Pages of the social Gospel are browsed through by the Holy Father on Sunday, June 15, in which the Church celebrates the Holy Trinity. It is an invitation to dialogue, harmony between peoples, reconciliation among believers, the Marian prayer which the Pope shares with the faithful gathered in large numbers in St. Peter's Square.
News of wars and tensions come from the Middle East and from a thousand places of 21st century Christian martyrdom and Jorge Mario Bergoglio bears the sufferings of worldwide communities and turns to local Churches exhorting them not to give in to hatred'. The devil always sows discord, he repeats. Francis announces his trip to Albania, he prays for Iraq which is in chaos and condemns the divisions among Christians. "True love is without limits, but knows how to limit itself in order to reach out to others, to respect the freedom of others", said the Pope at the Angelus recited from the studio window on St. Peter's Square.
Pope Bergoglio explains to the faithful the meaning of the Trinity and reflected on the feast of Corpus Christi. "In the Trinity - he said - we also recognize the model of the Church, in which we are called to love one another as Jesus has loved us. Love - he added – is a concrete sign that shows the belief in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Love is what distinguishes a Christian". "The Eucharist – the Pope explained - is like the 'burning bush' in which the Trinity humbly lives and communicates; for this reason the Church has placed the feast of Corpus Christi after the Trinity. Next Thursday, according to Roman tradition, - he said – we will celebrate Mass at St. John Lateran and then we will go in procession with the Blessed Sacrament. I invite - he said - Romans and pilgrims to participate to express our desire to be a people gathered in the unity of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit» as St. Cyprian said. I expect you all next Thursday at 1900 for the Mass and the procession of Corpus Domini".
Furthermore, it is also a contradiction to think of Christians hating each other, it is a contradiction, and that is what the devil seeks, to make us hate one another, because he always sowing seeds of hatred, he does not know the love of God".
This afternoon, the Jewish community of Rome, will meet the Pope in Santa Maria in Trastevere, during the visit of the Pope to the Community of Sant'Egidio. The President of the Jewish Community of Rome, Riccardo Pacifici, will greet the Pope upon his arrival, outside the church. Also on behalf of the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, the president of Rome's Jewish community will deliver a letter to Francis who, as we learn from the Jewish community itself, is an official invitation to visit the Synagogue of Rome.
After praying the Angelus, the Pope addressed a «special thought» « to domestic workers and caregivers, who come from many parts of the world - he pointed out - providing a valuable service to families, especially in support of the elderly and people who are not self-sufficient». Francis hopes «for the Iraqi population security and peace and a future of reconciliation and justice where all Iraqis, regardless of their religious affiliation, can build their homeland together, making it a model of coexistence». In fact, «I am following with deep concern the events of recent days in Iraq». And invites “all of you to join me in prayer for the dear nation of Iraq, especially for the victims and for those who suffer most from the consequences of the rising wave of violence, especially for the many people, including many Christians, who had to leave their own home».
Lastly. The Pope said he was «pleased to announce» that on September 21st he will go to Tirana, invited by the bishops and by the authorities. With this short trip - said the Pope - I would like to confirm the Church in Albania in the faith and demonstrate my encouragement to a country that has long suffered as a result of the ideologies of the past”. On April 25, 1993 Albania was visited by John Paul II.
