During his Sunday Angelus message, Pope Francis urged Christian couples to persevere in love and marriage, gratefully accepting the gift of life. While acknowledging the challenges involved, he stressed that it is worth it.
On October 6, the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Pope focused his reflection on conjugal love, based on the Gospel of Saint Mark (10:2-16). Before thousands of faithful pilgrims on a sunny autumn day in St. Peter’s Square, the Bishop of Rome stressed the importance of spouses being open to the gift of life, describing children as “the most beautiful fruit of love, God’s greatest blessing, a source of joy and hope for every home and all of society.”
Pope Francis shared a recent experience that filled him with joy: “This Saturday the 5th, during the mass in honor of the patron saint of the Vatican Gendarmerie, Saint Michael the Archangel, I was moved to see a gendarme with his eight children. It was a beautiful moment.”
These were the Pope’s words as he introduced the Marian prayer:
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Words of the Pope
Dear brothers and sisters, good Sunday!
Today, in the Gospel of the liturgy (cf. Mk 10:2-16), Jesus speaks to us about marital love. As they have already done on some other occasions, some Pharisees ask him a provocative question about a controversial issue: a husband’s divorce from his wife. They would like to drag him into a quarrel, but he does not let them. Instead, he welcomes the opportunity to draw their attention to a more important discussion: the value of love between a man and a woman.
In Jesus’ time, the condition of the woman in marriage was greatly disadvantaged compared to that of the man: the husband could send his wife away, divorce her, even for trivial reasons, and this would be justified by legalistic interpretations of Scripture. For this reason, the Lord brings his interlocutors back to the demands of love. He reminds them that woman and man were willed by the Creator as equal in dignity and complementary in diversity. In this way they would be each the other’s helper, companion, but they would also be mutually stimulating and a challenge to grow (cf. Gen 2:20-23).
And for this to happen, he emphasizes the need for their mutual gift to be full, to be engaging, to be without “half measures” – this is love – that it be the beginning of a new life (cf. Mk 10:7; Gen 2:24), destined to last not “as long as everything goes well” but forever, accepting each other and living united as “one flesh” (cf. Mk 10:8; Gen 2:24). Of course, this is not easy, this requires fidelity, even in difficulties, it requires respect, honesty, simplicity (cf. Mk 10:15). It requires being open to confrontation, sometimes even to discussion, when it is necessary, but also to be always ready to forgive and to be reconciled to the other. And I tell you: husband and wife, fight as much as you like, provided you always make peace, before the day is over! Do you know why? Because the cold war that comes the next day is dangerous. “And tell me, father, how should we make peace?” – “A gentle caress, like this, is enough”, but never end your day without making peace.
Let us not forget, also, that for spouses it is essential to be open to the gift of life, to the gift of children, that are the most beautiful fruit of love, the greatest blessing from God, a source of joy and hope for every home and all of society. Have children! Yesterday, I received a great consolation. It was the day of the Gendarmerie Corps, and a gendarme came with his eight children! It was beautiful to see him. Please, be open to life, to what God may send you.
Dear brothers and sisters, love is demanding, yes, but it is beautiful, and the more we allow ourselves to be involved by it, the more we discover true happiness in it. And now, let each one of us ask themselves: How is my love? Is it faithful? Is it generous? Is it creative? How are our families? Are they open to life, to the gift of children?
May the Virgin Mary help Christian spouses. Let us turn to her in spiritual union with the faithful gathered at the Shrine of Pompeii for the traditional Supplication to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
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After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters!
Tomorrow marks one year since the terror attack on the population in Israel, to whom I once again express my closeness. Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza. I ask for them to be released immediately. Since that day, the Middle East has been plunged into a condition marked by increasing suffering, with destructive military actions continuing to strike the Palestinian people. This people is suffering very much in Gaza and in other territories. Most of them are innocent civilians, all of them are people who must receive all necessary humanitarian aid. I call for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Let us pray for the Lebanese, especially for those who live in the south, who are forced to leave their villages.
I appeal to the international community, that it may work to end the spiral of revenge and prevent further attacks, like the one recently carried out by Iran, that could make that region fall into an even greater war. All nations have the right to exist in peace and security, and their territories must not be attacked or invaded, their sovereignty must be respected through and guaranteed by dialogue and peace, not by hatred and war.
In this situation, prayer is more necessary than ever. This afternoon, we will all go to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to invoke the intercession of the Mother of God. Tomorrow will be a day of prayer and fasting for world peace. Let us unite with the power of good against the diabolical plots of war.
I am also close to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, affected by floods. May the Lord welcome the deceased, comfort their families, and support these communities.
I greet you, people of Rome and pilgrims from Italy and many countries. My special greeting goes to the music band from Cabañas (El Salvador) – we will hear them play later on – to the Polish faithful from the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy from the diocese of Radom, and for those who have come from Martinique. I greet the group of pilgrims from the Shrine of Our Lady of Revelation at Tre Fontane, who will bring Mary’s statue from Saint Peter’s to this Marian Sanctuary in Rome today, while praying for peace. I greet the former students of the “Poggio Galeso” Minor Seminary of Taranto, the “Teatro Patologico” Association of Rome, the band of the “Sacra Famiglia” school of Cremona and participants in the “Fiabaday” manifestation for eliminating architectural barriers.
And now, I am pleased to announce that on December 8th, I will hold a consistory for the appointment of new cardinals. Their origin reflects the universality of the Church, that continues to announce God’s merciful love to all people. Here are the names of the new cardinals:
- His Excellency Mons. Angelo Acerbi, Apostolic Nuncio
- His Excellency Mons. Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio, Archbishop of Lima, Peru
- His Excellency Mons. Vicente Bokalic Iglic, Archbishop of Santiago del Estero, Primate of Argentina
- His Excellency Mons. Cabrera Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, Archbishop of Guayaquil, Ecuador
- His Excellency Mons. Natalio Chomalí Garib, Archbishop of Santiago, Chile
- His Excellency Mons. Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, Archbishop of Tokyo, Japan
- His Excellency Mons. Pablo Virgilio Siongco David, Bishop of Kalookan, Philippines
- His Excellency Mons. Ladislav Nemet, Archbishop of Belgrade-Smederevo, Serbia
- His Excellency Mons. Jaime Spengler, Archbishop of Porto Alegre,
- His Excellency Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo, Archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast
- His Excellency Mons. Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers, Algeria
- His Excellency Mons. Paskalis Bruno Syukur, Bishop of Bogor, Indonesia
- His Excellency Mons. Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan, Iran
- His Excellency Mons. Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin, Italy
- His Excellency Mons. Baldassare Reina, who will be, from today on, Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome
- His Excellency Mons. Francis Leo, Archbishop of Toronto, Canada
- His Excellency Mons. Rolandas Makrickas, Co-adjutor Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major
- His Excellency Mons. Mykola Bychok, Eparch of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne for Ukrainians
- Reverend Father Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe, Theologian
- Reverend Father Fabio Baggio, Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
- Monsignor George Jacob Koovakad, Official of the Secretariat of State, responsible for Papal Travels
Let us pray for the new Cardinals, that in confirming their commitment to Christ, the merciful and faithful High Priest, they may assist me in my ministry as the Bishop of Rome for the good of the holy people of God.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please don’t forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch, and arrivederci!
