‘May each one be loved without adjectives’

From a sunny St. Peter’s Square he spoke of today’s martyrs, who are suffering and thus “fertilize the Church.” He prayed that those who desire war “may convert to projects of dialogue and peace.” Regarding the Gospel of the day: “God does not discriminate against anyone because he loves everyone.”

Vatican City () – After reciting the Angelus today, the last Sunday of June, in which the first holy martyrs of the Church of Rome are remembered, Pope Francis said that “we too live in times of martyrdom, even more than in the first centuries.” He then recalled the many brothers and sisters in the world who suffer discrimination and persecution because of their faith. More than 365 million Christians are persecuted in the world, according to the annual report of Open Doors. “Thus, they fertilize the Church. Others face martyrdom “with white gloves.” Let us support them with our prayers and be inspired by their testimony of love for Christ,” said Bergoglio.

This first month of summer also ends with an invocation that there will soon be peace in places plagued by violence. “On this last day of June let us implore the Sacred Heart of Jesus to touch the hearts of those who want war, so that they may be converted to projects of dialogue and peace,” asked the bishop of Rome. He then remembered the countries that live in the maelstrom of conflicts and suffering. “Brothers and sisters, let us not forget the martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar and so many other places where so much is suffered because of war.”

Pope Francis began his reflection today from the window of the Vatican Apostolic Palace with the commentary on the Gospel of the day (Mc 5, 21-43). The passage from the evangelist Mark speaks of two miracles that Jesus performed, which “seem to be intertwined.” The first refers to the healing of a hemorrhaging woman who touches her cloak, the second is the resurrection of the seriously ill daughter of Jairus, one of the leaders of the synagogue. Two healings told in a single episode. “Both happen through physical contact. In fact, the woman touches Jesus’ tunic and Jesus takes the little girl by the hand. “Why is it important to “touch”?” asked the Pontiff. Firstly because the two women are considered “impure”, according to the culture of the time. “Even before physical healing, He challenges a religious misconception, according to which God separates the pure on the one hand and the impure on the other,” he continued. Indeed, God does not separate men and impurity does not refer to the body, but “comes from an impure heart.”

The Holy Father invited the listeners to learn that “in the face of sufferings of the body and of the spirit, in the face of wounds of the soul, in the face of situations that overwhelm us and even in the face of sin,” God does not keep human beings at a distance, but on the contrary: “He comes close to let himself be touched and to touch us and always raises us from death.” “He does not discriminate against anyone because he loves everyone,” added Francis. At the end of the commentary he shared a series of questions to stimulate personal reflection. Among them: “Do we enter into a relationship with our brothers and sisters by offering them a hand to lift them up or do we keep our distance and label people based on our tastes and preferences?” “I ask you a question: God, the Lord Jesus, does he label people? Let each one answer,” added Bergoglio. “Let us look to the heart of God, so that the Church and society do not exclude, do not exclude anyone, so that they do not treat anyone as ‘impure’, so that each person, with his or her own story, is welcomed and loved without labels, without prejudice, so that he or she is loved without adjectives.”