As usual thousands of pilgrims welcomed the pope enthusiastically in St. Peter's Square. Some, of course, stood out a little more than others.
During the catechesis, the pope explained two things: that a Christian cannot face the world with the idea of giving up and that he must be willing to take risks in order to change things.
POPE FRANCIS
'Resignation is not a Christian virtue. It is not Christian to shrug or lower their heads to face a destiny that seems inevitable.'
He said a Christian is a builder of peace and reproached those who are not willing to risk their well-being for others.
POPE FRANCIS
'This is not a peacemaker. This is a bum, a comfortable one. There is no peacemaker who, in the end, has not compromised his personal peace, taking on the problems of others. Because the Christian risks, he has the courage to risk to bring good, the good that Jesus has given us, the good He has given us as a treasure.”
The pope recalled that October 13, marks 100 years after the last Marian apparition in Fatima to the three shepherds. He asked for prayers for peace in the world.
POPE FRANCIS
'May prayer move the most hostile spirits so that they banish violence from their hearts, their words and their gestures, and they build nonviolent communities to care of our common home.'
In addition, on the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, he once again called on the international community to take measures to reduce the risks the poor face when exposed to natural disasters. They are the ones most affected when calamities occur.
