15 May ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE BISHOPS OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE OF THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC ON THEIR “AD LIMINA” VISIT

[…] I would like you to convey to all the people of the Central African Republic the assurance of my closeness. I know the sufferings they have lived through and are still experiencing, as well as the innumerable testimonies of faith and fidelity that Christians have rendered to the Risen Christ on many occasions. I am particularly sensitive to all that your communities have done in favour of people who are victims of violence and refugees.[…]

09 May ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE BISHOPS OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE OF MOZAMBICO, ON THEIR “AD LIMINA” VISIT

[…] We all receive the water of Baptism, share in the same Eucharist, possess the same Holy Spirit, who reminds us what Jesus taught us. Well then! The first thing that Jesus teaches us is this: to encounter one another and, by encountering, to help. Encounter with the other makes the heart grow, increases the capacity to love. The Pastors and faithful of Mozambique need to develop the culture of encounter to a greater degree. Jesus asks you just one thing: that you go, that you seek out and encounter the neediest. How can we ignore victims of natural disasters? As we sadly witnessed a short time ago, these never cease to sow destruction, suffering and death, or increase the number of displaced people and refugees. These people need us to share in their pain, in their anxieties, in their problems. They need us to look at them with love; it is necessary to go to encounter them, as Jesus did.[…]

07 May ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE JOINT COMMITTEE OF THE CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN CHURCHES (CEC)

[…] Today the Churches and ecclesial communities in Europe find themselves facing new and decisive challenges, which can only be answered effectively by speaking with one voice. I am thinking, for example, of the challenge posed by legislators who, in the name of some badly interpreted principle of tolerance, end up preventing citizens from freely expressing and practicing their own religious convictions in a peaceful and legitimate way. Moreover, in the face of the attitude with which Europe seems to address the dramatic and often tragic migration of thousands of people fleeing war, persecution and misery, the Churches and ecclesial communities have the duty to collaborate in order to foster solidarity and acceptance. The Christians of Europe are called to intercede through prayer and to work actively in order to bring dialogue and peace to these current conflicts.[…]

04 May ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE BISHOPS OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE OF CONGO ON THEIR “AD LIMINA” VISIT

[…] Profound evangelization constitutes another challenge. Well, it necessarily presupposes particular attention to the actual living conditions of the peoples, or ultimately to the promotion of the human person. On this level too, the commitment of the Catholic Church in Congo is important: in every sphere, be it education, health care, aid to the various categories of people in need, among which are the refugees from neighbouring countries, your diocesan communities generate a considerable contribution. With the generosity and the dedication of the Good Samaritan, they place themselves without reservation at the service of their brothers and sisters. As pastors, continue to ensure that social pastoral care be increasingly carried out in the spirit of the Gospel and be ever better perceived as the work of evangelization, and not as the action of a non-governmental organization. […]

04 May ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS IN RESPONSE TO DR. ANTJE JACKELÉN, LUTHERAN ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, AND TO THE DELEGATION OF THE EVANGELICAL-LUTHERAN CHURCH OF SWEDEN

[…] I would like, in addition, to express my gratitude for two things. First of all, I wish to thank the Swedish Lutheran Church for welcoming so many South American migrants in the time of the dictatorships. This fraternal welcome made it possible to raise families. In the second place, I wish to thank you for the delicacy, dear sister, with which you mentioned my good friend, Pastor Anders Root; I shared the Chair of Spiritual Theology with him, and he helped me a great deal in my own spiritual life. Thank you.

30 Apr ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE COMMUNITY OF CHRISTIAN LIFE (CVX) – MISSIONARY STUDENTS’ LEAGUE OF ITALY

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS POSED BY ITALIAN REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COMMUNITY OF CHRISTIAN LIFE

[…] May your style of brotherhood, which you are undertaking in projects of welcoming of migrants in Sicily, make you generous in educating the young, both within your association and in schools. St Ignatius understood that it was essential to begin with youth in order to renew society and thus he encouraged the opening of schools. And from there the first Marian Congregations were born. In the wake of this bright and fruitful apostolic style, you too can be active in the various education institutions, Catholic and state, present in Italy, as you already do in many parts of the world. May there always be the joy of Gospel witness, together with a delicate approach and respect for others at the heart of your pastoral work. […]

18 Apr ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO H.E. Mr SERGIO MATTARELLA PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ITALY

[…] Lastly I should like to express my gratitude for Italy’s generous commitment to welcoming the numerous immigrants who, risking their lives, ask to be received. It is obvious that the proportions of the phenomenon require much broader involvement. We must not tire of requesting a more extensive commitment at the European and international levels. […]

18 Apr ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC SOCIETY FOR GIRLS (ACISJF)

[…] I express my gratitude for your generous commitment to serving girls who live in precarious situations of uncertainty and hardship. Their increasing number and the many forms of poverty which face them challenge us and must inspire new creativity in order to offer them the material and spiritual support they need. Yes, it is true happiness to serve others, like Jesus. Through your ongoing service of hospitality — how much hospitality these young girls need, they need hospitality — as well as reflection on how to face the new challenges brought by today’s world, such as the phenomenon of migration, your work seeks to be at the service of life and of human dignity, bearing witness to “true faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, … from service” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, n. 88). The girls whom you serve first of all need to receive attention and be listened to. That human and divine “apostolate of the ear” tires, it’s tiring, but it does so much good! They need this. In this way you can help them grow in trust, find points of reference and become mature adults and while their spirituality is nourished by Gospel values. May you be credible witnesses for them, so that they may experience the joy of knowing they are loved by God, their Father, and the call to happiness! […]