“Do not give in to the logic of demands”

“The paths of dialogue and diplomacy must prevail,” the Pope said, affirming that the latter “can do a lot.” After praying the Regina Caeli, he prayed for the people of Palestine and Israel: “May they soon stop suffering.” In the 61st Day of Prayer for Vocations he recalled that “the Church is a polyphony of charismas and vocations at the service of the Gospel.”

Vatican City () – Pope Francis called this morning, at the end of the Regina Caeli Marian prayer, to “not give in to the logic of demanding war.” From the window of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Pontiff began his final words by referring to what is happening in the Middle East, a situation that, he said, he follows “with concern, and also with pain.” “Let the paths of dialogue and diplomacy prevail, which can do a lot.” Last Sunday Bergoglio had also called for “negotiation”, the day after the Iranian attack against Israel.

“I pray every day for peace in Palestine, in Israel, and I hope that these two peoples will soon stop suffering,” the Holy Father added today, becoming close to the pain of both populations. And he expressed the hope that they can live together as two states, as he himself also predicted last Sunday. “Side by side, for sure,” he said. He also referred to the “martyred Ukraine”, an expression he repeated twice, consecutively. And he asked that she not be forgotten, because “She is suffering a lot from the war,” he said.

He also especially remembered Father Matteo Pettinari, 42, of the Consolata Missionary Order, who had been carrying out his ministry in the Ivory Coast for 13 years and died on April 18 in that country in a traffic accident. “It was with pain that I learned the news of his death,” said the bishop of Rome. He explained that he was known as “the tireless missionary.” Father Matteo was born in Monte San Vito (Ancona), in the diocese of Senigallia, and “left a great testimony of generous service. Let us pray for his soul,” added Pope Francis.

Today the 61st World Day of Prayer for Vocations is celebrated, which proposes to reflect especially on the theme “Called to sow hope and build peace.” “A beautiful opportunity to discover the Church as a community characterized by a polyphony of charismas and vocations at the service of the Gospel,” said Pope Francis this morning in front of St. Peter's Square packed with pilgrims. In the context of this Day, Bergoglio addressed a special greeting to the 11 priests of the diocese of Rome who were ordained yesterday in St. Peter's Basilica, and asked everyone to pray for them. In the Pontiff's Message released for this occasion, he invited “to consider the precious gift of the call that the Lord addresses to each of us, his faithful people on the journey, so that we can be participants in his project of love and embody the beauty of the Gospel.”

Today, the fourth Sunday of Easter, before reciting the Marian prayer, Pope Francis commented on the Gospel of the day (Jn 10:11-18), in which Jesus says: “The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep” ( v.11). Bergoglio reflected on the meaning of this expression. “Being a shepherd, especially in the time of Christ, was not just a job, it was a whole life,” he explained, and this activity led to living “in symbiosis” with animals, knowing them very well. Likewise, “He, the Lord, shepherd of us all, knows each one of us, he calls us by name, and when we stray, he seeks us until he finds us,” the Holy Father continued. Jesus is, therefore, the Good Shepherd, “who sacrificed his life for us and, resurrected, gave us his Spirit.” He then invited us to think: “I am important to Christ, He thinks of me, I am irreplaceable, I am worth the infinite price of his life,” Bergoglio told those present. “Because he loves me and finds in me a beauty that I often don't see.” “Today Jesus tells us that we are of great value to Him and always. And so, to find ourselves, the first thing we must do is put ourselves in his presence,” he explained. Getting closer to Him is a way to rediscover “the secret of life.” Pope Francis concluded the comment with a request: “May Our Lady help us find in Jesus what is essential for life.”