Franco Pisano

Francis, receiving the Passionists, said that "the strength and simplicity of your message, which is the love of God revealed on the Cross can still speak to today's society that has learned not to trust words alone and to be convinced only by facts ".

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty commits only Washington and Moscow and leaves Beijing with the possibility of developing new weapons. US National Security Adviser John Bolton’s visit to Moscow offers little hope.

During the presentation of this year's Missionary Day, the focus was on bearing witness and proclaiming Christ guided by love for the Lord and people. In 2019, the Extraordinary Missionary Month that Pope Francis announced will be held October to mark the 100th anniversary of the Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XV, "Maximum Illud", which changed the missionary attitude of the Church.

Jesus speaks of leaven "that makes you grow", but there is also a "bad" leaven that "ruins", which makes it grow "inward". It is that "of the Pharisees, of the doctors of the Law". "The leaven of Christians is the Holy Spirit, who pushes us outwards, makes us grow, with all the difficulties of the journey, even with all our sins, but always with hope".

The Church must broaden the role of women and young people. In Ukraine, the war has generated a certain dislike for the Church. Poor access to education for young people in some countries like Madagascar can hinder the promotion of evangelical values​. Metropolitan Hilarion of the Moscow Patriarchate spoke at the Synod.

The disciple is poor, in the sense that he is not attached to riches and this is the first step. He is then poor because "he is patient before small or large persecutions", and - third step - he is poor because he enters into that state of mind of feeling abandoned at the end of life. The same path as Jesus.

At the general audience Francis said that Jesus gave the Fifth Commandment a deeper meaning: "if killing means destroying, suppressing, eliminating someone, then not killing means caring, valuing, including. And even forgiving". "Not loving is the first step to killing; and not killing is the first step to loving ".

“And let us be careful with ourselves for this should lead us to think about our own life. Do I seek to look only at appearances, and not change my heart? Do I not open my heart to prayer, to the freedom of prayer, the freedom of almsgiving, the freedom of works of mercy?”

Receiving a group of faithful from El Salvador, Francis said that the memory of the slain bishop is "an exceptional opportunity to send a message of peace and reconciliation to all the peoples of Latin America".

Fraternal delegates spoke about the need to foster in young people, through prayer and asceticism, a personal relationship of friendship with Christ in times characterised by "improvised masters who proclaim themselves to be holders of the truth.” God calls on all young people to be mediators and bridges, conscious that "we are all children loved by God".

When the demon has been cast out, he returns. "Yes, we have our faults, our sins, but everything seems to be in order. And he is ‘well-mannered ': go, see, look for a nice clique, knock on the door -' May I enter? – He rings the bell. And these well-mannered demons are worse than the first, because you do not even realize they are in your home. "

For Card Becciu, Paul VI “was a heroic and brilliant witness of Christ, light of the world.” He was the pope “of dialogue with everyone: within the Catholic Church, with the brothers of other Christian Churches, with non-Christians and non-believers, always with the passion of evangelisation, to bring to every man the light of Christ, the love of Christ.”