us together, making us sharers in the same gift. It is important to believe that God is gift, that he acts not by taking away, but by giving. Why is this important? Because our way of being believers depends on how we understand God. If we have in mind a God who takes away and who imposes himself, we too will want to take away and impose ourselves: occupying spaces, demanding recognition, seeking power. But if we have in our hearts a God who is gift, everything changes. If we realize that what we are is his gift, free and unmerited, then we too will want to make our lives a gift. By loving humbly, serving freely and joyfully, we will offer to the world the true image of God. The Spirit, the living memory of the Church, reminds us that we are born from a gift and that we grow by giving: not by holding on but by giving of ourselves.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us look within and ask ourselves what prevents us from giving of ourselves. There are, so to speak, three main enemies of the gift, always lurking at the door of our hearts: narcissism, victimhood and pessimism. Narcissism makes us idolize ourselves, to be concerned only with what is good for us. The narcissist thinks: Life is good if I profit from it. So he or she ends up saying: Why should I give myself to others? In this time of pandemic, how wrong narcissism is: the tendency to think only of our own needs, to be indifferent to those of others, and not to admit our own frailties and mistakes. But the second enemy, victimhood, is equally dangerous. Victims complain every day about their neighbour: No one understands me, no one helps me, no one loves me, everyone has it in for me! How many times have we not heard these complaints! The victim’s heart is closed, as he or she asks, Why aren’t others concerned about me? In the crisis we are experiencing, how ugly victimhood is! Thinking that no one understands us and experiences what we experience. This is victimhood. Finally, there is pessimism. Here the unending complaint is: Nothing is going well, society, politics, the Church … The pessimist gets angry with the world, but sits back and does nothing, thinking: What good is giving? That is useless At this moment, in the great effort of beginning anew, how damaging is pessimism, the tendency to see everything in the worst light and to keep saying that nothing will be the same as it was before! When someone thinks this way, the one thing that certainly does not return is hope. In these three – the narcissist idol of the mirror, the mirror-god; the complaint-god: I feel human only when I complain; and the negativity-god: everything is dark, the future is bleak – we experience a famine of hope and we need to appreciate the gift of life, the gift that each of us is. We need the Holy Spirit, the gift of God who heals us of narcissism, victimhood and pessimism. He heals us from the mirror, complaints and darkness.

Brothers and sisters, let us pray to him: Holy Spirit, memory of God, revive in us the memory of the gift received. Free us from the paralysis of selfishness and awaken in us the desire to serve, to do good. Even worse than this crisis is the tragedy of squandering it by closing in on ourselves. Come, Holy Spirit: you are harmony; make us builders of unity. You always give yourself; grant us the courage to go out of ourselves, to love and help each other, in order to become one family. Amen.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
Texte en français
Texto en español
Texto em português
Text in Deutsch

Video Greetings to Thy Kingdom Come

This morning, the Holy See Press Centre published a Video Message which the Holy Father, Pope Francis has sent as part of a liturgical service for Pentecost which was led by His Grace, Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, involving participants taking part in a special event organized by the world prayer movement known as Thy Kingdom Come.

Video Message of His Holiness, Pope Francis

addressed to participants taking part in the world movement

known as Thy Kingdom Come

Dear brothers and sisters,

With joy, I join Archbishop Justin Welby and all of you to share some thoughts from the heart. This is Pentecost: we celebrate the day on which the Spirit of God came down with power. Since that day, God’s life dwells among us, bringing us new and previously unknown hope, peace and joy. At Pentecost God infected the world with life. How different this is from the contagion of death that has ravaged the earth for months now! Today, more than ever, it is necessary to implore the Holy Spirit to pour forth into our hearts the life of God, who is love. Indeed, if there is to be a better future, our hearts must change for the better.

On the day of Pentecost, people who spoke different languages assembled and encountered one another. In these months, however, we have been required to observe appropriate and necessary measures to keep our distance from one another. Yet we have also come to understand, perhaps better, what others are experiencing: we have been brought together by fear and uncertainty. How many troubled and broken hearts are in need of comfort! I think of how, when Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit, he used a particular word: Paraclete, that is, Comforter. Many of you have experienced the consolation brought by the Spirit, that inner peace which makes us feel loved, that gentle strength that always inspires courage, even amid suffering. The Spirit assures us that we are not alone, that God sustains us. Dear friends, we must give in turn the gift that we have received: we are called to share the comfort of the Spirit, the closeness of God.

How can we do this? Let us think about all those things that we long for: comfort, encouragement, someone to care for us, someone to pray for us, someone to weep with us and help us face our difficulties. Everything we would like others to do for us, let us do for them instead (cf Mt 7:12). Do we want to be heard? Let us first listen. Do we need encouragement? Let us give encouragement. Do we want someone to care for us? Let us care for those who are alone and abandoned. Do we need hope for tomorrow? Let us give hope today. Today our world is experiencing a tragic famine of hope. How much pain is all around us, how much emptiness, how much inconsolable grief! Let us, then, become messengers of the comfort bestowed by the Spirit. Let us radiate hope, and the Lord will open new paths as we journey towards the future.

I would like to share with you something about this journey that we are making together. How greatly I desire that, as Christians, we can be more deeply united as witnesses of mercy for the human family so severely tested in these days. Let us ask the Spirit for the gift of unity, for only if we live as brothers and sisters can we spread the spirit of fraternity. We cannot ask others to be united if we ourselves take different paths. So let us pray for one another; let us each feel responsible for the other.

The Holy Spirit bestows wisdom and good counsel. In these days let us invoke his aid upon those charged with making complex and pressing decisions, that they may defend human life and the dignity of work. For this is what must be invested in: health, employment, and the elimination of inequalities and poverty. Now as never before we need a vision rich in humanity: we cannot start up again by going back to our selfish pursuit of success without caring about those who are left behind. And even if many are doing precisely that, the Lord is asking us to change course. On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke with bold courage (parrhesia) prompted by the Spirit. Repent (Acts 2:38), he urged, be converted, change the direction of your lives. That is what we need to do: go back, turn back to God and our neighbour: no longer isolated and anaesthetized before the cry of the poor and the devastation of our planet. We need to be united in facing all those pandemics that are spreading, that of the virus, but also those of hunger, war, contempt for life, and indifference to others. Only by walking together will we be able to go far.

Dear brothers and sisters, you are proclaiming the Gospel message of life and you are a sign of hope. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I ask God to bless you and I ask you to pray that he blesses me. Thank you.
Testo nella lingua italiana

Video greetings for the Vigil of Pentecost

The Holy Father has sent a video message to those who are participating in an on-line world Pentecost Vigil organized by CHARIS (the Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service).

Video Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to participants taking part in an

on-line worldwide Pentecost Vigil

When the Feast of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered in one place. Thus begins the second chapter of the book of the Acts of the Apostles that we have just heard. Today too, thanks to technical advances, we are gathered together, believers from different parts of the world, on the vigil of Pentecost.

The story continues: Suddenly a great noise that came from the sky, like a strong wind, sounded throughout the house where they were. And there appeared to them what seemed like tongues of fire which spread over each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 2-4).

The Spirit rests on each one of the disciples, on each one of us. The Spirit promised by Jesus comes to renew, to convert, to heal each one of us. Fears come back — how many fears we have — insecurities; He comes to heal our wounds, the wounds that we also inflict on each other; and He comes to make us all disciples, missionary disciples, full witnesses of courage, of apostolic parrhesia (courage), which is necessary for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus, as we read in the following verses as it happened for the disciples.

Today more than ever, we need the Father to send us the Holy Spirit. In the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus says to his disciples: «Wait for the promise that my Father made to you, and of which I spoke to you, to be fulfilled. It is true that John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 4). And, in verse 8, he says to them: When the Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power and you will go out to bear witness to me in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea and in Samaria and even in the most distant parts of the earth.

Bearing witness to Jesus. The Holy Spirit leads us to this witness. Today the world is suffering, it is wounded; we live in a very wounded, suffering world, especially the poor, who are discarded; when all our human securities have disappeared, the world needs us to give Jesus. You need our witness to the Gospel, the Gospel of Jesus. We can only give that testimony with the strength of the Holy Spirit.

We need the Spirit to give us new eyes, to open our minds and our hearts to face this moment and the future with the lessons we have learned: we are one humanity. We do not save ourselves. No one is saved alone. Nobody. Saint Paul says in the epistle to the Galatians: "It no longer matters whether we are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free man or a woman, because all united to Christ we are one, one body (cf Gal 3: 28), united by the strength of the Holy Spirit. By this baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus proclaims. We know this, we knew it, but this pandemic that we are living has made us experience it in a much more dramatic way.

We have before us the duty to build a new reality. The Lord will do this; we can collaborate with him: I make all things new, he says (Rev 21: 5).

When we get out of this pandemic, we will not be able to continue doing what we have been doing, and how we have been doing it. No, everything will be different. All the suffering will have been useless if we do not build together a fairer, more equitable, more Christian society, not in name, but in reality, a reality that leads us to Christian conduct. If we do not work to end the pandemic of poverty in the world, with the pandemic of poverty in the country of each one of us, in the city where each one of us lives, this time will have been in vain.

From the great tests of humanity, and among them the pandemic, one comes out better or worse. No one has ever come out the same.

I ask you: How do you want to go out? Better or worse? And that is why today we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit so that it is He who changes our hearts and helps us to get better.

If we do not live in order to be judged according to what Jesus tells us: Because I was hungry and they gave me food, I was imprisoned and they visited me, a stranger and they received me (cf Mt 25:  35-36), we will never get better.

And this is everyone's job, all of us. And also of you those of CHARIS, who are all charismatics, gathered together.

The third document from Malinas, written in the 1970s by Cardinal Suenens and Bishop Helder Camara, which is called: Charismatic Renewal and the Service of Man, marks out this path for the current of grace. Be faithful to this call of the Holy Spirit!

The prophetic words of John XXIII when he announced the Vatican Council; words that the Charismatic Renewal treasures especially, come to my mind now: «Let the Divine Spirit be heard, in order to hear in the most comforting way the prayer that ascends to Him from all corners of the Earth: 'Renew in our time the wonders as of a new Pentecost, and grant that the Holy Church, remaining unanimous in prayer, with Mary, the Mother of Jesus and under the guidance of Peter, may increase the Kingdom of the Divine Saviour, a Kingdom of Truth and Justice, a Kingdom of Love and Peace.

During this vigil, my wish for all of you is the consolation of the Holy Spirit. And the strength of the Holy Spirit to get out of this moment of pain, sadness and trial that is the pandemic; to get better.

May the Lord bless you and may the Virgin Mother take care of you.
Texto original en español

Rosary in the Vatican Gardens

At 5:30pm this afternoon (11:30am EDT), the Vigil of Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Father, Pope Francis presided over the recital of the Holy Rosary at the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens.

This Marian celebration was organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.  The theme of this gathering was: Assiduous and agreeing in prayer, together with Mary (Acts 1: 14). The Marian shrines of the world have joined the Pope in this moment of prayer, broadcast worldwide on the eve of Pentecost Sunday.

The decades of the rosary were recited by some women and men representing various categories of people particularly affected by the health emergency caused by COVID-19. A doctor and a nurse were present, representing all the health personnel engaged on the front lines in hospitals; a healed person and one who has lost a family member, in the name of all those who have been personally touched by the coronavirus; a priest, hospital chaplain, and a nun who is a nurse, representing all the priests and consecrated persons who are close to those who are suffering from the disease; a pharmacist and a journalist, in the name of all the people who continued to perform their services for others even during the pandemic period; a Civil Protection volunteer with his family, representing those who have worked to cope with this emergency and for the whole vast world of volunteering; and a young family, to which a child was born during this period.

At the conclusion of the recitation of the Holy Rosary, after the Apostolic blessing, Pope Francis offered a brief unscripted greeting to all the Shrines throughout Latin America who were joining in with the recitation at the Vatican Grotto.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to others participating in the

recitation of the Holy Rosary

They tell me that there are many shrines in Latin America, and I want to greet them in Spanish.

To all of you in the Shrines throughout Latin America - I see Guadalupe and many others - who are joining with us, united in prayer.  I greet you in my mother tongue.  Thank you for being close to all of us.  May our Mother of Guadalupe accompany us!
Texto original en español
Testo in italiano

Pope to lead the rosary in the Vatican Gardens

Pope Francis will lead a rosary to invoke the aid and help of the Virgin Mary in the pandemic, and to entrust the whole of humanity to the Lord, at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens, on May 30, as the month of Mary draws to its close.

This was communicated in a statement by the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization and published on Tuesday of this week by the Holy See Press Office.

The Holy Father will put at Mary’s feet the many anxieties and sorrows of humanity, further aggravated by the spread of COVID-19, the statement underscores.

The appointment for the end of the Marian month, it continues, is a further sign of closeness and consolation for all those that, in different ways, have been affected by the coronavirus, in the certainty that the Heavenly Mother will not disregard the requests for protection.

The Marian celebration, which will take place at 5:30pm Rome time (11:30am EDT) will be broadcast live worldwide.   It was organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, and is on the theme: All with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with Mary (Acts 1:14.)

Shrines worldwide will join the prayer, with the special involvement of families.

The largest Shrines of all five continents will be connected. For instance, of Europe: Lourdes, Fatima, San Giovanni Rotondo, Pompeii and Czestochowa (Poland); of the United States of America: the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Washington, D.C.); of Africa: the Shrine of Elele (Nigeria) and of Notre-Damme de la Paix (Ivory Coast); of Latin America: the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico), of Chiquinquira (Colombia), of Lujan and of Milagro (Argentina).

It will be a moment of world prayer, the Vatican explains, for those that intend to join Pope Francis on the eve of Pentecost Sunday.

Some women and men, in representation of various categories of people particularly touched by the virus, will recite the decades.

There will be a doctor and a nurse, for all the health staff committed on the front line in hospitals; a healed person and one who lost a family member, for all those touched personally by the coronavirus; a priest, hospital chaplain, and a Sister nurse, for all priests and consecrated persons close to all those tried by the disease; a pharmacist and a journalist, for all the people that even in the period of the pandemic have continued to carry out their service in favour of others; a volunteer of Civil Protection with his family, for those that have done their utmost to address this emergency and for all the vast world of volunteers; and a young family, to whom a baby was born in this period, sign of hope and of victory of life over death.

General Audience on the prayer of the just

This morning's General Audience began at 9:30am local time (3:30am EDT) inside the Library in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on prayer, adding his meditation on the theme: The prayer of the just (Ps 17: 1-3, 5).

After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful.

The General Audience concluded with the recitation of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic blessing.

Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

during the General Audience

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Let us dedicate today's catechesis to the prayer of the just.

God's plan for humanity is good, but in our daily life we experience the presence of evil: it is an everyday experience. The first chapters of the book of Genesis describe the progressive expansion of sin in human affairs. Adam and Eve (cf Gen 3: 3-7) doubt God's benevolent intentions, thinking that they are dealing with an envious divinity, which prevents their happiness. Hence the rebellion: they no longer believe in a generous Creator, who desires their happiness. Their hearts, yielding to the temptation of the evil one, are overtaken by delusions of omnipotence: If we eat the fruit of the tree, we will become like God (cf Gen 3: 5). And this is the temptation: this is the ambition that enters the heart. But the experience goes in the opposite direction: their eyes are opened and they discover that they are naked (Gen 3: 7), with nothing. Don't forget this: the tempter is a bad pay master, he pays badly.

Evil becomes even more disruptive with the second human generation, it is stronger: with the story of Cain and Abel (cf Gen 4: 1-16). Cain is envious of his brother: there is the worm of envy; although he is the firstborn, he sees Abel as a rival, one who undermines his primacy. Evil appears in his heart and Cain cannot master it. Evil begins to enter our hearts: our thoughts are always about looking at others in a bad light, with suspicions. And this also happens with our thoughts: "This is a bad guy, he'll hurt me." And this thought is entering the heart ... And so the story of the first fraternity ends with a murder. I am thinking today of human fraternity ... wars everywhere.

In the lineage of Cain, crafts and the arts develop, but violence also develops, expressed by the sinister song of Lamec, which sounds like a hymn of revenge: I killed a man for my nick and a boy for my bruise ... Seven times Cain will be avenged, but Lamec seventy-seven (Gen 4: 23-24). Revenge: You did it, you will pay for that. But the judge does not say this, I say it. And I judge the situation. And so evil spreads like wildfire, until it occupies the whole picture: The Lord saw that the wickedness of men was great on earth and that every intimate purpose of their hearts was nothing but evil, always (Gen 6: 5). The large frescoes of the flood (Gen 6-7) and the tower of Babel (Gen 11) reveal that there is a need for a new beginning, as for a new creation, which will have its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Yet, in these first pages of the Bible, another story is written, less conspicuous, much more humble and devoted, which represents the redemption of hope. Even if almost everyone behaves in a brutal way, making hatred and conquest the great engine of human affairs, there are also people capable of praying to God with sincerity, capable of writing man's destiny in a different way. Abel offers God a first-fruits sacrifice. After his death, Adam and Eve had a third son, Seth, from whom Enos (meaning mortal) was born, and it is said: At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord (Gen 4: 26). Then Enoch appears, a person who walks with God and who is taken in rapture to heaven (cf Gen 5: 22, 24). And finally there is the story of Noah, a righteous man who walked with God (Gen 6: 9), before whom God holds back his purpose of erasing humanity (cf Gen 6: 7-8).

Reading these stories, one gets the impression that prayer is both the embankment and the refuge of man who is faced with the flood of evil that is growing in the world. Upon closer inspection, we also pray to be saved from ourselves. It is important to pray: Lord, please, save me from myself, from my ambitions, from my passions. The prayers of the first pages of the Bible are those of men who work for peace: in fact, prayer, when it is authentic, free from instincts of violence, is a gaze turned to God so that he may return to take care of man's heart. The Catechism reads: This quality of prayer is lived by a multitude of righteous in all religions (CCC, 2569). Prayer cultivates flowerbeds of rebirth in places where man's hatred has only been able to enlarge the desert. And prayer is powerful, because it attracts the power of God and the power of God always gives life: always. He is the God of life, and he is reborn.

This is why the lordship of God passes through the chain of these men and women who are often misunderstood or marginalized in the world. But the world lives and grows thanks to the strength of God that these servants of his attract with their prayer. They are a chain that is not at all rowdy, which rarely leaps to the headlines, yet it is so important to restore confidence in the world! I remember the story of a man: a government leader, an important man, not of this time, of times gone by. An atheist who had no religious sense in his heart, but as a child he had witnessed his grandmother praying, and this remained in his heart. And at a difficult moment of his life, that memory returned to his heart and he said: "But my grandmother used to pray ...". Thus he began to pray using the prayers his grandmother used to use and there he found Jesus. Prayer is a chain of life, always: many men and women who pray, sow life. Prayer sows life, small prayers: this is why it is so important to teach children to pray. It pains me when I find children who cannot make the sign of the cross. We must teach them to make the sign of the cross well, because that is the first prayer. It is important that children learn to pray. Then, perhaps, they will be able to forget, take another path; the first prayers learned as a child remain in the heart, because they are a seed of life, the seed of dialogue with God.

The path of God in the history of God passed through them: it passed through a rest of humanity that did not conform to the law of the fittest, but asked God to perform his miracles, and above all to transform our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh (cf Ez 36,26). And this helps our prayer: because prayer opens the door to God, transforming our hearts, which many times are made of stone into human hearts. And it takes a lot of humanity, and with humanity we can pray well.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana



The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and His Holiness offered greetings to each group of the faithful who were following along via various media.  To French-speaking viewers, he said:

Je salue cordialement les fidèles de langue française. Dans quelques jours nous célèbrerons la fête de la Pentecôte. Prions l’Esprit Saint pour qu’il fasse de nous des hommes de paix et de fraternité et rende confiance et espérance au monde. Que Dieu vous bénisse!

I cordially greet the French-speaking faithful.  In a few days, we will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost.  Let us pray to the Holy Spirit, that he may make us people of peace and of fraternity, and give everyone confidence and hope.  May God bless you!

To English-speaking viewers, he said:

I greet the English-speaking faithful joining us through the media. As we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, I invoke upon you and your families an abundance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. May God bless you!

To German-speaking viewers, he said:

Einen herzlichen Gruß richte ich an die Gläubigen deutscher Sprache. Folgen wir dem Beispiel der seligen Jungfrau Maria: Sie hat mit ihrem inständigen Gebet zusammen mit den Aposteln den Heiligen Geist für die Kirche erfleht, der die Menschen in der Liebe Christi erneuert. Der Geist der Liebe erfülle unsere Herzen, auf dass sie beständig im Gebet dem Herrn zugewandt seien.

I extend a warm greeting to all German believers. Let us follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary: with her constant prayer, together with the apostles, she implored the Holy Spirit for the Church, who renewed people in the love of Christ. May the spirit of love fill our hearts so that they are constantly focused on the Lord in prayer.

To Spanish-speaking viewers, he said:

Saludo cordialmente a los fieles de lengua española que siguen esta catequesis a través de los medios de comunicación social. Los animo a leer las primeras páginas del libro del Génesis para redescubrir la fuerza que tiene la oración de los “amigos de Dios”, y para hacer nosotros lo mismo. Invoquemos su Nombre con confianza y elevemos nuestra oración conjunta para que el Señor sane a este mundo de todas sus dolencias, y a nosotros nos haga experimentar la alegría de la salvación.

I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking faithful who are following this catechesis through the media. I encourage you to read the first pages of the book of Genesis to rediscover the power of the friends of God prayer, and to do the same. Let us invoke his Name with confidence and raise our joint prayer so that the Lord may heal this world of all its ailments, and help us experience the joy of salvation.

To Portuguese-speaking viewers, he said:

Saúdo os ouvintes de língua portuguesa, recordando-vos que a oração abre a porta da nossa vida a Deus. E Deus ensina-nos a sair de nós mesmos para ir ao encontro dos outros mergulhados na prova, dando-lhes consolação, esperança e apoio. De coração, vos abençoo em nome do Senhor.

I greet all Portuguese-speaking listeners, reminding you that prayer opens the doors of our lives to God. And God teaches us to go outside of ourselves to meet others who are being tested, giving them consolation, hope and support. I cordially bless you in the name of the Lord.

To Arabic-speaking viewers, he said:

أحيي جميع المؤمنين الناطقين باللغة العربية، المتابعين لهذه المقابلة عَبر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي. إن الصلاة لا تغير الله إنما تغيرنا نحن، وتجعلنا أكثر انصياعًا لمشيئته المقدسة. فالصلاة تدفعنا للدخول رويدا رويدا في النور الإلهي الذي يطهر قلوبنا من كل ظلام. ليبارككم الربّ جميعًا ويحرسكم دائمًا من كل شر!

I salute all Arabic speaking believers who are following this audience via social media. Prayer does not change God, it changes us, and makes us more submissive to His holy will. Prayer leads us to enter slowly into the divine light that cleanses our hearts from all darkness. May God bless you and keep you safe from all evil!

To Polish-speaking viewers, he said:

Pozdrawiam serdecznie Polaków, którzy łączą się z nami przez środki masowego przekazu. Przeżywając nowennę przed Uroczystością Zesłania Ducha Świętego, prośmy Boskiego Pocieszyciela, ażeby był obecny w nas, by poprzez Swoje dary, jakże konieczne, pomógł nam wzrastać w wierze chrześcijańskiej. W tym trudnym czasie, jaki przeżywa świat, módlmy się słowami świętego Jana Pawła II wypowiedzianymi w Warszawie: „Niech zstąpi Duch Twój i odnowi oblicze ziemi! Tej ziemi!” (2 czerwca 1979 r.). Z serca wam błogosławię.

I cordially greet Poles who are joining us through the mass media. As we pray the novena in preparation for the Solemnity of Pentecost, let us ask the Divine Comforter to be present in us, that through His gifts, he would help us grow in the Christian faith. In this difficult time the world is going through, let us pray with the words of Saint John Paul II in Warsaw: Let Your Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth! This land! (June 2, 1979). I bless you with all my heart.

To Italian-speaking viewers, he said:

Saluto i fedeli di lingua italiana. Dopodomani celebreremo la memoria liturgica del Papa San Paolo VI. L’esempio di questo Vescovo di Roma, che ha raggiunto le vette della santità, incoraggi ciascuno ad abbracciare generosamente gli ideali evangelici.

Rivolgo il mio pensiero agli anziani, ai giovani, ai malati e agli sposi novelli. Nel clima di preparazione alla Solennità di Pentecoste ormai prossima, vi esorto ad essere sempre docili all’azione dello Spirito Santo, affinché la vostra vita sia sempre riscaldata ed illuminata dall’amore che lo Spirito di Dio riversa nei cuori. A tutti voi la mia benedizione!

I greet the Italian-speaking faithful.  The day after tomorrow, we will celebrate the liturgical Memorial of Pope Saint Paul VI.  May the example of this Bishop of Rome, who has reached the heights of holiness, encourage each one of us to generously embrace the values of the gospel.

I turn my thoughts to the elderly, the young, the sick and to newlyweds.  In a spirit of preparation for the Solemnity of Pentecost, which is very close, I exhort you to always be docile to the actions of the Holy Spirit, so that your lives may always be warmed and enlightened by the love which the Spirit of God pours into your hearts.  I bless all of you!

Founder of the Knights of Columbus soon to be Blessed

Earlier today in Rome, Pope Francis approved the promulgation of a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of the founder of the Knights of Columbus, Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney, a Connecticut priest who served his flock during the pandemic of 1890, before himself becoming ill and dying of pneumonia.

The Pope’s action means that Father McGivney can be declared Blessed, the step just prior to sainthood. An additional miracle attributed to Father McGivney’s intercession will be required for his canonization as a saint.

McGivney is best known for founding the Knights of Columbus in 1882. Nearly a century before the Second Vatican Council, his prescient vision empowered the laity to serve the Church and their neighbours in a new way. Today, the Knights of Columbus is one of the largest Catholic organizations in the world with 2 million members in North and Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe.

The miracle recognized as coming through Father McGivney’s intercession involved an unborn child in the United States who in 2015 was healed in utero of a life-threatening condition after prayers by his family to Father McGivney.

A date will soon be set for the beatification Mass, which will take place in Connecticut. It will include the reading of an apostolic letter from the Holy Father and the bestowing of the title Blessed on Father McGivney.

Earlier this year, in an address to the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors, Pope Francis said the organization has been faithful to the vision of your founder, Venerable Michael McGivney, who was inspired by the principles of Christian charity and fraternity to assist those most in need.

Father McGivney has inspired generations of Catholic men to roll up their sleeves and put their faith into action, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said. He was decades ahead of his time in giving the laity an important role within the Church. Today, his spirit continues to shape the extraordinary charitable work of Knights as they continue to serve those on the margins of society as he served widows and orphans in the 1880s. Father McGivney also remains an important role model for parish priests around the world and left us a transformative legacy of effective cooperation between the laity and clergy.

Born of Irish immigrant parents in 1852 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Father McGivney was a central figure in the dramatic growth of the Church in the United States in the late 19th century. Ordained in Baltimore in 1877, he ministered to a heavily Irish-American and immigrant community in the then-Diocese of Hartford. At a time of anti-Catholic sentiment, he worked tirelessly to keep his flock close to the faith in part by finding practical solutions to their many problems – spiritual and temporal alike. With a group of the leading Catholic men of New Haven, he founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882 at Saint Mary’s Church to provide spiritual support for Catholic men and financial resources for families that had suffered the loss of their breadwinner.

The fledgling group soon became a major force in the areas of evangelization, charity, racial integration, and the defence of religious freedom.

Father McGivney spent his entire priesthood in parish ministry and died of pneumonia on August 14, 1890— two days after his 38th birthday – after falling ill amid a pandemic. Recent scientific evidence indicates that that pandemic – like the current one – may have been caused by a coronavirus.

Known by his contemporaries for his devotion to the faith and his embodiment of the characteristics of the Good Samaritan, his cause for sainthood was opened in the Archdiocese of Hartford in 1997. Saint John Paul II – who was pope at that time – lauded Father McGivney’s principles, stating in 2003, In fidelity to the vision of Father McGivney, may you continue to seek new ways of being a leaven of the Gospel in the world and a spiritual force for the renewal of the Church in holiness, unity and truth.

In March 2008, he was declared a Venerable Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI, who during his visit to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral cited the remarkable accomplishment of that exemplary American priest, the Venerable Michael McGivney, whose vision and zeal led to the establishment of the Knights of Columbus.

Two recent books also tell the story of Father McGivney and his legacy: Parish Priest (2006), his biography; and the The Knights of Columbus: An Illustrated History (2020).

Commitment to Eccumenism

Today, the Holy See Press Centre published the text of a Letter which the Holy Father has sent to the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, His Eminence, Kurt Koch, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the publication of Saint John Paul's Encyclical Ut unum sint.

Letter of His Holiness, Pope Francis

on the 25th anniversary of the publication

of Ut unum sint

To my dear Brother
Cardinal Kurt Koch
President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity

Tomorrow marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Saint John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter Ut Unum Sint. With his gaze fixed on the horizon of the Jubilee of 2000, Pope John Paul II desired that the Church, on her journey towards the third millennium, should be ever mindful of the heartfelt prayer of her Teacher and Lord that all may be one (cf Jn 17: 21). For this reason he issued the Encyclical that confirmed irrevocably (UUS, 3) the ecumenical commitment of the Catholic Church. He published it on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, placing it under the sign of the Holy Spirit, the creator of unity in diversity. In that same liturgical and spiritual context, we now commemorate it, and propose it once more to the People of God.

The Second Vatican Council recognized that the movement for the restoration of unity among all Christians arose by the grace of the Holy Spirit (Unitatis Redintegratio, 1). The Council also taught that the Spirit, while distributing various kinds of spiritual gifts and ministries, is the principle of the Church’s unity (UR, 2). Ut Unum Sint reaffirmed that legitimate diversity is in no way opposed to the Church’s unity, but rather enhances her splendour and contributes greatly to the fulfilment of her mission (UUS, 50). Indeed, only the Holy Spirit is able to kindle diversity, multiplicity and, at the same time, bring about unity… It is he who brings harmony to the Church, because, as Saint Basil the Great said, He himself is harmony (Homily in the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Istanbul, 29 November 2014).

On this anniversary, I give thanks to the Lord for the journey he has allowed us to travel as Christians in quest of full communion. I too share the healthy impatience of those who sometimes think that we can and should do more. Yet we should not be lacking in faith and gratitude: many steps have been taken in these decades to heal the wounds of centuries and millennia. Mutual knowledge and esteem have grown and helped to overcome deeply rooted prejudices. Theological dialogue and the dialogue of charity have developed, as well as various forms of cooperation in the dialogue of life, at both the pastoral and cultural level. At this moment, my thoughts turn to my beloved Brothers, the heads of the different Churches and Christian communities, and to all our brothers and sisters of every Christian tradition who are our companions on this journey. Like the disciples of Emmaus, may we experience the presence of the risen Christ who walks at our side and explains the Scriptures to us. May we recognize him in the breaking of the bread, as we await the day when we shall share the Eucharistic table together.

I renew my gratitude to all who have worked and continue to work in the Dicastery to keep the awareness of this irrevocable goal alive in the Church. I am especially pleased to recognize two recent initiatives. The first is an Ecumenical Vademecum for Bishops that will be published this autumn, as an encouragement and guide for the exercise of their ecumenical responsibilities. Indeed, the service of unity is an essential aspect of the mission of every Bishop, who is the visible source and foundation of unity in his own Particular Church (Lumen Gentium, 23; cf. CIC 383 §3; CCEO 902-908). The second initiative is the launch of the journal Acta Œcumenica which, by renewing the Dicastery’s Information Service, is meant to assist all who work in the service of unity.

On the path that leads to full communion it is important to keep in mind the progress already made, but equally important to scan the horizon and ask, with the Encyclical Ut Unum Sint, Quanta est nobis via? (UUS, 77). One thing is certain: unity is not chiefly the result of our activity, but a gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet unity will not come about as a miracle at the very end. Rather, unity comes about in journeying; the Holy Spirit does this on the journey (Homily at the Celebration of Vespers, Saint Paul Outside the Walls, 25 January 2014). With confidence, then, let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide our steps and to enable everyone to hear the call to work for the cause of ecumenism with renewed vigour. May the Spirit inspire new prophetic gestures and strengthen fraternal charity among all Christ’s disciples, that the world may believe (Jn 17:21), to the ever greater praise of our Father in heaven.

From the Vatican
24 May 2020
Francis
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
Texte en français
Texto en español
Text in Deutsch

Remember

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the celebrations of Masses for this weekend: some thoughts inspired by Jesus' final meeting with his disciples.

Remember

The gospel passage we have just read concludes with the final words that Jesus spoke to his disciples: Remember, I am with you always ... (Mt 28: 20).  After all the time that they had spent with him, after having experienced so many amazing moments, after having learned so much ... after having witnessed his suffering and death on the cross, and then having encountered him in risen form, the time had finally come for him to leave the disciples, but he wanted to make sure that they would never forget him so he spoke those wonderful words: remember, I am with you always.  We all need to remember this promise: the Lord is with us always.  He is with us in times of joy and in times of sadness, he is with us when there is much sunshine in our lives and he is also with us when there are clouds.

It is not always easy to remember this promise.  The disciples' hearts must have been breaking that day when they watched him leave them again, and yet his words were still ringing in their ears: I am with you always ... I wonder what happened after he had been raised up to heaven on that day.  Did they stay in that place, each one of them perhaps remembering a moment that they had shared with him?  He had come back from the dead and had appeared to them during forty days, speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1: 3), and now he had told them to remember all these wonderful moments that they had shared together as a way of helping them to deal with the grief of this second loss, but also as added proof that what he had told them while he was alive would really come true.

They also remembered some particularly poignant moments, like flashes of memories from the time he had spent with them.  Stay in Jerusalem and ... wait there for the promise of the Father (Acts 1: 4).  Why had he asked them to do this?  He had told them that the Father would send another Advocate; there were more gifts to be received from God.  This same advice is also true for us today.  It is never easy for our hearts to be at rest when there are changes happening around us, yet the Lord asked the disciples to stay where they were and to wait.  Often, when change occurs, we feel like we have been set adrift; we want to move as quickly as possible into another established routine, we want to find something familiar so that we can feel settled again.  However, Jesus is always with us, even at times when we are in turmoil.  What we must do is sit still - as difficult as that might be - and wait for the Lord to show us the next move.

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1: 8).  Jesus had shown his heart to the disciples during the time he had spent with them, and because they had seen his heart, their own hearts had been changed.  They had once been a group of misfits: people from all walks of life who knew very little about each other and yet they had been seduced by the voice that had called to them, invited them to follow him.  They were eager to spend time with them, but they had no idea how their lives would be changed.  Now that they had experienced such tender love, such profound mercy, now that they had witnessed such miracles, now that their hearts had been changed, he was inviting them to be his witnesses, to tell other people about what they had experienced.  In fact, their witness has reached all the ends of the earth and thanks to that, we have heard the word.  We too must receive this word, allow it to transform our hearts and then be willing to be witnesses of that which we have learned.

Do we ever pray for the grace to remember that Jesus is with us always, to always remember that we are never alone?  At times in our lives when we have experienced great change, have we prayed for the grace to stand still and to wait for the Lord to show us the path that we should follow?  Have we heard the Lord's invitation addressed to us, a call to witness to our faith in action?  Jesus is counting on us to continue the work that he began: calling people together - at times even misfits - and helping all people to open their hearts so that the Lord can make us all his disciples.

Je suis avec vous

Le passage de l'Évangile que nous venons de lire se termine par les dernières paroles que Jésus a dit à ses disciples: Et moi, je suis avec vous tous les jours ... (Mt 28, 20). Après tout le temps qu'ils avaient passé avec lui, après avoir vécu tant de moments incroyables, après avoir tant appris ... après avoir été témoin de sa souffrance et de sa mort sur la croix, puis l'avoir rencontré sous une forme ressuscitée, le temps était enfin arrivé pour lui de quitter les disciples, mais il voulait s'assurer qu'ils ne l'oublieraient jamais alors il a prononcé ces mots merveilleux: Je suis avec vous tous les jours ... Nous devons tous nous souvenir de cette promesse: le Seigneur est toujours avec nous. Il est avec nous dans les moments de joie et de tristesse, il est avec nous quand il y a beaucoup de soleil dans nos vies et il est aussi avec nous quand il y a des nuages.

Il n'est pas toujours facile de se souvenir de cette promesse. Le cœur des disciples a dû se briser ce jour-là quand ils l'ont vu les quitter à nouveau, et pourtant ses paroles résonnaient encore à leurs oreilles: je suis avec vous ... Moi, je me demande ce qui s'est passé après qu'il ait été élevé au ciel ce jour là. Sont-ils restés à cet endroit, chacun se souvenant peut-être d'un moment qu'ils avaient partagé avec lui? Il s'est présenté à eux vivant après sa Passion; il leur en a donné bien des preuves, puisque, pendant quarante jours, il leur est apparu et leur a parlé du royaume de Dieu (Actes 1, 3), et maintenant il leur avait dit de se souvenir de tous ces merveilleux moments qu'ils avaient partagés ensemble comme un moyen de les aider à faire face au chagrin de cette deuxième perte, mais aussi comme preuve supplémentaire que ce qu'il leur avait dit pendant qu'il vivait parmi eux se réaliserait vraiment.

Ils se souvenaient également de moments particulièrement poignants, comme des éclats de souvenirs du temps qu'il avait passé avec eux. Ne quittez pas Jérusalem, mais attendez là que s'accomplisse la promesse du Père (Actes 1, 4)  Pourquoi leur avait-il demandé de faire cela? Il leur avait dit que le Père enverrait un autre défenseur; Dieu avait plus de dons à partager avec eux. Ce même conseil est également vrai pour nous aujourd'hui. Il n'est jamais facile pour nos cœurs de se reposer lorsque des changements se produisent autour de nous, pourtant le Seigneur a demandé aux disciples de rester là où ils étaient et d'attendre. Souvent, lorsque le changement se produit, nous avons l'impression d'être à la dérive; nous voulons passer le plus rapidement possible à une autre routine établie, nous voulons trouver quelque chose de familier pour que nous puissions nous sentir à nouveau installés. Cependant, Jésus est toujours avec nous, même lorsque nous sommes tourmenté. Ce que nous devons faire, c'est rester immobile - aussi difficile que cela puisse être - et attendre que le Seigneur nous indique le prochain mouvement.

Vous serez ... mes témoins à Jérusalem, dans toute la Judée et la Samarie, et jusqu'aux extrémités de la terre (Actes 1: 8). Jésus avait ouvert son cœur aux disciples pendant le temps qu'il avait passé avec eux, et parce qu'ils l'avait connu si intimement, leur propre cœur avait été changé. Ils avaient autrefois été un groupe de personnes inadaptées: des gens de tous horizons qui se connaissaient très peu et pourtant ils avaient été séduits par la voix qui les avait appelés, celui qui les avaient invités à le suivre. Ils étaient impatients de passer du temps avec lui, mais ils ne savaient pas comment leur vie allait changer. Maintenant qu'ils avaient connu un amour si tendre, une miséricorde si profonde, maintenant qu'ils avaient été témoins de tels miracles, maintenant que leurs cœurs avaient été changé, il les invitait à rendre témoignage, à raconter à d'autres ce qu'ils avaient vécu. En fait, leur témoignage a atteint toutes les extrémités de la terre et grâce à cela, nous avons entendu cette parole. Nous devons nous aussi recevoir cette parole.  Nous devons lui permettre de transformer nos cœurs et ensuite nous serons disposés à rendre témoignage de ce que nous avons appris.

Prions-nous jamais pour la grâce de nous souvenir que Jésus est toujours avec nous, de nous souvenir toujours que nous ne sommes jamais seuls? À certains moments de notre vie où nous avons connu de grands changements, avons-nous prié pour la grâce de prendre pause et d'attende que le Seigneur nous indique le chemin que nous devons suivre? Avons-nous entendu l'invitation du Seigneur qui nous est adressée, un appel à témoigner de notre foi par nos actions? Jésus compte sur nous pour continuer l'œuvre qu'il a commencée: rassembler les gens - parfois même les inadaptés - et aider tout le monde à ouvrir son cœur afin que le Seigneur puisse faire de nous tous ses disciples.