Address of His Holiness Pope Francis Conclusion of the Way of the Cross Krakow, 29 July 2016 – I was hungry and you
gave me food, I was thirsty and you
gave me something o drink, I was a stranger and
you welcomed me, I was naked and you
gave me clothing, I was sick and you
took care of me, I was in prison and
you visited me (Mt 25:35-36). These
words of Jesus answer the question that arises so often in our minds and
hearts: “Where is God?” Where is God, if evil is present in our
world, if there are men and women who are hungry and thirsty, homeless, exiles
and refugees? Where is God, when
innocent persons die as a result of violence, terrorism and war? Where is God, when cruel diseases break the
bonds of life and affection? Or when
children are exploited and demeaned, and they too suffer from grave
illness? Where is God, amid the anguish
of those who doubt and are troubled in spirit?
These are questions that humanly speaking have no answer. We can only look to Jesus and ask him. And Jesus’ answer is this: “God is in
them”. Jesus is in them; he suffers in
them and deeply identifies with each of them.
He is so closely united to them as to form with them, as it were, “one
body”. Jesus
himself chose to identify with these our brothers and sisters enduring pain and
anguish by agreeing to tread the “way of sorrows” that led to Calvary. By dying on the cross, he surrendered himself
into to the hands of the Father, taking upon himself and in himself, with
self-sacrificing love, the physical, moral and spiritual wounds of all
humanity. By embracing the wood of the
cross, Jesus embraced the nakedness, the hunger and thirst, the loneliness,
pain and death of men and women of all times.
Tonight Jesus, and we with him, embrace with particular love our
brothers and sisters from Syria who have fled from the war. We greet them and we welcome them with
fraternal affection and friendship. By
following Jesus along the Way of the Cross, we have once again realized the
importance of imitating him through the fourteen works of mercy . These help
us to be open to God’s mercy, to implore the grace to appreciate that without
mercy we can do nothing; without mercy, neither I nor you nor any of us can do
a thing. Let us first consider the seven
corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty,
clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and those in
prison, and burying the dead. Freely we
have received, so freely let us give. We
are called to serve the crucified Jesus in all those who are marginalized, to
touch his sacred flesh in those who are disadvantaged, in those who hunger and
thirst, in the naked and imprisoned, the sick and unemployed, in those who are persecuted,
refugees and migrants. There we find our
God; there we touch the Lord. Jesus
himself told us this when he explained the criterion on which we will be
judged: whenever we do these things to the least of our brothers and sisters,
we do them to him (cf. Mt 25:31-46). After
the corporal works of mercy come the spiritual works: counseling the doubtful,
instructing the ignorant, admonishing sinners, consoling the afflicted,
pardoning offences, bearing wrongs patiently, praying for the living and the
dead. In welcoming the outcast who
suffer physically and welcoming sinners who suffer spiritually, our credibility
as Christians is at stake. Humanity
today needs men and women, and especially young people like yourselves, who do
not wish to live their lives “halfway”, young people ready to spend their lives
freely in service to those of their brothers and sisters who are poorest and
most vulnerable, in imitation of Christ who gave himself completely for our
salvation. In the face of evil,
suffering and sin, the only response possible for a disciple of Jesus is the
gift of self, even of one’s own life, in imitation of Christ; it is the
attitude of service. Unless those who
call themselves Christians live to serve, their lives serve no good
purpose. By their lives, they deny Jesus
Christ. This
evening, dear friends, the Lord once more asks you to be in the forefront of
serving others. He wants to make of you a concrete response to the needs and
sufferings of humanity. He wants you to
be signs of his merciful love for our time!
To enable you to carry out this mission, he shows you the way of
personal commitment and self-sacrifice.
It is the Way of the Cross. The
Way of the Cross is the way of fidelity in following Jesus to the end, in the
often dramatic situations of everyday life.
It is a way that fears no lack of success, ostracism or solitude,
because it fills ours hearts with the fullness of Jesus. The Way of the Cross is the way of God’s own
life, his “style”, which Jesus brings even to the pathways of a society at
times divided, unjust and corrupt. The
Way of the Cross alone defeats sin, evil and death, for it leads to the radiant
light of Christ’s resurrection and opens the horizons of a new and fuller
life. It is the way of hope, the way of
the future. Those who take up this way
with generosity and faith give hope and a future to humanity. Dear
young people, on that Good Friday many disciples went back crestfallen to their
homes. Others chose to go out to the
country to forget the cross. I ask you:
How do you want to go back this evening to your own homes, to the places where
you are staying? How do you want to go
back this evening to be alone with your thoughts? Each of you has to answer the challenge that
this question sets before you….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis visited on Friday the Pediatric Hospital of Prokocim near Krakow and in an address to patients and staff said he wished that “We Christians could be as close to the sick as Jesus was, in silence, with a caress, with prayer.” Sadly, the Pope continued, “our society is tainted by the culture of waste” and the victims of this “are the weakest and frailest and this is indeed cruel.” He thanked all those working at the hospital for the love and compassion shown towards the young patients, describing this as “the sign of true civility, human and Christian: to make those who are most disadvantaged the centre of social and political concern.”
Please find below an English translation of the Pope’s greeting to patients and staff at the Children’s Hospital:
Dear brothers and sisters,
A special part of my visit to Kraków is this meeting with the little patients of this hospital. I greet all of you and I thank the Prime Minister for his kind words. I would like to draw near to all children who are sick, to stand at their bedside, and embrace them. I would like to listen to everyone here, even if for only a moment, and to be still before questions that have no easy answers. And to pray.
The Gospel often shows us the Lord Jesus meeting the sick, embracing them and seeking them out. Jesus is always attentive to them. He looks at them in the same way that a mother looks at her sick child, and he is moved by compassion for them.
How I would wish that we Christians could be as close to the sick as Jesus was, in silence, with a caress, with prayer. Sadly, our society is tainted by the culture of waste, which is the opposite of the culture of acceptance. And the victims of the culture of waste are those who are weakest and most frail; and this is indeed cruel. How beautiful it is instead to see that in this hospital the smallest and most needy are welcomed and cared for. Thank you for this sign of love that you offer us! This is the sign of true civility, human and Christian: to make those who are most disadvantaged the centre of social and political concern.
Sometimes families feel alone in providing this care. What can be done? From this place, so full of concrete signs of love, I would like to say: Let us multiply the works of the culture of acceptance, works inspired by Christian love, love for Jesus crucified, for the flesh of Christ. To serve with love and tenderness persons who need our help makes all of us grow in humanity. It opens before us the way to eternal life. Those who engage in works of mercy have no fear of death.
I encourage all those who have made the Gospel call to “visit the sick” a personal life decision: physicians, nurses, healthcare workers, chaplains and volunteers. May the Lord help you to do your work well, here as in every other hospital in the world. May he reward you by giving you inner peace and a heart always capable of tenderness.
Thank you for this encounter! I carry you with me in affection and prayer. And please, do not forget to pray for me.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday morning paid an emotional visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and museum, the site of a Nazi concentration and extermination camp where more than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were put to death during the Second World War.
Prior to his visit to the camp, the Pope decided he would not give a speech, saying he preferred to enter alone, in silent prayer. “I would like to go to that place of horror without speeches, without crowds — only the few people necessary,” he explained. “Alone, enter, pray. And may the Lord give me the grace to cry.”
Lydia O’Kane is in Poland with Pope Francis, and sends this report:
For the Pope, this visit to the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau was to be one of silence and prayer.
The only sounds to the heard were the shutters of the ever present cameras as a solemn Pope Francis walked alone through the infamous gate that reads “ Arbeit macht frei ” – “work sets you free”.
The Pope was then driven in an electric car to the notorious block 11, also known as the death block where Franciscan priest, Fr Maximillian Kolbe was killed after offering up his life for a complete stranger 75 years ago. You could hear a pin drop as the Pope sat in prayer with his eyes firmly closed in this place of suffering.
In one of the most poignant moments of this visit to Auschwitz I, the Pope met with survivors of this camp of terror, now elderly men and women who are the living witnesses to the horrors that took place here.
He greeted each one with a kiss on both cheeks and clasped their hands. Then holding a candle the Pope lit a lamp he had donated.
Following a prayerful visit to Maximillian Kolbe’s cell, Pope Francis made the 10 minute journey to Auschwitz II Birkenau, which was built in 1941 and saw the extermination of Jews on a massive scale. He saw for himself the train tracks and carriages that brought hundreds of thousands of people to their deaths and the now burnt out gas chambers that extinguished so many lives.
Then with a rabbi chanting Psalm 130 in Hebrew, this visit of reflection and prayer drew to a close with Pope Francis laying a votive lamp at the foot of the monument commemorating those people who never came home.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday sent a video message for young Cubans who organized their own youth gathering to coincide with the official World Youth Day events in Krakow, Poland. In his message the Pope praised the young people for taking this initiative and urged them to unite together in “a social friendship,” regardless of their differences and be “carriers of hope” and “builders of bridges.”
Around 1,400 young Cubans are taking part in their own youth gathering in the capital Havana that’s being attended by young people who for economic reasons cannot afford to travel to the WYD in Poland. They have adopted the same themes as the WYD in Krakow and the event includes catechesis sessions, a Way of the Cross procession and passing through the Holy Door.
Pope Francis told the young Cubans that he trusted this event will be an opportunity to promote a culture of encounter, respect, understanding and mutual forgiveness. He went on to urge them “not to be afraid of anything” and “to free themselves from the chains of this world” to announce the Good News.
Saying they must be “carriers of hope, the Pope told the young Cubans that in order to be this, they must retain their ability to dream, warning that whoever can’t dream is already like an old-age pensioner.
“Do not be afraid, do not be fussy or choosy,” he declared. “Dream that through your help, Cuba can be different and improve each day.”
Turning to the importance of hope, Pope Francis said hope brings people together to build “a social friendship,” and stressed that it isn’t necessary for them to all think alike to do this. What is important, he said, is that they all share “that desire to dream” and that “love for their nation” and together they can “build bridges” by stretching out their hands to others.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, on Thursday addressed the UN Security Council about the role that grassroots movements, faith-based organizations and local communities play in conflict prevention and peacebuilding on the continent of Africa.
He was speaking during an open debate on Peacebuilding in Africa.
“The Catholic Church in Africa contributes directly to conflict prevention and peacebuilding through the capillary presence of its tens of thousands of institutions, like hospitals and dispensaries, schools and other centers of formation. Catholic humanitarian and charitable agencies work in all countries of Africa in various arenas, such as fostering village dialogues, providing emergency assistance and building small business capacities,” the Archbishop said.
He also called on the United Nations to help stop the arms trade on the continent.
“The proliferation of weapons simply aggravates situations of conflict and results in a huge human and material cost, which profoundly undermines the search for peace,” – Archbishop Auza said – “Peacebuilding can only be effective if human rights are promoted and fostered, if the human dignity of every human being is recognized and protected, and if we all stick together in mutual solidarity, leaving no one behind.”
The full text of Archbishop Auza’s intervention is below
Intervention of H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza
Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations
United Nations Security Council Open Debate on
Peacebuilding in Africa
New York, 28 July 2016
Mr. President,
My delegation wishes to thank Japan’s Presidency of the Security Council for convening this Open Debate on Peacebuilding in Africa.
The divergent results of peacebuilding efforts in African countries in post-conflict situations suggest that there is not a single model of peacebuilding. Some countries have gained peace and stability and achieved sustained growth, while others continue to wallow in the mire of extreme poverty and unstable if not nonexistent institutions.
Quick-impact interventions like providing food security and basic health-care immediately after a conflict, medium-range initiatives like heavy investment in jobs creation, and long-term programs like institution-building are clearly important pillars to kick-start and sustain peacebuilding.
In addition to these, many other elements must come into play to achieve sustainable peace. My delegation would like to mention first of all the role that grassroots movements, faith-based organizations and local communities play in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. They enjoy concrete knowledge of local realities and immediate interactions with the local population.
They empower individuals and societies at a local level, identify and nurture new leaders, and rally communities to work together for the greater common good. They get results that local individuals and communities can easily relate to and identify with.
In this regard, the Catholic Church in Africa contributes directly to conflict prevention and peacebuilding through the capillary presence of its tens of thousands of institutions, like hospitals and dispensaries, schools and other centers of formation. Catholic humanitarian and charitable agencies work in all countries of Africa in various arenas, such as fostering village dialogues, providing emergency assistance and building small business capacities. The Holy See oversees this vast network of quick-impact, medium-term and long-term programs to foster the best possible levels of education and health-care, and to assure continuing efforts to prevent conflict and to build peace through dialogue and integral human development.
Indeed, the Holy See believes that to achieve sustainable peace, it is necessary to bring people together concretely in dialogue, so that opposing positions can be fairly and equally heard and agreed solutions can be found and implemented. It is only through dialogue and negotiation that peoples and nations feel that they are active protagonists of their own peace efforts. Without a collective sense of ownership and attachment to initiatives that concern them, such initiatives would always be considered as something imposed from outside.
The Holy See believes that all peace processes and peacebuilding efforts must go beyond formal negotiations, no matter how indispensable these may be. Formal diplomatic efforts must be accompanied by all forms of “informal diplomacies,” from dialogue among clans and tribes to collaboration among religions and other civil society stakeholders, from discussions between nomadic and settled communities to fair trade talks about Africa’s enormous natural resources at the level of Governments and multinational corporations. Some African countries have achieved sustained peace and development because they have been able to harness “informal and track II diplomacies” fruitfully in a way that complements the formal diplomacy of States and multilateral bodies, thus helping communities and peoples to accept and assimilate the efforts of formal negotiations.
Particularly important to peacebuilding, moreover, are the contributions of women and youth. The Holy See commends the efforts of this Council and of National Governments to arrive at a fuller recognition of the vital role of women in preventive diplomacy, mediation and the peacebuilding process. Similarly, the Holy See commends the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations for recognizing youth as active stakeholders, participants, leaders and partners in the peace process.
Mr. President,
Conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts require, more often than not, considerably more resources than ending wars and civil strife. They demand perseverance, long-term vision and commitment. They are consolidated through thousands of daily actions that are the building blocks of just and peaceful societies. They are achieved when leaders and citizens transcend selfish interests for the common good, reject a spirit of vengeance and take the path of healing and reconciliation.
In this context, it is vital to press for greater progress in disarmament efforts and in checking the legal and illegal arms trade. The proliferation of weapons simply aggravates situations of conflict and results in a huge human and material cost, which profoundly undermines the search for peace. It is the responsibility of the entire international community to further incentivise concrete efforts in this area and to support the commitment of civil society and of religious institutions aimed at preventing conflict.
Peacebuilding can only be effective if human rights are promoted and fostered, if the human dignity of every human being is recognized and protected, and if we all stick together in mutual solidarity, leaving no one behind. In a visit to a favela in Rio de Janeiro three years ago, Pope Francis said: “No amount of ‘peace-building’ will be able to last, nor will harmony and happiness be attained, in a society that ignores, pushes to the margins, or excludes a part of itself; it loses something essential. We must never, never allow the throwaway culture to enter our hearts! … No one is disposable!”
At the end of the day, no amount of conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts will succeed if the human person is not the heart of every consideration.
Thank you, Mr. President.
(from Vatican Radio)…