There was plenty of color and people in St. Peter's Square on Sunday with thousands of pilgrims who came out to pray the Regina Coeli with Pope Francis.
The Pope turned his attention to a sunken boat that capsized Saturday night in the Mediterranean. It took off from Libya with roughly 700 people on board. It's estimated that about half of them died.
Seemingly moved, and taking long pauses as he spoke.. the Pope said he's praying for the victims.
POPE FRANCIS
'Hundreds of victims are feared dead. I express my deepest sorrow in the face of such a tragedy and I assure those lost and their families, my remembrance in prayer.â?
Reflecting on Sunday's readings, the Pope talked about the Risen Christ, and the importance of sharing one's testimony of faith.
POPE FRANCIS
'We can ask ourselves: who is the witness? The witness is one who has seen, who remembers and conveys. To see, to remember and to tell are the three verbs that describes the identity and mission.â?
That is the mission, he said, all Christians have. The basis of sharing a Christian testimony isn't about a theory, ideology, prohibitions or even about moralism. At its very core, he explained, it's about salvation.
POPE FRANCIS
'But if a Christian gives into comfort, vanity or selfishness, it that person becomes deaf or blind before the question of the Resurrection, often asked by our brothers and sister, how can Jesus' message be communicated?'
The Pope then reiterated that he plans to visit the city of Turin to pray before the Holy Shroud on June 21st. The Shroud will be on public display from April 19th to June 24th.
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