Pope: the Church, a home where everyone, especially the marginalized, feels they belong
Receiving the Archicofradia de la Virgen de la Cinta of Tortosa, Francis emphasized that "Living in this way, as united brothers and sisters, supposes effort and renunciation, but I assure you that it is worth it, because it is a sign before a society that is often divided, though it may be outdated now, it has always been and remains a social sin to be divided”.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Demonstrating that the Church is "a home, a family, a place of welcome and love, in which everyone, especially the poor and the marginalized, feel part and are never excluded or rejected". This is the task that Pope Francis sees in the confraternities, the associations of the faithful, of which he spoke today in the meeting with the members of the "Archicofradia de la Virgen de la Cinta" in Tortosa, (Spain), received on the occasion of the IV centenary of its foundation.
Francis emphasized the aspect of fraternity, that is the union of brothers and sisters, and the unity upon which it is founded. "But it is not enough to say that we are brothers, but we must always remember that" foundational "unity that marks us as such. Siblings - we know - often fight and argue over so many things, but even when that happens, they know how to keep that search for a good that cannot exclude peace and harmony between them alive. And when they can't do it, they suffer. The bond of charity which, as brothers and sisters, unites them with their bishop and, through him, with the Pope, constitutes an important gift that enriches them but also involves a mission: to be a leaven of solidarity in society ".
"Living in this way, as united brothers and sisters, supposes effort and renunciation, but I assure you that it is worth it, because it is a sign before a society that is often divided, though it may be outdated now, it has always been and remains a social sin to be divided. This is why every manifestation of fraternity, of solidarity helps. I encourage you in your task to be a sign before the world of that fraternity that comes from God ".
Finally, the Pope recalled the strong bond that links the Spanish Fraternity to the See of Peter. A bond of renewed communion with today's pilgrimage to the tomb of Peter. A gesture of adhesion that is not something of the past "but keeps its relevance alive".
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