Pope: Close to the people of Sulawesi, hit by the tsunami
At the Angelus, Pope Francis prays for the dead, the wounded and for those who have lost their homes and jobs due to the earthquake and tsunami. Jesus invites us to overcome "the categories of 'friend / enemy', 'us / them', 'who is inside / who is outside'", to discover the action of God in "unpredictable" areas. In the self-referentiality there is "the root of proselytism". The Priest Jean-Baptiste Fouque beatified today in Marseilles, "who remained vice-parish priest for life".
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis is close to "the populations of the island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia, hit by a strong tidal wave". Today, before the Angelus prayer, the pontiff recalled the tragedy that occurred two days ago, which has left almost 400 victims, hundreds of injured and extensive damage to infrastructure. "
The Pope said he prayed for the dead “who are unfortunately numerous, for the injured and for those who have lost their homes and their jobs. May the Lord console them and support the efforts of those who are trying to bring help ". He then invited all those present to recite a Hail Mary with this intention.
Previously Francis had commented on the passage from today's Gospel (26th Sunday for year, B, Mk 9,38-43.45.47-48), which narrates the teaching of Jesus to the disciples who wanted to forbid a man to expel the demons in his name, not being one of the disciples. Jesus instead allows him do it.
Francis explained : "The attitude of the disciples of Jesus is very human, very common, and we can find it in the Christian communities of all time, probably also in ourselves. In good faith, indeed, with zeal, one would like to protect the authenticity of a certain experience, protecting the founder or the leader from false imitators. But at the same time there is the fear of "competition", that someone can take away new followers, and then you cannot appreciate the good that others do: it's not good because 'it's not ours'. It is a form of self-referentiality. Indeed here is the root of proselytism. And the Church, as Pope Benedict XVI says, the Church grows not by proselytism, but by attraction ".
Jesus' invitation is "not to think according to the categories of 'friend / enemy', 'us / them', 'who is inside / who is outside', 'mine' / 'yours', but to go further, to open your heart to be able to recognize God’s presence and action even in unusual and unpredictable areas and in people who are not part of our circle. It is a matter of being more attentive to the genuineness of the good, the beautiful and the true that is accomplished, than to the name and provenance of those who do it. And - as the rest of the Gospel of today suggests - instead of judging others, we must examine ourselves, and uncompromisingly 'break away ' from all that can scandalize the weakest people in the faith. "
The Virgin Mary, he concluded, "teaches us to love our community without jealousy and closures, always open to the vast horizon of the action of the Holy Spirit".
After the Marian prayer, the Pope announced that today in Marseilles, Jean-Baptiste Fouque, a diocesan priest, was proclaimed Blessed . The Pope observed hoe he "remained vice-parish priest for life: a fine example for climbers. He lived between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, promoted numerous welfare and social works in favor of young people, the elderly, the poor and the sick. The example and intercession of this apostle of charity support us in the commitment to welcome and share with the weakest and most disadvantaged ". And he proposed a round of applause for the new blessed.
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21/09/2021 16:27
