At the Angelus Pope Francis remembers the mission of the Church of Rome, that preserves the legacy of Peter and Paul: faith and charity. The " Romans centuries long devotion to the Virgin, especially invoked as Salus Populi Romani". The bond of communion of metropolitan archbishops with "the See of Peter" and "brotherly ties" with the Sister Church of Constantinople. The announcement of the trip to Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay 5 to 12 July.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The city of "Rome nourishes special affection and gratitude" to the apostles Peter and Paul, "who came from a far off country to announce, at the cost of their life, the Gospel of Christ to which they were totally dedicated" .

On the Feast of St. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis dedicated his reflection before the Angelus to the mission of the Church of Rome, which received the announcement from the two apostles and custodies their remains.

"The glorious legacy of these two Apostles - he said - is a source of spiritual pride in Rome and at the same time, a call to live the Christian virtues, especially faith and charity: faith in Jesus as Messiah and Son God, that Peter and Paul first professed and then announced to the people; and charity, this church is called to serve with a universal horizon".

The Pope then recalled the link between the apostles and Mary, "Peter personally knew the Mother of Jesus and in his conversations with her, especially in the days before Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:14), he was able to deepen his knowledge of the mystery of Christ . Paul, in the fulfillment of the saving plan "in the fullness of time", did not fail to remember the "woman" from whom the Son of God was born in time (cf. Gal 4,4) ".

"The evangelization of the two Apostles here in Rome, also give deep roots to the Romans centuries old devotion to the Virgin, especially invoked as Salus Populi Romani. Mary, Peter and Paul are our fellow travelers in search of God. They are our guides in the journey of faith and holiness. We invoke their help, so that our hearts will always be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to our encounter with others. "

Even the blessing of the Pallium for the metropolitan archbishops, which took place in the morning, says something of the mission of Rome, as it expresses "the bonds of communion with the See of Peter" and is "a stimulus to ever more generous service to the people entrusted their pastoral zeal. "

A delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was present at Mass this morning. "Even this presence - he underlined - is a sign of fraternal ties existing between our Churches. We pray that  the path of unity among us will strengthen".

"Our prayer today - he concluded - is especially for the city of Rome, for her spiritual and material well-being: May the divine grace support all the Roman people, so that they live in the fullness of the Christian faith, witnessed with intrepid zeal by Saints Peter and Paul. May the Blessed Virgin, Queen of the Apostles intercede for us. "

After the Marian prayer, Francis announced that July 5 to 12, he will visit Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay: "I ask all of you - he said - to accompany me with prayer that the Lord bless my journey on the continent of Latin America, so dear to me as you can imagine. I will express to the people of Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay my joy of being in their home".

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