When we pray to God following Jesus, we come together as brothers and sisters with those who pray according to other cultures, other traditions and other beliefs.

We are brothers and sisters who pray.

Fraternity leads us to open ourselves to the Father of all and to see in the other a brother or sister, to share our lives or to support, to love, and to know each other.

The Church values God’s action in other religions, without forgetting that for us Christians, the wellspring of human dignity and fraternity, is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We believers must return to our sources and concentrate on what is essential. What is essential to our faith is the adoration of God and love of neighbour.

Let us pray that the Lord may give us the grace to live in full fellowship with our brothers and sisters of other religions and not fight each other, and praying for one another, open ourselves to all.

Today, there continue to be women who suffer violence. Psychological violence, verbal violence, physical violence, sexual violence.

It’s shocking how many women are beaten, insulted, and raped.

The various forms of ill-treatment that many women suffer are acts of cowardice and a degradation of all humanity. Of men and of all humanity.

The testimonies of the victims who dare to break their silence are a cry for help that we cannot ignore.

We must not look the other away.

Let us pray for women who are victims of violence, that they may be protected by society and have their sufferings considered and heeded by all.

When I go to confession, it is in order to be healed, to heal my soul.

To leave with greater spiritual health. To pass from misery to mercy.

The centre of confession is not the sins we declare, but the divine love we receive, of which we are always in need.

The centre of confession is Jesus who waits for us, who listens to us and forgives us.

Remember this: In the heart of God, we come before our mistakes.

And let us pray that we may experience the sacrament of reconciliation with renewed depth, to taste the forgiveness and infinite mercy of God. And let us pray that God may give his Church merciful priests and not torturers.

The true economy, the one that creates work, is in crisis. How many people are now unemployed! — But the financial markets have never been as inflated as they are now.

How far away is the world of high finance from the lives of ordinary people!

If finance is unregulated, it becomes pure speculation driven by various monetary policies.

This situation is unsustainable. And it is dangerous.

So that the poor do not suffer painful consequences from this system, financial speculation must be carefully regulated.

Speculation. I want to underline that term.

May finance be a form of service, and an instrument to serve the people, and to care for our common home!

We still have time to begin a process of global change to practice a different kind of economy, one that is more just, more inclusive and sustainable —and leaves no one behind.

We can do this! And let us pray that those in charge of finance will work with governments to regulate financial markets and protect citizens from its dangers.

Is it true, what some people say—that young people don’t want to get married, especially during these difficult times?

Getting married and sharing one’s life is something beautiful.

It’s a demanding journey, at times difficult, and at times complicated, but it’s worth making the effort. And on this life-long journey, the husband and wife aren’t alone; Jesus accompanies them.

Marriage isn’t just a “social” act; it’s a vocation that’s born from the heart; it’s a conscious decision for the rest of one’s life that requires specific preparation.

Please, never forget this. God has a dream for us —love— and He asks us to make it his own.

Let us make our own the love which is God’s dream for us.

And let us pray for young people who are preparing for marriage with the support of a Christian community: may they grow in love, with generosity, faithfulness and patience. Because a great deal of patience is necessary in order to love. But it’s worth it, eh?

The Bible says that whoever finds a friend has found a treasure.

I would like to invite everyone to go beyond their groups of friends and build social friendship, which is so necessary for living together well.

We especially need to have a renewed encounter with the most impoverished and vulnerable, those on the peripheries. And we need to distance ourselves from populisms that exploit the anguish of the people without providing solutions, proposing a mystique that solves nothing.

We must flee from social enmity which only destroys, and leave “polarization” behind.

And this isn’t always easy, especially today when part of our politics, society and media are bent on creating enemies so as to defeat them in a game of power.

Dialogue is the path to seeing reality in a new way, so we can live with passion the challenges we face in constructing the common good.

Let us pray that, in social, economic, and political situations of conflict, we may be courageous and passionate architects of dialogue and friendship, men and women who always hold out a helping hand, and may no spaces of enmity and war remain.

The specific vocation of the Church is evangelization, which isn’t proselytism, no. Its vocation is evangelization; even more, the Church’s identity is evangelization.

We can only renew the Church by discerning God’s will in our daily life and embarking on a transformation guided by the Holy Spirit. Our own reform as persons is that transformation. Allowing the Holy Spirit, the gift of God in our hearts, remind us what Jesus taught and help us put it into practice.

Let us begin reforming the Church with a reform of ourselves, without prefabricated ideas, without ideological prejudices, without rigidity, but rather by moving forward based on spiritual experience —an experience of prayer, an experience of charity, an experience of service.

I dream of an even more missionary option: one that goes out to meet others without proselytism and that transforms all its structures for the evangelization of today’s world.

Let us remember that the Church always has difficulties, always is in crisis, because she’s alive. Living things go through crises. Only the dead don’t have crises.

Let us pray for the Church, that she may receive from the Holy Spirit the grace and strength to reform herself in the light of the Gospel.

It makes me very happy to see that young people have the courage to undertake projects for environmental and social improvement, since the two go together.

We adults can learn much from them, because in all matters related to care for the planet, they are at the forefront.

Let us take advantage of their example and reflect on our lifestyle, especially during these moments of health, social and environmental crisis.

Let us reflect on how the way we eat, consume, travel, or the way we use water, energy, plastics, and many other material goods, is often harmful to the earth.

Let us choose to change! Let us advance with young people towards lifestyles that are simpler and more respectful of the environment.

Let us pray that we all will make courageous choices, the choices necessary for a simple and environmentally sustainable lifestyle, taking inspiration from our young people who are resolutely committed to this. And they aren’t foolish, because they are committed to their own future. This is why they want to change what they will inherit at a time when we will no longer be here.

Jesus asks us all, and you as well, to be missionary disciples. Are you ready?

It’s enough to be available to answer His call and to live united to the Lord in the most common daily things —work, meeting other people, our daily duties, the chance events of each day— allowing ourselves to be guided always by the Holy Spirit.

If Christ moves you, if you do things because Christ is guiding you, others will notice it easily.

And your testimony of life will inspire admiration, and admiration inspires others to ask themselves, “How is it possible for this person to be this way?,” “What is the source of the love with which this person treats everyone —the kindness and good humour?”

Let us remember that the mission is not proselytism; the mission is based on an encounter between people, on the testimony of men and women who say, “I know Jesus, and I’d like you to know Him too.”

Brothers and sisters, let us pray that every baptized person may be engaged in evangelization, available to the mission, by being witnesses of a life that has the flavour of the Gospel.

Overwork and work-related stress cause many people to experience extreme exhaustion —mental, emotional, affective, and physical exhaustion.

Sadness, apathy, and spiritual tiredness end up dominating people’s lives, who are overloaded due to the rhythm of life today.

Let us try to be close to those who are exhausted, to those who are desperate, without hope. Often, we should just simply listen in silence, because we cannot go and tell someone, “No, life’s not like that. Listen to me, I’ll give you the solution.” There’s no solution.

And besides, let us not forget that, along with the indispensable psychological counselling, which is useful and effective, Jesus’ words also help. It comes to my mind and heart: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Let us pray that people who suffer from depression or burn-out will find support and a light that opens them up to life.

Catechists have an invaluable mission for the transmission and growth of the faith.

The lay ministry of catechist is a vocation; it’s a mission. Being a catechist means that you ‘are a catechist,’ not that you ‘work as a catechist.’ It’s an entire way of being, and we need good catechists who are both companions and teachers.

We need creative people who proclaim the Gospel, but who proclaim it neither with a mute nor with a loudspeaker, but rather with their life, with gentleness, with a new language, and opening new ways.

In many dioceses, on many continents, evangelization is fundamentally in the hands of a catechist.

Let us thank catechists for the interior enthusiasm with which they live this mission at the service of the Church.

Let us pray for the catechists, summoned to announce the Word of God: may they be its witnesses, with courage and creativity and in the power of the Holy Spirit, with joy and much peace.