with online battles, the Gospel is not announced

In the general audience, Francis warned about the dangers of false fervor, the fruit of one’s own vainglory. Recalling the 60th anniversary of John XXIII’s encyclical “Pacem in Terris”, the pontiff underlined its topicality, and invited rulers to be inspired by it.

Vatican City () – “You do not announce the Gospel by sitting still, locked in an office, at a desk or at a computer, making polemics like ‘keyboard lions’ and replacing the creativity of the ad with ‘copy and paste’ of ideas taken from here and there”. Pope Francis said it this morning, addressing the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for the usual general audience on Wednesdays.

Continuing with his reflection on Saint Paul as an example in evangelization, the Pontiff recalled that the apostle was not unaware of “the danger of a distorted zeal, directed in the wrong direction; he himself had fallen into this danger before the providential fall on the path of Damascus”. Quoting a verse from the letter to the Galatians (Gal 4.17), Francis invited “to be careful of a misdirected zeal, committed to observing purely human and obsolete norms for the Christian community. A false evangelical zeal can be presumed when in reality one is behind vainglory or persecuting one’s own convictions “.

“Evangelical zeal – the Pope continued – is the support on which the proclamation is based, and the announcers are something like the feet of the body of Christ, which is the Church. There is no proclamation without movement, without ‘going out’, without initiative. The Gospel is announced by moving, walking, going”.

Paul says that zeal is like the “shoes” of the disciple, because “he who goes out to announce must move, must walk.” And recalling the analogy with armor in battle, it also becomes “the foundation on which the ad rests,” even in the most rugged terrain. “He who announces – the Pope commented – knows that the Lord happens in a surprising way; therefore, he must be free of schemes and predisposed to an unexpected and new action. Whoever announces the Gospel cannot fossilize in cages of plausibility or in the ‘ It’s always been done that way.'” He is willing “not to lose an opportunity to promulgate the proclamation of the Gospel of peace, that peace that Christ knows how to give more and better than the world gives it.”

Greeting the groups of pilgrims present, the Pontiff recalled that these days mark the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of the encyclical “Pace in Terris” of John XXIII. “In the midst of the tension between the two blocks facing each other in the so-called Cold War, the Pope opened before everyone a wide horizon in which to talk about peace and build peace, God’s project for the world and the family human”, Francis said. Then, inviting all the faithful to re-read this very current text, he quoted point 114, in which Pope John writes: “international relations, like individual relations, must be governed not by force of arms, but by the norms of correct reason, that is, the norms of truth, justice and active solidarity”. “I pray that the heads of nations allow themselves to be inspired by this in their projects and decisions”, added Francis, who also today urged people to pray “for the tormented Ukraine”.

Finally – with an eye on Divine Mercy Sunday, which will be celebrated next Sunday – he invited us to think “of the mercy of God, who always welcomes us and accompanies us.”