Pope Francis welcomed some 60,000 members of Italian Catholic Action, which was celebrating its national assembly under the title “With open arms.”
After walking around St. Peter's Square greeting those present, Francis chose to reflect on hugs. He said that there are three types: the hug that misses, the one that saves and the one that changes lives. But he pointed out that sometimes it is a gesture that may not be well received in certain contexts.
POPE FRANCIS
When the hug becomes a fist, it is very dangerous. At the origin of wars, there are often lost or rejected hugs, followed by prejudices, misunderstandings, suspicions… to the point of seeing the other as an enemy. And all this, unfortunately, these days, is before our eyes in too many parts of the world.
With humor, Pope Francis made reference to one of the words coined by this association to refer to the elderly and make them more prominent in the life of the Church: the term “adultísimo.”
POPE FRANCIS
And, by the way, I would like to add one last thought—it is the last one. Then I will finish. Be calm. Seeing you here, seeing you all together—children, families, men and women, students, workers, young people, adults and “adultissimi” (as you call those of my generation) - makes me think of the Synod.
Francis invited the members to participate in the synodal process and encouraged them to be “athletes and standard bearers of synodality.”
At the end, Francis greeted those in the crowd. He blessed a pregnant woman and her baby. And spent some time with the little ones present. The impact of his message on the youth was evident through the images of this little girl, who said she did not want to be separated from Pope Francis' embrace.
CA
TR: AT
