Pope urges 'stable' truce and 'silenced weapons' between Israelis and Palestinians
At Regina Caeli, the pontiff condemned violence in the Holy Land with "innocent victims, including women and children." The remembrance of Mother's Day and the invocation to Our Lady that she may alleviate the suffering of "the martyred Ukraine and all nations at war." Yesterday the pope's meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky. The Holy Spirit, Paraclete, "Comforter and Advocate."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "In recent days we have again witnessed armed clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, in which innocent people, including women and children, have lost their lives," denounced Pope Francis at the Regina Caeli Sunday, addressing the faithful who packed St. Peter's Square.
Recalling the recent escalation of violence in the Holy Land, he added: "I hope that the truce that has just been reached will become stable and that the weapons will be silent, because with weapons security and stability will never be achieved, on the contrary, they will continue to destroy even any hope of peace."
Following the Marian prayer, Pope Francis addressed pilgrims from "so many countries," particularly those from Singapore and Malaysia representing the Asian continent. He also greeted "Caritas Internationalis which is gathered and has elected its new president," Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo. The pontiff then urged the institution to continue by going "forward courageously on the path of reform."
Finally, he pointed out that today "in many countries we celebrate Mother's Day," so "we remember with gratitude and affection all mothers, those who are still among us and those who have gone to heaven." Invoking "loud applause," Francis turned to Our Lady asking her to "alleviate the suffering of the martyred Ukraine [yesterday's meeting with President Zelensky] and of all nations afflicted by war and violence."
Earlier, commenting on the words offered by the liturgy of the Gospel of the Sixth Sunday of Easter, he elaborated on the value of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus calls the Paraclete, a word that means both "comforter and advocate."
"That is to say, the Holy Spirit does not leave us alone; he stands by us, like a lawyer," he said, "assisting the accused by standing by his side. And he suggests to us how to defend ourselves in the face of those who accuse us," remarking in passing that "the great accuser is always the devil." Hence the invitation to reflect "on these two aspects: his closeness to us and his help against those who accuse us."
At the Regina Caeli, the pope recalled how it is the will of the Holy Spirit to "be with us: he is not a passing guest," he continued, "who comes to pay us a courtesy visit. He is a companion of life, a stable presence, He is Spirit and He desires to dwell in our spirit. He is patient and stays with us even when we fall. He stays because He truly loves us: He does not pretend to love us and then leave us alone in difficulties."
"On the contrary, if we find ourselves in trial, the Holy Spirit consoles us, bringing us," the pontiff stressed, "God's forgiveness and strength. And when he confronts us with our mistakes and corrects us, he does so with kindness."
Continuing in his reflection, Francis illustrates the second aspect, the "Paraclete Spirit" who, as our advocate, "defends us in the face of those who accuse us: in the face of ourselves, when we do not love and forgive ourselves, to the point perhaps," he stresses, "of telling ourselves that we are failures and good-for-nothings; in the face of the world, which discards those who do not correspond to its schemes and models; in the face of the devil, who is par excellence the 'accuser' and the divider."
The Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, "enables us to respond to the accusing devil not with our own words, but with the Lord's own words. If we invoke the Spirit, we learn to welcome and remember," Pope Francis explains, "the most important reality of life, which protects us from the accusations of evil: we are beloved children of God."
Hence the final invitation to pray to Our Lady to "make us docile to the voice of the Holy Spirit and sensitive to his presence."
Finally, yesterday, Pope Francis received in audience Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a closed-door conversation that lasted about 40 minutes and focused on the "humanitarian and political" situation in the country marked by the conflict triggered by the Russian invasion in February last year.
The gift given by the pontiff to the President was of particular symbolic significance: a bronze work depicting an olive branch, a symbol of peace. The statement released by the Vatican press office speaks of "cordial" talks focused on the "need to continue efforts to achieve peace" although, at least for the moment, it is still weapons and violence that dominate the scene in a continuing military escalation.
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20/05/2018 15:54
