Pope Francis became the first person to register for World Youth Day in Panama, doing so on a tablet during the Sunday Angelus.
POPE FRANCIS
“Today, registration opens for the World Youth Day, which will be held in Panama in January of 2019. In the presence of two young people, I now register through the Internet. See, I have registered as a pilgrim for the World Youth Day. Now we must prepare ourselves!”
The pope also gave a blessing in advance for the Chinese New Year, which will be celebrated on February 15.
POPE FRANCIS
“I send my cordial greeting to all their families, with the hope that they will live it in greater solidarity, fraternity and the desire of goodness, contributing to create a society in which every person is accepted, protected, promoted and integrated. I invite to pray for the gift of peace, precious treasure to be pursued with compassion, farsightedness, and courage.”
During the Angelus, the Holy Father recalled the scene in which Jesus cures a leper. Pope Francis called this disease the image of our sins.
POPE FRANCIS
“Now, we will be silent for a moment and each one of us – all of you, I, all – can think of his heart, look inside himself, and see his impurity, his sins. And each one of us, in silence, but with the voice of the heart say to Jesus, 'If You will, You can make me clean.' We all do it in silence.”
“If You will, You can make me clean.”
“If You will, You can make me clean.”
Every time we approach the sacrament of Reconciliation with a repentant heart, the Lord repeats also to us, 'I will, be clean!'
As World Day of the Sick was celebrated on Sunday, the pope bestowed a special blessing on those with health problems and those who feel alone or abandoned.