For pope, despite serious socio-economic problems, Latin America has great potential and Christian values
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis before the Angelus about his trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay, mentioning Latin America’s "great human and spiritual potential", a continent where Christian values are "deeply rooted" but where there are "serious social and economic problems". In order to find a solution to them, “the Church is committed to mobilising the spiritual and moral strengths of its communities, working with all the healthy components of society.”
"You are brave, in this heat," Pope Francis told the 30,000 people present in St Peter's Square. Commenting today’s Gospel, the pontiff said that it "tells us that the Apostles were happy but also tired after the experience of the mission. Full of understanding, Jesus thought of giving them a bit of relief, and so took them ‘to a deserted place” to “rest a while’ (Mk, 6:31). When 'People saw them leaving [. . .] They hastened there [. . .] arrived at the place before them' (Mk, 6:33).
“At this point, the evangelist offers us an image of Jesus of singular intensity, like ‘a snapshot,’ as it were, of his eyes, and seizing the feelings of his heart, noting, 'When he dismebarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things' (Mk, 6:34)."
In view of this, “Let us focus on the three verbs of this snapshot: seeing, having compassion, and teaching. We can call them the verbs of the Shepherd. The first and second are always associated with Jesus’ attitude. In fact, his look is not the look of a sociologist or a photojournalist, because he always looks with 'the eyes of the heart'. These two verbs, seeing and having compassion, define Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Even his compassion is not just a human feeling. It is the emotion of the Messiah in which God’s tenderness has become flesh. From this compassion comes Jesus’ desire to feed the crowd with the bread of his Word. This is beautiful."
"I asked the Lord that the Spirit of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, guide me during my recent apostolic journey to Latin America, which allowed me to visit Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. I thank God with all my heart for this gift. I thank the peoples of the three countries for their enthusiastic welcome. I renew my gratitude to the authorities of these countries for their hospitality and cooperation.
“With great affection, I thank my brother Bishops, the priests, consecrated persons and all peoples for the warmth with which they participated. With these brothers and sisters, I praised the Lord for the wonders he has done for the People of God on the move, on the move in those lands, and for the faith that animated and animate its life and culture. We also praised him for the natural beauty with which he has enriched those countries.
“The Latin American continent has great human and spiritual potential, it holds deeply rooted Christian values, but it also faces serious social and economic problems. To contribute to their solution, the Church is committed to mobilising the spiritual and moral strengths of its communities, working with all the healthy components of society.
"Faced with the great challenges that the Gospel proclamation must face, I invite [you] to draw from Christ the Lord the grace that saves and gives strength so as to be able to bear Christian witness, and further spread the Word of God. May the strong religiosity those peoples always be a faithful witness to the Gospel. I entrust to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, whom all of Latin America venerates as patroness under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the fruits of this unforgettable apostolic journey."
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