At the general audience, Bergoglio read a letter he received from a young Ukrainian university student: “Too many deaths. But love, hope and charity give meaning to the wounds.” The World Meeting on the Rights of the Child will take place in the Vatican on February 3, 2025. He announced that Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati will be canonized during the Jubilee. The meeting with the Tehran delegation for interreligious dialogue: “The Church in Iran is a small flock. Religious freedom is the cornerstone of human rights.”
Vatican City () – One thousand days since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following the letter he sent to Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, apostolic nuncio in kyiv, Pope Francis again referred today to this “tragic anniversary, for the victims and for the destruction it has caused.” To the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square under a light rain, the pontiff once again recalled today the conflict that is developing at the gates of Europe, and stated that it is “a shameful disaster for all humanity.” Their immense suffering should not deter us from standing alongside the “tortured Ukrainian people,” as well as from “imploring peace and working so that weapons give way to dialogue and confrontation to encounter.” In the letter to the nuncio he had expressed his desire that prayer “convert hearts and make them capable of beginning paths of dialogue, reconciliation and harmony.”
In front of the pilgrims present in Rome, Francis also read a passage from the letter sent to him by a young Ukrainian university student. When talking about the dramatic anniversary of the thousand days – the young man asks – that not only the suffering be remembered, but also the faith of the Ukrainian people: “Although imperfect, its value does not diminish, it paints with painful brushstrokes the image of the Risen Christ” . The young man who wrote to the Pope also tells of the deepest suffering that war brings: the loss of loved ones. “These days there have been too many deaths in my life. It is difficult to live in a city where a missile wounds and kills dozens of civilians, to witness so many tears,” the young man continues. But, despite despair, faith remains an inexhaustible source of hope. “I thank God because through this pain I learn to love more. Pain is not only a path to anger and despair, if it is based on faith it is a good teacher of love,” adds the young man. “Because only love, faith and hope give true meaning to wounds.” These words were followed by applause at the end of the letter.
At the final moment of the audience, when he greeted the Italian-speaking pilgrims, the Holy Father recalled the 35th International Day of Children and Adolescents, which is celebrated today. “On February 3, the World Meeting on the Rights of the Child will take place here in the Vatican, entitled Let’s love them and protect them. The event will feature the participation of experts and personalities from many countries. “It will be an opportunity to find new ways to help and protect millions of children still without rights who live in precarious conditions, are exploited and mistreated and suffer the dramatic consequences of wars,” said Francisco. He then greeted the team, made up of boys and girls, who are preparing the day. The children joined him in the atrium to greet him, hug him and express their affection, in a spontaneous and unscheduled moment.
It was not the only announcement. “Next year, on the Day of Children and Adolescents, I will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis. And on the Day of Youth I will canonize Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati” (the Day of Children and Adolescents will be from April 25 to 27 , and the Youth Jubilee will be celebrated from Monday, July 28 to Sunday, August 3). The announcement of these two long-awaited events was received by the applause of the faithful gathered in the square. The proclamation of the new saints Acutis (1991-2006), the first “millennial”, and Frassati (1901-1925), one of the social saints of the city of Turin, will be an important moment in the Holy Year 2025.
Today’s catechesis, continuing the cycle dedicated to the Holy Spirit, was dedicated to the theme “The gifts of the Bride. Charisms, gifts of the Spirit for the common good.” Francis explained that “the laity are not some kind of external collaborators or auxiliary troops of the clergy, but rather have their own charismas and gifts to contribute to the mission of the Church” (read here on the website of VaticanNews the complete reflection proposed by Francisco).
Pope Francis’ day had begun this morning with the audience of the participants in the XII Colloquium of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue with the Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue of Tehran. “It is a long collaboration that we should all be happy about, because it fosters a culture of dialogue, which is fundamental,” he told the participants. Bergoglio reminded the archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan – “an excellent friar!” – that he will be created cardinal next month. “This election, which expresses closeness and concern for the Church in Iran, is also projected to the entire country. It is an honor for the entire country. The fate of the Catholic Church in Iran, a small flock, is very close to my heart “. Pope Francis highlighted the adverse situation in which Christians live in Iran, stating that “the Church is not against the government, no, they are lies!” He also stressed the value of family contexts as “privileged places for interreligious dialogue.”
Bergoglio then spoke about freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, which are “the cornerstone of the edifice of human rights.” “Religious freedom is not limited to the exercise of one’s own worship, but rather allows one to be totally free to decide in the field of one’s own creed and religious practice.” Regarding the tensions that exist in the Middle East, he referred to the risk of a nuclear conflict: “Today this latest threat appears in the newspapers. This situation drives us, believers in the God of peace, to pray and work for dialogue, reconciliation, peace, security and the integral development of all humanity”, as an indispensable commitment to be “credible in the eyes of the world”.
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