Music from this choir welcomed Pope Francis to the Geneva Palex, where the Holy Father presided over a Mass for the Swiss Catholic community.
Pope Francis celebrated the Eucharist in French, one of the official Swiss languages.
Although, he gave his homily in Italian, focusing on three words: Father, bread and forgiveness.
The pope explained that God is the Father of mankind, which forms one human family and, thus, Christians must not be indifferent to the destiny of their neighbor.
POPE FRANCIS
“We are called to be good guardians of our family, to overcome all indifference towards our brothers or sisters, towards any of our brothers or sisters. This includes the unborn, the older person who can no longer speak, the person we find hard to forgive, the poor and the outcast.”
Regarding the bread, Pope Francis strongly criticized the fact that there are people in the world without access to nourishment.
POPE FRANCIS
“Here I would say: Woe to those who speculate on bread! The basic food that people need for their daily lives must be accessible to everyone.”
At the same time, he also criticized the opposite, excess, especially of those things that fill life but empty the heart. Thus, the pope pleaded for a simpler life.
POPE FRANCIS
“Let us choose the simplicity of bread and so rediscover the courage of silence and of prayer, the leaven of a truly human life. Let us choose people over things so that personal, not virtual, relationships may flourish.'
The true bread of life is Christ, who must not be an extra, but rather the first choice.
POPE FRANCIS
“He is our regular diet for healthy living. Sometimes, however, we treat Jesus as a side dish.”
To conclude, Pope Francis urged each person to examine his or her interior and emphasized the renewing strength of forgiveness.
POPE FRANCIS
“There is no greater novelty than forgiveness, which turns evil into good.”
It's the same forgiveness that has changed relationships among the different Christian denominations, as the pope recalled at the end of this ceremony.
