Despite it being a cold and cloudy day, the pope still took time out to greet pilgrims in St. Peter's Square. As usual he had a group of children accompany him in the popemobile. They are refugee children who come from Libya. They arrived in Italy thanks to the humanitarian corridors and are a mixture of nationalities Syria, Nigeria and Congo.
In his catechesis, Pope Francis reflected on the final petition made in the Our Father prayer, “Deliver us from evil.” He said this phrase shows a Christian does not live alien to the evils of the world and also suffers like any other citizen. He said with God's support suffering will not let one lose hope.
POPE FRANCIS
“In fact, Christian prayer does not close its eyes to life. It is a filial prayer, not a childish prayer. It is not so dazzled by God's fatherhood as to forget that man's path is full of difficulties.”
Pope Francis stressed that this final petition in the Our Father prayer is the petition of the oppressed, the forgotten, the persecuted and the desperate. For all of them, God has prepared a special gift: peace.
POPE FRANCIS
“It is important to remember that the first greeting of the risen Jesus is 'Peace be with you.' Peace to your souls, to your hearts, to your lives. The Lord gives us peace, forgiveness. However, we must ask for freedom from evil so as not to succumb to evil.”
At the end of the audience, the pope once again greeted the pilgrims who came from all over the world to listen to him. He was especially attentive to the polish people present. He reminded them that last Monday was the anniversary of the attack on John Paul II on the day of Our Lady of Fatima.
He asked people to follow the message Our Lady addressed to the three little children in Portugal at the beginning of the 20th century: to do penance, to pray for the conversion of sinners and to pray for peace in the world.
