SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD: WORLD DAY OF PEACE, POPE FRANCIS: ANGELUS

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As mother, Mary plays a most important role: she places herself between her Son
Jesus and the people in the reality of their sacrifices, in the reality of their poverty
and suffering. Mary intercedes, as in Cana, conscious that as Mother she can, rather
she must make the Son aware of the needs of the people, especially the weakest and
most impoverished. The theme of the World Day of Peace, which we are celebrating
today, is dedicated precisely to these people: “Migrants and refugees: men and
women in search of peace”, this is the motto for this Day. I would like, once again,
to be the voice of these brothers and sisters of ours who invoke for their future a
horizon of peace. For this peace, which is the right of all, many of them are willing to
risk their lives on a journey that in most cases is long and perilous; they are willing
to endure hardships and suffering (cf. Message for the World Day of Peace 2018, 1).
Please, let us not extinguish the hope in their heart; let us not smother their
expectations of peace! It is important that from all, civil institutions, educational,
welfare and ecclesial bodies, there be a commitment to ensure to refugees, to
migrants, to all a future of peace. May the Lord allow us all to work in this new year
with generosity, with generosity, in order to achieve a more supportive and
welcoming world. I invite you to pray for this, as along with you I entrust to Mary,
Mother of God and our Mother, the newly begun year 2018. The elderly Russian
monks, mystics, used to say that in times of spiritual unrest it was necessary to
gather under the mantle of the Holy Mother of God. Considering so much unrest
today, and above all migrants and refugees, let us pray as the monks taught us to
pray: “We fly to Thy protection, O Holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in
our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O Glorious and Blessed
Virgin”.
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