Pope to the Armed Forces: ‘Always defend life’

Pope Francis was present for this morning's the Jubilee of the Armed, Police and Security Forcesin St Peter's Square, despite bronchitis. In his comments during the Angelus, he spoke of armed service ‘only for self-defence, never to impose dominion over other nations’ and ‘observing international conventions’. An invitation to be vigilant against the temptation of the ‘spirit of war’.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Armed service should ‘only be in legitimate self-defence, never to impose dominion over other nations,’ but above all ‘in sacred respect for life and creation,' said  Pope Francis this morning, at the end of the Holy Mass in the context of the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police and Security Forces.

Addressing ‘all the military personnel of the world’ before reciting the Angelus, he thanked the civil authorities for their presence in a sunny St Peter's Square and the ‘Military Ordinaries and Chaplains’ ‘for their pastoral service’. 25 thousand faithful were present; among them many armed forces, with representatives from a hundred countries.

Pope Francis appeared to still have a cold, after having kept the appointments scheduled at Casa Santa Marta ‘due to bronchitis’ in the past few days, the Holy See Press Office announced on Thursday.

The Pope began his homily today, and then shortly afterwards passed the word to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations.

‘I apologise and ask the Master to continue the reading, due to breathing difficulties’, he said.

The homily, starting from the commentary on today's Gospel passage (Lk 5:1-11) - set by the lake of Gennesaret - explored the three actions that Jesus performs: seeing, getting into a boat and sitting down. In the episode in which he got into a boat to teach. ‘The Lord asks you too - Ravelli read, addressing the armed forces - to do as He does’.

Seeing because ‘you are called to have a careful eye, that can recognise threats to the common good, dangers that threaten the lives of citizens, the environmental, social and political risks to which we are exposed’.

The invitation to come on board, on the other hand, concerns ‘uniforms’ such as ‘courage’ and ‘discipline’: ‘These are all things that remind you of how important it is not only to see evil in order to denounce it, but also to get on board a boat in a storm and work to prevent it from sinking, with a mission at the service of good, freedom and justice’, added Mons. Ravelli, reading the text of the homily.

The act of sitting down, instead, starting from the presence of the armed forces ‘in our cities and in our neighbourhoods’ spreads a lesson: ‘that good can win despite everything, teaches us that justice, loyalty and civil passion are still necessary values today, teaches us that we can create a more human, more just and more fraternal world, despite the opposing forces of evil’.

Then, a thought was addressed to the military chaplains: ‘They are not there - as has sometimes sadly happened in history - to bless perverse acts of war. No. They are in your midst as the presence of Christ’. And returning to the passage from the Gospel, he continued:

‘Thank you for climbing onto our boats in danger, offering us your protection and encouraging us to continue our journey’. Then, an exhortation addressed to all the Armed Forces, Police and Security Forces: ‘Always promote life, save life, defend life’, and “be vigilant against the temptation to cultivate a spirit of war; be vigilant so as not to be seduced by the myth of strength and the noise of arms; be vigilant so as never to be contaminated by the poison of hate propaganda, which divides the world into friends to be defended and enemies to be fought”.

At the end, before reciting the Marian prayer,Pope Francis spoke off teh cuff again and added: ‘I would like to recall the teaching of the Church [...]. The Second Vatican Council says: “Those who, in the service of their country, exercise their profession in the ranks of the army, should also consider themselves as servants of the security and freedom of their peoples”.’ Armed service must also be carried out ‘in accordance with international conventions regarding conflicts’.

Finally, a new appeal: ‘Let us pray for peace in battered Ukraine, in Palestine, in Israel and throughout the Middle East, in Myanmar, in Kivu, in Sudan. May weapons fall silent everywhere and may the cries of the people, who demand peace, be heard!