Pope Francis reflected on the meaning of Holy Week at his General Audience.
He said that Jesus came to bring peace, but not in a political sense, rather a peace that respects people's freedom.
POPE FRANCIS
The peace that Jesus gives us at Easter is not a peace that follows the strategies of the world, which believes it can obtain it through force, conquests and various forms of imposition. This peace, in reality, is only an interval between wars.
This is why the armed aggression of these days, like every war, represents an outrage to God, a blasphemous betrayal of the Lord of Easter, favoring the false god of this world over his meek face.
As an example, the Pope recalled the story of 'The Grand Inquisitor' which appears in Dostoevsky's 'The Brothers Karamazov.' The story conveys how the world would react today to Jesus' return. At first everyone welcomes him amid great festivities, until the Grand Inquisitor arrives.
POPE FRANCIS
He interrogates him and criticizes him fiercely. The final reason for the reproach is that Christ, who could have been Caesar, the greatest king of this world, never wanted to be one, preferring to leave man free, rather than subjugate him and solve his problems with force.
The audience was filled with groups of pilgrims from around the world, some of whom were determined to make their presence felt.
This group was made up of 2,000 university students, mostly from Spain and Latin America.
Every year during Holy Week they travel to Rome to participate in a congress, the UNIV forum, to reflect on the challenges facing the world and experience the Easter Triduum together with the Pope.
JRB
TR: JM
