Pope calls for “solutions of peace, stability, and justice” in Ceuta
Speaking in Spanish to the faithful gathered for the Angelus, the pontiff expressed concern about the migrant crisis in the enclave on the border with Morocco. Before the prayer, he reflected on Jesus’ miracles, who “is doing more than merely performing miraculous deeds; he is proclaiming to all that the Kingdom of God is near.”
Città del Vaticano (AsiaNews) – “I am following with concern the alarming situation in Ceuta, praying to God that, through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, solutions may be found to bring peace, stability and justice,” said Pope Leo XIV this morning, speaking directly in Spanish to the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square for the weekly Angelus prayer.
“Let us continue to pray for peace,” added the pontiff who is back in Rome after a summer break at Castel Gandolfo, “that wars may cease throughout the world and diplomatic solutions to conflicts may be found.”
Likewise, “Let us remember all the victims of hostilities, especially the weakest and most defenseless: children, the elderly and the sick. May the Lord comfort those who suffer and bless the work of those who bring aid and consolation.”
The pope also mentioned the Pardon of Assisi, the plenary indulgence currently celebrated through the intercession of Saint Francis. “Let us thank the Lord for this great gift,” Leo said, “and treasure it, especially in this eighth centenary year of the Transitus of the Poor Man of Assisi, who died at the Porziuncola on 3 October 1226.”
Before the Marian prayer, the pontiff commented on the Gospel passage in today’s liturgy, focusing on the meaning of the signs performed by Jesus, “which are acts that reveal his special dedication to us and the salvation that he brings to the world. The Lord is presented as the One who gives meaning to our lives, freeing us from evil and sin.”
The pope noted that, “By restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, Christ is doing more than merely performing miraculous deeds; he is proclaiming to all that the Kingdom of God is near.”
The episode of the multiplication of the loaves also reveals that the “encounter with the Lord is a nourishing experience. In the desert, that is, when we are in need, Christ is the bread of life.” At the same time, the “‘twelve baskets full’” are a sign “that the Lord’s gift is universal, and that his providential care for us never fails.”
The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, Leo added, also shows that “waste, on the contrary, are two sides of the same evil: greed.
“This spiritual sickness numbs the senses, which become intoxicated with wealth, to the point of making people forget those who weep from hunger and cry out from thirst.
“And so, in the face of an opulence that reeks of decay, we find the outstretched hands of those who have no nourishment, the burned homes of those who have no peace.”
“Faced with the deserts of war and arrogance, let us consider with what kindness the Lord ‘looked up to heaven, and blessed,’ ‘broke the loaves, and gave them’ to his disciples, so that they might distribute them to the crowd (cf. v. 19).
“In this miracle of charity, we recognize the characteristic actions of Jesus, which find their culmination in the Last Supper, for it was then that the Son of God gave us his very life as our brother in humanity.
“As we savor the grace of the Eucharist, let us commit ourselves to bearing witness to its beauty in our daily actions, beginning with blessing meals at the table with family and friends. In Jesus’ company, even vacations can become a time of fraternal serenity, if we reach out to our neighbors in need.”
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