On the day of the canonization of Monsignor Giovanni Battista Scalabrini and the Salesian Artémides Zatti, Francis referred to the migrants and warned: “Not opening the doors means sending them back to the concentration camps.” The call to “learn from history” in the face of the danger of a nuclear conflict. Prayer for the victims of violence in Thailand.
Vatican City () – “The exclusion of migrants is scandalous. Moreover, the exclusion of migrants is criminal, it makes them die before our eyes. And so today the Mediterranean is the largest cemetery in the world”. This morning, the pontiff celebrated mass in Saint Peter’s Square, and presided over the canonization of Monsignor Giovanni Battista Scalabrini (1839-1905) – the bishop of migrants – and of the Salesian layman Artémides Zatti (1880-1951), a missionary among the poor in Argentina. During the homily, Pope Francis launched a new and harsh warning against the exclusion of migrants. Deviating from the prepared text, he addressed the faithful and said: “The exclusion of migrants is disgusting, sinful and criminal.” “It is not opening the door to those who are in need. No, we do not exclude them, we send them away”: to the concentration camps, where they are exploited and sold as slaves. Brothers and sisters, today let us think of our migrants, of those who die.” And referring to the migrants who manage to enter, he asked: “Do we receive them as brothers or do we exploit them? He just left the question to you.”
The passage from the Gospel of Luke that today’s liturgy proposes refers to the ten lepers that Jesus cured – of them, only the Samaritan returns to thank him. For Francis, the Gospel story was the starting point to reflect on the dimension of “walking together”. During the homily, he observed: “At the beginning of the story, there is no distinction between the Samaritan and the other nine. One speaks simply of ten lepers, who group together and, without division, go to meet Jesus.” The “social disease”, which leads to marginalization, causes “barriers to fall and any exclusion to be overcome”. The Samaritan, although he is seen as a heretic, a ‘foreigner’, groups himself with the others.”
“It is a beautiful image – Francis continued – also for us: when we are honest with ourselves, we remember that we are all sick at heart, that we are all sinners, we all need the mercy of the Father. And then we stop dividing ourselves according to the merits, the roles we play or some other external aspect of life, and so the inner walls fall, prejudices fall. That’s how, finally, we rediscover ourselves as brothers.”
“Brothers and sisters”, the Pope added, “let us verify whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and which we frequent every day, we are capable of walking together with others, we are capable of listening, of overcoming temptation. of entrenching ourselves in our self-referentiality and thinking only of our own needs. Walking together – that is, being “synodal” – is also the vocation of the Church”.
“Let us ask ourselves to what extent are we truly open and inclusive communities towards all; if we are able to work together, priests and laity, at the service of the Gospel; if we have a welcoming attitude towards those who are far away and towards all those who come to us and they feel inadequate because of their bumpy life path.” The Pontiff continued: “It scares me when I see that Christian communities divide the world into good and bad, saints and sinners: thus we end up feeling better than others and leaving out to many that God wants to embrace. Please, always be inclusive, both in the Church and in society, still marked by so many inequalities and marginalization”. And he asked “Include everyone”.
Another aspect that the Pope highlighted in the Gospel of the ten lepers is the ability to give thanks, “a great lesson, also for us, who benefit from God’s gifts every day.” However, he commented that “often we leave on our own, and we forget to cultivate a real, living relationship with Him. “And he took the example of Artemides Zatti who, “after being cured of tuberculosis, he dedicated his whole life to gratify others, to care for the sick with love and tenderness”.
At the Angelus, at the end of the celebration, Pope Francis recalled that October 11 marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Vatican Council, and spoke again of the conflict in Europe: “We cannot forget the danger of nuclear war that threatened the world at that time. Why not learn from history? Even then there were conflicts and great tensions, but the peaceful path was chosen. It is written in the Bible: ‘Thus saith the Lord: Stand in the streets and look, ask about the paths of the past. And where the good path is, walk it, so you will find peace in your life’ (Jer 6,16)”.
Finally, the pontiff assured his prayers for the victims of the massacre in the kindergarten of Uthai Sawan, in Thailand: “Shocked, I entrust to the Father of life, in particular, the little children and their families.”
