Pope calls on institutions to help those who want to adopt a child
"It is not enough to bring a child into the world to say one is its father or mother." "Every time someone assumes responsibility for the life of another, in a certain sense he exercises paternity towards him." "I pray that no one will feel deprived of a bond of fatherly love. May St. Joseph exercise his protection and help over orphans; and may he intercede for couples who wish to have a child."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - St. Joseph, the putative father of Jesus, shows the fundamental importance of paternity and maternity, natural or adoptive, because "having children is risky, but it is riskier not to have them." Continuing the cycle of catechesis on St. Joseph at the general audience, Pope Francis today also addressed the issue of adoption, expressing the hope that "institutions will always be ready to help in this regard, supervising with seriousness but also simplifying the necessary procedure so that the dream of so many little ones who need a family, and of so many couples who wish to give themselves in love, can come true.
Francis first recalled that the evangelists Matthew and Luke present Joseph as the putative father of Jesus and not as his biological father. "As the official father of Jesus," he then said, "JAs the official father of Jesus, Joseph exercises the right to impose a name on his son, legally recognising him. In ancient times, the name was the compendium of a person’s identity. Changing one’s name meant changing oneself, as in the case of Abraham, whose name God changed to “Abraham”, which means “father of many”, “for”, says the Book of Genesis, he will be “the father of a multitude of nations”. "Joseph already knows that, for Mary’s son, a name has already been prepared by God: “Jesus”, which means “the Lord saves”; as the Angel explains, “he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). This particular aspect of Joseph now enables us to reflect on fatherhood and motherhood"
The Pope continued: "It is not enough to bring a child into the world to also become fathers or mothers. “Fathers are not born, but made. A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world, but by taking up the responsibility to care for that child. Whenever a man accepts responsibility for the life of another, in some way he becomes a father to that person” (Apostolic Letter Patris corde). I think in a particular way of all those who open up to welcome life by way of adoption. Joseph shows us that this type of bond is not secondary; it is not an afterthought. This kind of choice is among the highest forms of love, and of fatherhood and motherhood. How many children in the world are waiting for someone to take care of them! And how many spouses wish to be fathers and mothers but are unable to do so for biological reasons; or, although they already have children, they want to share their family’s affection with those who have been left without. We must not be afraid to choose the path of adoption, to take the “risk” welcoming children".
Observing today's social phenomena, Francis then pointed out that "today with orphanhood there is a certain selfishness" and, recalling that he had spoken in recent days about demographic winter, he added: "We see that people do not want to have children and many couples do not have children because they do not want to or they have only one. But they have dogs and cats, which take the place of children. This denial of fatherhood and motherhood takes away our humanity. And so civilization becomes older and without humanity, because the richness of fatherhood and motherhood is lost, and the Fatherland that has no children suffers."
Then, the Pope asked St. Joseph for the grace to "awaken consciences." "I pray that no-one feel deprived of a bond of paternal love. May Saint Joseph exercise his protection over, and give his help to orphans; and may he intercede for couples who wish to have a child. Let us pray for this: Saint Joseph, you who loved Jesus with fatherly love, be close to the many children who have no family and who wish for a father and a mother. Support the couples who are unable to have children, Help them to discover, through this suffering, a greater plan. Make sure that no one lacks a home, a bond, a person to take care of him or her; and heal the selfishness of those who close themselves off from life, that they may open their hearts to love. ."
A prayer returned to in the greetings. Thus, in French: "we ask St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family, to protect and come to the aid of all children, especially orphans, and that he also intercede for couples expecting a child," in Portuguese: "we ask the help of St. Joseph so that many children who do not have families can find paternal and maternal love in those who, although not having generated them biologically, wish to generate them in their hearts," in Arabic: "We ask St. Joseph, who loved Jesus with a father's love, to be close to so many children who do not have families and desire a father and a mother, and to support couples who are unable to have children, so that they may discover, through this suffering, God's greatest plan."
At the end of the audience, there was also a brief performance by some artists of the Rony Roller Circus, and I thank them for their activity through which they cheer people, attracting the admiration of adults and young people. The General Audience also had another novelty of some Vatican employees, men and women, religious and lay, who read greetings in the different languages.
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14/01/2021 14:09
