Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Leo XIV appeared at the window of the Vatican Apostolic Palace at noon today for the customary recitation of the Angelus before a crowd of some 15,000 people gathered in sun-drenched St Peter's Square.
After the Marian prayer, he spoke in English about the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks of 11 September 2001, in the United States. “I renew my prayers for those who lost their lives and for those who continue to bear the wounds of that tragic day,” he said.
Renewing “our commitment to peace”
On that fateful day, 2,977 people died. In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI visited Ground Zero, the memorial in New York located at the site of the former World Trade Center, which embodies the grief generated by a day that shook the world. Seven years later, Pope Francis visited the site as well.
At present, as much as all those years ago, the world is in the grip of violence. “At a time when conflict and violence afflict so many of our brothers and sisters, I invite everyone to pray that the Lord will bestow his gift of peace upon the world,” Leo said.
“The memory of the tragic event that took place twenty-five years ago prompts us to renew our commitment to peace, first and foremost through prayer, which we entrust to the intercession of the Virgin Mary.”
Forgiveness that sets free and brings to light
Before the Angelus, the pontiff spoke about "forgiveness," a topic arising from the day's Gospel (Mt 18:21-35). In his commentary, he stressed how Jesus "taught and bore witness to" forgiveness "even on the cross.”
In the passage from the Evangelist Matthew, Peter asks Him: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? (Mt 18:21).” Such “words reveal a generous heart, for the number seven symbolizes fullness in the Bible, and ‘forgiving seven times’ means forgiving abundantly.”
Jesus responds to Peter with “the parable of a servant who owed his master a large debt that was practically impossible to pay. Although his own debt was forgiven out of pure mercy, he did not extend the same mercy toward one of his fellow servants. [. . .] “for this he was rebuked and severely punished”. Ultimately, “gift and forgiveness are the foundation of our existence”.
For Leo, “All things are given to us by God out of pure love, and none of us can claim to be perfect in responding to such goodness”; giving freely must be understood as the "source of our existence” and the "best rule for our life together.”
This is something “We experience this every day. Forgiveness is indispensable, and without it, we cannot live in peace. Sooner or later conflicts, accusations, grudges and acts of vengeance emerge in our hearts and among people, and these acts destroy relationships, divide families and unleash wars.”
It is "only" through forgiveness that it is possible to emerge from such tragic situations, like a “gentle breeze” that “sweeps away even the thickest clouds until the sun shines once more.”
“Only forgiveness sets us free and restores the light,” Leo noted, “even where human material and moral poverty have darkened the horizon and made the path uncertain.”
