let us lay down our arms, also in relations between us

The invitation of Pope Francis on the occasion of his Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia. “The worst thing that can happen to us is to think that we no longer need conversion, both on a personal and community level. If I sometimes say things that may sound harsh and strong, it is not because I do not believe in the value of tenderness, but because it is good to reserve caresses for those who are tired and oppressed”.

Vatican City () – “Before the Prince of Peace, who comes into the world, let us lay down all weapons, of any kind. Let no one take advantage of their own position or role to mortify the other”. This is what Pope Francis said today in his traditional Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia. The meeting – which took place in the Room of Blessings, in the Vatican – was an opportunity to take a look of faith at the past year, with its lights and its hardships.

“When examining one’s own existence or the time that has elapsed, it is always necessary to have the memory of good as a starting point,” the Pope said. “In fact, only when we are aware of the good that the Lord has done for us, are we also capable of giving a name to the evil that we have experienced or suffered. Being aware of our poverty without also being aware of God’s love would crush us.”

“The worst thing that could happen to us,” he added, “is to think that we no longer need conversion, be it on a personal or community level.” The Pope also invites us to look in this light at the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, which is being celebrated this year. “What was the event of the Council if not a great occasion of conversion for the whole Church? In the same way, “the current reflection on the synodality of the Church is born precisely from the conviction that the itinerary of understanding the message of Christ has no end and continually challenges us.” “The opposite of conversion is fixism, that is, the hidden conviction of not needing any greater understanding of the Gospel.”

“But conversion not only makes us aware of evil to make us choose the good, but at the same time it drives evil to evolve, to become more and more insidious, to mask itself in a new way, so that it is difficult for us to recognize it. ”. For this reason, “one of the most useful virtues to be practiced is that of vigilance.” In this sense, the Pontiff recalled that in the parables of mercy Jesus does not speak only of the son who leaves and is lost, but also of the one who is lost in his own house. “One can live unhappy even formally remaining in the place of one’s duty, as happens to the eldest son of a merciful father. If, for those who leave, it is easy to realize the distance, for those who stay at home it is difficult to realize the hell that is experienced by the conviction of being only victims, treated unfairly by the constituted authority and, in the last analysis, by God himself. And how many times does this happen to us!

Therefore, “behind the walls of the institution, at the service of the Holy See, in the heart of the ecclesial body, we could fall into the temptation of thinking that we are safe, that we are better, that we no longer have to convert.” And On the contrary, “we are in greater danger than all the others, because we are stalked by the ‘polite devil’, who does not come making noise but bringing flowers.” And the Pope continued: “Forgive me, brothers and sisters, if I sometimes say things that can sound hard and strong, it is not because I do not believe in the value of sweetness and tenderness, but because it is good to reserve caresses for the tired and oppressed, and to find the courage to ‘afflict the comforted’, as he liked to say to the Servant of God Don Tonino Bello (an Italian bishop whose cause for beatification is in progress, ed.), because sometimes his consolation is only the deceit of the devil and not a gift of the Spirit”.

Finally, Pope Francis -also addressing the Roman Curia- returned to the theme of peace. “Never like at this moment,” he said, “we feel a great desire for peace. I am thinking of the tormented Ukraine, but also of so many conflicts taking place in different parts of the world. War and violence are always a failure. The Gospel It is always a Gospel of peace, and in the name of no God can a war be declared “holy”.

“But the culture of peace is not only built between peoples and nations, but also begins in the heart of each one of us,” he added. “While we suffer from the ravages caused by wars and violence, we can and must make our contribution in favor of peace by trying to uproot from our hearts all roots of hatred and resentment towards the brothers and sisters who live next to us” .

“Saint Paul tells us clearly that benevolence, mercy and forgiveness are the medicine we have to build peace,” he concluded, recalling that “every war needs forgiveness in order to be extinguished.”