Pope Francis offered greetings Sunday to a wide swath of humanity, from seminarians to motorcyclists.
As is his custom, the greetings came after praying the noonday Angelus with the faithful in St. Peter’s Square. Before the prayer, he gave a commentary on the gospel of the day (Jn 6:60-69).
“I greet you all, faithful of Rome and pilgrims from various countries. There are many countries represented here, I see from the flags…,” the Pope said. “In particular, I greet the priests and seminarians of the Pontifical North American College – they are over there – as well as families from Abbiategrasso and motorcyclists from Polesine.
“Again this Sunday I am pleased to greet several groups of young people: from Cornuda, Covolo di Piave and Nogaré, in the diocese of Treviso, Rogoredo in Milan, Dalmine, Cagliari, Pescantina near Verona, and the scout group from Mantova. Dear boys and girls, many of you have had the experience of a long journey together: may this help you to walk through life on the path of the Gospel. And I also greet the young people of the Immaculata.
“I wish you all a blessed Sunday. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your meal, and arrivederci!’
In 1884, the North American College was granted pontifical status placing it under the special patronage of the Apostolic See and the care of the Holy Father. The College, therefore, is the direct concern of the Congregation for the Clergy and is under the immediate supervision of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Its Board of Governors is composed of one elected bishop from each of the fifteen episcopal regions of the United States. The priestly formation program of the College is governed by the principles and directives enunciated in the documents Optatam totius of the Second Vatican Council, Ratio Fundamentalis institutionis sacerdotalis of the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis of His Holiness Saint John Paul II, and the Program of Priestly Formation of the Bishops of the United States.
