Today's General Audience began in Saint Peter's Square at 10:15am. His Holiness, Pope Francis met there with groups of pilgrims and faithful from all parts of Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his catechesis, spoken in Italian, the Pope focused on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which is taking place this week and which focuses on the theme Christ cannot be divided (cf 1 Cor 1:1-17). Following the syntheses of the catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father also spoke particular greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims who were present. He then issued a call on the occasion of the opening of the International Conference on Sustaining Peace in Syria in Montreux, Switzerland which will continue on Friday of this week with negotiations taking place in Geneva.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
Last Saturday marked the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which will conclude on this coming Saturday, the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle. This spiritual initiative, more precious than ever, has gathered the Christian community for more than one hundred years. It is a time dedicated to prayer for the unity of all the baptized, according to the will of God that they all may be one (Jn 17:21). Every year, an ecumenical group of persons from one part of the world, under the guidance of the Ecumenical Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, suggests the theme and prepares suggestions for the Week of Prayer. This year, these suggestions have come from the Churches and Ecclesial communities of Canada, and refer to the question asked by Saint Paul of the Christians at Corinth: Is Christ divided? (1 Cor 1:13)
Certainly, Christ was not divided. But we must recognize with sincerity and in pain, that our Christian community continues to live in the midst of divisions which are scandalous. Divisions between us Christians are scandalous. There is no other word for it: it is scandalous. Each one of you - the apostle wrote - says, 'I am for Paul' or 'I belong to Apollos', 'I belong to Cephas' or 'I belong to Christ' (1:12). Even those who professed Christ as their leader were not praised by Paul, because they would use the name of Christ in order to separate themselves from others within the Christian community. But the name of Christ creates communion and unity, not division! He came in order to create communion between us, not to divide us. Baptism and the Cross are basic elements of christian discipleship which we have in common. Our divisions however, weaken the credibility and effectiveness of our commitment to evangelization and can rob the Cross of its power (cf. 1:17).
Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their disputes, but also gives thanks to God because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, because in him, you have been enriched by every gift, with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge (1:4-5). These words of Paul's are not a simple formality, but the sign that he saw first of all - and that he sincerely welcomed - the gifts given by God to the community. This attitude on the part of the Apostle is an encouragement for us and for every Christian community to joyfully rediscover the gifts of God that are present in other communities. Despite the suffering caused by divisions, which unfortunately still exist, we welcome Paul's words as an invitation to sincerely rejoice in the graces God has granted to Christians. We share the same Baptism, the same Holy Spirit who has given us grace: let us recognize these gifts and be glad because of them.
It is good to recognize the grace with which God blesses us, and even more, to find in other Christians, something that we need, something that we might receive as a gift from our brothers and sisters. The Canadian group who prepared the reflections for this Week of Prayer did not invite the community to think about what each individual or community can give to his or her Christian neighbours, but urged them to gather with their Christian neighbours in order to figure out what the entire faith community can receive from time to time from each of the individual parts. This requires something more. It calls for much prayer, it requires humility and reflection, and it requires continual conversion. Let us continue on this path, praying for the unity of Christians, that this scandal may no longer be evidenced among us.
Following the syntheses of the above catechesis, given in various languages, the Holy Father spoke particular greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims. To English-speaking pilgrims present at today's General Audience, he said:
During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity I am particularly pleased to greet the students of the ecumenical Graduate School of Bossey. May your studies help to advance ecumenical dialogue and understanding. I also greet the pilgrimage of British Army Chaplains and the delegation from the Jewish Federation of Chicago. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, I cordially invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!
Following the greetings addressed to Italian-speaking pilgrims who were present, the Holy Father continued with a special call:
Today in Montreux, Switzerland, an International Conference in support of peace in Syria is beginning, a conference which will be followed by negotiations which will take place in Geneva beginning on January 24 of this year. I pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of all those involved so that they may seek only the greater good of the Syrian people, already so tired out by this trial. May they spare no effort to urgently achieve the cessation of violence and the end of the conflict which has already inflicted so much suffering. My wish for the beloved nation of Syria is that they may discover a path toward reconciliation, reconstruction and harmony involving all citizens, that they may all discover in their neighbour not an enemy, not a competitor, but a brother who deserves to be accepted and embraced.
In his catechesis, spoken in Italian, the Pope focused on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which is taking place this week and which focuses on the theme Christ cannot be divided (cf 1 Cor 1:1-17). Following the syntheses of the catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father also spoke particular greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims who were present. He then issued a call on the occasion of the opening of the International Conference on Sustaining Peace in Syria in Montreux, Switzerland which will continue on Friday of this week with negotiations taking place in Geneva.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
Last Saturday marked the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which will conclude on this coming Saturday, the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle. This spiritual initiative, more precious than ever, has gathered the Christian community for more than one hundred years. It is a time dedicated to prayer for the unity of all the baptized, according to the will of God that they all may be one (Jn 17:21). Every year, an ecumenical group of persons from one part of the world, under the guidance of the Ecumenical Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, suggests the theme and prepares suggestions for the Week of Prayer. This year, these suggestions have come from the Churches and Ecclesial communities of Canada, and refer to the question asked by Saint Paul of the Christians at Corinth: Is Christ divided? (1 Cor 1:13)
Certainly, Christ was not divided. But we must recognize with sincerity and in pain, that our Christian community continues to live in the midst of divisions which are scandalous. Divisions between us Christians are scandalous. There is no other word for it: it is scandalous. Each one of you - the apostle wrote - says, 'I am for Paul' or 'I belong to Apollos', 'I belong to Cephas' or 'I belong to Christ' (1:12). Even those who professed Christ as their leader were not praised by Paul, because they would use the name of Christ in order to separate themselves from others within the Christian community. But the name of Christ creates communion and unity, not division! He came in order to create communion between us, not to divide us. Baptism and the Cross are basic elements of christian discipleship which we have in common. Our divisions however, weaken the credibility and effectiveness of our commitment to evangelization and can rob the Cross of its power (cf. 1:17).
Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their disputes, but also gives thanks to God because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, because in him, you have been enriched by every gift, with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge (1:4-5). These words of Paul's are not a simple formality, but the sign that he saw first of all - and that he sincerely welcomed - the gifts given by God to the community. This attitude on the part of the Apostle is an encouragement for us and for every Christian community to joyfully rediscover the gifts of God that are present in other communities. Despite the suffering caused by divisions, which unfortunately still exist, we welcome Paul's words as an invitation to sincerely rejoice in the graces God has granted to Christians. We share the same Baptism, the same Holy Spirit who has given us grace: let us recognize these gifts and be glad because of them.
It is good to recognize the grace with which God blesses us, and even more, to find in other Christians, something that we need, something that we might receive as a gift from our brothers and sisters. The Canadian group who prepared the reflections for this Week of Prayer did not invite the community to think about what each individual or community can give to his or her Christian neighbours, but urged them to gather with their Christian neighbours in order to figure out what the entire faith community can receive from time to time from each of the individual parts. This requires something more. It calls for much prayer, it requires humility and reflection, and it requires continual conversion. Let us continue on this path, praying for the unity of Christians, that this scandal may no longer be evidenced among us.
Following the syntheses of the above catechesis, given in various languages, the Holy Father spoke particular greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims. To English-speaking pilgrims present at today's General Audience, he said:
During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity I am particularly pleased to greet the students of the ecumenical Graduate School of Bossey. May your studies help to advance ecumenical dialogue and understanding. I also greet the pilgrimage of British Army Chaplains and the delegation from the Jewish Federation of Chicago. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, I cordially invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!
Following the greetings addressed to Italian-speaking pilgrims who were present, the Holy Father continued with a special call:
Today in Montreux, Switzerland, an International Conference in support of peace in Syria is beginning, a conference which will be followed by negotiations which will take place in Geneva beginning on January 24 of this year. I pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of all those involved so that they may seek only the greater good of the Syrian people, already so tired out by this trial. May they spare no effort to urgently achieve the cessation of violence and the end of the conflict which has already inflicted so much suffering. My wish for the beloved nation of Syria is that they may discover a path toward reconciliation, reconstruction and harmony involving all citizens, that they may all discover in their neighbour not an enemy, not a competitor, but a brother who deserves to be accepted and embraced.
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