Angelus: Pope concerned about the Mideast and Ukraine on the eve of his trip to Asia
Starting tomorrow, the apostolic journey will take the pontiff to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. This morning he prayed and entrusted the trip before the icon of the Virgin Salus Populi Romani in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. “The cry of the wounded Earth is becoming increasingly alarming,” he noted citing the upcoming World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – After praying the Angelus this morning, first Sunday of September, Pope Francis said, “Tomorrow I will begin an Apostolic Journey in several countries in Asia and Oceania. Please, pray for the outcome of this journey!” The latter will last until the 13th of the month and will see him visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.
This morning, before coming to the window of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Pontiff went to the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, as he usually does before apostolic journeys, to pray before the icon of the Virgin Salus Populi Romani, entrusting to her what will be the longest trip of his pontificate.
Following the Marian prayer, the Holy Father spoke against about peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. “I once again turn my thoughts with concern to the conflict in Palestine and Israel, which risks spreading to other Palestinian cities. I appeal for the negotiations to continue and for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages,” he said.
Francis also stressed the urgency of helping the people of Gaza, haunted by so many diseases, like polio. “May there be peace in the Holy Land, may there be peace in Jerusalem!” he insisted. “May the Holy City be a place of encounter where Christians, Jews and Muslims feel they are respected and welcomed, and no-one questions the Status Quo in the respective Holy Places.”
The pontiff also expressed his closeness to “the tormented Ukrainian people, hard hit by attacks on the energy infrastructure.” In addition to the deaths and injuries, these actions “have left over a million people without electricity and water,” noted the Bishop of Rome.
“Let us remember that the voice of the innocent is always heard by God, who does not remain indifferent to their suffering!”
The pope asked for a round of applause from the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for Ján Havlík, who was beatified yesterday in Šaštin, Slovakia.
The young seminarian at the Congregation of the Mission founded by Saint Vincent De Paul “was killed in 1965, during the persecution against the Church by the regime in what was then Czechoslovakia.”
“May his perseverance in bearing witness to faith in Christ encourage those who still suffer similar trials. A round of applause for the new Blessed!”
Francis learnt “with sorrow" about the massacre on Saturday, 24 August, in the municipality of Barsalogho, Burkina Faso. “[H]undreds of people, including women and children, were killed and many others injured in a terrorist attack,” the pope lamented.
“In condemning these heinous attacks against human life, I express my closeness to the nation as a whole, and my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. May the Virgin Mary help the beloved people of Burkina Faso to regain peace and security,” Francis said.
The pontiff also called for prayers for the victims of an incident yesterday at the shrine of Nossa Senhora da Conceição in the city of Recife, Brazil, when food baskets were being distributed among the poor, with two deaths and 22 injuries. “May the Risen Lord console the injured and the relatives of the victims,” he said.
The pontiff also mentioned World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which is celebrated every year on 1 September, an observance rooted in the deep traditions of the Eastern Church, for whom this day is a reminder of the world’s creation.
The day provides an opportunity both to celebrate the divine act of creation and reflect on the way we have safeguarded the precious gift of creation.
“I hope that everyone, institutions, associations, families and every person, may make a concrete commitment to our common home. The cry of the wounded Earth is becoming increasingly alarming, and calls for decisive and urgent action.”
Commenting on today's Gospel (Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) before the recitation of the Marian prayer, Pope Francis pointed out that Jesus addressed the theme of purity, criticising the external ritualism of the Pharisees.
“Purity, Jesus says, is not linked to external rites, but is first and foremost linked to inner dispositions,” Francis explained.
Indeed, washing one's hands is not enough, if one feeds evil feelings like greed and pride in one's heart. Hence, Francis warns against leading a "double life", showing piety in church but behaving differently outside. Instead, “We are made for the purity of life, for tenderness, for love.”
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