At the end of the Marian prayer, Francis once again recalled “the tormented Ukrainian people” and “every land bloodied by war.” He also asked for prayer “for the population of the Marches” who have suffered from floods. At the Angelus, the pontiff recalled the parable of the dishonest administrator, who “acts cunningly” to overcome difficulties.
Vatican City () – “Sorrow” for the recent clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia “and” spiritual closeness with the families of the victims”, Pope Francis said today at the Angelus, referring to the flashpoints that flared up again in recent days between Yerevan and Baku and caused more than 200 victims on both fronts.The pontiff addressed the parties urging them to “respect the ceasefire, with a view to a peace agreement.”Because, he warned, “let’s not forget that peace is possible when weapons fall silent and dialogue begins”.
After referring to the violence between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, he once again asked for prayer “for the tormented Ukrainian people” and for peace “in all the lands bloodied by war”, to which the numerous faithful who were today in the Plaza de San Pedro responded with a long and warm applause. He also reminded the “population of the Marches [región del centro de Italia] affected by the floods. I pray – he said – for the deceased, for the wounded and for those who have suffered damage” so that the “Lord gives strength to that community”. At the end of the Marian prayer, the Pope made a brief reference to his recent trip to Kazakhstan to participate in the VII Congress of the leaders of world and traditional religions, a meeting full of meaning about which he intends to speak in more depth “on Wednesday at the Audiencia”.
In the introduction to the Angelus, the pontiff referred to “the teaching on the use of goods” that Jesus offers us today in the parable of the Gospel of Luke and that “seems a little difficult to understand.” A dishonest manager who steals and then when his master finds out about it, he cunningly works his way out of it. He “acts cunningly, looks for a solution, takes the initiative. Jesus uses this story -said the Pope- to launch a first provocation: “The children of this world -he says- are more astute with their fellows than the children of light” (v. 8). In other words, those who move in the dark, according to certain worldly criteria, know how to get ahead despite problems, know how to be more cunning than others; On the other hand, the disciples of Jesus, that is to say, we, are sometimes asleep or naive”.
Francisco referred to “the moments of personal, social and even ecclesial crisis: sometimes we let ourselves be overcome by discouragement, or we fall into complaining and victimhood. Jesus says that we could also be astute following the teachings of the Gospel, be awake and attentive to discern reality, be creative to seek better solutions, for ourselves and for others. From there comes the “teaching” about the use of goods: “Use dishonest riches to make friends and thus, when you are left with nothing, they will receive you in the eternal dwelling” (v. 9). Therefore, to inherit eternal life “it is not necessary to accumulate goods of this world, but what is important is the charity that we have lived in our fraternal relationships.” Francis explained that Christ invites us not to use the goods of this world only to satisfy our “egoism”, but to “make friends, to build good relationships, to do charity, to promote brotherhood and to care for the weakest”. .
At the end, Francis explained that in today’s world there are also “stories of corruption like the one the Gospel tells us; dishonest conduct, unfair policies, selfishness that guide the decisions of individuals and institutions, and many other dark situations”. However, Christians cannot be discouraged or “let it go, remain indifferent. On the contrary – the Pope warned – we are called to be creative in doing good, with the prudence and sagacity of the Gospel, using the goods of this world – not only material, but all the gifts we have received from the Lord – not to to enrich ourselves, but to generate fraternal love and social friendship”.
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