The homily of the Mass in the Vatican Basilica on the Solemnity of the Two Apostles was dedicated to the synodal journey. During the celebration Francis blessed the canopies of the 44 archbishops appointed in the last year. At the Angelus, he prayed for the victims of the war in Ukraine who died in the Kremenchuck shopping center. The Jubilee 2025 logo was presented, which will have the motto “Pilgrims of Hope”.
Vatican City () – A Church “without chains or walls, in which everyone can feel welcomed and accompanied”. In the Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the Pope blessed the pallium of the 44 Metropolitan Archbishops appointed during the year. He then pointed to the figure of Peter, who “free and humble” shakes off his chains, as a perspective of the synodal path that the Catholic Church is making throughout the world.
In his homily, Francis emphasized two moments in the life of the apostles: Peter, imprisoned by King Herod, who receives the angel’s exhortation to get up “quickly” (Acts 12, 7) and Paul, who, summarizing throughout his life and apostolate, he says: “I have fought the good fight” (2 Tm 4,7). As a Church, he explained, “we are often chained like Peter in the prison of custom, frightened by change and bound by the chain of our traditions.” But in this way, the Pope warned, “we slide towards spiritual mediocrity,” and end up falling “into a clerical Christianity, a formalist Christianity, a dull and hardened Christianity.”
“The Synod that we are celebrating calls us to become a standing Church, which does not close in on itself – he continued – capable of looking beyond, of leaving its own prisons to meet the world. A Church in which the art of listening, of dialogue, of participation is cultivated, under the sole authority of the Holy Spirit”. Francis spoke of a “free and humble Church, that “gets up quickly”, that does not procrastinate, that does not accumulate delays in the face of the challenges of now, that does not remain in the sacred precincts but allows itself to be animated by the passion of proclamation. of the Gospel and the desire to reach everyone and welcome everyone.” If at times the Church has left her doors open “to condemn and dismiss and not to welcome”, this is, on the contrary, “the time of welcoming “.
As for Paul’s words, when he says that he fought the good fight, the pontiff explained that the apostle then asks Timothy and the brothers of the community to continue the work of announcing the Gospel and for each one to do his part. “What can I do for the Church? Not complain about the Church, but commit ourselves to the Church. Participate with passion and humility,” the Pope responded. “Church in the synodal process means that everyone participates, no one in the place of another or above the others”.
What can we do together, as a Church, so that the world in which we live is more humane, more just, more caring, more open? “It is clear that we should not close ourselves off in our ecclesial circles and get caught up in certain sterile discussions, but rather help each other to be leaven in the world’s dough,” Francis responded. Overcoming “clericalism, which is a perversion”, we must aspire to “be a Church that promotes a culture of care, caress, compassion for the weak and the fight against all forms of degradation, including that of our cities and the places we frequent, so that the joy of the Gospel shines in the life of each one: this is our ‘good fight’, this is our challenge”.
To the 44 newly appointed metropolitan archbishops, the Pope told them that they, too, are called to “rise quickly” to be vigilant sentinels of the flock and “fight the good fight”, never alone, but with all the holy faithful People of God. The Pope also wanted to offer words of thanks for the presence of a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate “sent by dear brother Bartholomew”. “Thank you for walking together – he said – because only together can we be seeds of the Gospel and witnesses of brotherhood”.
When he then appeared in St. Peter’s Square to pray the Angelus, he did not fail to remind everyone once again of the suffering caused by the war. “Every day I carry in my heart the beloved and tortured Ukraine, which continues to be hit by barbaric attacks, like the one that destroyed the Kremenchuck shopping center,” he said. I pray that this senseless war comes to an end soon and I renew the invitation to persevere, tirelessly, in praying for peace: may the Lord open those paths of dialogue that men do not want or are unable to find! And let’s not stop coming to the aid of the Ukrainian people, who are suffering so much.”
To the pilgrims who tried to protect themselves with umbrellas and hats from the scorching sun and the intense heat of Rome, Francis recalled the fires of recent days in Rome and the drought that is causing serious damage to productive activities and the environment. Today’s situation, he said, should make us reflect “on the protection of Creation, which is our responsibility, of each one of us”: “It is not a trend: it is a responsibility. The future of the earth is in our hands.” The pontiff then recalled the birth of the new monthly edition of L’Osservatore Romano, L’Osservatore di strada, whose first issue was distributed free of charge today in the square and which will feature the poor and marginalized of Rome. yesterday the motto and logo for Jubilee 2025 were announced at the Vatican. The words “Pilgrims of Hope” are accompanied by the image of four stylized figures symbolizing humanity from the four corners of the earth. They are embracing each other, to express the solidarity and fraternity that must unite the peoples. The first in line is clinging to the cross, a sign of faith and hope, which allows one to stand firmly at the moment of trial.
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