We pray that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than confrontation and helping the youngest and most vulnerable above all.

I would like to propose that educators add new content to their teaching: fraternity.

Education is an act of love that illuminates the path for us to recover a sense of fraternity, so we will not ignore those who are most vulnerable.

Educators are witnesses who not only impart their mental knowledge, but also their convictions, their commitment to life.

They know how to handle the three languages well: that of the head, that of the heart, and that of the hands, all in harmony. And hence the joy in communicating.

And they will be heeded much more attentively and will become community builders.

Why? Because they’re sowing this testimony.

Let us pray that educators may be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than confrontation and helping especially the youngest and most vulnerable above all.

January 2023

We pray that parishes, placing communion at the centre, may increasingly become communities of faith, fraternity and welcome towards those most in need.

Sometimes I think that we should put a sign on the door of parishes that says, “Free admission.”

Parishes should be close-knit communities, without bureaucracy, people-centered —a place where the gift of the sacraments can be found.

They have to become once again schools of service and generosity, with their doors always open to those who are excluded. And to those included. To all.

Parishes are not a club for the few, which give a certain kind of social belonging.

Please, let us be daring.

Let us all rethink the style of our parochial communities.

Let us pray that parishes, placing communion –communion of people, ecclesial communion– at the center, may increasingly become communities of faith, of fraternity and of welcoming the most in need.

February  2023

We pray for those who have suffered harm from members of the Church; may they find within the Church herself a concrete response to their pain and suffering.

In response to cases of abuse, especially to those committed by members of the Church, it’s not enough to ask for forgiveness.

Asking for forgiveness is necessary, but it is not enough. Asking for forgiveness is good for the victims, but they are the ones who have to be “at the center” of everything.

Their pain and their psychological wounds can begin to heal if they find answers —if there are concrete actions to repair the horrors they have suffered and to prevent them from happening again.

The Church cannot try to hide the tragedy of abuse of any kind. Nor when the abuse takes place in families, in clubs, or in other types of institutions.

The Church must serve as a model to help solve the issue and bring it to light in society and in families.

The Church must offer safe spaces for victims to be heard, supported psychologically, and protected.

Let us pray for those who have suffered because of the wrongs done to them from members of the Church; may they find within the Church herself a concrete response to their pain and suffering.

March  2023

Let us pray for a more widespread culture of non-violence, that will progress when countries and citizens alike resort less and less to the use of arms.

Living, speaking, and acting without violence is not surrendering, losing or giving up anything, but aspiring to everything.

As Saint John XXIII said 60 years ago in his Encyclical Pacem in Terris, war is madness. It’s beyond reason.

Any war, any armed confrontation, always ends in defeat for all.

Let us develop a culture of peace.

Let us remember that, even in cases of self-defense, peace is the ultimate goal, and that a lasting peace can exist only without weapons.

Let us make non-violence a guide for our actions, both in daily life and in international relations.

And let us pray for a more widespread culture of non-violence, that will progress when countries and citizens alike resort less and less to the use of arms.

April 2023

Torture. Oh my God – torture!

Torture is not past history. Unfortunately, it’s part of our history today.

How is it possible that the human capacity for cruelty is so huge?

There are extremely violent forms of torture. Others are more sophisticated, such as degrading someone, dulling the senses, or mass detentions in conditions so inhumane that they take away the dignity of the person.

But this is not something new. Let’s think of how Jesus himself was tortured and crucified.

Let us put a stop to this horror of torture. It is essential to put the dignity of the person above all else.

Otherwise, the victims are not persons, they are “things,” and can be mistreated mercilessly, causing death or permanent psychological and physical harm lasting a lifetime.

Let us pray that the international community commit itself concretely to abolish torture, guaranteeing support to victims and their families.

June 2023

If you are the same at the end of Mass as you were at the beginning, something is wrong.

The Eucharist is the presence of Jesus, it is deeply transforming. Jesus comes and must transform you.

In the Eucharist, it is Christ who offers Himself, who gives himself for us. He invites us, so that our lives may be nourished by Him and may nourish the lives of our brothers and sisters.

The Eucharistic Celebration is an encounter with the Risen Jesus. At the same time, it is a way of opening ourselves to the world as He taught us.

Each time we participate in the Eucharist, Jesus comes and Jesus gives us the strength to love like He loved, because it gives us the courage to encounter others, to go out of ourselves, and to open ourselves to others with love.

Let us pray that Catholics place at the centre of their lives the Eucharistic Celebration, which transforms human relationships and opens up an encounter with God and their brothers and sisters.

July 2023

When I go to the church in my neighborhood, I see only old people. Is the Church only for old people? 

The Church is not an old people’s club any more than it is a youth club. If it becomes something for old people, it will die. Saint John Paul II used to say that if you live with young people you become young yourself. The Church needs young people so it doesn’t grow old. 

Dear Pope Francis, why did you choose the theme “Mary arose and went with haste” for this WYD? 

Because as soon as Mary knew she was going to be the mother of God, she didn’t stay there taking a selfie or showing off. The first thing she did was to set out on a journey, in haste, to serve, to help. You too have to learn from her to set out on a journey to help others.

What is your hope for WYD in Lisbon?

In Lisbon, I would like to see a seed for the world’s future. A world where love is at the center, where we can sense that we are sisters and brothers. We are at war; we need something else. A world that is not afraid of witnessing to the Gospel. A joyful world – because if we Christians have no joy, we are not credible, no one will believe us.

Let us pray that the World Youth Day in Lisbon will help us young people to set out on the journey, witnessing to the Gospel with our own lives.

August 2023

A homeless person who dies on the street will never appear among the top stories of search engines or newscasts.

How could we have reached this level of indifference?

How is it that we allow the “throwaway culture” – in which millions of men and women are worth nothing compared to economic goods – how is it that we allow this culture to dominate our lives, our cities, our way of life?

Our necks are going to get stiff from looking the other way so we don’t have to see this situation.

Please, let’s stop making invisible those who are on the margins of society, whether it’s due to poverty, addictions, mental illness or disability.

Let’s focus on accepting them, on welcoming all the people who need it.

The “culture of welcoming,” of hospitality, of providing shelter, of giving a home, of offering love, of giving human warmth.

Let us pray for those people on the margins of society in subhuman living conditions, that they may not be neglected by institutions and never be cast out.

September 2023

Let us pray for the Church, that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a style of life at every level, allowing herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the world’s peripheries.

Mission is at the heart of the Church. And even more when a Church is in Synod. This synodal dynamic alone carries its missionary vocation forward – that is, her response to Jesus’ mandate to proclaim the Gospel.

I would like to recall that nothing ends here. Rather, we are continuing an ecclesial journey here.

This is a journey we will travel, like the disciples of Emmaus, listening to the Lord who always comes to meet us.

He is the Lord of surprises.

Through prayer and discernment, the Holy Spirit helps us carry out the “apostolate of the ear,” that is, listening with God’s ears in order to speak with the word of God.

And thus, we draw near to the heart of Christ. Our mission and the voice that draws us to him spring from him.

This voice reveals to us that the heart of mission is to reach out to everyone, to seek everyone, to welcome everyone, to involve everyone, without excluding anyone.

Let us pray for the Church, that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a style of life at every level, allowing herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the world’s peripheries.

October 2023

Let us pray for the Pope, so that in the exercise of his mission, he may continue to accompany in the faith the flock entrusted to him by Jesus, always with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Pray to the Lord that he will bless me.

Your prayer gives me strength and helps me to discern and to accompany the Church, listening to the Holy Spirit.

The fact that someone is Pope doesn’t mean they lose their humanity. On the contrary, my humanity grows each day with God’s holy and faithful people.

Being Pope is also a process. The person becomes aware of what it means to be a pastor.

And in this process, he learns how to be more charitable, more merciful, and, above all, more patient, like God our Father, who is so patient.

I can imagine that at the beginning of their pontificate, all the Popes had this feeling of trepidation, apprehension, knowing that he will be judged harshly.

For the Lord will ask us Bishops to give a serious account.

Please, I ask you to judge benevolently. And that you pray that the Pope, whoever he might be, today it is my turn, may receive the help of the Holy Spirit, that he may be docile to that help.

Let us pray for the Pope, so that in the exercise of his mission, he may continue to accompany in the faith the flock entrusted to him by Jesus, always with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Let us make, in silence, this prayer: your prayer over me.

And pray for me! Favourably!

November 2023

Let us pray that people with disabilities may be at the centre of attention in society, and that institutions offer inclusion programs that enhance their active participation.

People with disabilities are among the most fragile among us.

Some of them suffer rejection, rooted in either ignorance or prejudice, which then marginalizes them.

Civil institutions need to support their projects through access to education, employment, and places where they can express their creativity.

Programs and initiatives are needed that promote their inclusion.

Above all else, big hearts are needed who want to accompany.

It means changing our mentality a little and opening ourselves to the abilities and talents of these people who are differently abled, both in society as well as in the life of the Church.

And so, creating a completely accessible parish does not only mean eliminating physical barriers. It also assumes that we stop talking about “them” and start talking about “us.”

Let us pray that people with disabilities may be at the center of attention in society, and that institutions offer inclusion programs that enhance their active participation.

November 2023