News December 2025

Dear brothers and sisters, good afternoon!

Today, on the fourth Sunday of Advent, the liturgy invites us to meditate on the figure of Saint Joseph. In particular, we see him at the moment when God reveals his mission in a dream (cf. Mt 1:18-24). Thus, a very beautiful episode of salvation history is presented, in which the protagonist, like us, is a fragile and fallible man, yet at the same time is courageous and strong in faith.

The Evangelist Matthew calls him a “just man” (cf. 1:19), characterizing him as a pious Israelite who observes the Law and attends the synagogue. In addition to this, however, Joseph of Nazareth also strikes us as someone who is keenly sensitive and human.

We see an example of this even before the Angel reveals to him the mystery that is taking place in Mary. When Joseph is faced with a situation that is difficult to understand and accept, with regard to his future bride, he does not choose the path of scandal and public condemnation, but the discreet and benevolent path of secret repudiation (cf. Mt 1:19). In this way, he shows that he understands the deepest meaning of his own religious observance: the meaning of mercy.

The purity and nobility of his sentiments, however, become even more evident when the Lord, in a dream, reveals his plan of salvation to him, indicating the unexpected role that he must take up as the spouse of the Virgin Mother of the Messiah. Here, indeed, with a great act of faith, Joseph leaves even the last resort of his security and sets sail toward a future that is now totally in God’s hands. Saint Augustine describes his assent in this way: “Through Joseph’s piety and charity, a son was born of the Virgin Mary, and he was the Son of God” (Serm. 51: 20, 30).

Piety and charity, mercy and abandonment: these are the virtues of the man from Nazareth that today’s liturgy shows us, so that they may accompany us in these last days of Advent, towards Christmas. These are important attitudes that educate the heart to encounter Christ and our brothers and sisters. They can also help us to be, for one another, a welcoming manger, a hospitable home, a sign of God’s presence. In this time of grace, let us not waste the opportunity to practice them: forgiving, encouraging, giving a little hope to those with whom we live and those we meet; and renewing in prayer our filial abandonment to the Lord and his providence, entrusting everything to him with confidence.

May we find help from the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, who, with faith and great love, were the first to welcome Jesus, the Saviour of the world.

Dear brothers and sisters!

Today, I send a special greeting to the children and young people of Rome! Dear friends, you have come with your families and catechists for the blessing of the figurines of the Child Jesus, which you will place in the mangers in your homes, schools and parish community centers. I thank the Roman Oratory Center for organizing this event, and I cordially bless all the “bambinelli.” Dear children, as you stand before your Nativity scenes, please pray to Jesus for the Pope’s intentions as well. In particular, let us pray together that all the world’s children may live in peace. I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

And together with the “bambinelli” and all the expressions of our faith in the Child Jesus, may the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit always bless you.

I wish you all a happy Sunday and a holy, peaceful Christmas!

21.12.25

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Human life is characterized by a constant movement that drives us to do, to act. Nowadays speed is required everywhere in order to achieve optimal results in a wide variety of fields. How does Jesus’ resurrection shed light on this aspect of our experience? When we participate in his victory over death, will we rest? Faith tells us: yes, we will rest. We will not be inactive, but we will enter into God’s repose, which is peace and joy. So, should we just wait, or can this change us right now?

We are absorbed by many activities that do not always leave us satisfied. A lot of our actions have to do with practical, concrete things. We have to assume responsibility for many commitments, solve problems, face difficulties. Jesus too was involved with people and with life, not sparing himself, but rather giving himself to the end. Yet we often perceive how too much doing, instead of giving us fulfilment, becomes a vortex that overwhelms us, takes away our serenity, and prevents us from living to the fullest what is truly important in our lives. We then feel tired and dissatisfied: time seems to be wasted on a thousand practical things that do not, however, resolve the ultimate meaning of our existence. Sometimes, at the end of days full of activities, we feel empty. Why? Because we are not machines, we have a “heart”; indeed, we can say that we are a heart.

The heart is the symbol of all our humanity, the sum of our thoughts, feelings and desires, the invisible centre of our selves. The Evangelist Matthew invites us to reflect on the importance of the heart, quoting this beautiful phrase of Jesus: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:21).

It is therefore in the heart that true treasure is kept, not in earthly safes, not in large financial investments, which today more than ever before are out of control and unjustly concentrated at the bloody price of millions of human lives and the devastation of God’s creation.

It is important to reflect on these aspects, because in the numerous commitments we continually face, there is an increasing risk of dispersion, sometimes of despair, of meaninglessness, even in apparently successful people. Instead, interpreting life in the light of Easter, looking at it with the Risen Jesus, means finding access to the essence of the human person, to our heart: cor inquietum. With this adjective “restless”, Saint Augustine helps us understand the human being’s yearning for fulfilment. The full sentence refers to the beginning of the Confessions, where Augustine writes: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (I, 1,1).

Restlessness is the sign that our heart does not move by chance, in a disordered way, without a purpose or a destination, but is oriented towards its ultimate destination, the “return home”. The authentic approach of the heart does not consist in possessing the goods of this world, but in achieving what can fill it completely; namely, the love of God, or rather, God who is Love. This treasure, however, can only be found by loving the neighbour we meet along the way: brothers and sisters in flesh and blood, whose presence stirs and questions our heart, calling it to open up and give itself. Our neighbour asks us to slow down, to look them in the eye, sometimes to change our plans, perhaps even to change direction.

Dear friends, here is the secret of the movement of the human heart: returning to the source of its being, delighting in the joy that never fails, that never disappoints. No one can live without a meaning that goes beyond the contingent, beyond what passes away. The human heart cannot live without hope, without knowing that it is made for fullness, not for want.

Jesus Christ, with his Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection, has given us a solid foundation for this hope. The restless heart will not be disappointed, if it enters into the dynamism of the love for which it was created. The destination is certain, life has triumphed, and in Christ it will continue to triumph in every death of daily life. This is Christian hope: let us always bless and thank the Lord who has given it to us!

I extend a warm welcome this morning to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from Nigeria, Indonesia and the United States of America. I pray that each of you, and your families, may experience a blessed Advent in preparation for the coming of the new born Jesus, Son of God and Savior of the world. God bless you all!

Lastly, I greet the sick, the newlyweds and the young people, especially the students of the Cicero Institute of Sala Consilina and those of the Capriotti Institute of San Benedetto del Tronto. In a few days it will be Christmas and I imagine that in your homes the preparation of the nativity scene, an evocative representation of the Mystery of the Nativity of Christ, is being completed or has already been completed. I hope that such an important element, not only of our faith, but also of Christian culture and art, will continue to be part of Christmas to remember Jesus who, in becoming man, came "to dwell among us".

My blessing to you all!

17.12.25

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

Today’s Gospel places in jail with John the Baptist, who finds himself imprisoned because of his preaching (cf. Mt 14:3-5). Nevertheless, he does not lose hope, thus becoming for us a sign that a prophet, even in chains, retains the ability to use his voice in the pursuit of truth and justice.

From prison, John the Baptist hears “about the works of Christ” (Mt 11:2), which are different from what he expected, so he sends his disciples to ask him: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another?” (v. 3). Those who seek truth and justice, those who long for freedom and peace, have questions about Jesus: Is he truly the Messiah, the Saviour promised by God through the prophets?

Jesus responds by directing our gaze toward those whom he loved and served. It is: the least, the poor, the sick who speak on his behalf. Christ announces who he is by what he does. And what he does is a sign of salvation for all of us. In fact, by encountering Jesus – lives previously deprived of light, speech and taste regain meaning – the blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear. The image of God, seemingly disfigured by leprosy, regains wholeness and vitality. Even the dead, who are completely lifeless, come back to life (cf. v. 5). This is the Gospel of Jesus, the good news proclaimed to the poor. Thus, when God comes into the world, it is clearly seen!

The words of Jesus free us from the prison of despair and suffering. Every prophecy finds its expected fulfillment in Him. It is Christ who opens the eyes of man to the glory of God. He gives voice to the oppressed and to those whose voices have been silenced by violence and hatred. He defeats ideologies that make us deaf to the truth. He heals the ailments that deform the body.

In this way, the Word of life redeems us from evil, which causes the heart to die.  For this reason, in this Advent season, as disciples of the Lord, we are called to combine our anticipation of the Savior with attention to what God is doing in the world. Then we will be able to experience the joy of freedom in encountering our Savior: “Gaudete in Domino semper – Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4). This invitation introduces today’s Holy Mass, the third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday. Let us rejoice, since Jesus is our hope, especially in times of trial, when life seems to lose meaning and everything appears darker, words fail us, and we struggle to understand others.

May the Virgin Mary, model of expectant hope, attentiveness, and joy, help us to imitate the work of her Son by sharing bread and the Gospel with the poor.

Dear brothers and sisters!

Yesterday in Jaén, Spain, Father Emanuele Izquierdo and fifty-eight companions were beatified, together with Father Antonio Montañés Chiquero and sixty-four companions.  All of them were killed in hatred of the faith during the religious persecution from 1936-38.  Also yesterday Raymond Cayré, priest, Gérard-Martin Cendrier, of the Order of Friars Minor, Roger Vallé, seminarian, Jean Mestre, layman, and forty-six companions were beatified in Paris. They were killed in hatred of the faith in 1944-45 during the Nazi occupation. Let us praise the Lord for these martyrs, courageous witnesses to the Gospel, persecuted and killed for remaining close to their people and faithful to the Church!

I am following with deep concern the resumption of fighting in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. While expressing my closeness to the people, I urge the parties in the conflict to cease all forms of violence and to seek constructive dialogue, respecting the ongoing peace process.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday.

14.12.25a

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today we celebrate the Jubilee of Hope for correctional institutions, prisoners and all those who oversee or work in the penitentiary system. The choice of this day, the third Sunday of Advent, for this particular jubilee is rich in meaning, as it is the day that the Church calls Gaudete Sunday, whose name comes from the first words of the entrance antiphon for the Mass (cf. Phil 4:4). In the Liturgical Year, it is the Sunday “of joy”, which reminds us of the bright aspect of waiting: the confidence that something beautiful, something joyful will happen.

In this regard, on 26 December last year, Pope Francis, when opening the Holy Door in the Church of Our Father in the prison in Rebibbia, addressed this invitation to everyone: “I say two things to you: First, the rope in hand, with the anchor of hope. Second, open wide the doors of your heart”. Referring to an image already directed toward eternity, beyond the barrier of space and time (cf. Heb 6:17-20), he was inviting us to keep alive our faith in the life to come and always to believe in the possibility of a better future. At the same time, however, he was exhorting us to be people who practice, with generous hearts, justice and charity in the places where we live.

While the close of the Jubilee Year draws near, we must recognize that, despite the efforts of many, even in the penitentiary system there is much that still needs to be done in this regard. The words of the prophet Isaiah that we have just heard, “the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing” (35:10), remind us that it is God who ransoms, who redeems and liberates. Furthermore, they convey the sense of an important and demanding mission for all of us. Certainly, prison is a difficult place and even the best proposals can encounter many obstacles. For this reason, however, we must never tire, be discouraged or give up. We must keep moving forward with tenacity, courage and a spirit of collaboration. Indeed, there are many who do not yet understand that for every fall one must be able to get back up, that no human being is defined only by his or her actions and that justice is always a process of reparation and reconciliation.

Yet, when even in difficult situations we are able to maintain and preserve the beauty of feelings, sensitivity, attention to the needs of others, respect, the capacity for mercy and forgiveness, beautify flowers spring forth from the “hard ground” of sin and suffering. Moreover, gestures, projects and encounters, unique in their humanity, mature even within prison walls. This involves working on one’s own feelings and thoughts, which is necessary for those deprived of their freedom, but even more so for those who have the obligation of representing them and making sure that they are treated justly. The Jubilee is a call to conversion and, as such, it is a source of hope and joy.

For this reason, it is important to look first of all to Jesus, to his humanity and to his Kingdom in which “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk… and the poor have good news preached to them” (Mt 11:5). We must remember that, even if at times these miracles come through the extraordinary interventions of God, more often they are entrusted to us, to our compassion, attention and wisdom and to the responsibility of our community and institutions.

This brings us to another dimension of the prophesy that we heard: the obligation to promote in every place – and I wish to emphasize particularly in prisons – a society established on new criteria, and ultimately on charity, as Saint Paul VI said at the conclusion of the 1975 Jubilee Year: “This – charity – should be, especially on the plane of public life, … the beginning of the new hour of grace and goodwill, which the calendar of history opens before us: the civilization of love!” (General Audience, 31 December 1975).

To this end, Pope Francis also hoped that during this Jubilee year “forms of amnesty or pardon meant to help individuals regain confidence in themselves and in society” (Bull, Spes Non Confundit, 10) could be granted and real opportunities of reintegration could be offered to all (cf. ibid.). I hope that many countries are following his desire. The Jubilee, as we know, with its biblical origin, was a year of grace in which everyone was offered the possibility of restarting in many different ways (cf. Lev 25:8-10).

The Gospel that we heard also speaks to us of this reality. John the Baptist, while he was preaching and baptizing, invited the people to repentance and to cross the river once again, symbolically, as in the time of Joshua (cf. Josh 3:17) in order to enter into and take possession of the new “Promised Land”, that is a heart reconciled with God and with our brothers and sisters. In this sense, John’s profile as a prophet is eloquent: he was upright, austere and frank, even to the point of being imprisoned for his courageous words. He was not “A reed shaken by the wind” (Mt 11:7). Yet at the same time, he was rich in mercy and understanding towards all who sincerely repented and were struggling to change (cf, Lk 3:10-14).

In this regard, Saint Augustine concludes one of his famous commentaries on the episode in the Gospel of the adulterous woman (cf. Jn 8:1-11) saying: “When the accusers left, only the poor woman and mercy remained. And to her the Lord said: go and sin no more (Jn 8:10-11)” (Sermo 302, 14).

Dear friends, the task that the Lord entrusts to you — to all of you, prisoners and those who work in the penitentiary system — is not easy. There are many problems to be addressed. Here, we can mention overcrowding, insufficient commitment to guarantee stable educational programs for rehabilitation and job opportunities. On a more personal level, let us not forget the weight of the past, the wounds to be healed in body and heart, the disappointments, the infinite patience that is needed with oneself and with others when embarking on paths of conversion, and the temptation to give up or to no longer forgive. The Lord, however, beyond all this, continues to repeat to us that only one thing is important: that no one be lost (cf. Jn 6:39) and that all “be saved” (1 Tim 2:4).

Let no one be lost! Let all be saved! This is what our God wants, this is his Kingdom, and this is the goal of his actions in the world. As Christmas approaches, we too want to embrace more strongly his dream, while being steadfast and faithful in our commitment (cf. James 5:8). We know that even in the face of the greatest challenges, we are not alone: the Lord is near (cf. Phil 4:5), he walks with us, and with him at our side, something beautiful and joyful will always happen.

14.12.25 m

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! Welcome to you all!

The mystery of death has always raised profound questions in human beings. Indeed, it seems to be the most natural and at the same time most unnatural event that exists. It is natural, because every living being on earth dies. It is unnatural, because the desire for life and eternity that we all feel for ourselves and for the people we love makes us see death as a sentence, as a “contradiction”.

Many ancient peoples developed rites and customs linked to the cult of the dead, to accompany and to recall those who journeyed towards the supreme mystery. Today, however, we see a different trend. Death seems to be a sort of taboo, an event to keep at a distance; something to be spoken of in hushed tones, to avoid disturbing our sensibilities and our tranquillity. This is often why we avoid visiting cemeteries, where those who have gone before us rest as they await resurrection.

So what is death? Is it truly the last word on our lives? Only human beings ask themselves this question, because only they know they must die. But being aware of this does not save them from death; on the contrary, in a certain sense it “burdens” them compared to other living creatures. Animals suffer, of course, and they realize that death is near, but they do not know that death is part of their destiny. They do not question the meaning, purpose and outcome of life.

Considering this aspect, one might then think that we are paradoxical, unhappy creatures, not only because we die, but also because we are certain that this event will happen, even though we do not know how or when. We find ourselves aware and at the same time powerless. This is probably where the frequent repressions and existential flights from the question of death originate.

Saint Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori, in his famous work Apparecchio alla morte (Preparation for Death), reflects on the pedagogical value of death, emphasizing that it can be a great teacher of life. To know that it exists, and above all to reflect on it, teaches us to choose what we really want to make of our existence. Praying, in order to understand what is beneficial in view of the kingdom of heaven, and letting go of the superfluous that instead binds us to ephemeral things, is the secret to living authentically, in the awareness that our passage on earth prepares us for eternity.

Yet many current anthropological views promise immanent immortality, theorize the prolongation of earthly life through technology. This is the transhuman scenario, which is making its way into the horizon of the challenges of our time. Could death really be defeated by science? But then, could science itself guarantee us that a life without death is also a happy life?

The event of the Resurrection of Christ reveals to us that death is not opposed to life, but rather is a constitutive part of it, as the passage to eternal life. The Pasch of Jesus gives us a foretaste, in this time still full of suffering and trials, of the fullness of what will happen after death.

The Evangelist Luke seems to grasp this harbinger of light in the dark when, at the end of that afternoon when darkness had shrouded Calvary, he writes: “It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning” (Lk 23:54). This light, which anticipates Easter morning, already shines in the darkness of the sky, which still appears overcast and mute. The lights of the Sabbath, for the first and only time, herald the dawn of the day after the Sabbath: the new light of the Resurrection. Only this event is capable of illuminating the mystery of death to its full extent. In this light, and only in this, what our heart desires and hopes becomes true: that death is not the end, but the passage towards full light, towards a happy eternity.

The Risen One has gone before us in the great trial of death, emerging victorious thanks to the power of divine Love. Thus, he has prepared for us the place of eternal rest, the home where we are awaited; he has given us the fullness of life in which there are no longer any shadows and contradictions.

Thanks to Him, who died and rose again for love, with Saint Francis we can call death our “sister”. Awaiting it with the sure hope of the Resurrection preserves us from the fear of disappearing forever and prepares us for the joy of life without end.

I am deeply saddened by the news of the renewed conflict along the border between Thailand and Cambodia, which has claimed civilian lives and forced thousands of people to flee their homes. I express my closeness in prayer to these dear peoples, and I call on the parties to immediately cease fire and resume dialogue.

I extend a warm welcome this morning to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from England, Wales, Malta, Uganda, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States of America.  I pray that each of you, and your families, may experience a blessed Advent in preparation for the coming of the new born Jesus, Son of God and Saviour of the world.  God bless you all!

Lastly, I greet the young people, the sick and the newlyweds. Today we celebrate the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto. Dear young people, at the school of Mary you learn to love and to hope; dear sick people, may the Blessed Virgin be your companion and comfort in suffering; and you, dear newlyweds, entrust your conjugal journey to the Mother of Jesus.

My blessing to you all!

10.12.25

Dear brothers and sisters, happy feast day!

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We express our joy because the Father of Heaven wanted her to be “preserved immune from all stain of original sin” (Pius IX, Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, 8 December 1854), full of innocence and holiness in order to be able to entrust to her, for our salvation, “his only begotten Son … whom … the Father loves from his heart” (cf. ibid.)

The Lord has granted to Mary the extraordinary grace of a completely pure heart, in view of an even greater miracle: the coming of Christ the Savior into the world as man (cf. Lk 1:31-33).  The Virgin learned about this, with the wonder typical of the humble, from the greeting of the Angel: “Hail, full of grace: the Lord is with you” (v. 28) and with faith she responded with her “yes”: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38).

Commenting on these words, Saint Augustine says that “Mary believed, and what she believed was fulfilled in her” (Sermon 215, 4).  The gift of the fullness of grace, in the young woman of Nazareth, was able to bear fruit because she in her freedom welcomed it, embracing the plan of God.  The Lord always acts in this way: he gives us great gifts, but he leaves us free to accept them or not.  For this reason, Augustine adds: “We also believe, because that which came to be [in her] can also benefit us” (ibid.).  And so this feast, which makes us rejoice for the unsullied beauty of the Mother of God, also invites us to believe as she believed, giving our generous assent to the mission to which the Lord calls us.

The miracle, which took place at Mary’s conception, was renewed for us in Baptism: cleansed from original sin, we have become children of God, his dwelling place and the temple of the Holy Spirit.  And just as Mary, by means of a special grace, was able to welcome Jesus in herself and give him to all people, so too “Baptism allows Christ to live in us and allows us to live united with him, to cooperate in the Church, each according to his or her condition, for the transformation of the world” (Francis, Catechesis, 11 April 2018).

Dear friends, how great is the gift of the Immaculate Conception, but so also is the gift of Baptism that we have received!  The “yes” of the Mother of the Lord is wonderful, but so also can ours be, renewed faithfully each day, with gratitude, humility and perseverance, in prayer and in concrete acts of love, from the most extraordinary gestures to the most mundane and ordinary efforts and acts of service.  In this way, Christ can be known, welcomed and loved everywhere and salvation can come to everyone.

Today, let us ask the Father for this, through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, while we pray together the very same words by which she herself first believed.

Dear brothers and sisters,

I wish all of you a peaceful feast day in the light of our heavenly Mother.

08.12.25

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

The Gospel for this second Sunday of Advent announces the coming of the Kingdom of God (cf. Mt 3:1-12).  Before Jesus’s public ministry, John the Baptist, his precursor, appears on the scene.  John preached in the desert of Judea saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (Mt 3:1).

In the “Our Father” we pray each day: “Thy kingdom come”, as Jesus himself taught us.  With this invocation we turn towards the new thing that God has in store for us, recognizing that the course of history is not already written by the powerful people of this world.  Let us, then, put our thoughts and energy at the service of God who came not to reign over us, but rather to free us.  This is the “gospel”, the truly good news that motivates and draws us in.

Certainly, in his preaching, the Baptist’s tone is severe.  Nonetheless, the people listen attentively because they hear resounding in his words God’s plea to take life seriously, to take advantage of the present moment in order to prepare themselves for the encounter with him who judges, not by appearance, but by the deeds and intentions of the heart.

This same John will be surprised at the manner in which the Kingdom of God manifests itself in Jesus Christ, in meekness and in mercy.  The prophet Isaiah compared Jesus to a sprout: an image not of power or destruction, but of birth and newness.  Upon the shoot, which sprouts forth from a seemingly dead tree trunk, the Holy Spirit begins gently to blow its gifts (cf. Is 11:1-10).  Each one of us can think of a similar surprise that has happened to us in life.

This, too, is what the Church experienced in the Second Vatican Council, which concluded exactly sixty years ago.  It is an experience that is renewed when we journey together toward the Kingdom of God with everyone eager to welcome and serve it.  When the Kingdom comes to fruition, not only will those things which seem weak or marginal bud forth, but even those things which humanly speaking would be impossible will also be brought to fulfillment.  In the images given by the prophet: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them” (Is 11:6).

Sisters and brothers, how much the world needs this hope!  Nothing is impossible to God.  Let us prepare ourselves for his Kingdom, let us welcome it.  The little child, Jesus of Nazareth, will lead us!  He who placed himself in our hands, from the night of his birth to the dark hour of his death on the cross, shines upon our history as the rising Sun.  A new day has begun: let us arise and walk in his light!

This is the spirituality of Advent, very luminous and concrete.  The streetlights remind us that each of us can be a little light, if we welcome Jesus, the shoot of a new world.  Let us learn how to do this from Mary, our Mother, a woman of hope who remains faithful in waiting.

Dear brothers and sisters,

A few days ago I returned from my first Apostolic Journey to Türkiye and Lebanon.  With my beloved brother Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Representatives of other Christian confessions, we gathered to pray together in Iznik, the site of the ancient city of Nicea, where 1700 years ago, the first Ecumenical Council took place.  Today is the 60th anniversary of the Common Declaration between Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch Athenagoras, which put an end to the mutual excommunications.  We give thanks to God and renew our dedication to journeying towards the full visible unity of all Christians.  In Türkiye I had the joy of meeting the Catholic community: through patient dialogue and service to those who suffer, they witness to the Gospel of love and the logic of God who manifests himself in littleness.

Lebanon continues to be a mosaic of coexistence and it comforted me to hear many testimonies in this regard.  I met people who announce the Gospel by welcoming refugees, visiting the imprisoned, and sharing food with those in need.  I was comforted by the sight of so many people in the street who came to greet me. And I was likewise touched by the meeting with the relatives of the victims of the explosion in the port of Beirut.  The Lebanese people were waiting for a word and a presence of consolation, but it was they who comforted me with their faith and their enthusiasm!  I thank everyone who accompanied me with their prayers!  Dear brothers and sisters, all that has happened in these recent days in Türkiye and Lebanon teaches us that peace is possible, and that Christians in dialogue with men and women of other faiths and cultures can contribute to building it up.  Let us not forget that peace is possible!

I would like to express my closeness to the people of South and Southeast Asia, who have been severely tried by recent natural disasters.  I pray for the victims, for the families who mourn their loss and for those who provide assistance.  I exhort the international community and all people of goodwill to support our brothers and sisters of those regions with gestures of solidarity.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday and a blessed Advent journey.

07.12.25

Dear brothers and sisters!

At the end of these intense days, which we have joyfully shared together, we give thanks to the Lord for the many gifts of his goodness, his presence among us, the Word he abundantly offers us and for allowing us to be together.

As we have just heard in the Gospel, Jesus also had words of gratitude for the Father and, turning to him, prayed: “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Lk 10:21).

However, praise does not always find a place within us. Sometimes, weighed down by the struggles of life, worried about the many problems around us, paralyzed by powerlessness in the face of evil and oppressed by so many difficult situations, we are more inclined to resignation and lamentation than to wonder and gratitude.

Dear people of Lebanon, I invite you to cultivate always an attitude of praise and gratitude. You are the recipients of a rare beauty with which the Lord has adorned your land. At the same time, you are witnesses and victims of how evil, in its various forms, can obscure this splendor.

From this esplanade overlooking the sea, I too can contemplate the beauty of Lebanon that is sung about in Scripture. The Lord planted his tall cedars here, nourishing and watering them (cf. Ps 104:16). He made the garments of the bride in the Song of Songs fragrant with the perfume of this land (cf. 4:11), and in Jerusalem, the holy city clothed in light for the coming of the Messiah, he announced: “The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will glorify the place where my feet rest” (Is 60:13).

This beauty, however, is overshadowed by poverty and suffering, the wounds that have marked your history. In this regard, I just visited the port in order to pray at the site of the explosion. The beauty of your country is also overshadowed by the many problems that afflict you, the fragile and often unstable political context, the dramatic economic crisis that weighs heavily upon you and the violence and conflicts that have reawakened ancient fears.

In such a scenario, gratitude easily gives way to disillusionment, songs of praise find no place in the desolation of the heart and hope is dried up by uncertainty and confusion.

The word of the Lord, however, invites us to find the small shining lights in the heart of the night, both to open ourselves to gratitude and to spur us on to a common commitment for the sake of this land.

As we have heard, the reason Jesus gives thanks to the Father is not for his extraordinary works, but because he reveals his greatness specifically to the little ones and to the humble, to those who do not attract attention and seemingly count for little or nothing and have no voice. The Kingdom that Jesus comes to inaugurate is marked, in fact, by the very characteristic described by the prophet Isaiah: it is a shoot, a small branch sprouting from a trunk (cf. Is 11:1). It is a small sign of hope that promises rebirth when everything else seems to be dying. Indeed, the coming of the Messiah was announced in the smallness of a shoot, because he can only be recognized by the little ones, by those who humbly know how to recognize the hidden details and traces of God in a seemingly lost story.

It is also an indication for us, so that we may have eyes capable of recognizing the smallness of the shoot that emerges and grows even in the midst of a painful period. Even here and now, we can see small lights that shine in the night, small shoots that sprout forth and small seeds planted in the arid garden in this era of history. I think of your sincere and genuine faith, rooted in your families and nourished by Christian schools. I think of the constant work of parishes, congregations and movements to meet the questions and needs of the people. I think of the many priests and religious who devote themselves to their mission amid many difficulties, and of the lay people dedicated to charitable works and the promotion of the Gospel in society. For these lights that strive to illuminate the darkness of the night, and for these small and invisible shoots that nevertheless open up hope for the future, today we join Jesus in saying: “We praise you, Father!” We thank you because you are with us and do not let us falter.

At the same time, this gratitude must not remain an introspective and illusory consolation. It must lead us to a transformation of the heart, a conversion of life and a realization that God has made us precisely to live in the light of faith, the promise of hope and the joy of charity. As a result, we are all called to cultivate these shoots, to not be discouraged, to not give in to the logic of violence and the idolatry of money, and to not resign ourselves in the face of the spreading evil.

Everyone must do their part, and we must unite our efforts so that this land can return to its former glory. Disarming our hearts is the only way to do this. Let us cast off the armour of our ethnic and political divisions, open our religious confessions to mutual encounter and reawaken in our hearts the dream of a united Lebanon. A Lebanon where peace and justice reign, where all recognize each other as brothers and sisters, and, finally, where the words of the prophet Isaiah can be fulfilled: “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion shall graze together” (Is 11:6).

This is the dream entrusted to you; it is what the God of peace places in your hands. Lebanon, stand up! Be a home of justice and fraternity! Be a prophetic sign of peace for the whole of the Levant!

Brothers and sisters, I too would like to repeat the words of Jesus: “I praise you, Father.” I raise my gratitude to the Lord for having shared these days with you. While I carry your sufferings and hopes in my heart, I pray that this land of the Levant may always be illuminated by faith in Jesus Christ, the sun of justice. I likewise pray that through the grace of Christ, Lebanon will persevere in that hope that does not disappoint.

Dear brothers and sisters,

During these days of my first Apostolic Journey, undertaken during this Jubilee Year, I wanted to come as a pilgrim of hope to the Middle East, imploring God for the gift of peace for this beloved land, marked by instability, wars and suffering.

Dear Christians of the Levant, when the results of your efforts for peace are slow in coming, I invite you to lift your gaze to the Lord who is coming! Let us look to him with hope and courage, inviting everyone to set out on the path of coexistence, fraternity and peace. Be artisans of peace, heralds of peace, witnesses of peace!

The Middle East needs new approaches, in order to reject the mindset of revenge and violence, to overcome political, social and religious divisions, and to open new chapters in the name of reconciliation and peace. The path of mutual hostility and destruction in the horror of war has been traveled too long, with the deplorable results that are before everyone's eyes. We need to change course, we need to educate our hearts for peace.

From this square, I pray for the Middle East and all peoples who suffer because of war. I also offer hopeful prayers for a peaceful solution to the current political disputes in Guinea-Bissau. Nor do I forget the victims, and their dear families, of the fire in Hong Kong.

I especially pray for beloved Lebanon! I ask the international community once again to spare no effort in promoting processes of dialogue and reconciliation. I make a heartfelt appeal to those who hold political and social authority, here and in all countries marked by war and violence: listen to the cry of your peoples who are calling for peace! Let us all place ourselves at the service of life, the common good and the integral development of people.

Finally, to you, Christians of the Levant, citizens of these lands in every respect, I repeat: have courage! The whole Church looks to you with affection and admiration. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Harissa, protect you always.

02.12.25