Pope Francis' Message as Sagrada Familia Cathedral Inaugurates New Tower "Peace and love!" - FULL TEXT + Video

 VIDEO MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS

ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION
OF THE TOWER OF THE VIRGIN IN THE SAGRADA FAMÍLIA  OF BARCELONA

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Dear brothers and sisters who are wandering in the archdiocese of Barcelona,

Peace and love! And with this cordial Franciscan greeting, I join all of you from Rome at this moment when the star of the tower of the Virgin Mary in the basilica of the Sagrada Familia lights up,

I also wish to extend my greetings in a special way to the poorest of this great city, to the sick, to people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, to the elderly, to young people who for various situations see their future compromised, to the people who are experiencing moments of trial. Dear friends, today the star of Mary's tower shines for all of you.

Together with my brothers - Cardinal Archbishop Juan José Omella and his three auxiliary Bishops - you "walk together", that is, synodally, both the lay faithful - children, adolescents, young people and adults - and the members of consecrated life, seminarians , deacons and priests. On this synodal path, from today the star that the great architect Antoni Gaudí dreamed of crowning the tower of the Virgin Mary illuminates you.

And in fact Mary is the "Star of the new evangelization". Therefore, raising our eyes to the star that crowns the tower, I invite you to contemplate our Mother, "because every time we look at Mary we go back to believing in the revolutionary power of tenderness and affection" ( Evangelii gaudium , n. 288) .

Today we celebrate the solemnity of Mary Immaculate, she is a work of art! In perfect harmony with God's plan for her, the Virgin Mary became the holiest, humblest, docile and transparent before God. Gaudí wanted this mystery to crown the portal of faith - the first he built - so that, in reciting the prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, which he rewrites throughout the basilica, we learn to be, like Mary, the temple of this mystery, and to worship God in spirit and in truth.

The Gospel of Saint Luke, in effect, refers to her as "full of grace" ( Lk 1, 28). We too turn to her in this way in every Hail Mary we recite, always feeling her maternal and affectionate presence. She is full of the presence of God, who became flesh in her womb. Therefore Gaudí also places it at the center of the portal of charities, offering us the Child Jesus under the attentive gaze of Saint Joseph, so that we enter his Church burning with love for God and men.

I encourage you to follow the example of the Virgin Mary with daily gestures of love and service. The immaculate beauty of our Mother is inimitable. And, at the same time, it attracts us. May this star that shines from today enlighten you so that, by reeling the beads of the rosary, you say "yes" once and for all to the grace of the Lord and give a decisive "no" to sin. By praying with Mary we meditate on the mysteries of Jesus' life, but we also discern the path that He shows us and we receive the strength to reject the temptations of violence or immediate benefit.

I too join in your prayers which, like countless roses, are pictured at the feet of Mary in this beautiful basilica. I pray that each of you will make Barcelona more livable and welcoming for all. I particularly entrust those people who perform roles of greater responsibility. May the Virgin Mary obtain for them wisdom, promptness in service and breadth of views. May Saint Mary watch over families with her bright star. She, forming the Holy Family of Nazareth, together with the Child Jesus and Saint Joseph, lived situations similar to many families like yours. Gaudí represented him in the portal of hope, expressing with the faces of the workers the sufferings and difficulties that put them in communion with those that the Holy Family underwent, the exile in Egypt of many poor people who seek a better future and escape from evil; the death of so many innocent people who join those of Bethlehem. May the Virgin Mary watch over your homes, schools, universities, offices, shops, hospitals, prisons. By shelling the Virgin's crown of sorrows, do not stop praying for the poor, the excluded, because they are in the heart of God. And many times we are responsible for their poverty and their exclusion. We take this opportunity to examine ourselves, how much responsibility we have in all of this. the excluded, because they are in the heart of God. And many times we are responsible for their poverty and their exclusion. We take this opportunity to examine ourselves, how much responsibility we have in all of this. the excluded, because they are in the heart of God. And many times we are responsible for their poverty and their exclusion. We take this opportunity to examine ourselves, how much responsibility we have in all of this.

May this lit star of the tower of the Virgin Mary also enlighten us to continue to make the Diocesan Pastoral Plan a reality, radiating the joy of the Gospel everywhere. That, starting from the encounter with Christ, you grow in brotherhood, in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel to young people, in welcoming the poor and marginalized, starting from the discernment of those who have heard a lot to know how to listen to Spirit and a heart totally willing to do what He asks of us. Don't forget the tree, don't forget the elders. The rootless tree does not grow, it does not bloom. We do not discard the elderly, they are not waste material, they are living memory. From them comes the sap that makes everything grow. We help dialogue between young and old,

May God bless you and may the Holy Virgin, our Immaculate Mother, take care of you. And please don't forget to pray for me. Thanks.

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L'Osservatore Romano , Year CLXI n. 280, Thursday 9 December 2021, p. 3.

 FULL TEXT Source: Vatican.va -  Translation from Spanish