May the memory of such events, in particular the tragedy of the Shoah that struck the Jewish people, awaken an ever more convinced respect of the dignity of every person, so that all men will perceive themselves as one great family. Almighty God illumine hearts and minds, so that such tragedies will not be repeated!It's a prayer that we should all repeat -- that we see ourselves as a family under God, and that we respect each other. Unfortunately, with just a quick glance at the news we see how far we are from realizing that. But we can pray, and we can hope, and we can make efforts to change our own hearts to be more aware of this and to be more closely united to God.
... St. Francis does not renew the Church without or against the Pope, but only in communion with him. The two realities go together: the Successor of Peter, the bishops, the Church founded on the succession of the Apostles and the new charism that the Holy Spirit created at this moment to renew the Church. True renewal grows together. ... [Francis] knew that Christ never is "mine" but always is "ours," that "I" cannot have Christ and "I" cannot reconstruct against the Church, his will and his teaching -- but only in communion with the Church, built on the succession of the Apostles, is obedience to the Word of God also renewed.The entire section in which the Holy Father discussed the above material is worth a read, especially by people working within the Church -- laity, priests, or religious -- as the Pontiff goes into more detail than these two quotes. The Pope also discussed Francis' love for creation, his reception of the stigmata, his travels to the Holy Land and to Egypt, his dialogue with Muslims, and his deep love for the Eucharist, quoting Francis:
The whole of humanity fears, the whole universe trembles and heaven exults, when on the altar, in the hand of the priest, there is Christ, the Son of the living God. O wonderful favor! O sublime humility, that the Lord of the universe, God and Son of God, so humbles himself as to hide himself for our salvation, under the low form of bread. (Francis of Assisi, Scritti, Editrici Francescane, Padua, 2002, 401)Appropriate to the Year for Priests, the Pontiff also quoted a recommendation from Francis to priests on celebrating Mass:
When you wish to celebrate Mass, certainly in a pure way, carry out with reverence the true sacrifice of the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Francis of Assisi, Scritti, 399)The power that has been given to priests to make our Lord present in the Eucharist is a key to Francis' deep respect of clergy. Reflecting on this, Pope Benedict offered some thoughts to the faithful, and reminded priests of the great responsibility they hold:
Francis always showed great deference to priests, and recommended that they always be respected, even in the case when, at the personal level, they are not very worthy. He cherished, as motivation for this profound respect, the fact that they have received the gift of consecrating the Eucharist. Dear brothers in the priesthood, let us never forget this teaching: the holiness of the Eucharist asks us to be pure, to live in a consistent way with the mystery we celebrate.Read the Zenit translation of the Holy Father's General Audience below:
ON ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI Dear brothers and sisters, In a recent catechesis, I already illustrated the providential role that the Order of Friars Minor and the Order of Preachers, founded respectively by St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic Guzmán, had in the renewal of the Church of their time. Today I would like to present to you the figure of Francis, an authentic "giant" of holiness, who continues to fascinate very many people of every age and every religion. ... Continue reading Photo: CNS photo/Paul Haring
教宗:「致我親愛的中東基督徒兄弟姊妹:面對這嚴峻的局勢,你們或許常感到自己無能為力,對此,我深表同理與關懷。請你們知道,你們常存於教宗的心中,也常存於整個普世教會的心中。感謝你們為信仰作出的見證。願至聖童貞瑪利亞,黎凡特(Levant)之母、那位在歷史中升起的新太陽的曙光,常常護佑你們,並陪伴這世界邁向和平的黎明。」
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月20日,教宗良十四世在岡道爾夫堡夏宮度過第三個主日,於鄰近的阿爾巴諾聖龐加爵主教座堂(Cathedral of San Pancrazio)主持了常年期第十六主日彌撒。教宗反省了款待、服事與聆聽,強調這些是建立與天主及他人關係的核心要素。
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月18日,聖座新聞室發出公告表示,教宗良十四世於當天早上在岡道爾夫堡夏宮與以色列國總理內塔尼亞胡進行了電話通話。教宗再次呼籲各方重啟談判、促成停火並終結戰爭。
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月18日,耶路撒冷拉丁禮宗主教區發出新聞公告,耶路撒冷拉丁禮宗主教皮扎巴拉樞機與希臘正教耶路撒冷宗主教德敖斐羅三世帶領教會代表團,於早上時間進入加沙,代表聖地教會表達對加薩信友的牧靈關懷與團結之情。
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月17日,在以色列軍隊針對加沙聖家堂發動攻擊,造成三人死亡、數人重傷後,教宗良十四世(Pope Leo XIV)向當地信友表達關懷,並再次呼籲立即停火。根據加沙衛生部門的統計,自2023年10月7日以來,加沙戰爭已造成超過60,200人死亡,其中包含58,313名巴勒斯坦人與1,983名以色列人。同日,耶路撒冷拉丁禮宗教區也發出聲明嚴正譴責受襲擊事件。