After meeting with the president of the United States, the pope went down to St. Peter's Square for his weekly meeting with pilgrims. It began as always with the blessing of the little ones.
By surprise, the pope stopped the popemobile and ;got off to greet this 93-year-old Colombian pilgrim.
In his catechesis, Pope Francis explained hope from the Gospel story of the resurrected Jesus meeting the disciples of Emmaus, who escaped from Jerusalem and were discouraged by the crucifixion.
POPE FRANCIS
'In our life, we have all had difficult, dark moments, moments in which we walked in sadness, thoughtful,
without horizon, with a wall in front of us. Jesus is always next to us to give us hope. To give and to light our hearts and tell us: 'Go ahead, I am with you, go ahead.''
While greeting the pilgrims, the pope recalled the Day of Prayer for Catholics in
China
and
spoke
off the script to remember them.
POPE FRANCIS
'Also today I would like to especially greet the pilgrims from Hong Kong, on the day of the Virgin of Sheshan. God bless you.'
Before leaving, the pope greeted Ukrainian soldiers returning from a pilgrimage. Pope Francis took this as an opportunity to pray for peace in Ukraine.
JMB/MB
CTV
The
- BN
Up: JC
