Pope Francis Remembers the Deaths of Children in Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen and in War, saying "Their memory invites us....to touch the hearts of many people, especially those who can stop the whirlwind of violence"
.png)
GREETING FROM THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO THE CHILDREN OF ITALIAN CATHOLIC ACTION
Consistory Hall on Friday, December 15, 2023
TO THE CHILDREN OF ITALIAN CATHOLIC ACTION
Consistory Hall on Friday, December 15, 2023
Meeting some 70 boys and girls of the Italian Catholic Action Pope Francis turns his thoughts to the children suffering war in Gaza, Ukraine and Yemen and reminds them that the gift of God's love at Christmas invites us to love Him, the others and also His creation.
_____________________________
Thanks for this visit. Thank you for singing so joyfully. And thank you for your work. Don't lose the enthusiasm, don't lose the mystique. I wrote a speech that I won't read now. You take it with you. I will deliver it to you, so that you can make it known. It is for you.
And thank you so much! Don't lose the joy. Now I would like to greet each of you. But first let's pray a little and ask for a blessing.
_________________________
FULL TEXT Speech of Pope Francis
Dear girls and boys of the ACR, good morning!
I thank you for this visit in which we exchange Christmas greetings. I greet the National President and the General Assistant, your leaders and educators, whom I thank for the care with which they follow you on your journey of faith. Welcome!
Christmas reminds us that God loves us and that he wants to be with us. This is why Jesus was born, became small, lived in a family with Mary and Joseph, and continues to be present at our side and in each of us: because he loves us, he is our friend. This is a wonderful gift. And it brings with it another: that we too can love one another as brothers. How much we need it today! Many peoples, many children suffer because of the war!
Coming here, you wanted to remember, with the symbol of the stars, your peers who have died in recent months due to the fighting, and who look at us from the sky like little lights. Do you know how many children died in Gaza in this latest war? More than three thousand. It's incredible, but it's reality. And in Ukraine there are more than five hundred, and in Yemen, in years of war, there are thousands. Their memory invites us to in turn be lights for the world, to touch the hearts of many people, especially those who can stop the whirlwind of violence. Loving God and loving each other: only in this way will the world find the light and peace it needs, as the angels sang in Bethlehem (see Luke 2:14). Loving God and others: in the family, in the parish, at school and along the roads you travel every day, to help everyone believe that it is still possible to change course, choose life and return to hope.
And I would like to dedicate one last thought to a third love: first, loving God; second loving others; third, love creation. I like the slogan of your association journey this year: "This is your home!". It helps you understand that God calls us to recognize and respect the beauty that surrounds us, in nature and in people, and thus to grow in sharing and brotherhood. Live this journey with commitment: it too contains a message of hope.
Dear children, at Christmas God shows us his love for him and invites us to love: Him, others and creation. Let us respond to his invitation by uniting, with our friendship and our tenderness, heaven and earth in one big embrace! I wish a Merry Christmas to you, your families and all of Catholic Action. I bless you and ask you, please, to pray for me. Thank you!
_____________________________
Thanks for this visit. Thank you for singing so joyfully. And thank you for your work. Don't lose the enthusiasm, don't lose the mystique. I wrote a speech that I won't read now. You take it with you. I will deliver it to you, so that you can make it known. It is for you.
And thank you so much! Don't lose the joy. Now I would like to greet each of you. But first let's pray a little and ask for a blessing.
_________________________
FULL TEXT Speech of Pope Francis
Dear girls and boys of the ACR, good morning!
I thank you for this visit in which we exchange Christmas greetings. I greet the National President and the General Assistant, your leaders and educators, whom I thank for the care with which they follow you on your journey of faith. Welcome!
Christmas reminds us that God loves us and that he wants to be with us. This is why Jesus was born, became small, lived in a family with Mary and Joseph, and continues to be present at our side and in each of us: because he loves us, he is our friend. This is a wonderful gift. And it brings with it another: that we too can love one another as brothers. How much we need it today! Many peoples, many children suffer because of the war!
Coming here, you wanted to remember, with the symbol of the stars, your peers who have died in recent months due to the fighting, and who look at us from the sky like little lights. Do you know how many children died in Gaza in this latest war? More than three thousand. It's incredible, but it's reality. And in Ukraine there are more than five hundred, and in Yemen, in years of war, there are thousands. Their memory invites us to in turn be lights for the world, to touch the hearts of many people, especially those who can stop the whirlwind of violence. Loving God and loving each other: only in this way will the world find the light and peace it needs, as the angels sang in Bethlehem (see Luke 2:14). Loving God and others: in the family, in the parish, at school and along the roads you travel every day, to help everyone believe that it is still possible to change course, choose life and return to hope.
And I would like to dedicate one last thought to a third love: first, loving God; second loving others; third, love creation. I like the slogan of your association journey this year: "This is your home!". It helps you understand that God calls us to recognize and respect the beauty that surrounds us, in nature and in people, and thus to grow in sharing and brotherhood. Live this journey with commitment: it too contains a message of hope.
Dear children, at Christmas God shows us his love for him and invites us to love: Him, others and creation. Let us respond to his invitation by uniting, with our friendship and our tenderness, heaven and earth in one big embrace! I wish a Merry Christmas to you, your families and all of Catholic Action. I bless you and ask you, please, to pray for me. Thank you!
Comments