Pope in Georgia: a world "thirsty for peace," calls for "new momentum" in relations between Catholics and Orthodox

At the General Audience Francis says that "merciful love is the only way forward", "we must be more merciful, we must not speak ill of others, or tease others with criticism, with envy with jealousies, forgive, be merciful, live our life in love and give".

 

Francis says his meditation at the ‘Thirst for Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue’ meeting. "The victims of war, which sullies people with hate and the earth with arms, plead for peace; our brothers and sisters, who live under the threat of bombs and are forced to leave their homes into the unknown, stripped of everything, plead for peace.”

The Archbishop of Cotabato, in the heart of the predominantly Muslim Mindanao, condemns the actions of Abu Sayyaf, calling its members “practical atheists” who have “inadequate knowledge” of their own religion. Many Christians also “do not know the Bible very well”. They say they know “Christ and his teachings” but show “a stark dichotomy between belief and practice”.

At Mass celebrated before leaving for Assisi, Francis says that religions, overcoming their divisions, are to pray for peace in the common belief that "God is peace." ". "We frightened" by "some act of terrorism" but "this has nothing to do with what happens in those countries, in those lands where the bombs fall and fall day and night" and "kill children, old, men, women…".

The Filipino president has called for a six-month extension to his "war on drugs" which, so far, has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths. Despite his wish, he “cannot kill them all”, he said. Analyst told AsiaNews that his “first steps after coming to power closely resemble those of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos,” acting as “loving father of the nation” whilst seeking “military backing”. For Card Tagle, “We are here for you. Let us not waste life."

At Mass this morning Francis recalls Christ’s council: "Be children of light and not of darkness; guard the light that was given as a gift on the day of Baptism ". In all of us there is "a piece of mafia", “that takes advantage of the trust of others to plot evil."

At the end of the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis urges people to take part in the Assisi meeting  on September 20 as "a day of prayer for peace". In life we choose "between two roads: between honesty and dishonesty, between fidelity and infidelity, between selfishness and selflessness, between good and evil." A greeting to the participants in the National Eucharistic Congress of Genova. The beatification of Elizabeth Sanna.

Francis celebrates Mass in Santa Marta in the presence of the papal representatives from around the world, in Rome for the Jubilee. Their’s "is a vagabond’s life , constantly on the move. But you must remember three ways of going out: physically, culturally and spiritually. Never forget this ."

Francis met participants at the annual training course organised jointly by the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Eastern Churches. Mercy is a "summary of what God offers to the world."

"We are afraid to accept and bear the ultimate consequences to the flesh of Christ. a spiritualistic piety is easier, a gossamer pietism; but to enter into the logic of the flesh of Christ, this is difficult. And this is the logic of the day after tomorrow. We will be resurrected as Christ is risen, with our flesh".

In a message published yesterday, the Bishops' Conference condemns the escalation of violence that exists in the Philippines. Abortion, acts of terrorism and extra judicial killings of drug dealers are "sins that harm the dignity of the human person". In the last 10 weeks 3500 people killed in the country. Addicts "are brothers who deserve a second chance, not death."

 

For three days, 106 papal representatives will take part in seminars and moments of spirituality. Francis will receive them on Saturday, but the diplomats will have more opportunities to meet with him. A Jubilee day will be held on 18 November for the nunciature employees.

In the current "crisis of a great orphahood", "We Christians have a Mother, the same as Jesus; we have a Father, the same as Jesus. We are not orphans. "

 

"It is not the spirit of Jesus”, who  instead "reaches out to the humble, to the little ones, the poor, the needy, because he himself  became small and humble. He includes the poor and the suffering because He himself is poor and tried by pain". Those who pass through the Door of Mercy seek Jesus, the friendship of Jesus. "This path expresses the conversion of every disciple who endeavors to follow Jesus. And conversion is always a discovery of God's mercy."

Dr. Gabriel Dy-Liacco, Filipino, is a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children. He tells AsiaNews about the groups "progress", called by the Pope to prepare a series of initiatives for the protection of the weakest in the Catholic community: "We need practical steps and clear measures, that we hope will be less and less necessary thanks to the work on prevention".  The essential role of prayer: "We cannot limit our work to prayer, but without total faith in the loving face of God we will never heal these wounds".