News September2024

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“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea” (Mk 9:42). With these words, directed to the disciples, Jesus warns of the danger of scandal, that is, of hindering the path and hurting the lives of the “little ones”. It is a stern warning that calls us to pause and reflect. I would like to do so with you, in the light of the other Sacred Texts, by looking at three key words: openness, communion and witness.

29.09.24 me

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Thank you, Madame Rector, for your kind words. Dear students, I am pleased to meet you and listen to your reflections. I can sense in your words passion and hope, a desire for justice and the search for truth.

Among the issues you raised, I was struck by the one concerning the future and anxiety. It is easy to see how a violent and arrogant wickedness is destroying people and the environment. It seems to know no limits and is most brutally expressed by war – in a country that I will not name, the investments that provide the most profits come from the production of arms, it is terrible! – and its shows no signs of stopping: war is a brutal thing; but also by corruption and modern forms of slavery. War, corruption and new forms of slavery. Sometimes these evils even corrupt religion itself, turning it into an instrument of domination. Be careful! Yet this is blasphemy, whereby the union of men and women with God, who is saving Love, is turned into slavery, and even the name of Father, a revelation meant to heal, becomes an expression of arrogance. However, God is Father, not overlord; God is Son and Brother, not dictator; God is the Spirit of love, not of domination.

28.09.24 mse

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I am happy to be here with you. I thank Bishop Terlinden for his words and for reminding us of the importance of proclaiming the Gospel. Thanks to all of you.

Belgium is very much a crossroads, and you are a Church “on the move”. Indeed, for some time you have been trying to transform the presence of the parishes in this region, and to reinvigorate the formation of the laity. Above all, you strive to be a community that is close to the people, and that accompanies them, bearing witness through works of mercy.

Prompted by your questions, I would like to offer a brief reflection on three words: evangelization, joy and mercy.

28.09.24 mc

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I am pleased to be here among you. I thank the Rector for his words of welcome in which he reflected on the tradition and historical roots of the University, and on the principal challenges we all face today. Indeed, the first task of a university is to offer integral formation so that students may be equipped with the tools needed for interpreting the present and planning for the future.

Yet cultural formation is never an end in itself, and universities should never run the risk of becoming “cathedrals in the desert”. They are, by their nature, driving forces of ideas and sources of new inspiration for human life and thought, and for facing the challenges in society. In other words, they are generative places. It is a fine thing to view universities as generating culture and ideas, but above all as promoting the passion for seeking truth, at the service of human progress. In a particular way, Catholic Universities such as yours are called to “offer the decisive contribution of leaven, salt and light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the living Tradition of the Church, which is ever open to new situations and ideas” (Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium, 3).

27.09.24 mpe

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I thank Your Majesty for your cordial welcome and kind words of greeting. I am very pleased to be visiting Belgium. When I think of this country, what comes to mind is something small yet great; a country in the west that at the same time is also at the centre, as if Belgium were the beating heart of an enormous organism.

Indeed, it would be a mistake to judge the quality of a country by its geographical size. Belgium may not be a large state, yet its particular history has been impactful. Immediately after the Second World War, the exhausted and downhearted peoples of Europe, in beginning a profound process of peace, cooperation and integration, looked to your country as a natural location to establish key European institutions. This was because Belgium was on the fault line between the Germanic and Latin worlds, sandwiched between France and Germany, two countries that had most embodied the opposing nationalistic ideals underlying the conflict.

27.09.24 mae

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I am very happy to be with you here in this magnificent cathedral. I thank His Royal Highness the Grand Duke and his family for their presence; I thank Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich for his kind words, as well as Diogo, Christine and Sister Maria Perpetua for their testimonies.

Our encounter takes place during an important Marian Jubilee: the Church in Luxembourg is commemorating four centuries of devotion to Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted, Patroness of this country. This Marian title corresponds well to the theme you have chosen for this visit: “To serve”.  Consoling and serving are in fact two fundamental aspects of the love that Jesus has given to us, the love he has entrusted to us as our mission (cf. Jn 13:13-17), and that he has shown as the only path to full joy (cf. Acts 20:35). For this reason, in the prayer for the opening of the Marian Year, we will ask the Mother of God to help us be “missionaries, ready to bear witness to the joy of the Gospel”, conforming our hearts to hers in order “to put our lives at the service of our brothers and sisters”. Let us now pause to reflect on three words: service, mission and joy.

26.09.24 mce

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I am pleased to make this visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and I thank Your Royal Highness and the Prime Minister most sincerely for the cordial expressions of welcome you have extended to me. I am likewise grateful for the welcome given by the members of the Grand Duke’s family.

Because of its particular geographical location on the border of different linguistic and cultural areas, Luxembourg has frequently found itself at the crossroads of Europe’s most significant historical events. Twice, in the first half of the last century, it had to endure invasion and the deprivation of its freedom and independence.

Since the end of the Second World War, your country has drawn upon its history – for history is a teacher of life – and distinguished itself in its commitment to building a united and fraternal Europe in which each country, be it large or small, might have its own role, and where the divisions, quarrels and wars that have been caused by exaggerated forms of nationalism and pernicious ideologies may finally be left behind. Indeed, ideologies are always the enemy of democracy.

26.09.24 mae

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Immediately after His baptism in the Jordan, Jesus “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Mt 4:1) – this is what the Gospel of Matthew says. The initiative is not Satan’s, but God’s. Going into the wilderness, Jesus obeys an inspiration of the Holy Spirit; He does not fall into an enemy snare, no, no! Once He has withstood the test, it is written, He returns to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit” (Lk 4:14).

In the wilderness, Jesus freed Himself of Satan, and now He can deliver from Satan. He freed Himself, He frees from Satan. It is what the Evangelists highlight with the numerous studies of deliverance from possession. Jesus says to His opponents: “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Mt 12:28). And Jesus casts out the demons, with the aspiration of the kingdom of God.

Nowadays we are witnessing a strange phenomenon regarding the devil. At a certain cultural level, it is held that he simply does not exist. He would be a symbol of the collective subconscious, or alienation; in short, a metaphor. But “the cleverest ruse of the devil is to persuade you he does not exist!”, as someone wrote (Charles Baudelaire). He is astute: he makes us believe that he does not exist, and in this way he dominates everything. He is cunning. And yet our technological and secularized world is teeming with magicians, occultism, spiritualism, astrologers, sellers of spells and amulets, and unfortunately with real satanic sects. Driven out the door, the devil has re-entered, one might say, through the window. Driven out of faith, he re-enters with superstition. And if you are superstitious, you are unconsciously conversing with the devil. One does not converse with the devil.

The strongest proof of the existence of Satan is found not in sinners or the possessed, but in the saints! “And how can this be, Father?”. Yes, it is true that the devil is present and working in certain extreme and “inhuman” forms of evil and wickedness that we see around us. But by this route, though, it is practically impossible to reach, in individual cases, the certainty that it is truly him, given that we cannot know with precision where his action ends and our own evil begins. This is why the Church is so prudent and so rigorous in performing exorcism, unlike what happens, unfortunately, in certain films!

It is in the life of the saints, precisely there, that the devil is forced to come out into the open, to place himself “against the light”. All the saints, all the great believers, some more, some less, testify to their struggle with this obscure reality, and one cannot honestly assume that they were all deluded or mere victims of the prejudices of their time.

The battle against the spirit of evil is won as Jesus won it in the wilderness: by striking with the word of God. You see that Jesus does not converse with the devil, He never conversed with the devil. Either he casts him out, or condemns him, but He never converses. And in the wilderness, he replies not with His word, but with the Word of God. Brothers, sisters, never converse with the devil; when temptations present themselves: “But, this would be nice, that would be nice” – stop. Raise your heart to the Lord, pray to Our Lady and banish him, just as Jesus taught us how to banish him. Saint Peter also suggests another means, that Jesus did not need, but we do – vigilance. “Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pt 5:8). And Saint Paul says to us: “Give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph 4:27).

After Christ, on the cross, defeated forever the power of the “ruler of this world” ( Jn 12:31), a Father of the Church said, “the devil is bound, like a dog on a chain; he cannot bite anyone except those who, defying the danger, go near him... He can bark, he can urge, but he can bite only those who want”. If you are a fool and you go to the devil and say, “Ah, how are you?”, and everything, it ruins you. The devil – distance. One does not converse with the devil. One banishes him. Distance. And all of us, everyone, we have experience of how the devil approaches with some temptation. The temptation of the ten commandments: when we feel this, stop, keep your distance: do not approach the chained dog.

Modern technology, for example, besides the many positive resources that are to be appreciated, offers also countless means to “give an opportunity to the devil”, and many fall in the trap. Think of online pornography, behind which there is a flourishing market: we all know this. It is the devil at work, there. And this is a very widespread phenomenon, which Christians should beware of and strongly reject. Because any smartphone has access to this brutality, to this language of the devil: online pornography.

Awareness of the action of the devil in history should not discourage us. The final thought must be, also in this case, of trust and security: “I am with the Lord, be gone”. Christ overcame the devil and gave us the Holy Spirit to make His victory our own. The very action of the enemy can turn to our advantage, if with God's help we make it serve our purification. Let us therefore ask the Holy Spirit, in the words of the hymn Veni Creator:

Drive far away our wily Foe,

And Thine abiding peace bestow;

If Thou be our protecting Guide,

No evil can our steps betide”.

Beware, the devil is astute – but we Christians, with God’s grace, are more astute than him. Thank you.

25.09.24 e

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Today the Gospel of the liturgy (Mk 9:30-37) tells us about Jesus who announces what will happen at the culmination of His life: “The Son of man”, says Jesus, “will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He is killed, after three days He will rise” (v. 31). The disciples, however, while they are following the Master, have other things in their mind and also on their lips. When Jesus asks them what they were talking about, they do not answer.

Let us pay attention to this silence: the disciples are silent because they were discussing who was the greatest (cf. v. 34). They fall silent out of shame. What a contrast with the words of the Lord! While Jesus confided in them the meaning of His very life, they were talking about power. And so now shame closes their mouth, just as pride had closed their heart earlier. And yet Jesus responds openly to the conversations whispered along the way: “If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (cf. v. 35). Do you want to be great? Make yourself small, put yourself at the service of all.

With a word as simple as it is decisive, Jesus renews our way of living. He teaches us that true power does not lie in the dominion of the strongest, but in care for the weakest. True power is taking care of the weakest – this makes you great!

This is why the Master calls a child, puts him in the midst of the disciples and embraces him, saying: “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me” (v. 37). The child has no power; the child has needs. When we take care of man, we recognize that man is always in need of life.

We, all of us, are alive because we have been welcomed, but power makes us forget this truth. You are alive because you have been welcomed! Then, we become dominators, not servants, and the first to suffer as a result are the last: the little ones, the weak, the poor.

Brothers and sisters, how many people, how many, suffer and die for power struggles! Theirs are lives that the world denies, as it denied Jesus, those who are excluded and die… When He is delivered into the hands of men, He finds not an embrace, but a cross. However, the Gospel remains living and filled with hope: He who has denied, is risen, He is the Lord!

Now, on this beautiful Sunday, we can ask ourselves: do I know how to recognize the face of Jesus in the smallest? Do I take care of my neighbour, serving generously? And do I thank those who take care of me?

Let us pray together to Mary, to be, like her, free of vainglory, and ready in service.

22.09.24

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And today I will talk about the Apostolic Journey I made in Asia and Oceania: it is called an Apostolic Journey because it is not a tourist trip, it is a journey to bring the Word of the Lord, to make the Lord known, and also to get to know the souls of the peoples. And this is very good.

Paul VI, in 1970, was the first Pope to fly towards the rising sun, with long visits to the Philippines and Australia, but pausing also in various Asian countries and in the Samoan Islands. And that was a memorable journey, wasn’t it? Because the first to leave the Vatican was Saint John XXIII, who went to Assisi by train; then, Saint Paul VI did that: a memorable journey! In this one too I tried to follow his example but, being a few years older than he was, I limited myself to four countries: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore. I thank the Lord who allowed me to do as an elderly Pope what I would have liked to do as a young Jesuit, because I wanted to go there as a missionary!

18.09.24 e

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The Gospel of today’s Liturgy tells us that Jesus, after asking the disciples what the people thought of Him, directly asks them: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mk 8:29). Peter answers on behalf of all the group, saying. “You are the Christ” (v. 30), that is, you are the Messiah. However, when Jesus starts to talk about the suffering and death that await Him, the same Peter objects, and Jesus harshly rebukes him: “Get behind me, Satan!” – He says Satan – For you are not on the side of God, but of men” (v. 33).

Looking at the attitude of the apostle Peter, we too can ask ourselves what it means to truly know Jesus. What does it mean to know Jesus?

In fact, on the one hand Peter answers perfectly, saying to Jesus that He is the Christ. However, behind these correct words there is still a way of thinking that is “of men”, a mentality that imagines a strong Messiah, a victorious Messiah, who cannot suffer or die. So, the words with which Peter responds are “right”, but his way of thinking has not changed. He still has to change his mindset, he still has to convert.

And this is a message, an important message for us too. Indeed, we too have learned something about God, we know the doctrine, we recite the prayers correctly and, perhaps, we respond well to the question “Who is Jesus for you?”, with some formula we learned at catechism. But are we sure that this means really knowing Jesus? In reality, to know the Lord, it is not enough to know something about Him, but rather to follow Him, to let oneself be touched and changed by His Gospel. It is a matter of having a relationship with Him, an encounter. I can know many things about Jesus, but if I have not encountered Him, I still do not know who Jesus is. It takes this encounter that changes life: it changes the way of being, it changes the way of thinking, it changes the relationships you have with your brothers and sisters, the willingness to accept and forgive, it changes the choices you make in life. Everything changes if you have truly come to know Jesus! Everything changes.

Brothers and sisters, the Lutheran theologian and pastor Bonhoeffer, victim of Nazism, wrote: “What is bothering me incessantly is the question of what Christianity really is, or indeed who Christ really is, for us today” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and papers from prison). Unfortunately, many people no longer pose themselves this question and remain “unbothered”, slumbering, even far from God. Instead, it is important to ask ourselves: do I let myself be bothered, do I ask who Jesus is for me, and what place He occupies in my life? Do I follow Jesus only in word, continuing to have a worldly mentality, or do I set out to follow Him, allowing the encounter with Him to transform my life?

May our mother Mary, who knew Jesus well, help us on this question.

15.09.24

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Thank you very much for your words!

Three things that you said struck me: “armchair critics,” “comfort zone,” and “technology” – the duty to use it but also the risks involved. This is the speech that I had prepared, but now I will speak spontaneously!

Young people are courageous and like to seek the truth but they have to be careful not to become what you referred to as “armchair critics” with endless words. A young person must be a critical thinker, and it is not good never to be critical. But you must be constructive in criticism, because there is a destructive criticism, which only makes a lot of complaints but does not offer a new way forward. I ask all young people, each of you: are you critical thinkers? Do you have the courage to criticize but also the courage to let others criticize you? Because, if you criticize, then someone else will criticize you. This is sincere dialogue between young people.

Young people must have the courage to build, to move forward and go out of their “comfort zones”. A young person who chooses always to spend his or her time in “comfort” is a young person who becomes fat! Not fatter in body, but fatter in mind! That is why I say to young people, “Take risks, go out! Do not be afraid!”. Fear is a dictatorial attitude that paralyzes you. It is true that young people often make mistakes, many mistakes, and it would be good if each one of us – if each of you – could think about how many times you have made mistakes. We make mistakes because we started walking and we make mistakes on the journey. This is normal; the important thing to realize is that you have made mistakes. Let us see who can answer my question: What is worse, making a mistake because I started to walk or not making a mistake because I stayed at home? Everyone, the latter! A young person who does not take risks, who is afraid of making mistakes, is already old! Do you understand this?

13.09.24 imype

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“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor 8:1). Saint Paul addresses these words to the brothers and sisters of the Christian community at Corinth. In his letters to this community, which was rich in many charisms (cf. 1 Cor 1:4-5), the Apostle often recommends that it cultivate communion in charity.

Let us listen to those words of Paul as together we thank the Lord for the Church in Singapore, which is also rich in gifts, a Church that is vibrant, growing and engaged in constructive dialogue with the various other Confessions and Religions with which it shares this wonderful land.

For this reason, then, I would like to reflect on Paul’s words, taking as a starting point the beauty of this city and its great and bold architecture, especially this impressive National Stadium complex, which contribute to making Singapore so famous and fascinating. First, let us remember that, in the end, at the origins of these imposing buildings, as with any other undertaking that leaves a positive mark on our world, while people may think that they are primarily about money, techniques or even engineering ability, which are certainly useful, very useful, what we really find is love, precisely the “love that builds up”.

While some may think this is a naive statement, by reflecting on it we see that this is not the case. Indeed, while good works may have brilliant, strong, rich and creative people behind them, there are always fragile women and men, like us, for whom without love there is no life, no impetus, no reason to act, no strength to build.

12.09.24 me

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I thank the President for his kind words of welcome, and I renew my appreciation for his recent visit to the Vatican. Furthermore, I am grateful to all the Authorities for the cordial welcome to this City-State, a commercial crossroads of primary importance and a place where different peoples meet.

Those arriving here for the first time cannot fail to be impressed by the mass of ultra-modern skyscrapers that seem to rise from the sea. They are a clear testimony to human ingenuity, the dynamism of Singaporean society and the acumen of the entrepreneurial spirit, which have found fertile ground here for their expression.

Singapore’s story is one of growth and resilience. From humble beginnings, this nation has reached an advanced level of development, which can only stem from rational decisions and not by chance. Indeed, it is the result of an unwavering commitment to carry out projects and initiatives that are well thought-out and in tune with the specific characteristics of the place. In these days you are celebrating the one hundred and first anniversary of the birth of Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, who held this office from 1959 to 1990 and gave a strong impetus to the country’s rapid growth and transformation.

12.09.24 mae

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First of all, I will ask all of you a question, and we will see who can answer it: What do young people do? You [pointing to a young woman].

[the young woman]. “Proclaim Christ!” Very good.

What else do young people do?

[another young person] “Proclaim the Word of God”. Very good.

What other things do young people do?

[another young person responds] “Love one another”.

Young people have a great capacity to love. What other things do young people do?

[another young person] “We must cultivate peace in our country”.

Never forget this. Very good. However, there is something that young people always do, young people of different nationalities and religions. Do you know what young people always do? They make a mess. Do you agree with this? [Young people respond] “Yes!”

I thank you for the greetings, the testimonies and the questions. I thank you for the dances because dancing is expressing a feeling with the whole body. Do you know a young person who doesn’t know how to dance? Life comes with dancing, and you are a country of young people.

There is one thing I was saying this morning to a bishop: I will never forget your smiles. Do not stop smiling. Young people make up the majority of the population of this land, and your presence fills this land with life, hope and a future. Do not lose the enthusiasm of faith. Imagine a young person without faith, with a sad face!

Do you know what brings a young person down? Vices. Be on your guard. Because there are those who call themselves peddlers of happiness. They sell you drugs and so many things that only make you happy for only half an hour. You know this better than me, don’t you? You know this situation better than me. Do you know or don’t you know? I cannot hear you! [Young people respond] “Yes”. Very good, thank you.

11.09.24 mype

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“A child has been born for us, a son given to us” (Is 9:6).

With these words, in the first reading, the prophet Isaiah addresses the inhabitants of Jerusalem. It was a prosperous time for that city, but sadly also characterized by great moral decadence.

We see much wealth there, but this affluence blinds the powerful, seducing them into thinking that they are self-sufficient, with no need for the Lord, and their conceit leads them to be selfish and unjust. For this reason, despite so much prosperity, the poor are abandoned and go hungry, infidelity is rampant, and religious practice is increasingly reduced to mere formalism. This deceptive façade of a world that at first sight appears to be perfect hides a reality that is much darker, harsher and more cruel. A reality where there is much need for conversion, mercy and healing.

This is why the prophet announces to his fellow citizens a new horizon, which God will open before them: a future of hope, a future of joy, where oppression and war will be banished forever (cf. Is 9:1-4). He will make a great light shine upon them (cf. v. 2), which will deliver them from the darkness of sin that oppresses them. Yet he will do so not with the power of armies, weapons or wealth, but through the gift of a son (cf. vv. 6-7).

Let us pause for a moment to reflect on this image: God shines his saving light through the gift of a son.

10.09.24 me

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Many of the youngest – seminarians, young religious – remained outside. And now, when I saw the bishop, I told him that he has to enlarge the cathedral because it is a grace to have so many vocations! Let us thank the Lord and let us also thank the missionaries who came before us. When we saw this man [Florentino de Jesús Martins, 89 years old, to whom the Pope said that he “had competed with the apostle Paul”], who was a catechist his whole life, we can understand the grace of the mission entrusted to him. Let us thank the Lord for this blessing to this Church.

I am happy to be with you during this journey in which I am a pilgrim in the lands of the East. I thank Bishop Norberto de Amaral for his words, and for reminding me that Timor-Leste is a country “at the edge of the world”. I also come from the ends of the world, but you more than me. And I like to say it – precisely because it is at the edge of the world, it is at the centre of the Gospel! This is a paradox that we have to learn: in the Gospel, the peripheries are the centre and a Church that has no capacity for peripheries and that hides in the centre is a very ill Church. Instead, when a Church thinks beyond, sends out missionaries, it goes into those peripheries that are the centre, the Church’s centre. Thank you for being at the peripheries, for we know well that in the heart of Christ the “existential peripheries” are the centre. Indeed, the Gospel is full of people, figures and stories that are on the margins, on the borders, but are called by Jesus to become protagonists of the hope that he came to bring us.

10.09.24 mbce

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There is one thing that always makes me think. When Jesus talks about the final judgement, he says to some people: “Come with me”, but he does not say: “Come with me because you were baptized, because you were confirmed, because you were married in the Church, because you did not lie, because you did not steal”. No, he says; “Come with me because you took care of me”. Jesus says: “Come with me because you took care of me when I was hungry, and you gave me food, when I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, when I was sick, and you visited me”, and so on.  I call this the sacrament of the poor. A love that encourages, that edifies, that strengthens.

And that is what we find here: love. Without love, this makes no sense. This is how we come to understand the love of Jesus, who gave his life for us. We cannot understand the love of Jesus unless we start to practise love. Sharing our lives with those who are most in need is a programme, a programme for you, and a programme for every Christian. I want to thank you for what you do and I also want to thank the girls and boys and young people who spoke to us about letting themselves be cared for. They teach us to let ourselves be cared for by God. To let ourselves be cared for by God and not by any number of ideas, or plans, or whims. To let ourselves be taken care of by God. They are our teachers. Thank you for this.

10.09.24 vce

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I thank you for the kind and joyful welcome to this beautiful country of Timor-Leste. I am grateful to the President, Mr José Ramos-Horta, for his kind words of welcome.

In this place Asia and Oceania touch each other. In a certain sense, they also encounter Europe, which, though geographically distant, seems closer due to the role it has had in this area over the past five centuries – I do not want to talk about the Dutch pirates! Indeed, the first Dominican missionaries arrived here from Portugal in the sixteenth century, bringing with them the Catholic faith and the Portuguese language. Today, both Portuguese and Tetum are the two official languages of the country.

09.09.24 mae

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I am happy to have spent these past few days in your country, where the sea, mountains and tropical forests coexist. It is, above all, a young country inhabited by many young people! We have all been able to contemplate the young face of the country, in particular through the beautiful performance that we just watched. Thank you! Thank you for your joy and for recounting the beauty of Papua “where the ocean meets the sky, where dreams are born and challenges vanish”. Above all, thank you for setting before all of us a hopeful desire: “to face the future with smiles of hope!”. And also with smiles of joy.

Dear young people, I did not want to leave here without meeting you, because you are the hope for the future. How do we build a future? What meaning do we want to give to our lives? I would like to answer these questions by starting with a story found at the beginning of the Bible, the story of the Tower of Babel. There we see two models clashing, two opposing ways of living and of building a society: one leads to confusion and dispersion, the other leads to the harmony of encounter with God and with our brothers and sisters. Confusion on one side and harmony on the other. This is juxtaposition is important.

09.09.24 mype

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I thank the Bishop for his words. I greet the Authorities, priests, consecrated men and women, missionaries, catechists, young people, the faithful – some of whom have travelled here from very far away – and you, dear children! Thank you Maria Joseph, Steven, Sister Jaisha Joseph, David and Maria for what you have shared. I am happy to meet you in this wonderful, young and missionary land!

As we heard, since the middle of the nineteenth century, the mission here has never ceased. Consecrated men and women, catechists and lay missionaries have not stopped preaching the word of God and offering help to their brothers and sisters through pastoral care, education, healthcare and many other ways. They have faced many difficulties in order to be an instrument “of peace and love” for all, as Sister Jaisha Joseph told us.

As a result, churches, schools, hospitals and missionary centres all around us testify that Christ came to bring salvation to all, so that each person may flourish in all his or her beauty for the sake of the common good 

You are “experts” in beauty here, because you are surrounded by beauty! You live in a magnificent land, enriched by a great variety of plants and birds. One cannot help but be amazed by the colours, sounds and scents, as well as the grandiose spectacle of nature bursting forth with life, all evoking the image of Eden!

08.09.24

The first words the Lord addresses to us today are, “Be strong, do not fear!” (Is 35:4). In this way, the prophet Isaiah addresses all those who have lost heart. He likewise encourages his people and, even amid difficulties and suffering, invites them to raise their eyes to a horizon of hope and to a future where God is coming to save us. For the Lord will indeed come, and on that day, “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped” (Is 35:5).

This prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus. In Saint Mark’s account, two things in particular are emphasized: the distance of the deaf man and the nearness of Jesus.

The distance of the deaf man. We see him in a geographical area that we would call, in today’s language, the “periphery”. The territory of the Decapolis lies beyond the Jordan, far from the religious centre of Jerusalem. What is more, this deaf man also experiences another kind of distance: he is far from God and from others because he cannot communicate, he is deaf and thus unable to hear, and he is also mute and so cannot speak. He is cut off from the world, isolated, a prisoner of his deaf and mute condition, so he cannot reach others or communicate with them.

We can also interpret the man’s situation in another sense, for we too can become cut off from communion and friendship with God and with our brothers and sisters when, instead of our ears and tongue, our hearts become blocked.  Indeed, there is a kind of inner deafness and muteness of heart that occurs whenever we close in on ourselves, or shut ourselves off from God and others through selfishness, indifference, fear of taking risks or putting ourselves on the line, resentment, hatred, and the list could go on. All of this distances us from God, from our brothers and sisters, from ourselves and from the joy of living.

Brothers and sisters, God responds to such distance in the complete opposite way, with the nearness of Jesus. Through his Son, God wishes to show first of all that he is near and compassionate, that he cares for us and overcomes any distance. In fact, in the Gospel passage we see Jesus going to territories on the peripheries, leaving Judea in order to meet the pagans (cf. Mk 7:31).

Through his nearness, Jesus heals human muteness and deafness. Indeed, whenever we feel distant, or we choose to keep ourselves at a distance from God, from our brothers and sisters or from those who are different from us, we close ourselves off, barricading ourselves from the outside. We end up, then, revolving only around our own ego, deaf to the word of God and to the cry of our neighbour, and therefore unable to speak to God or our neighbour.

And you, brothers and sisters, who live in this land so far away, perhaps you may imagine that you are separated from the Lord and from one another. This is not true, no: you are united in the Holy Spirit and in the Lord! And the Lord says to each one of you, “be opened”!  The most important thing is to open ourselves to God and our brothers and sisters, and to open ourselves to the Gospel, making it the compass of our lives.

Today, the Lord also says to you, “Courage, people of Papua New Guinea, do not be afraid! Open yourselves! Open yourselves to the joy of the Gospel; open yourselves to encounter God; open yourselves to the love of your brothers and sisters”. May none of us remain deaf or mute before this invitation. Moreover, may Blessed John Mazzucconi accompany you on this journey, for amid much difficulty and hostility he brought Christ into your midst, so that no one would remain deaf before the joyful message of salvation, and that all might loosen their tongues to sing of God’s love. May this indeed be so for you today!

08.09.24

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

I am pleased to be here, in this beautiful Salesian church: the Salesians know how to do things well. I congratulate you! This is a diocesan shrine dedicated to Mary Help of Christians – I was baptized in the parish of Mary Help of Christians in Buenos Aires – a title so dear to Saint John Bosco; or Maria Helpim as you affectionately invoke her here. In 1844, when Our Lady inspired Don Bosco to build a church in her honour in Turin, she made him this promise: “Here is my home, from here my glory”. Mary promised him that if he had the courage to begin the construction of the church, great graces would then follow. And so it happened: the church was built – it is marvellous – but the one in Buenos Aires is more beautiful! – and it has become a centre for allowing the Gospel to shine forth, forming young people and carrying out works of charity, a reference point for so many people.

The beautiful shrine we find ourselves in now, which is inspired by that story, can be a symbol also for us of three aspects of our Christian and missionary journey that were highlighted in the testimonies we just heard: the courage to begin, the beauty of being present, and the hope of growing.

07.09.24 mce

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

I greet His Eminence, whom I thank for his words, the Superior of the Community, the Director, all those present, laity and religious, and especially you children, who are wonderful!

I am very happy to meet you and share this moment of celebration with you. I also thank your companions, who asked me two challenging questions.

One of you asked me: “Why am I not like other people?”. I really only have one answer to this question and that is: “None of us is like anyone else, because we are all unique in God’s eyes!”. It is not only that “there is hope for everyone” – as has been said – but I would add that each one of us has a role and mission in the world that no one else can fulfil. Even if it involves difficulties, carrying out our role and mission will also give us a great deal of joy in ways that are different for each person. Peace and joy are for everyone.

07.09.24 vce

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

I am pleased to be with you today and to visit Papua New Guinea. I thank the Governor General for his cordial words of welcome and I thank all of you for your warm reception. I extend my greetings to the people of the country, wishing them peace and prosperity. And I also express my gratitude to the Authorities for helping the Church, in a spirit of mutual cooperation and for the benefit of the common good, as she carries out many activities.

In your homeland, an archipelago with hundreds of islands, more than eight hundred languages are spoken, corresponding to just as many ethnic groups. This points to an extraordinary cultural and human richness. I must confess that this greatly fascinates me, also on a spiritual level, because I imagine that this enormous variety is a challenge to the Holy Spirit, who creates harmony amid differences!

07.09.24 mae

The encounter with Jesus calls us to live out two fundamental attitudes that enable us to become his disciples. The first attitude is listening to the word, and the second is living the word. First, listening, because everything comes from listening, from opening ourselves to him, welcoming the precious gift of his friendship. Then it is important to live the word we have received, so as not to listen in vain and deceive ourselves (cf. Jas 1:22). Indeed, those who risk listening only with their ears do not allow the seed of the word to descend into their hearts and thus change their way of thinking, feeling and acting, and this is not good. The word given, and received through listening, wishes to become life in us, transform us and become incarnate in our lives.

The Gospel that was just proclaimed helps us to reflect on these two essential attitudes: listening to the word and living the word.

First of all, listening to the word. The Evangelist relates that many people flocked to Jesus and “the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God” (Lk 5:1). They were looking for him, hungering and thirsting for the word of the Lord and they heard it resound in the words of Jesus. This scene, then, repeated many times in the Gospel, tells us that the human heart is always searching for a truth that can feed and satisfy its desire for happiness. We cannot be satisfied by human words alone, the thinking of this world and earthly judgments. We always need a light from on high to illuminate our steps, living water that can quench the thirst of the deserts of the soul, consolation that does not disappoint because it comes from heaven and not from the fleeting things of this world. In the midst of the confusion and vanity of human words, brothers and sisters, there is need for the word of God, the only true compass for our journey, which alone is capable of leading us back to the true meaning of life amid so much woundedness and confusion.

Brothers and sisters, let us not forget that the first task of the disciple – and we are all disciples! – is not to clothe ourselves with an outwardly perfect religiosity, do extraordinary things or engage in grandiose undertakings. No, the first task, the first step, instead, is to know how to listen to the only word that saves, the word of Jesus. We can see this in the Gospel scene, when the Master climbs into Peter’s boat to distance himself a little from the shore and thus preach better to the people (cf. Lk 5:3). Our life of faith begins when we humbly welcome Jesus into the boat of our lives, make room for him, listen to his word and let ourselves be questioned, challenged and changed by it.

At the same time, brothers and sisters, the word of the Lord asks to be incarnated concretely in us so we are called to live the word. Merely repeating the word, without living it, makes us like parrots: yes, we speak the word, but do not understand it, do not live it. After Jesus has finished preaching to the crowds from the boat, he turns to Peter and challenges him to take the risk of betting on that word, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch” (v. 4). The word of the Lord cannot remain as a fine abstract idea or stir up only a passing emotion. It asks us to change our gaze and allow our hearts to be transformed into the image of Christ’s heart. The word calls us to cast courageously the nets of the Gospel into the sea of the world, running the risk, yes, running the risk of living the love that he first lived and in turn taught us to live. The Lord, with the burning power of his word, also asks us, brothers and sisters, to put out to sea, break away from the stagnant shores of bad habits, fears and mediocrity and dare to live a new life. The devil likes mediocrity, because it enters within us and destroys us.

Of course, there are always obstacles and excuses for saying no to this call. Let us look again at Peter’s behaviour. He had come to shore after a difficult night of not catching anything. He was angry, tired and disappointed, and yet, instead of remaining paralyzed by that emptiness or impeded by his own failure, he says: “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet, on your word, I will let down the nets” (v. 5). On your word, I will let down the nets. Then, something unheard of happens, the miracle of a boat filling up with fish until it almost sinks (cf. v. 7).

Brothers and sisters, faced with the many responsibilities of our daily lives, together with the call we all feel to build a more just society and move forward on the path of peace and dialogue – that path which has long been the case in Indonesia – we can sometimes feel inadequate. We sometimes feel the weight of our commitment and dedication that does not always bear fruit, or of our mistakes that seem to impede the journey we are on. We too are asked not to remain prisoners of our failures, which is very bad, because failures take hold of us and we can become prisoners of failure. No, please: let us not remain prisoners of our failures. Instead of keeping our eyes fixed only on our empty nets, then, we are to look to Jesus and trust him. Do not look at your empty nets, look at Jesus! He will make you walk, he will help you, trust in Jesus!  Even when we have passed through the night of failure and times of disappointment when we have caught nothing, we can always risk going out to sea and cast our nets again. Now let us take a moment of silence and each of you think about your own failures. And looking at these failures, let us risk, let us move forward with the courage of the word of God.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, whose memory we celebrate today and who tirelessly cared for the poorest of the poor and became a promoter of peace and dialogue, used to say, “When we have nothing to give, let us give that nothing. And remember, even if you reap nothing, never tire of sowing”. Brother and sister, never tire of sowing, for this is life.

Brothers and sisters, I would also like to say to you, to this nation, to this wonderful and varied archipelago, do not grow weary of setting sail, do not grow weary of casting your nets, do not grow weary of dreaming, do not grow weary of building again a civilization of peace. Always dare to dream of fraternity, which is a real treasure among you. Guided by the word of the Lord, I encourage you to sow seeds of love, confidently tread the path of dialogue, continue to show your goodness and kindness with your characteristic smile. Have you been told that you are a smiling people? Please, do not lose your smile, and keep moving forward! And be builders of peace. Be builders of hope!

The Bishops of the country recently expressed a desire that I too would like to communicate to all the Indonesian people: walk together for the good of society and of the Church! Be builders of hope. Listen carefully: be builders of hope, the hope of the Gospel, which does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5), which never disappoints, but instead opens us up to endless joy. Thank you very much.

I thank Cardinal Ignatius, as well as the President of the Bishops’ Conference and the other Bishops of the Church in Indonesia, who together with the priests and deacons serve the holy people of God in this great country. I thank, too, the consecrated men and women, all the volunteers and, with great affection, the elderly, sick and suffering who have been praying for us. Thank you!

My visit among you is drawing to an end, and I wish to express my joyful gratitude for the superb welcome that I have received. With renewed thanks to the President of the Republic, who was present here today, to the other Civil Authorities and the security services, I likewise express my appreciation to the entire Indonesian people.

It says in the Acts of the Apostles that on the day of Pentecost there was a great commotion in Jerusalem. And everyone was making a noise in preaching the Gospel. Please, dear brothers and sisters, make a noise! Make a noise!

May the Lord bless you. Thank you!

05.09.24

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

I am very happy to be here with you. I greet all of you, particularly the President of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, whom I thank for his kind words of introduction. I also thank Mimi and Andrew for what they shared with us. It is very fitting that the Indonesian Bishops have chosen to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of their national Conference with you. Thank you! Thank you for making this decision. Thank you to the President! I can tell that your Carthusian spirit helps us to do these things.

You are shining stars in the sky of this archipelago, the most precious members of this Church, its “treasures”, in the words of the deacon and martyr Saint Lawrence, from the earliest days of the Church. Let me begin by saying that I fully agree with what Mimi told us: God “created human beings with unique abilities to enrich the diversity of our world”. You spoke well, Mimi, thank you. She went on to show us this by speaking beautifully of Jesus as “our beacon of hope”. Thank you for this!

05.09.24 mbc

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

I am happy to be here, in the largest Mosque in Asia, together with all of you. I greet the Grand Imam and thank him for his words, reminding us that this place of worship and prayer is also “a great house for humanity”, where everyone can enter and take time for themselves, in order to make space for that yearning for the infinite that each one of us carries in our hearts, and to seek an encounter with the divine and experience the joy of friendship with others.

Moreover, I would like to recall that this Mosque was designed by the architect Friedrich Silaban, a Christian who won the design competition. This testifies to the fact that throughout the history of this nation and in the very fabric of its culture, the Mosque, like other places of worship, are spaces of dialogue, mutual respect and harmonious coexistence between religions and different spiritual sensibilities. This is a great gift that you are called to cultivate every day, so that religious experiences may be reference points for a fraternal and peaceful society and never reasons for close-mindedness or confrontation.

05.09.24 ime

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

There are cardinals, bishops, priests, nuns, lay people, and children, but we are all brothers and sisters. The titles of the pope, the cardinal, and the bishop are not as important, we are all brothers and sisters. Everyone has his own task to grow God’s people.

As you know, the motto chosen for this Apostolic Visit is Faith, Fraternity, Compassion. I think these are three virtues that express well both your journey as a Church and your character as a people, who are ethnically and culturally diverse. At the same time, you are characterized by an innate striving for unity and peaceful coexistence, as witnessed by the traditional principles of the Pancasila. I would now like to reflect with you on these three words.

04.09.24 mwce

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

I cordially thank you, Mr President, for the gracious invitation to visit your country and for your kind words of welcome. I extend to the President-elect my warmest good wishes for a fruitful period of service to Indonesia, a vast archipelago of thousands and thousands of islands surrounded by the sea that connects Asia to Oceania.

We could almost say that, just as the ocean is the natural element uniting all Indonesian islands, the mutual respect for the specific cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious characteristics of all the groups present in Indonesia is the indispensable and unifying fabric that makes Indonesians a united and proud people.

04.09.24 mwae

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Today, in the Gospel of the liturgy (cf. Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23), Jesus speaks about the pure and the impure: a matter very dear to his contemporaries, which was linked principally to the observance of rites and rules of behaviour, to avoid any contact with things or persons considered unclean and, if this happened, to erase the “stain” (cf. Lev 11-15). Purity and impurity were almost an obsession for some religious of those times.

Some scribes and Pharisees, obsessive, strict observers of such norms, accuse Jesus of allowing his disciples to eat with unwashed hands, without washing their hands. And Jesus takes this reproach on the part of the Pharisees to His disciples to talk to us about the meaning of “purity”.

Purity, Jesus says, is not linked to external rites, but is first and foremost linked to inner dispositions, interior dispositions. To be pure, therefore, it is no use washing one’s hands several times if one then, within the heart, harbours evil feelings such as greed, envy or pride, or evil intentions such as deceit, theft, betrayal and slander (cf. Mk 7:21-22). Jesus draws attention to the need to beware of ritualism, which does not make one grow in goodness; on the contrary, this ritualism can sometimes lead one to neglect, or even justify, in oneself and in others, choices and attitudes contrary to charity, which wound the soul and close the heart.

And this, brothers and sisters, is important for us too: one cannot, for example, leave Holy Mass and, still in front of the church, stop and gossip wickedly and mercilessly about everything and everyone. That chatter that ruins the heart, that ruins the soul. And you can’t do this! If you go to Mass and then do these things at the entrance, it is a bad thing! Or to show oneself to be pious in prayer, but then treat one’s own relatives at home with coldness and detachment, or neglect their elderly parents, who are in need of help and company (cf. Mk 7:10-13). This is a double life, and one cannot do this. And this is what the Pharisees did. External purity, without good attitudes, merciful attitudes towards others. One cannot be apparently very decent to everyone, and perhaps even do a bit of voluntary work and some philanthropic gestures, but then inwardly cultivate hatred towards others, despise the poor and the least, or behave dishonestly in one's work.

In acting in this way, the relationship with God is reduced to external gestures, and within one remains impervious to the purifying action of His grace, indulging in thoughts, messages and behaviour without love. We are made for something else. We are made for the purity of life, for tenderness, for love.

Let us ask ourselves, then: do I live my faith in a consistent manner, that is, what I do in Church, do I try to do outside in the same spirit? By my sentiments, words and deeds, do I make what I say in prayer tangible in closeness and respect for my brothers and sisters? Let us think about this.

And may Mary, Mother most pure, help us to make our life, in heartfelt and practiced love, worship pleasing to God (cf. Rm 12:1).

01.09.24